How to Boost Your Short Term Rental Listing in Airbnb’s Algorithm

How to Boost Your Listing in Airbnb’s Algorithm (straight from Airbnb)

In a closed session at Vacation Rental Management Association (VRMA) International Conference Airbnb revealed the four methods to boost your short term rental listing in their algorithm.  I have always heard speculation around what causes a listing to rise or fall in the search results, but now we have the actual information.  Here, I have decoded this information and I hope you find it helpful and get more bookings as a result!

Open calendar availability

Make sure your calendar is open, meaning no blocked dates.  Airbnb gives you the option to open your calendar far into the future.  As a best practice, open your calendar up at least 365 days.  If you are worried about getting a booking this far out price the future dates accordingly (this can be easily accomplished using a dynamic pricing tool).  It is important to note that if you book on multiple OTAs or accept direct bookings any reservations booked on platforms outside of Airbnb will show up as blocked days.

Price competitively

In decoding this one I think that Airbnb is referring to the use of their ‘smart’ pricing tool.  I don’t recommend using this tool.  You may book faster, but it is because you will be priced lower than your competition.  This results in a race to the bottom, don’t sell on price!  Instead set your pricing up to be a combination of the following: a reflection of the market coupled with your unique offering.  Meaning, if you are providing a premium product price it accordingly.

Deliver high quality stays

Roughly translated: 5 star reviews and fast response time!  This one is easy, be a good host and communicate with your guests.  The best advice I can give is to operate like a virtual concierge service.  Answer all questions within minutes, not hours and do your best to make a guest’s stay memorable.

Offer flexibility

This one is key, and I have recently tested it and it made the world of difference for my business.  Move to the moderate cancelation policy.  This does result in more cancelations, and it is scary to have someone cancel five days before their check in date and get all their money back leaving you without a booking.  But it has also caused my listings to jump in the algorithm and gain more bookings as a result.  I also found that by using the strict cancelation policy this only resulted in more time dealing with guests who wanted to cancel, which took extra time due to the additional interaction and headaches it caused.