I know that when you first launch your Airbnb there’s soooo much to do that creating an optimized Airbnb listing typically isn’t at the top of your priority list, but it should be! Optimizing my listing helped me gross $160k+ my first two years hosting, even as competition for Airbnbs increased and it became harder than ever to be profitable.

If you want to maximize your profitability and start hitting those revenue goals you’ve been dreaming of, a haphazard listing just isn’t going to cut it anymore. Your Airbnb listing needs to be optimized for BOTH the algorithm and your potential guests. Keep reading to find out how to do just that.

Why you need to optimize your Airbnb listing

To maximize revenue, your Airbnb listing has to do two things–it needs to show up high enough in search results that potential guests will see it and successfully convince those guests that your Airbnb is hands-down the best place for them to stay.

If your Airbnb listing hasn’t been optimized for Airbnb’s algorithm, it won’t show up high enough in search results for the vast majority of potential guests to ever even see it.

Of those that do, if your Airbnb listing hasn’t been optimized for conversion, it won’t compel those potential guests to excitedly hit “book!”. Instead, potential guests will click over to another listing they’re more excited about and you’ll never hit that revenue goal that got you so excited to start your Airbnb in the first place.

But how do you know if your Airbnb listing needs to be optimized? You’re about to find out just that.

7 signs your Airbnb listing could be earning you more revenue:

1. You didn’t prioritize optimizing your Airbnb listing when you launched

If you deprioritized optimizing your listing to launch your Airbnb as quickly as possible, that’s not a bad thing! After all, being a successful Airbnb host is all about profit over perfection.

That said, if you DID quickly throw your listing together, chances are you’re not earning anywhere near as many bookings as you could be. Optimizing your listing can change that.

Which brings me to my next point…

2. Your revenue is lower than you think it should be

Maybe you had an exact revenue number in mind when starting your Airbnb but you haven’t been hitting it or are worried you won’t hit it in the future.

Or maybe you didn’t really know what to expect when starting your Airbnb but now you’re getting the feeling that you could be making more (e.g. if your Airbnb isn’t more than covering all of its expenses, you need to optimize your listing).

Or maybe your revenue was fine at first and is definitely not fine now. This could be because Airbnb gives new listings a boost when you first launch; if you don’t perform well enough during that initial period, your Airbnb revenue will fall off a cliff afterward.

Or maybe competition has simply increased in your area and you need to find ways to stay ahead.

If any of that sounds like you, optimizing your Airbnb listing could help.

3. Airbnb’s search algorithm is a big black hole that you know nothing about

If you’ve ever thought to yourself:

What is SEO anyway?

Wait…Airbnb cares about SEO?

Why would SEO matter for my Airbnb listing?

Trust me, I get it. Airbnb SEO (which stands for search engine optimization, by the way) can sound like a big, daunting thing that you know nothing about (because, well, Airbnb doesn’t tell us much about it!) but that doesn’t make it any less important.

Airbnb’s search algorithm is what ranks your listing in search results when guests are looking for a place to stay in your area. If you don’t know how to speak to Airbnb’s search algorithm (a crucial aspect of optimizing your listing), you’re probably not ranking as high in search results as you could be and, therefore, many guests aren’t even seeing your Airbnb let alone booking it.

4. Your Airbnb listing title is lackluster

Did you know that you have a FULL 50 characters to use in your listing title? If you’re not picking every character wisely and using all 50, your listing title isn’t as compelling as it could be. Just like your listing photos, your title is one of the very few things you have control over that shows up in Airbnb search results. If it doesn’t immediately hook potential guests in and make them want to learn more about your property, then you’re probably not getting as many bookings or earning as much revenue as you could be.

5. Your Airbnb listing photos have room for improvement

Your listing photos are by far the most important aspect of your Airbnb listing. Think about it:

What do potential Airbnb guests see first when your listing appears in their search results? Your photos.

What do they see featured most prominently when they click into your listing? Your photos.

What are they most likely to look at before anything else on your listing? You guessed it—your photos.

Once you get a potential guest to actually land on your Airbnb listing, your photos are absolutely crucial in getting them to stay on your listing and convince them that your property is by far the best for their trip!

Go look at your Airbnb listing photos right now. Ask yourself, is this the BEST my property could look? If not, they need to be optimized. Even if you don’t change a single thing about your actual property, improving the photos alone can totally transform it.

6. Your Airbnb listing description is severely lacking

Unfortunately, a severely lacking Airbnb listing description is one of the most common issues I see on new Airbnb listings. This is the place to really sell your potential guests on why your Airbnb is perfect for them! It is an absolutely essential part of getting them to excitedly hit “book!”.

Yet, most new Airbnb listings I see have just a few sentences in their listing description or have listed out tons of amenities that your potential guests can read in your amenities section. If either of those sound like your listing, you’re missing a huge opportunity to get more Airbnb bookings.

Pro Tip: Identifying your target guest is a can’t-miss first step before creating your Airbnb listing. Without a target guest, you won’t be able to create a listing that makes your potential guests feel like you’re really connecting with them and speaking directly to them. This Target Guest Identifier will walk you through every step of quickly and effectively identifying your target guest.

7. You’re wondering if you need to market off-platform to be successful

Spoiler alert: You do NOT need to pay for Facebook ads, spend time creating and managing an Instagram page for your Airbnb (that alone is a part-time job), add your listing to MORE booking platforms, or invest tons of time and money into direct bookings. I’ve never done a single one of those things and have earned $160k+ since launching my Airbnb two years ago.

Your time is MUCH better spent learning how to use Airbnb’s search algorithm to get more potential guests on your listing and how to convince those guests that your Airbnb is perfect for them when they do. There’s no point in trying to drive traffic to a listing that won’t convert potential guests into real bookings when they land on your page anyway. Invest your time in optimizing your listing instead.

Takeaway

Optimizing my Airbnb listing has helped me gross $160k+ to date, even as competition for Airbnbs increases and it’s harder than ever to be profitable. If you want to maximize your profitability and start hitting those revenue goals you’ve been dreaming of, a haphazard listing just isn’t going to cut it anymore. Your Airbnb listing needs to be optimized for BOTH the algorithm and your potential guests to be successful. If any of the above signs are really speaking to you, then it’s time to optimize your Airbnb listing.

P.S. Want to know the best part? Every step of optimizing your Airbnb listing can be done RIGHT NOW to start earning more bookings TODAY without lowering your price or adding more discounts.

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