Let’s face it: starting an Airbnb is filled with tons of uncertainty. If you’re anything like me when I started my Airbnb, you have tons of questions swirling in your head like…

Which location is best?

How much time will it take to start and manage my Airbnb?

Will all the time and money I’m investing be worth it?

Whether or not your Airbnb will cover its own expenses shouldn’t be one of the many things you’re worried about.

The good news? Creating an optimized Airbnb listing is something you can do in less than a day that makes a huge impact on your Airbnb’s profitability. But how do you optimize your Airbnb listing to maximize revenue? Read on for 7 Airbnb listing tips all new Airbnb hosts need to know (from an 8x Superhost who grossed $160k+ her first two years hosting).

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 optimize your Airbnb listing to maximize revenue? You’re about to find out just that.

7 Airbnb listing tips all new Airbnb hosts need to know:

1. Airbnb listing photos are the star of the show

Even if you don’t change a single thing about your property, super high-quality photos can INSTANTLY transform your entire listing.

Your listing photos are crucial because they make up the vast majority of your property’s first impression.

That’s because the first thing most potential guests will see is your cover photo featured prominently in search results. If they like it, they’ll click into your listing and immediately see your first five photos. If they like those, they’ll click to view all your listing photos. They’ll only scroll down to see the rest of your listing IF your listing photos convince them your property is what they’re looking for.

Trust me, having bad listing photos can turn guests away before they read a single word on your listing.

2. Photo captions are more important than you think

Adding photo captions might seem like an unnecessary step when creating your listing but it’s actually SUPER important. Here’s why.

As you now know, your listing photos are absolutely crucial. But how many times have you been looking for an Airbnb and been completely confused by the photos? Maybe two rooms looked so similar you couldn’t tell them apart. You thought you were looking at a 3-bedroom but now all of a sudden you think it’s a 2-bedroom, which is way too small for your group, so you click over to another listing you’re excited about.

While it might not seem like it, your photo captions go a long way in convincing your potential guests that your property is hands-down the best place for them.

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.

3. Your Airbnb listing title has a huge impact

Just like your photos, your listing title is one of the very few things you have control over that shows up in Airbnb search results. If your title 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.

You have a FULL 50 characters to use in your listing title. If you’re not picking every character wisely, your listing title isn’t as compelling as it could be.

4. Your Airbnb listing description probably needs to be rewritten

The VAST majority of new Airbnb listings I see list out every room and everything they provide in each room in their listing description. Your potential guests can read a list of your amenities in your amenities section–they don’t need it in your listing description too.

Your listing description is where you have the biggest opportunity to speak to BOTH the algorithm (so you show up higher in search results) AND your potential guests (so they want to excitedly hit book instead of clicking over to another listing and booking with them). If your listing description isn’t doing all that, it needs to be optimized.

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.

5. Even your calendar settings need to be optimized

Now more than ever, Airbnb is pushing hosts to lower their pricing. That said, it’s very important that you price for profitability—not so low that you’re missing out on revenue from booked guests or so high that you’re missing bookings altogether.

Along with pricing, there are many different calendar settings that can be optimized to increase bookings like your minimum and maximum night stay requirements.

6. Adding host info makes you more trustworthy

Potential guests who are on the fence about booking will read the ‘about the host’ section of your listing to learn more about you, which helps build confidence and trust. Optimizing this section is especially important if you’re a new host because you don’t have many reviews to validate how great your place is.

7. Your house rules can make or break a booking

Your house rules are important because guests are required to agree to them when booking. Too few house rules and you won’t be protected when things inevitably go wrong at your Airbnb. Too many house rules and you’ll scare guests away riiiiiight before they’re about to hit “book”.

Takeaway

Great work! You’re now well-equipped with 7 important ways to improve your Airbnb listing and get your new Airbnb off to a great start! There are over 50 ways your listing can be optimized TODAY that’ll get you closer to that revenue goal you’ve been dreaming of. If that sounds exciting to you, you won’t want to miss my step-by-step listing optimization guide!

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