With many online resources, it might seem like anyone can list their house to be rented online. While there are many platforms where homeowners can list their house or room for the upcoming season, plenty of such listings go unnoticed. More than just uploading photos and filling in a description, one can take advantage of organic search results. However, it requires more than just optimizing your listing. The algorithms of each website vary greatly. This article will explain multiple ways to optimize your listing for the relevant websites, making it visible and attractive to potential clients.
Reasons You Are Not Getting Airbnb Reservations
- Your Calendar is Not Up To Date
- Know your Prices
- Your Minimum Stay Policy Is Too Strict
- Your Pictures Are Not Eye-Catching Enough
- You Don’t Have Any Reviews
Your Calendar is Not Up To Date
The calendar is the heart of your listing, yet it’s often neglected. What do we mean by a “current” calendar? We mean allowing enough time for someone to see your listing, maybe read your reviews and look at the photos, then have time to book. The best way to do this is to start with a free calendar for three months. Is there an easy way to keep it that way? Yes! Your calendar should be reviewed regularly by editing dates you don’t need (don’t be afraid to use that “edit” button – even if it’s only saying something like, “not available, hopefully, next year!”). And remember, some popular times of the year are more likely to be blocked than others (winter holidays, school vacation weeks, etc.). So keep those times clear regardless of what other times you might want to be blocked or open.
Know your Prices
Know your prices. If they’re too high, it could affect your future bookings. Changing your prices regularly is necessary to appeal to competitive markets since prices will drop and rise with the demand. We recommend creating an entirely different price structure depending on holidays, peak times, and certain months. Price changes like these are rather easy to do, which ensures that you maximize your profit while staying competitive in your market.
Your Minimum Stay Policy Is Too Strict
You’re still trying to attract new travelers. We get it. This is your minimum-stay policy in a nutshell. If you’re just starting out and want to avoid short stays, one night at a time is enough. Still, you want to be flexible enough to satisfy different kinds of travelers and get more bookings and reviews. The more search filters you bypass, the more frequently your property will appear in the search results.
Your Pictures Are Not Eye-Catching Enough
There are a dozen reasons why you may be getting little or no reservations for your vacation rental. Some of the common ones include low-quality pictures, unappealing property descriptions, and poor response times to inquiries. Luckily, some easy yet effective solutions can completely turn around your vacation rental business.
You Don’t Have Any Reviews
You’re almost ready to start taking guests, but why not ask for a review before you do? If your guests enjoyed their experience, they would be happy to share their thoughts on the place. However, if you have had bookings, don’t be shy to ask guests for a review!
