Airbnb optimisation can often be a bit confusing at first. This major holiday accommodation listing platform has rapidly changed the vacation rentals game. With a constantly growing database of property owners, often competing within the same city (and often suburb), making sure that your listing is visible is essential.

Airbnb has its own way of ranking listings that are not always as straight-forward as they seem. Every seemingly small part of your listing and management counts towards your overall visibility, and, in turn, your ranking can greatly affect your booking numbers.

How exactly does Airbnb optimisation work, and how can you increase your visibility on this platform? Let’s take a look.

Airbnb Optimisation Strategies

First things first, it is always useful to understand what we mean when we talk about Airbnb optimisation. Simply put, this term applies to strategies that increase the visibility of your listings. Many factors apply to the Airbnb ranking algorithms. While there are no quick fixes or short cuts to improving your rankings, it can be incredibly useful to know what factors the platform itself uses to display listings to potential customers.

Some of the things that can make a different to Airbnb optimisation include the following:

1/ Ensure that your listings and profile are complete

It’s important to complete each part of your listing and ensure that your profile is completely filled out. This will ensure that you are not missing any important information that could otherwise encourage bookings.

2/ Keep your calendar updated 

Airbnb views non-updated calendars as non-activity, which can affect your rankings. If you do not have bookings lined up consistently, this can obviously be a bit tricky. You could try making small changes or adding and removing dates every few days.

3/ Turn on Instant Book

Many guests filter their search criteria to include hosts that have Instant Book activated. This feature makes it easier and quicker for guests to make a booking, without having to jump through any hoops. The quicker and simpler it is to make a booking, the better for everyone.

4/ Harness the power of reviews

Getting good reviews is an excellent way to succeed on Airbnb. It can also help your rankings. It goes both ways however… you can leave reviews on your guests. Leaving a glowing review after guests have booked your property will often encourage them to leave a review as well.

5/ Respond as quickly as possible

Airbnb does not only reward responsive hosts – it penalises lazy hosts who don’t bother replying to messages or reviews. What this means is taking the time to engage, respond and keep your listing active. This will in turn get you closer to being a better Airbnb host.

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These basic strategies are only scratching the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Airbnb optimisation. As the platform gains traction all over the world, property owners are learning as they go. There are many websites dedicated to helping property owners optimise their Airbnb listings, and there is an abundance of useful information out there for those wanting to learn more about Airbnb strategies.

Because our primary goal is to provide comprehensive short term rental management solutions, we work hard to help property owners see results not only from Airbnb, but also other equally useful platforms and marketing channels. If you are serious about taking your vacation rental property to the next level, please contact us today to arrange an evaluation. We will then work with you to determine the best strategy for your property.