Factors affecting Airbnb search ranking results

You may not be aware, but Airbnb keeps tabs on all your activities surrounding the site and rewards or punishes you by lowering your property’s search ranking. You may now be wondering if you’ve done anything to lower your search results. So before you start worrying, let’s go into the things that affect your property’s search ranking results on Airbnb.

Response rates for messages 

Airbnb will rank your Airbnb property higher in the search engine when you respond to guest messages within 24hours of them messaging. A good way to make sure you adhere to this is to respond to messages as soon as you see them. However, if you don’t know the answer to a question, then you can reply to let the guest know that you don’t know the answer, but you will find out and get back to them. This means you keep to the recommended 24hour response, but also have more time to find the answer out.

Cancelling a booking 

It is a good rule of thumb to never cancel an Airbnb booking, unless under extenuating circumstances such as a death in the family. If you have had to cancel a booking for this (or a similar) reason, then make sure to contact Airbnb and let them know. This should stop your search ranking from dropping unless Airbnb doesn’t deem your reason acceptable.

Reviews

Ah reviews, we knew this one was coming! As expected, the more trips people book in your property, and the more positive reviews you get, the better. But don’t worry if you get the occasional not-so-nice review, this shouldn’t have a lasting effect on your search ranking.

Clicks in the search results

Clicks count! The more clicks you get, the better your chances are for a high search ranking. These clicks only count, however, if they come from different guests. So, unfortunately, no amount of clicking from your partner's Airbnb account will change your search ranking. Therefore, you will need a standout listing title and display photograph to grab people’s attention. To write the perfect listing title, make sure to check out this previous article. 

Bookings

Following on from the clicks, Airbnb also takes into account how many bookings you get from each click. So as well as a stand-out listing title, and photograph, you'll need to make sure your description and following photographs are a dream for potential guests. For more information on how to set-up your Airbnb property photographs, check out this previous article. 

Price

As Rankbreeze says, The cost of your Airbnb is a big factor when it comes to search ranking results. Guests don’t want to stay in a place that is well out of their price range, but equally, they won’t want to stay in a ridiculously cheap place. This makes guests wonder if there's something wrong with the property. Therefore, to find your competitive price range, make sure to research other Airbnbs in your general area, and check what features they have, and pick your price accordingly.

New listing

When you’re new to the game you have a limited window to stand out and land those bookings! Make the most of this chance but making sure your listing title, photos, and description are charming and attention-grabbing. Not to mention, make sure your property is ready for the influx of bookings that may follow if you capitalise on this limited high search ranking.

Location

Understandably, the location of your Airbnb property has a big effect on your search ranking. A place that is a popular holiday destination, such as downtown Auckland, will have a much higher search ranking than properties on the outskirts of Auckland city. This is because more guests want to stay in an area of Auckland close to all the action. So, if you’re thinking of buying an Airbnb property to make a profit then you should consider starting it up somewhere in central or downtown Auckland.

Rejections in request to book

For those hosts who choose to use this system, Airbnb calculates how many times a request is denied. The occasional denial may be justified, but if this is a longer-term pattern, then this could affect your search ranking results negatively.

Instant book

As Forbes says, Airbnb has really been pushing Instant Book with its Airbnb hosts. This programme makes things so much easier for guests, and more guests are likely to book using this system. So if an Airbnb property uses this method and is favouring the other search ranking optimization factors mentioned in this article, then Airbnb will reward this with a boost in the host's search ranking. 

Other factors

As well as these factors, many other factors could affect your Airbnb's search ranking results. These include guest needs and preferences such as the location of the search, previous trips they've made, and listings they've added to their wishlist, etc. As well as this, Airbnb also pays close attention to how many guests are booking the trip, how far in advance the trip is booked, if the guest has selected a minimum/maximum price, and a whole other score of factors. This is a very advanced process.

Conclusion

Every long-time or new Airbnb property needs to consider these Airbnb factors to get great search rankings results. The benefit of having these great results is that the more eyes view your property, the more bookings, and more money. Cha-ching! And now you know the factors, there is no reason not to get out there, and maximize those search results!