What factors determine how my listing shows in Airbnb search results?
The goal of the Airbnb search ranking algorithm is to help guests find the perfect listing for their trip - and help hosts find guests who are a great fit for their space. Airbnb studies nearly 100 different factors for every listing in every search (and don’t worry - you don’t have to perform perfectly on everything to rank well). The exact list of features Airbnb consider is confidential, but here are the basic categories:
Guest needs: Airbnb reviews factors related to the guest, including where they’re searching from, their previous trips, which listings they’ve added to their Wishlist or clicked on, and more.
Listing details: Airbnb considers things like the number of five-star reviews, price, location of the listing, if Instant Book is turned on, how quickly the host of the listing responds to requests, and many other factors.
Trip details: Airbnb notes how many guests will be travelling, how long the trip will be, how far in the future the trip is, if they have set a minimum or a maximum price, and a variety of other factors.
Understanding searchers
To understand how guests have responded to your listing in previous searches, Airbnb explores numerous signals, but two important factors are:
- Clicks in search results: When a listing appears in search results, Airbnb considers it a good sign if a guest clicks on that listing to learn more. To make sure this is fair for the whole host community, they only count clicks from different guests.
- Requests from a listing page: Airbnb reviews how often guests request to book when they look at your listing. They find successful listings do a good job of helping guests decide to book.
How does Hometime make sure my listing ranks high in search results?
Hometime creates your listing in line with Airbnb’s best practices to rank as highly as possible within a guest’s potential search. Through our years of experience, we’ve created a unique OLS score (Optimal Listing Scorecard) making sure all Hometime listings are crafted for the best results. This starts with our in-home checklist and goes all the way to Hometime’s styling and photography standards, professional travel content writers and dedicated in-house analysts. Once set up, we continuously monitor booking conversion metrics, experimenting and tweaking a listing’s content as needed.
Through Hometime’s direct partnership with Airbnb, we're also always at the forefront of any additional insights or new ways to promote your listing. If you have recently added new amenities or if you have any other feedback in relation to your listing, we’d love to hear from you so we can work together to make your property stand out from the crowd. Please get in touch with your Hosting Partners or the Customer Experience Team so we can update your listing appropriately.