Latest / Host Planet: Airbnb, Holiday Let, and Vacation Rental Insights / Quick Wins for Optimising Your Airbnb Listing

Transcript

Quick Wins for Optimising Your Airbnb Listing · Host Planet: Airbnb, Holiday Let, and Vacation Rental Insights

• 0:00
  Hello and welcome to House Planet Bite Size, the podcast
• 0:03
  brought to you by House Planet and House Philly.
• 0:05
  My name's James Farley, the founder of House Planet, and our
• 0:08
  goal is to share everything you need to know about buying and
• 0:11
  managing short term rentals. Today's guest is Frank Bosey
• 0:14
  from House Philly and he's got 5 listing optimization tips for
• 0:18
  short term rental managers. OK, real talk now for all you
• 0:22
  hosts out there, you know that moment when your guest messages
• 0:25
  you again with, hey, what's the Wi-Fi code?
• 0:29
  Or you're staring at 5 different calendars wondering if you've
• 0:32
  accidentally double booked the cottage.
• 0:34
  Yes, we've all been there. That's why here at Hostplanner,
• 0:38
  we recommend Housefully. It's basically your rentals
• 0:42
  Control Center. It handles bookings across all
• 0:45
  the big platforms, syncs your calendars to ensure there are no
• 0:48
  double bookings, automates guest messages, and even creates these
• 0:52
  really slick digital guidebooks that stop all the repeat
• 0:55
  questions. Honestly, it just makes your
• 0:58
  life easier and keeps your guests happier, helping you
• 1:02
  achieve those all important five star reviews.
• 1:05
  And here is a little bonus. If you're a House Planet
• 1:08
  listener, you can get $500 off onboarding for House Fullies
• 1:12
  property management software and 30% off digital guidebooks for
• 1:16
  life. Just hit the link in the show
• 1:19
  notes and use the codes Planet 500 for the PMS and House Planet
• 1:24
  GB for the guidebooks. And if you'd like a proper
• 1:27
  walkthrough, there's also a link to book a demo with Frank Bosey
• 1:31
  from Postfully. He will show you how it all
• 1:34
  works. Less stress, more bookings,
• 1:37
  sorted with Postfully. Frank, thank you for joining us
• 1:46
  on host Planet Bite Size. Today we're talking about
• 1:49
  listing optimization, and you've got 5 tips to share, so take it
• 1:54
  away with tip #1. Yeah, I again, we want to
• 1:58
  optimize, we want our, we want our listing to show up
• 2:01
  everywhere. We want it to be the first page
• 2:03
  on Airbnb, and we've talked about photos before, but what I
• 2:08
  wanted to do today is really just zoom out and talk about the
• 2:11
  bigger picture, which is listing optimization.
• 2:14
  Because really, the truth is, great photos will get people to
• 2:18
  click, absolutely, but it's your listing that has to be fully
• 2:23
  optimized to convince them to move forward in book.
• 2:28
  And really, optimization isn't just about like the keywords,
• 2:31
  it's about being consistent. Similar to photos, you want to
• 2:35
  tell the right story and also with that, setting the right
• 2:39
  expectations. But most importantly, it's about
• 2:42
  making the algorithms happy. Really, the first way of doing
• 2:47
  this is the title and the headline.
• 2:49
  Your title is premier real estate.
• 2:53
  This is your chance to stand out in a sea of, you know, cozy 2
• 2:59
  bedroom apartment. Don't waste it.
• 3:01
  It's a really great opportunity. So include your top your your
• 3:05
  property's top feature in the headline like ocean view or hot
• 3:09
  tub or steps to downtown. You really want to add focus on
• 3:14
  who it's perfect for. So know your target audience.
• 3:17
  Are you family friendly? Is it going to be more than
• 3:20
  likely a romantic getaway? Maybe you're in a city and you
• 3:24
  can have you know the word remote or cave in, Something
• 3:27
  along those lines. But also stress, and I can't
• 3:32
  stress it enough, keep it under 50 characters or so.
• 3:36
  This way you want it to show fully in the search result.
• 3:41
  So you want full right there. This way they don't have to
• 3:44
  click on it because then again, it's a inconvenience.
• 3:47
  There's really some fun and inconveniences in the short term
• 3:49
  rental world. But then you want after the
• 3:52
  headline is to write a compelling description.
• 3:55
  So once your guest clicks on your listing because of your
• 3:58
  awesome headline, the description is where you're
• 4:00
  going to seal the deal. So you're going to skip the
• 4:03
  boring play by play of the floor plan because guests already get
• 4:07
  that from your photos. So you want to lead in with the
• 4:10
  benefits, not just the features. So instead of saying a three
• 4:14
  bedroom in your title, say, you know I don't know, room for the
• 4:19
  whole family, 3 spacious bedrooms with plush 100 count
• 4:24
  bedding or something like that. But you also want to break it
• 4:27
  into short paragraphs or even better, bullet points so it's
• 4:31
  skimmable and easy to read for the guest or the potential
• 4:35
  guest. And then you also want to call
• 4:37
  out unique experiences. So if you have a fire pit, talk
• 4:40
  about how you can have fire pit nights, sunrise views or even
• 4:45
  like if you're, again, if you're in the city, walkable cafes,
• 4:48
  throw that in there and the benefits from that unique
• 4:52
  experience. But then also you want to
• 4:55
  highlight the amenities that you offer.
• 4:58
  So different guests care about different things, but certain
• 5:02
  amenities are universal drivers. So if you've got them, flaunt
• 5:06
  them. Make sure a high demand
• 5:08
  amenities are checked off in your OTA dashboard.
• 5:12
  Most of the time I think it's Wi-Fi, parking, air
• 5:16
  conditioning, washer, dryer goes a long way, coffee maker.
• 5:21
  These are all universally needed for the most part and showcase
• 5:26
  your, your differentiators. You may have a hot tub leverage
• 5:30
  that pool, game room, maybe you're pet friendly, you want to
• 5:34
  focus on those as well. And really the fun fact is when
• 5:38
  you're using hostfully, you can sync amenities across all the
• 5:43
  channels to which you're connected, so you don't miss out
• 5:45
  on search filters on those different OTAs.
• 5:49
  And then definitely optimize and leverage your tech stack,
• 5:53
  specifically dynamic pricing as well as policies.
• 5:57
  Now a well optimized listing doesn't just look good, it's
• 6:01
  priced correctly and priced for your market.
• 6:06
  And we want to focus really on correctly.
• 6:09
  Guests are comparing your listing side by side with your
• 6:14
  competition. It it depends if maybe if you
• 6:19
  have one or two listings and you have the time to research the
• 6:22
  market and your competition yourself and manually update it
• 6:25
  in your software, sure, do that. But if you use a dynamic pricing
• 6:31
  tool like Price Labs beyond Wheelhouse, that helps you stay
• 6:36
  competitive. You also want to set clear
• 6:39
  cancellation policies. So flexible.
• 6:43
  Yeah, flexible attracts more bookings.
• 6:47
  Strict cancellation can protect you from revenue.
• 6:50
  Now I know this really depends on the restrictions that each
• 6:54
  channel has set, so be wary of that when setting up your
• 6:57
  cancellation policies. But then also if you have the
• 7:00
  opportunity is offered discounts for longer stays, especially if
• 7:04
  you're listing appeals to midterm renters.
• 7:07
  If your market calls for that, you can price it accordingly
• 7:10
  using a dynamic pricing tool. And then lastly is keep your
• 7:14
  listing fresh. So as we've mentioned before,
• 7:18
  James algorithms love activity. If your listing sits untouched,
• 7:24
  it can easily and easier than you think it can slip down the
• 7:28
  rankings. So refreshing your listing
• 7:30
  really tells your platforms, really tells that specific
• 7:34
  platform or that OTA that your property is active and it's
• 7:39
  constantly being cared for. So update the photos.
• 7:42
  I would say seasonally, a fun, proven successful tip here is to
• 7:47
  add summer patio shots during the summer, maybe even holiday
• 7:52
  decor during the the holiday season.
• 7:55
  Just just again, just constantly update those photos, refresh
• 7:59
  your descriptions once or twice a year, maybe even to be safe.
• 8:04
  But then you also going back to our reviews, which we've spoken
• 8:08
  about previously is monitor reviews and adjust your listings
• 8:12
  to highlight what guests love most.
• 8:14
  So yes, the five star reviews, those reviews, that's feedback.
• 8:18
  So if a guest mentioned something, if multiple guest
• 8:21
  mentioned something that they love about your unit, go ahead
• 8:24
  and include that in the description of your listing
• 8:26
  because chances are the potential guests were are going
• 8:30
  to like that as well. So you can even, you know, be a
• 8:34
  little bit proactive on there. So again, I, I'd like to think
• 8:39
  of optimization, like tuning up your car.
• 8:42
  You don't just do it once and forget it and your car is going
• 8:46
  to drive smoothly over the 10 years that you have it.
• 8:50
  You have to keep bringing it to the mechanic.
• 8:52
  You have to be tweaking it. You have to keep going to the
• 8:54
  car wash approving it. So just to summarize, like great
• 8:58
  titles and descriptions, bring the guests in amenities and
• 9:03
  pricing that builds the trust, But then a fresh updated listing
• 9:08
  keeps you climbing up the ranks and keeps increasing your
• 9:12
  visibility on all the channels that are out there.
• 9:15
  But then also you want to pair this with the right tool.
• 9:17
  So like host police platform, we sync your updates across all the
• 9:22
  channels to which you're connected and you've got a
• 9:25
  listing that not only shines and, and, and looks beautiful,
• 9:28
  but also stays consistent everywhere across all platforms.
• 9:34
  And just remember, a little time spent optimizing your listing
• 9:37
  now can pay off with weeks of extra bookings later.
• 9:41
  So just set up a reminder on your calendar on your phone,
• 9:45
  monthly, seasonally, maybe even quarterly.
• 9:49
  Just keep updating your listing and your optimization and your
• 9:52
  visibility is going to continue slowly to get to the first page
• 9:57
  on on that Channel. That's the goal, yeah.
• 10:00
  Get to the first page and some brilliant tips there.
• 10:02
  I love the stuff with the the title and the headline, making
• 10:06
  sure that you're including your top features so that you really
• 10:09
  stand out to people who are looking for that.
• 10:11
  I mean, I, I remember speaking to a property manager in London
• 10:14
  and he said if you're in London and you've got a car parking
• 10:18
  space, tell people that you've got a car parking space in your
• 10:21
  title. Also the amenities, the
• 10:25
  amenities. So one thing I've heard from a
• 10:28
  few people is that a common mistake is people don't tick
• 10:32
  everything that they have at their rental and, and it holds
• 10:35
  them back of course, because a guest might be wanting that
• 10:39
  particular thing. So if you've got it at your
• 10:41
  rental, make sure that it's tick and that it's appearing on all
• 10:45
  the different OTAs and your direct booking website as well.
• 10:49
  And of course, change the photos, keep the content
• 10:52
  updated. The OTAs will reward you for
• 10:55
  continually updating and changing, changing your listing.
• 10:57
  Then they know that you're you're taking this hosting gig
• 11:01
  seriously. And another thing as well,
• 11:03
  another tip that I've heard from Bart Yan late actually will give
• 11:06
  him a shout out from Autorank. He said perhaps you have a three
• 11:11
  night minimum and maybe you've got A1 or A2 night available.
• 11:15
  Well, they're not available because of your minimum, but
• 11:18
  they're between bookings. Make sure that those nights are
• 11:21
  actually available even if you put the rate up to $10,000 a
• 11:25
  night because the OTAs will reward you for the extra
• 11:29
  availability. And also if you put it at a
• 11:31
  crazy rate, they'll reward you for the fact that the rest of
• 11:34
  the time is a lower price. So a little extra tip there for
• 11:38
  people to get a little bit more optimization for their listing.
• 11:43
  Frank, tell us then if people want to find out a bit more
• 11:46
  about host release, PMS or digital guidebook, where can
• 11:49
  they go? Yeah, I mean our website, we're
• 11:52
  fully transparent with everything.
• 11:53
  We have educational resources there and you'll learn
• 11:57
  everything you need to know about host fully right then and
• 11:59
  there. If you like what you see, you
• 12:01
  can e-mail me directlyitsfrank@hostfully.com.
• 12:05
  Super simple to remember, but I'll also share my calendar
• 12:09
  invite with with James and I'll ensure that we have a one hour,
• 12:13
  one-on-one personalized demo. We'll go through our features or
• 12:16
  capabilities. I'll answer any questions you
• 12:18
  have and we can just obviously we'll we can take it from there.
• 12:22
  So again, it's frank@hostfully.com.
• 12:26
  Even if it's not a demo, even if you just want to chat about how
• 12:28
  to increase your optimization, sure, why not?
• 12:32
  Superb. Thank you very much, Frank.
• 12:34
  We'll put all these details in the show notes.
• 12:37
  There'll even be a link to directly book a demo with Frank.
• 12:41
  Also, there's a couple of special offers in there.
• 12:43
  There's $500 off onboarding for the PMS and 30% of digital
• 12:48
  guidebooks for life. So check those out.
• 12:51
  Frank, it's been a pleasure as ever.
• 12:54
  Thanks for joining us on host Planet Bite Size.
• 12:57
  Yes, always, always a pleasure, James.
• 12:59
  Great to chat to Frank Vosi there about listing
• 13:01
  optimization. Remember get your USB in your
• 13:04
  title and regularly update your content All right that's it for
• 13:08
  today's episode Remember this podcast is brought to you in
• 13:11
  collaboration with House Philly which is trusted by short term
• 13:14
  rental professionals across the globe.
• 13:17
  As a house planet listener you get 2 exclusive offers $500 off
• 13:21
  onboarding for House Philly's property management software.
• 13:24
  Just use the code PLANET 500 and 30% of digital guidebooks for
• 13:29
  life use the code houseplanet GB.
• 13:32
  To grab these deals, click the link in the show notes or head
• 13:35
  to housefully.com. For more free education tips and
• 13:39
  trends from the STR industry, visit Houseplanet dot club where
• 13:43
  you can sign up for our newsletter, listen to our
• 13:45
  podcasts, and download a suite of ebooks for hosts and property
• 13:49
  managers. That's it for today's episode.
• 13:51
  Until next time, happy hosting.