02 Nov Airbnb News: What I learned about Airbnb’s Search Ranking System

Official Digest of Airbnb SEO Factors

Airbnb officially revealed their search algorithm secret sauce. As a host that has a few properties on Airbnb, I am always wondering how to improve my listing’s search ranking. I have published a couple of posts already on this, but they were mainly gathered-facts from unofficial sources. In my part two series, I digested a thorough research conducted by a seasoned host that pulled in more than 2000 properties for analysis.

If you’re interested in checking them out, please check out the links below.

1. Part 1 
2. Part 2

There were some serious debates on a popular Airbnb Host Group on Facebook (if you’re interested to join as well, please request access to it. We are 11k members strong). In this post, my goal is to digest the official blog from Airbnb and here are my takeaways.

Airbnb News: What factors affect my listing’s placement in search results?

Airbnb takes in over 100 signals into their search algorithm to determine the attractiveness of a listing. While 100 is a lot, but not all signals are weighted equally. Some of these signals include: how often guests click on your listing in search results, how often guests attempt to contact you from your listing page, how many booking requests you accept if you use Instant Book, and how competitive your listing price is.

Airbnb News: Does Instant Book actually improve ranking?

Yes, it does. Instant Book is an important factor to help your listing rank higher. Some hosts have mentioned that they never have it turned on and yet they still rank as the first or second listing on page 1. How are they able to do this? I suspect it is because they have very positive reviews( 80% or above are 5-star reviews) and very competitive pricing.

If you’re a host that’s just starting, then Instant Book will instantly increase your search ranking and improve your conversions.

Airbnb News: Does being a Superhost help improve ranking?

Yes and no. Being a Superhost definitely has its perks, but Airbnb does not explicitly boost a Superhost’s listing. However, they do occasionally feature listings from Superhost. Another benefit of being a Superhost is that guests can apply filters that only show listings from Superhosts.

What are some other ways that I can do to improve my listing?

There are a few other ways that you can increase your search ranking and they include:

1. Professionally done photos that are bright, attractive, and high-quality.
2. Competitive pricing
3. Click-throughs on your listing
4. Wishlist

What about Negative SEO Score?

Yes, there is. Airbnb takes rejections seriously. If you have too many rejections or your rejection rate is high compared to other hosts in your neighborhood, then it will have a negative impact on your search ranking. In other words, reject less and you’ll be fine!

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