Crafting a strong Airbnb profile and listing will help you get more bookings and increase your profits.
Both your listing and profile must:
- Show off all your property’s best features
- Provide potential guests with key information
- Make a great first impression and build trust with guests
- Rank well in search for maximum visibility
But creating the perfect listing isn’t easy. Aside from the obvious things like your reviews and ratings, you might not know all the factors Airbnb considers when ranking your listings. And, when managing multiple listings across different sites, you don’t have time to analyse the details of all your listings to figure out what’s missing.
That’s why we’ve used our insider industry knowledge to create Check My Listing. This tool will automatically scan and analyse your listing, and provide personalised tips on how to improve it.
Want to optimise your listing for more bookings? Try Check My Listing today and receive personalised tips to improve your listing and profile.
How to improve your Airbnb profile
You might think guests only care about your listings, but your Airbnb profile is your chance to prove that you are a trustworthy and professional host.
For some travellers, booking an Airbnb still seems risky. But your profile can reassure them you’re genuine and help them decide whether your property is a good fit for their trip.
Completing your profile can attract more bookings from your ideal guests. So, follow these steps to improve your profile and stand out from other hosts.
Write a bio description
Travellers are more likely to trust someone with an engaging and relevant bio description in their profile.
Connect with guests by explaining who you are and what you offer.
Struggling to write your description? Here’s some information to include:
- Where you’re from and how long you’ve lived in the area — Mention your expertise and connection to the local area. Guests are looking for authentic experiences, so familiarity with the culture will be a bonus.
- What you love about hosting — Explain why you enjoy being a vacation rental host and how long you’ve been doing it.
- Why guests should book with you — Describe what’s unique and special about your properties and explain why guests should book.
- Your hobbies and interests — Share your hobbies and passions – this can be a great way to bond with guests who have similar interests!
We recommend writing in a friendly and conversational tone. Proofread your description or get someone else to check it for you before uploading.
Add a profile picture
A good profile picture instantly makes your profile appear more genuine and trustworthy.
Luckily you won’t need to hire a professional photographer for your Airbnb profile picture – a smartphone picture will be good enough.
All you need is a high-quality headshot where you look friendly and approachable yet also professional.
Verify your profile
Getting your profile verified will build an extra layer of trust with everyone who views your profile.
Airbnb verifies hosts (and guests) to confirm your identity and prove you are in control of your own account. You’ll undergo background checks for safety reasons, so any security issues like robbery, fraud, etc can be investigated.
During the verification process, you’ll be asked to provide:
- Your legal name, address, and/or other personal information
- A photo of your Government ID, such as driver’s license, passport, identity card, or visa.
- A photo of yourself that matches your Government ID.
You can also verify your email address and phone number, and connect social media accounts such as Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.
According to Airbnb, guests are more likely to book with hosts who’ve verified their profiles, so verifying your account is a simple way to increase your occupancy.
Respond quickly to guest messages
Your Airbnb message response rate and average response time will appear on your profile.
Those numbers need to look good – guests won’t be impressed if they see a low response rate or that you take a long time to answer.
Responding to all guest messages quickly is difficult if you’re listing on multiple channels, but it’s much easier with a tool like Powerhost’s Unified Inbox, which brings all your guest messages into one place.
With Powerhost, you can save time and increase your bookings. It’s an all-in-one vacation rental tool where you can publish and manage perfect listings on numerous channels, improve guest communication, create your own website and much more.
Earn badges
Airbnb badges can help you stand out from other hosts, and Airbnb Superhost, alongside Guest Favorite, is probably the most impressive badge you can get!
When guests see you’re a Superhost, they’ll know you’re an experienced host who’ll offer amazing hospitality.
Being a Superhost can increase your occupancy, revenue and you can even get exclusive rewards from Airbnb.
To qualify as a Superhost, you must have:
- An average rating of at least 4.8
- At least 10+ stays or 100 nights booked
- Less than 1% cancellation rate
- A response rate of at least 90%.
Airbnb reviews Superhost status 4 times a year, so you have to maintain those scores to keep your badge.
How to improve your property listings
We’ve talked about how to optimise your profile, but what about your listings?
Your listings should give guests all the information they need and convince them to book your properties.
Completing all your property information will also help your listings rank better in search results.
Let’s go through everything you need for perfect listings.
Take beautiful property pictures
First and foremost, you need amazing pictures of your property to tempt guests to book.
Consider hiring a professional photographer or making the most of Airbnb’s photography service if it’s available in your area.
Include pictures of every room and any outside space, and show off all your property’s best features, whether it’s your swimming pool, games room, barbecue area or breathtaking views.
Help your guests imagine what staying in your property would be like.
Check off all your amenities
Don’t forget to check off all your property’s amenities. Guests will want to know what amenities are available, and the more you have, the better.
Adding all your amenities can also improve your chances of appearing in searches. For example, if a guest searches for properties in your area with a garden, you won’t appear unless you’ve checked that amenity.
Write an accurate description
Your property description should include all interesting and relevant information to convince guests to book.
It’s important to be accurate so guests know what to expect and won’t be surprised when they arrive.
Combine with optimizing Accuracy of Airbnb Listings.
Here are a few tips for writing about your property:
- Give your listing a catchy title — Your title should make guests want to click. Use descriptive words like “beachfront”, “city-centre” “elegant” “modern”, etc.
- List your property’s best features — Briefly mention all your features and amenities, and explain what makes the property unique.
- Keep your ideal guest in mind — If you want to attract families or business travellers, for example, explain why your property is suitable for them.
- Talk about your local area — Mention any popular tourist attractions or things to do.This will also establish your expertise.
Avoid cancellations
As much as possible, don’t cancel reservations unless it’s unavoidable.
Allow instant booking with Airbnb Request to Book.
A high cancellation rate can put guests off from booking your property. Plus, it can affect your search ranking and prevent you from becoming a Superhost (cancellation rate must be less than 1% to qualify).
Get great reviews
Boosting your review score will result in more conversions. Reviews are one of the most important things guests look for when searching for properties.
You can earn more excellent reviews by:
Use smart Airbnb Pricing Strategies.
- Going above and beyond for guests — There are many ways to improve the guest experience. Enabling self-check in, installing a digital welcome book, helping your guests book excursions are just a few ideas.
- Responding to all guest messages quickly — Always respond quickly to guest messages, especially if there’s a problem.
- Resolve problems fast — If your guests experience a problem during their stay, such as a leak or broken appliance, send someone out to fix it straight away.
- Review your guests when they check out — Leaving guest reviews can increase your rate of good reviews in return. Powerhost can help you automate the process of leaving guest reviews.
Learn more ways to improve your guest reviews here.
Perfect your Airbnb listings with Powerhost
If you think your listings and profile need improvement, check them today with Checkmylisting, our Airbnb listing checker.
We’ll analyse your listing and profile and tell you precisely what aspects of your profile need improvement. Then, you’ll get personalised tips to help you optimise your Airbnb listings for more bookings.
Need more help? Powerhost is an all-in-one vacation rental tool that includes channel manager, website builder, guest communication tool, data platform and more. When you sign up for Powerhost, you’ll have access to Quality Checker, which analyses all your listings across every channel, and provides accurate tips on how to improve each one. With Powerhost, you can create perfect listings for every channel and manage them effortlessly. Try it for free today.
Also utilize Booking.com Opportunities.