9 Ways To Improve Your Vacation Rental Rankings On Booking And Airbnb
Blog summary:
- 64% of guests book their accommodation via OTAs
- OTAs can create billboard effects - is that good or bad?
- 9 tips on how to improve your vacation rental rankings on Booking and Airbnb
- Your vacation rentals reviews and scores should stay consistent or improve, never decline.
The goal of every vacation rental owner is to get as many bookings as possible. In addition to advertising through direct channels, it’s important to use OTA platforms and find effective strategies to improve your vacation rental rankings in search results. The most popular OTA platforms are undoubtedly Booking.com and Airbnb. Currently, over 6.6 million properties are advertised on Booking.com, while more than 5 million are competing for better rankings on Airbnb.
Vacation rental owners need to think about where their potential guests are searching for accommodations. Research has shown that as many as 64% of respondents book their stays through OTA platforms, while 23% choose direct bookings. Keep that in mind when deciding which sales channels to use.
The vacation rental market is highly competitive, and OTA platforms have great potential - you just need to know how to take advantage of it. It’s important to remember that OTA platforms generate revenue through commissions, so your goal has to be to maximize your returns by achieving the best possible position for your vacation rentals since you’re already giving a part of your profit to them.
No matter how attractive your vacation rental photos are or how much lower your price is compared to competitors, if your property doesn’t appear among the top search results, your chances of having new bookings drop dramatically, and you lose potential profit.
So, how can you stand out in this highly competitive marketplace? Fortunately, there are precise strategies to follow to improve your vacation rentals rankings and visibility. Below, we share the top tips for improving your vacation rental rankings on Booking.com and Airbnb. Use them to your advantage!
What Are OTA Platforms and Why Do You Need Them?
OTA platforms (Online Travel Agents or Agencies) are digital distribution platforms designed for searching and selling accommodation and various other services. They can be seen as digital middlemans between vacation rental owners and guests seeking accommodation.
They started in the mid-1990s as platforms for selling remaining accommodation capacity during low-demand seasons, but today they dominate the tourism and booking industry. Online booking channels are basically listing sites where accommodation providers can register to make their properties more visible to a wider audience.
In essence, OTA platforms help you connect with a global audience, opening up more opportunities for a higher number of bookings and increased revenue.
In addition to the largest and most globally recognized OTA platforms like Booking.com and Airbnb, other channels cover specific markets or specialize in certain types of properties such as hotels, vacation rentals, camps or hostels:
- Agoda covers the Far East countries;
- Expedia covers 7.04% of the OTA platforms market;
- Locktrip as a relatively new OTA platform based on a blockchain technology;
- HRS, one of the oldest platforms in the travel market for the distribution of hotel accommodation covering the German and Central European markets;
- HotelBeds, a channel that covers the markets of Great Britain and Western Europe and does not work classically but functions as a bed bank;
- SunHotels, which covers the Spanish and Latin European markets, also works similarly to HotelBeds;
- Ostrovok is a channel that covers the Russian market.
What to Consider When Choosing OTA Platforms?
When researching OTA platforms, consider the following:
- Who are the users of the OTA platforms? What type of guests are searching for accommodations there? Are these the guests you want?
- Which market does the OTA platform cover? If your target market isn’t there, avoid it.
- Pricing, one of the most critical factors. Carefully review the terms and commission structure of the OTA platform.
- Cancellation policies for both you as the owner and the guests. Make sure the conditions create a positive experience for both sides.
- The quality of the OTA channel’s customer support. Problems will arise, and having responsive support is a big plus. Check if they offer localized language support to avoid barriers.
There are many factors to consider, but these are the most important. Decide based on your priorities and plan from the start how to improve your vacation rental rankings on OTA search engines.
What Is the Billboard Effect of Using OTA Platforms?
Before using OTA channels, you need to know this:
When planning a trip, a potential guest may find your property on an OTA platform. If they look for more about your vacation rental online, they may discover your website, noticing better terms or additional benefits. In the end, they confirm their booking directly on your website rather than through the OTA platform where they first found you.
This billboard effect is one reason to maintain your own website with an integrated booking engine parallel with OTA platforms for maximum occupancy.
OTA platforms have a clear condition - they prioritize listings with competitive pricing. Prices should be reasonable and aligned with comparable properties nearby. If OTA channels detect otherwise, they will lower your search ranking and rarely favor listings with inconsistent pricing.
Tips to Improve Your Vacation Rental Rankings on Booking and Airbnb
If you’ve decided to use OTA platforms, plan ahead from the very beginning. Below are proven tips to help you improve your vacation rental rankings in search results. Review them carefully and implement them consistently.
Focus on Quality
Profiles with high-quality photos, videos, and complete descriptions rank better. Use high-resolution images with good lighting, clean composition, and attractive framing. Consider hiring a professional photographer - it’s the best investment for improving your vacation rental rankings.
Quality photos and videos offer guests a virtual tour of your property, providing a clear impression of your space. Unique images for each room or unit, with descriptive labels, help guests understand your offerings. Use storytelling through the photo order to create a pre-booking experience.
Complete Your Profile
All OTA platforms test which content best serves their users and prioritize profiles with complete information. Some platforms even show a profile completion percentage - don’t ignore this metric.
Fill out all fields to provide guests with all necessary details. Every field exists to help guests decide if your property is the right fit. Incomplete profiles lose opportunities.
Ask Yourself if Everything You’ve Shared is Useful for Guests
The most helpful profiles provide potential guests with all the necessary information upfront so they don’t need to search further. Be sure to include details wherever possible, such as additional fees (e.g., parking or pet fees) or important updates like upcoming renovations.
Avoid filling in fields just so they don’t stay empty. Avoid including information that might be contradicted in reviews. Everything you include must be accurate.
If you set expectations, make sure to meet them. You don’t want to end up with a negative review or a complaint to the OTA channel.
Regularly Update Information
Review your working hours, make sure that room descriptions and photos reflect the latest changes (if any), check that all categories are correctly labeled, and confirm that all information is accurate. OTA platforms won't display incomplete descriptions or information to their users.
If your content hasn't been updated for a while and your photos are outdated, it can confuse potential guests and set wrong expectations.
The advice is to frequently update and review your profile, which increases your chances of improving your ranking in search results.
Manage Reviews Frequently and Ensure Positive Impressions Before Guests Arrive
Guests form their first impression of your apartment during their research, mainly by looking at your photos and reading reviews. Keep in mind that 95% of potential customers will read reviews if they are hearing about you for the first time.
It’s important to respond to every review, whether positive or negative. People are more likely to leave negative feedback, so if that happens, make sure to respond as quickly as possible. If you made a mistake, admit it and make it right, like offering a discount for their next stay or a small apology gift.
Future guests will read these reviews and want to avoid such situations. Experienced hosts will tell you that improving your vacation rental rankings starts here. Remember - one bad review can negatively affect several months of profits.
Respond to Guest Inquiries
When a guest messages you, don’t delay. Just as you look forward to your monthly profit, guests are excited about their trip. If they have a question, answer it quickly. The "response rate" is also a key factor in your visibility on OTA platforms. Research shows that 88% of people are more likely to book with hosts who respond to messages and reviews, whether positive or negative. Use this to your advantage!
Make it a habit to check messages regularly and reply as soon as possible. Quick responses matter to guests and can lead to positive reviews highlighting your helpfulness. Remember—a happy guest is a returning guest.
Take advantage of vacation rental software and digital tools designed for vacation rentals management. You don’t need to wait until you’re home at your computer. These tools make replying faster and easier, impressing guests with your efficiency.
Take Care of Your Vacation Rental’s Online Reputation
Managing your vacation rental's online reputation highly impacts your ranking. OTA platforms check reviews and ratings to assess your reputation. Ideally, your ratings should stay consistent or improve, never decline.
If a guest leaves a lower rating than expected, find out why and address their concerns. Encourage guests to leave reviews and always respond to them.
Offering small perks in exchange for reviews is also common. While it might feel like an expense at first, it pays off in the long run.
Join OTA Promotions
Special promotions or offers through OTA platforms can boost your ranking. Many OTAs provide loyalty programs, rewards, and promotional opportunities.
Take advantage of these offers, as participating can lead to more bookings and improve your vacation rentals ranking on search results.
Use Partner Status Options
Preferred partner programs with OTA platforms can boost your ranking in exchange for a higher commission. Before dismissing the idea because of the added cost, consider this as a short-term strategy.
The goal is to improve rankings so the benefits later will cover the extra cost.Once your bookings and conversions increase, you can adjust your commission rates as your organic ranking improves.
BONUS TIP: Use One Calendar for All Bookings
Don’t limit the number of platforms where you promote your vacation rentals. Your main goal should be to market them on the OTA channels your guests use. However, issues like double bookings or constantly entering reservations manually are common challenges for many hosts.
You can manage prices, availability, restrictions, and bookings all in one place. Tools like Rentlio Channel Manager allow you to update prices across all connected platforms in seconds, no matter how many channels or properties you manage. The same applies to changes in nightly rates, availability updates, blocking specific dates, or setting restrictions like minimum stays.
To fully understand how to improve your vacation rental rankings on Booking and Airbnb, it’s important to first understand the rules and specifics of the chosen OTA platform. A fully completed profile with detailed information, high-quality photos, positive reviews, regular updates, and timely communication with guests are the basics of success.
By smartly using all the features of OTA platforms and digital tools for managing bookings, you will not only improve your accommodation’s position but also power up the guest experience, speed up your business processes, and increase the number of bookings.
Daniel Herman is a growth marketing enthusiast with 10 years of marketing experience who enjoys thinking strategically and seeing the bigger picture. He writes about everything related to developing marketing activities and KPIs, branding, and taking a long-term approach to success, always with the goal of sharing useful ideas and inspiring action.
