A great Airbnb listing description can make a huge difference for hosts. It can persuade guests to pick your property over others and corroborate their booking decision. While search engine ranking and photos can catch their attention, the property description is what seals the deal. It is necessary to design room by room descriptions to attract more bookings.
This art is irreplaceable by AI unless you are targeting robots as your guests. That’s why many hosts are hiring copywriters to do this job.
Of course, you can choose to write the description yourself. We’ll provide some examples in this article to help you learn the fundamentals of writing an effective property description, assuming that’s what you’re looking for.
How To Write A Good Airbnb Description?
Let’s review some key points before we explore the main content:
- Who is the primary target audience for my listing? Business travelers, groups, or families on vacation rental. The type of guest matters.
- Place the most important content for your target audience at the beginning of the description.
- Choose words that are appealing to potential guests.
- Use simple and easily understandable language for readability.
- Make the title “different” among similar listings.
- Avoid excessive exaggeration in words to prevent customer service issues.
- The description shall complement the content in the photos.
- Utilize different text formats, such as lists and well-spaced paragraphs, for a comfortable visual experience.
Research the top-ranking properties in your area.
Studying the top competitors in the local area is a valuable method. The listings written by the top Airbnb hosts indicate a certain optimization level. Understand how they convey detailed information about their properties to guests and study how they write their property descriptions.
How do you identify these top 10 listings? A simple method is using Airdna. Create a free account, a quick verification, and utilize their local ranking search feature to gather relevant information.
While the free version may not offer complete features, it allows for a general comparison. Here we focus on general descriptions. (If you are optimizing for Short-Term Rentals (STR), be aware of potential variations, as timing is the key.)
Choose reference indicators that match the surrounding conditions. For urban areas, choose 5 blocks radius to 10 as the standard. Use kilometers or more as the basic search criterion for less populated areas. The specific strategies vary depending on your location.
Analyze the best-performing listings among these competitors and borrow elements from their property descriptions to create a basic outline.
Note that the intention is not to copy and paste directly, as top-ranked listings have their unique features. Use the most similar listings as your primary reference.
Record and print the listing descriptions of the top 10 competitors
After selecting a range of interests, find the 10 best competitors and paste their descriptions into a document. Then, print the document. This step helps you to gain a better insight into their property selling point and avoid confusion when you revisit your analysis. It also supports your decision-making process effectively.
After printing it out, pay attention to the first line of the descriptions of their listings. If you find common content in the first lines within the top 10, it indicates that this content is a crucial indicator in this area.
Travelers are most likely to use this as a primary search reference when looking for local accommodations. This is one of the significant reasons why they have the opportunity to attract guests.
Extract Keywords from Their Descriptions
Find the keywords that appear in all listings and count how many times they show up in the top 10. This task requires good data organization and collection skills.
You’ll notice that many listings use certain keywords frequently. Combine these highly repetitive keywords into your description, as they are fundamental elements for successful bookings.
Choose one description from these listings as your main reference. Add more information about your property, including important words related to the region, to match what travelers are searching for.
Embedding SEO Keywords
You should write a good Airbnb description that matches SEO principles to attract potential guests who use keywords to find places like yours. This will also boost your listing’s visibility on search engines, especially when you have a limited 500-character length.
To better understand what users are looking for, keyword analysis tools can help determine which word to use. You can choose from popular tools such as Ahrefs and SEMrush, depending on your personal preference.
SEMrush is well-known for its solid database history for the industry. It offers 10 free requests per day for its users. This tool is useful for conducting research.
Using the keyword magic tool, input possible search terms guests might use to obtain keyword difficulty (KD) and search volume and narrow down relevant keywords for your area. Look for long-tail keywords and suitable phrases with better ranking potential.
You don’t need an extensive list of keywords, but they must be effective and have the potential to rank.
Through these steps, you’ll find that your listing description collection already covers most of the basic elements.
Add Personalized Features to Your Listing Description
After researching your primary keywords, the next step is to determine what else to include.
Your listing description should not just repeat the same keywords. You should also include some original content showing the property’s history or the motivation for renting. Describe special features that will make your listing more attractive and memorable to potential guests.
There are numerous possibilities, but how you tell the story will directly impact whether travelers choose to book your property, affecting your overall rental income.
Refer to other listings for unique features and descriptions. Understand how to write content that appeals to others. Some stories are unique, and you shouldn’t copy them, as it may harm the guest experience.
Be honest in your content and focus on the aspects most relevant to your property. Don’t be afraid to mention minor drawbacks, as addressing less critical issues can raise travelers’ expectations. Most houses are challenging to make perfect, even though we all hope they can be.
Seasonal Optimization and Reinforcement
Your listing should convince guests of the great experiences at your property and mention any festivals during holidays. This way, guests can be aware of the upcoming events and decide if they want to join in the fun while they travel.
A short-term rental (STR) can help you earn more money from your property in a certain period, especially when there are city events or celebrations. However, competition in this field is intense. Therefore, you should have a certain level of understanding of local events and activities.
Get a festival guide from the information center or check online for local event websites. They have helpful info to plan ahead.
Determining the optimal time for festival optimization involves considering travelers’ booking timing and intentions. Generally, travelers tend to make reservations several months in advance when booking holiday rentals. The timing can differ in each country and region, with some booking six months ahead.
However, optimizing festival content in your listing six months ahead may not be practical. Therefore, it’s necessary to understand when most visitors in the area typically make reservations. Fortunately, you have a valuable database to reference.
Other than paid tools, Google Trends has it all.
The database offers detailed analytical data, including the percentage of visitors booking at different intervals. Targeting peak periods for optimizing your timeline and acquiring maximum coverage.
By using this approach, you can estimate when most travelers make reservations and quickly understand the local market conditions.
Creating a Unique Listing Description
After conducting the relevant search, you can insert these keywords into your listing description. Each listing description should have its unique touch to maintain individuality. Provide a detailed description, including nearby attractions, amenities, and guest access, like a knowledgeable local guide.
We should consider the expectations. These are the factors that motivate guests to reserve a property. Remember that the main reason travelers book accommodations is not for the facilities but to explore the destinations, such as attractions, landmarks, events, or restaurants nearby.
If your property is close to a winery, it can attract guests interested in the vineyard. No matter where they go, considering transportation for them is always a good approach.
This step is straightforward: open Google Maps and zoom in to approximately 10 kilometers, where popular attractions or frequently searched categories often appear. Select your favorite options and let Google provide basic transportation recommendations.
Next, explore the vicinity of your property. Spend time walking around, visualizing the different experiences guests might experience in four directions within the specified radius. This helps reinforce guests’ expectations and allows you to note details like house colors and nearby supermarkets for their convenience.
Then consider a scenario when a guest wants to rent a car. Where should they find car rental services? Offering guests transportation guidance, including public transportation, based on your own experiences.
Use the number-time method as the primary reference. It’s a powerful way to describe your property’s strengths, especially in locations close to you. For example, mention a “5-minute drive” to the car rental station.
The above tips can help you write an effective listing description for attention of travellers.
Double-check before publishing
Go to your property listing and click “View.” Check everything is correct. Open other listings at the same time to compare. We recommend checking on two devices simultaneously to avoid unintended results after publishing.
In addition to checking the description, the photos are well-lit, facilities have detailed descriptions, and pricing is accurate. Confirm all these elements thoroughly.
Once you’re certain you’ve covered everything, you can now proceed with publishing. Click on the top left corner of the listing, change the status to “Listed,” and then confirm. Your property is now searchable on the Airbnb platform.
Track and evaluate the effectiveness of description optimization
Key time points: 2 weeks, 1 month, and 3 months.
After your Airbnb listing is published, the system may undergo initial ranking adjustments in about 2-6 weeks. The timing is not absolute, but you should notice differences depending on the local competition. Typically, within a month, you should observe moderate adjustments.
This occurs because Airbnb has a huge database with tons of listings. They adopt a progressive update approach to prevent server overload.
A similar challenge for Google’s search engine optimization is managing the increasing number of resources and sites, which leads to a longer processing time(6-8 months). Progress may be relatively slow initially, but you’ll notice a gradual improvement over time.
After about 90 days, your listing’s initial ranking position will be settled unless there are major changes in your negative reviews or prices. You can reevaluate the above steps, reassess differences with competitors, and strengthen content and keyword placement.
When guests check in, asking them how they found out about your property and what factors led them to decide to book with you is recommended. Communicate with all guests to understand their specific needs and preferences.
Doing so lets you identify your target audience and focus your optimization efforts on them. This process may take up to 6 months, and it is necessary to collect guest feedback to guide your direction for further improvements.
Our Listing Optimization Service
If the processes mentioned seem challenging, we offer professional listing optimization services. Including STR analysis and adjustments, content enhancement, and relevant guidance to maximize your listing exposure and increase your revenue. Submit your inquiry now to grow with us.
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