All Forum Posts by: Garrett Brown

Quote from @Dennis Bragg:

Quote from @Garrett Brown:

If your Airbnb listing isn’t getting clicks, it doesn’t matter how incredible your property is—no clicks mean no bookings. Airbnb operates as an interest-based algorithm, rewarding listings that grab attention and keep potential guests clicking. That’s why improving your Click-Through Rate (CTR) is one critical metric to focus on to boost your Airbnb profit and visibility.

Hi @Garrett Brown

Thanks for sharing these insights.. CTR optimization is often overlooked, but it’s a game-changer! From what I read in The Economist, listings with updated, compelling photos tend to outperform others significantly. I’ve seen small tweaks make a huge difference in teh past. For example, one client in Chicago wasn’t getting traction until we updated their listing with a twilight shot of their patio featuring string lights and a fire pit. That single photo not only improved their CTR but also landed them in the “Cozy Getaways” category.

Here are a few extra ideas I’ve seen work well:

Seasonal Themes for Your Wow Shot
Highlighting your property’s standout feature while keeping it seasonally relevant works wonders. A San Diego host I know switched their lead photo between their pool and a cozy firepit setup depending on the time of year - it kept the listing fresh and boosted engagement year-round.

Capture Functional Luxury

Guests love spaces that solve problems while feeling high-end. Think: a coffee station stocked with local beans or a reading nook with plenty of natural light. A friend in Austin recently added a photo of their library wall, and suddenly they started attracting more “workcation” bookkings.

Tailor Your Alt Text to Travelers

Airbnb’s AI doesn’t just categorize listings - it also matches them with guest search intent. Instead of vague alt text like “Modern kitchen,” try something like “Chef’s kitchen perfect for group meals or private dinners.” This strategy helped a Phoenix investor rank higher in the “Group Stays” category.

A/B testing is another essential step. While analytics tools like RankBreeze and IntelliHost are great, I’ve found that even small tests.. like rotating photos or adjusting captions.. can reveal surprising trends.

Your approach to CTR optimization is spot-on, Garrett, and I’m excited to hear how these techniques work for you. Let us know how it goes!

 Agree 100% with your extra insight! Great take. 

Hey Derek, I deal with the same situation at one of my glamping sites near Houston. You won't find many refinance options on these types of projects besides going the SBA or USDA route most likely. You have to treat it as a business-based sale. I am far from an expert in this field as I have been learning alot myself but cap rate does play a role in your type of business. Your NOI, revenue, location, risk for the business, assets (land and infrastructure mainly), equipment (yurts would be considered business equipment), and more all play a factor. These type of businesses are tough to price as the market varies greatly depending on many factors.
Do you self-manage it all? That isn't going to help your sale unfortunately as the next owner isn't buying a business really as once you leave, the business disappears. You'll need to find someone that wants to buy this type of business while also running it themselves. Most owners would stay on managing at least for a year or two in this type of thing if so. 

I would talk with a commercial broker in your area to get some real insight on what it might be able to get on the market, and then you can list it on things like Crexi, Loopnet, etc. to see if you get any traction. I'm actively working through this process somewhat now so I can roll funds into a bigger boutique hotel project. I learn something new everyday it seems.

Quote from @Ryan Moyer:

You're not wrong, but there is certainly some irony to several (4 out of 5?) of the "great photo" examples having calendars that are wiiiiiiide open, with barely a booking on them.

Fair enough, I pulled these from first page results of nation wide searches (it was skewed SE for me because I mainly look in those areas) so they obviously rank very high on the algorithm. I also didn’t deep dive into each listing as I wrote this and just simply found examples of photos I thought fit this and Airbnb did as well. If my post was about how these photos will get you 100% booked, then I get it. Most people don’t realize that even putting alt text in your photos can put you in more categories and there are certain types of photos that just perform better historically. 

Quote from @JD Martin:

Quote from @Garrett Brown:

If your Airbnb listing isn’t getting clicks, it doesn’t matter how incredible your property is—no clicks mean no bookings. Airbnb operates as an interest-based algorithm, rewarding listings that grab attention and keep potential guests clicking. That’s why improving your Click-Through Rate (CTR) is one critical metric to focus on to boost your Airbnb profit and visibility.

The key to improving your CTR? Optimizing your listing photos for specific shots that perform highly and leveraging Airbnb AI to maximize visibility in top categories.

Why CTR Matters

CTR, or Click-Through Rate, measures the percentage of people who click on your listing after seeing it in search results. A higher CTR tells Airbnb’s algorithm your listing is engaging, which improves your ranking, increases visibility, and leads to more bookings.

With the rise of professional photography, simply having high-quality photos isn’t enough anymore. You need photos that stand out and align with the AI-driven algorithm prioritizing listings in popular categories.

The 5 Must-Have Photos for Airbnb Listings

I have tested hundreds of photos and analyzed which listings perform best. There are clear winners in types of photos that should be included in your listing, along with examples of listings I believe achieve this. You may need to guide or provide these types of photos as things you want your professional photographer to succeed. 

1. 1. Twilight/Sunset Shot
   
   • Why it works: Creates emotion and sets the mood.
   • How to nail it: Capture both ground-level and drone shots to showcase landscaping and lighting.
   • Example: This listing
2. 2. Structure and View Shot
   
   • Why it works: Highlights your property’s unique design and surrounding scenery.
   • How to nail it: Pair a ground-level shot with a drone perspective.
   • Example: This listing
3. 3. Upward Angle with Golden Hour Sun
   
   • Why it works: Adds drama and makes your property shine.
   • How to nail it: Capture the light hitting your property’s standout features.
   • Example: This listing
4. 4. String Light and Fire Pit Shot
   • Why it works: Creates a cozy, inviting vibe.
   • How to nail it: Shoot during twilight with props like chairs, blankets, or a fire roaring.
   • Example: This listing
5. 5. The Wow Shot
   • Why it works: Features the unique element that will catch guests’ attention.
   • How to nail it: Highlight a hot tub, pool, view, or quirky design feature.
   • Example: This listing

AI’s Role in Airbnb Rankings

Airbnb uses AI to analyze listings and prioritize them in categories like "Cabins," "Amazing Views," or "Play." The algorithm scans keywords in your listing description and even the alt text of your photos to determine relevance.

For example:

• A picture of a game room could land in the "Play" category if the photo’s alt text is labeled something like: “Amazing game room with ping pong and pool table.”
• A picture of a beautiful view of land with the alt text being “Beautiful view of the countryside”

Your photos can do more than look good—they can strategically get your listing into multiple categories by including targeted alt-text descriptions.

The more categories you rank in, the more visibility your listing gets, leading to more clicks and higher rankings in Airbnb search results.

Testing and Improving Your CTR

Once your photos are optimized, it’s time to test their impact. Use tools like:

Airbnb Analytics: Monitor impressions, clicks, and overall CTR.

IntelliHost: Analyze your listing for category placement and CTR improvements.

RankBreeze: Track your listing's performance and ranking changes.

You can also A/B test your photos by rotating lead images or running Meta Ads (Facebook/Instagram) or Google Ads to measure which photo drives the most engagement.

The Airbnb algorithm is continuously evolving and every host should pay attention as new features are rolled out. 

Great thread - it actually inspired me to try changing some of my photos around. I'll let you know if I see an uptick :) 

 Thank you! Please do and let me know which style performs the best. I have a theory that Twilight drone shots are hard to beat, but others would argue differently.

If your Airbnb listing isn’t getting clicks, it doesn’t matter how incredible your property is—no clicks mean no bookings. Airbnb operates as an interest-based algorithm, rewarding listings that grab attention and keep potential guests clicking. That’s why improving your Click-Through Rate (CTR) is one critical metric to focus on to boost your Airbnb profit and visibility.

The key to improving your CTR? Optimizing your listing photos for specific shots that perform highly and leveraging Airbnb AI to maximize visibility in top categories.

Why CTR Matters

CTR, or Click-Through Rate, measures the percentage of people who click on your listing after seeing it in search results. A higher CTR tells Airbnb’s algorithm your listing is engaging, which improves your ranking, increases visibility, and leads to more bookings.

With the rise of professional photography, simply having high-quality photos isn’t enough anymore. You need photos that stand out and align with the AI-driven algorithm prioritizing listings in popular categories.

The 5 Must-Have Photos for Airbnb Listings

I have tested hundreds of photos and analyzed which listings perform best. There are clear winners in types of photos that should be included in your listing, along with examples of listings I believe achieve this. You may need to guide or provide these types of photos as things you want your professional photographer to succeed. 

1. 1. Twilight/Sunset Shot
   
   • Why it works: Creates emotion and sets the mood.
   • How to nail it: Capture both ground-level and drone shots to showcase landscaping and lighting.
   • Example: This listing
2. 2. Structure and View Shot
   
   • Why it works: Highlights your property’s unique design and surrounding scenery.
   • How to nail it: Pair a ground-level shot with a drone perspective.
   • Example: This listing
3. 3. Upward Angle with Golden Hour Sun
   
   • Why it works: Adds drama and makes your property shine.
   • How to nail it: Capture the light hitting your property’s standout features.
   • Example: This listing
4. 4. String Light and Fire Pit Shot
   • Why it works: Creates a cozy, inviting vibe.
   • How to nail it: Shoot during twilight with props like chairs, blankets, or a fire roaring.
   • Example: This listing
5. 5. The Wow Shot
   • Why it works: Features the unique element that will catch guests’ attention.
   • How to nail it: Highlight a hot tub, pool, view, or quirky design feature.
   • Example: This listing

AI’s Role in Airbnb Rankings

Airbnb uses AI to analyze listings and prioritize them in categories like "Cabins," "Amazing Views," or "Play." The algorithm scans keywords in your listing description and even the alt text of your photos to determine relevance.

For example:

• A picture of a game room could land in the "Play" category if the photo’s alt text is labeled something like: “Amazing game room with ping pong and pool table.”
• A picture of a beautiful view of land with the alt text being “Beautiful view of the countryside”

Your photos can do more than look good—they can strategically get your listing into multiple categories by including targeted alt-text descriptions.

The more categories you rank in, the more visibility your listing gets, leading to more clicks and higher rankings in Airbnb search results.

Testing and Improving Your CTR

Once your photos are optimized, it’s time to test their impact. Use tools like:

Airbnb Analytics: Monitor impressions, clicks, and overall CTR.

IntelliHost: Analyze your listing for category placement and CTR improvements.

RankBreeze: Track your listing's performance and ranking changes.

You can also A/B test your photos by rotating lead images or running Meta Ads (Facebook/Instagram) or Google Ads to measure which photo drives the most engagement.

The Airbnb algorithm is continuously evolving and every host should pay attention as new features are rolled out. 

It's a very cool place! I would be patient in general and not slash prices. Are you using a dynamic pricing tool or checking your competition on AirDNA or Airbnb? What amenities are they doing that you may be able to add to compete? Most places take time to get some reviews in to gain traction. The first year can be the slowest overall. Booking lead time has been dramatically dropping over the last couple of years, and people booking week of is becoming more common, especially for smaller places. 
Are those the professional photos?

Hey Bradley, welcome to the forums! I primarily do glamping in Texas and have quite a bit of experience in the space. Feel free to let me know what questions you may have. 

Quote from @Brendan Connolly:

Quote from @Garrett Brown:

Hey Brendan, I think you are making some smart moves. You can set your weekends to be 2 nights minimum in Pricelabs and leave 1-night mins for the weekdays. If you don't have anyone that has booked a week or so before, you can move it to 1-night min on weekends but I would hold strong personally. Have you tried to offer any discounts for longer stays on Airbnb? Are you on booking.com /VRBO as well? I don't know how much activity VRBO would have for you but booking.com has substantial traffic. Their customer support is terrible and some of their software, but they have about 8x the site traffic in general than Airbnb and VRBO combined, surprisingly. 

 Thanks this is helpful! We rarely get 1 week stays. It's usually weekend booking. We moved it to a 1 night minimum because we were having trouble filling weekend slots, which was rare for our listing. That definitely seemed to increase our weekend bookings in December. But like I mentioned in my post, the downside is there could have been people that would have done a two night stay, so we might be losing out on more booking revenue because of that.

We're just on Airbnb at the moment. I think I'll definitely open it up to some of the other platforms to get more traffic. Thanks! 

Anytime! 

 That is what I meant is to put your 2 night minimum for weekends in pricelabs and 1 night min for weekdays full time. Now you don't miss out on weekday 1 night stays but still hold off for the right 2 night stays on the weekend which shouldn't be hard most of the time. If you are a week out from the date and no booking still (e.g., it's Monday and you don't have anyone friday-sunday that week) then drop it to 1 night maybe to fill at least one of them. What do your competitors do as far as amenities? Are they getting bookings still? 

I provide an "in case you forgot" basket at mine. Ear plugs, eye masks, toothbrush/toothpaste, makeup removers, etc. All bulk and relatively cheap from Amazon. I agree with @Michael Baum do guests mention in reviews? No, but I know it helps. Most of my locations are in areas that a store maybe 10 minutes away. 

Hey Brendan, I think you are making some smart moves. You can set your weekends to be 2 nights minimum in Pricelabs and leave 1-night mins for the weekdays. If you don't have anyone that has booked a week or so before, you can move it to 1-night min on weekends but I would hold strong personally. Have you tried to offer any discounts for longer stays on Airbnb? Are you on booking.com /VRBO as well? I don't know how much activity VRBO would have for you but booking.com has substantial traffic. Their customer support is terrible and some of their software, but they have about 8x the site traffic in general than Airbnb and VRBO combined, surprisingly.