All Forum Posts by: Joel Oh

Quote from @Patricia Andriolo-Bull:

Okay, here we go again...First, I agree. Listing on multiple platforms does affect ranking by platforms but not as much as you think. I am listed on 5 platforms plus have a direct booking site and I rank highly across my 5 listings. Just to disprove your theory...by your logic, my first page search impression should be much lower than 80%! Yet, it is higher than yours with only one platform. And as you state in other posts, you are in a market with less competition (a city near the airport in the Midwest I believe). I am in a highly concentrated beach vacation market and still have 80% first page search impression. Please stop telling new STR hosts to only list on one platform. This risk here far outweighs any small gains in ranking.

 Also since you focused on my credibility… I think it is a bit funny someone who joined the real estate world not too long ago and only been in the entrepreneur world 3 years questions my credibility. My family has been running businesses over 50 years and I have been in the real estate world for over a decade. Confidence is a great thing but ego can hurt you badly. Watch what you say and accuse on the internet. Good luck with your journey!

Quote from @Michael Baum:

Hey @Joel Oh, so I got what you were saying in your first post, I just don't agree.

You are making a ton of assumptions based on anecdotal evidence.

How do you prove the change? Do you have the algorithm? Do you have a internal memo stating such?

I guess I just want to know how you got to this conclusion. Even with 200 STRs it isn't a broad enough cross section to assume the changes.

You would need to have millions of data points to show the trend IMHO. 

It is the same question people asked a long time ago. Is earth rotating around the sun? There are much evidence showing Airbnb's logic has been evolving. It is your choice to believe it or not and I respect your decision.

Just for you, these are the very first properties you see when you search Chicago. Try other places, and see if your belief of what matters most to Airbnb ranking matches the reality. 

Quote from @Patricia Andriolo-Bull:

Okay, here we go again...First, I agree. Listing on multiple platforms does affect ranking by platforms but not as much as you think. I am listed on 5 platforms plus have a direct booking site and I rank highly across my 5 listings. Just to disprove your theory...by your logic, my first page search impression should be much lower than 80%! Yet, it is higher than yours with only one platform. And as you state in other posts, you are in a market with less competition (a city near the airport in the Midwest I believe). I am in a highly concentrated beach vacation market and still have 80% first page search impression. Please stop telling new STR hosts to only list on one platform. This risk here far outweighs any small gains in ranking.

 That is an impressive rate! If all of your listings have that percentage year-round, I think you are possibly the highest ranked Airbnb host on the entire platform! Are you in the OMG or luxe category?

I have properties all around popular spots, including smoky mountain. I don’t think the competition in the smoky is light. (I also have a small hotel near the airport so great guess!)

congratulation on your success, but you should stop telling new hosts to post on multi platforms because the occupancy rate matters a lot. 

Quote from @Sri S.:

Hi @Joel Oh, Great insight. I am new to STR. Which platform do you use to see the above metrics on conversion rate, first page impression etc.

it is on the Airbnb. You need to use the PC version and insight tab under the menu.

 Good luck with your journey! 

Hi guys, I posted that hosts should focus on one platform to boost ranking instead of spreading out multiple platforms and I think I owe more explanation since all the seasoned hosts do not agree with me. Please understand that my post is for helping new hosts and showing them the STR world changes so fast and the information from the book or podcast you are using can be outdated.

Airbnb / Vrbo previously never penalized hosts for using multiple platforms. It was simply because there were always more guests than hosts and the platform's focus has been collecting more hosts on their platform to increase its size. Since posting your listing on multiple platforms had no downside for such a long time, this "post your listing on every platform because why not" became a standard of how to run your STR. I remember seeing this method in many popular books and podcasts.

However, the STR world has changed so much ever since with its exponential market growth. STR industry led by Airbnb is a new normal just like Uber or Doordash. Their focus changed from how to get more hosts to how to give a better experience to guests and how to make the guests use our platform over others. The era of platform war started.

With the change, platforms started to emphasize more and more on pricing, unique features, accommodation, and availability over host qualities such as super host status or overall ratings. This can be shocking news for many people, but your rating may not be as important as you believe. You can confirm this by searching popular cities and seeing what comes on the first page. (Don't get me wrong, the rating is still important but not as much as before)

The STR games are all about whether can you be on the first page or not. A very small amount of guests check anything beyond page 5 and most people finalize their booking on the first or second page. Just think about how often you look for pages 7 or 8 when you search for something on Google or buy something on Amazon. With this system, you, especially new hosts, who don't have a high ranking but getting the platform's blessing of "New" status, you absolutely have to focus on climbing the ranking during this time. If your listing is booked by other platforms during this New status and has a low occupancy rate, you will be placed on page 8 or 10. It is incredibly difficult to climb the ranking once you are placed at the bottom. That is why most listings can't pass the 40~50 % first-page search impression rate even after you fix everything. (I helped/mentored a lot of hosts to know this)

Of course, it is market-dependable and depends on the size of your accounts. If you have 30+ listings and handling 7+ figures, of course being on one platform is not the best idea. Finding what works best is always your responsibility as a business owner.

Since there were a lot of people who were questioning my credibility, I am attaching my booking conversation for 2024. I run multiple STRs along with hundreds of LTRs. I know there are many bigger hosts here who outperform me. I am not trying to brag about anything but helping new hosts to see that there have been changes that require our attention. Good luck with your journey and have a great 2025!

Quote from @James Wise:

Quote from @Joel Oh:

Quote from @James Wise:

Quote from @Joel Oh:

Hey guys, I know this will be very controversial. 

However, I gotta say it. No business succeeded by drilling many holes. You must find the best suit and drill one hole deeper and deeper and become the king of the hole.

The reason is how any of these platforms work. The ranking system. 

Your ranking in your area for the time guest search is everything for this business. This ranking includes reviews, photo, click, retention, policy, occupancy, price…. Pretty much the core of the STR business.

Higher your rank gets, you can increase your price and be more picky in selecting customers which usually lead to a better review / less party or complaints / less expense and higher profit with a happy life.

I know some people will argue, but the ranking system is the truth and should be the only guide to your STR journey.

Don’t hurt your ranking by splitting your property into many baskets… especially those personal websites!!!!

Your account with hundreds/thousands of reviews is the biggest asset! 

 You never want to build a business that is completely reliant upon another platform that you have no control over. What if something changes with how that platform works? What if you lose your account? What if they change their algo? If you're diversified you can deal with all of these hurdles. If you aren't, you're screwed and would need to start your business over from scratch. It'd be like a content creator only using Instagram and ignoring YouTube, Facebook and TikTok. Doesn't make any sense.

The difference is that I don't lose my properties even I get banned from one platform and I just need to list my properties on the other platform. It is not like your product line gets banned by the government or your company is bankrupted. It is defeintly a downfall but not the end of world like a lot of hosts are saying in this thread. 

 There are difference between creators and hosts because we are selling different products. Creators are selling contents and we are selling time of the space. They can sell their contents as many time as buyers want to buy but we can only sell the time to one guest. Also, content or manufacturing industry doesn't punishment seller for using multi platforms. Indeed, it was same for STRs for a long time and I think that is why seasoned hosts are having hard time understanding the downside of using multiple platforms since there was no penalty of using it at all. It is a different time and we should adapt to the new world. 

The phrase "don't put all your eggs in one basket" comes to mind. Diversification is a good thing my brother.

 Once again, that is the myth that started from Wall street trying to sell their portfolio. Even Wall street big names didn’t start with diversifying. They all had a very strong competitive advantage and focused on growing. They start to diversify after got too large. Small entrepreneurs should not diversify their limited resource if they want to grow. 

Quote from @James Wise:

Quote from @Joel Oh:

Hey guys, I know this will be very controversial. 

However, I gotta say it. No business succeeded by drilling many holes. You must find the best suit and drill one hole deeper and deeper and become the king of the hole.

The reason is how any of these platforms work. The ranking system. 

Your ranking in your area for the time guest search is everything for this business. This ranking includes reviews, photo, click, retention, policy, occupancy, price…. Pretty much the core of the STR business.

Higher your rank gets, you can increase your price and be more picky in selecting customers which usually lead to a better review / less party or complaints / less expense and higher profit with a happy life.

I know some people will argue, but the ranking system is the truth and should be the only guide to your STR journey.

Don’t hurt your ranking by splitting your property into many baskets… especially those personal websites!!!!

Your account with hundreds/thousands of reviews is the biggest asset! 

 You never want to build a business that is completely reliant upon another platform that you have no control over. What if something changes with how that platform works? What if you lose your account? What if they change their algo? If you're diversified you can deal with all of these hurdles. If you aren't, you're screwed and would need to start your business over from scratch. It'd be like a content creator only using Instagram and ignoring YouTube, Facebook and TikTok. Doesn't make any sense.

The difference is that I don't lose my properties even I get banned from one platform and I just need to list my properties on the other platform. It is not like your product line gets banned by the government or your company is bankrupted. It is defeintly a downfall but not the end of world like a lot of hosts are saying in this thread. 

 There are difference between creators and hosts because we are selling different products. Creators are selling contents and we are selling time of the space. They can sell their contents as many time as buyers want to buy but we can only sell the time to one guest. Also, content or manufacturing industry doesn't punishment seller for using multi platforms. Indeed, it was same for STRs for a long time and I think that is why seasoned hosts are having hard time understanding the downside of using multiple platforms since there was no penalty of using it at all. It is a different time and we should adapt to the new world. 

This is must and I agree. The only exception I use is when the property is a high-end unit.

Informative title makes your property look like a cheap business but it is still way better than common titles like cute, adorable, cozy.

If you are charging over 1k per night, I think it is better to give more high-end title like 

Stay with 30,000 trees, tingle your inner artist with lake front retreat

Just my opinion :)

Quote from @Joel Oh:

If you are running an Airbnb in B or C neighborhood, you must have a good reason for people to visit your place. It can be price or unique amenity or your personal charm! I run multiple properties in B or C area and I maintain super host status every quarter. The people who never ran properties in B or C area always scream about how bad idea it is but you can make an incredibly profitable listing in those if you know how to manage it. I hit 100% cash on cash return on all these B or C areas and they often outperform my better neighborhood properties. 

A tall fence, tree, exterior paint can control a lot of things your guest see during their stay. They are not that expensive, and you can easily do it by yourself. Of course, these properties are full of challenges so be prepared before you start. Key is all about finding the solution and never giving up. Good luck buddy!

 Also, running a LTR in a bad neighborhood is a horrible idea. You will attract all scumbags in this world and soon find out your repair and legal cost will easily pass your yearly income. The only way to make money in bad neighborhood through LTR is either getting the government benefit or running it as a slumlord. It is not an easy thing to run a property when your customers are horrible haha.

I recommend student housing with 9 or 10 months lease and run STR during the summer for this property while students are on vacation.

If you are running an Airbnb in B or C neighborhood, you must have a good reason for people to visit your place. It can be price or unique amenity or your personal charm! I run multiple properties in B or C area and I maintain super host status every quarter. The people who never ran properties in B or C area always scream about how bad idea it is but you can make an incredibly profitable listing in those if you know how to manage it. I hit 100% cash on cash return on all these B or C areas and they often outperform my better neighborhood properties. 

A tall fence, tree, exterior paint can control a lot of things your guest see during their stay. They are not that expensive, and you can easily do it by yourself. Of course, these properties are full of challenges so be prepared before you start. Key is all about finding the solution and never giving up. Good luck buddy!