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As we enter the summer months in London, the busiest period of short letting for every host, we all dream of increasing your Airbnb bookings and generating great reviews. To achieve this, you first need to catch the interest of your potential guests. But when there are over 74,000 listings on Airbnb in London alone, how can you do this? Well, here are our top tips on how to gain the most interest and bookings for your Airbnb.
Reach the top of the list
Guests are not going to spend hours scrolling through booking platforms like Airbnb just to finally stumble upon your listing.. To ensure the likelihood of maximum bookings you need to have maximum visibility.
It sounds like an obvious aim, but yet, it is difficult – so how can you make it to the top of the list? Well, this is all based on algorithms just like how Google ranks a website. Simpler than that of Google, Airbnb’s algorithm organises the list based on a few criteria, one of which will be those of SuperHosts. We have already written a few articles about this on City Relay, but long story short, a SuperHost is someone who has over 80% of 5-star ratings.
Be relevant and specific
Who are your potential guests and why are they coming to London? These are simple questions you should ask yourself to try and understand your audience better and thus target their needs more efficiently. For instance, if you have a larger property which can accommodate four people and up, your potential guests may be families coming to stay for holidays. Smaller flats in central London might be interesting for professionals who came to London for short business trips.
When this is figured out, make sure your listing is also relevant to the current events or locations your guests might have come for. If your property lies near famous tourist hotspots, you should think about advertising this in the title of your listing.
Great description
If you are on top of the search and your title has caught the eye of the guest, you are halfway there. It is at this moment that you have to turn your eye-catching snapshot into a seriously interesting listing. There are two main points to achieve this: a great description and amazing pictures.
The two should serve each other: mediocre pictures will make your description unrealistic, and undescriptive text will lower the effect of jaw-dropping property pictures.
Therefore, you should describe your property with personality, enthusiasm and in all honesty, while also detailing the local community; the best places to eat or visit. As they say, the key is in the details.
Eye-catching shots
As for the pictures, they are here to help the guest visualise themselves in the space. You want to showcase a bright property that is neat and tidy, with essences of your personality and history. Do not use wide lens cameras to make the rooms appear larger than they really are and do not use outdated pictures that show the property in a different state.
Although you would consider these as ‘better pictures’ that might help your listing get better results, it will also be very disappointing for guests when they arrive at your place and will surely generate bad reviews down the line.
Build engagement
This tip comes last, but not least. Engaging with your audience online is crucial to building trust, and long term bookings for your listing. Make sure to always answer your reviews – good and bad ones. You have to show your audience how much you care about them.
Engaging with potential guests also consists of telling them more about who you are, what you do and what you enjoy in life. It is always reassuring to know who your host will be, regardless of what you share.
We know how stressful and time-consuming it is to get the perfect listing, not only on Airbnb but also on other platforms so as to maximise your chances. This is why City Relay was created: to help you short let smarter, without the hassle. Becoming a host is quick and easy, simply click the button below and fill out your details to view your property’s earning potential!
