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Just like the title of a book, the headline of a newspaper article, or the trailer of a new movie catches your attention -- or doesn't -- your Airbnb listing title will either lure people to read more about your vacation rental -- or it won't. The more potential customers you can get to click through your listing, the higher the likelihood you'll get a booking, and the better chance you'll have of keeping your occupancy rate high and your bank account growing.
How do you write a catchy title that will capture more online views? Here are several tips on what to do, what not to do, and how to do it best.
1. AVOID THE OBVIOUS
By the time your listing pops up on a mobile device or computer screen, your potential customer has already entered a geographic location, type of property and travel dates. Don't waste your valuable title space on obvious information. For example, the title "San Diego Home for Rent" will not provide any new information because the potential customer already selected San Diego as the desired location and a house as a desired property.
2. RETIRE OVER-USED WORDS
Every area of communication has a list of over-used words. When it comes to describing vacation rentals, everyone has a convenient, comfortable and clean home. Many rentals are nice, centrally located and beautiful. If you use the same words that everyone else uses, they become meaningless. The first step of improving your Airbnb listing title is to simply avoid using these tired words.
3. DON'T WASTE PRECIOUS TITLE SPACE ON CODES
Yes, keeping track of multiple listings can be a challenge for property managers. However, don't waste precious title characters on personal codes used for your own organizational purposes (like the example below that has "C)" in the title. Figure out some other way to keep track of your listings.
4. LET PICTURES PLAY THEIR ROLE
Certain words are better illustrated than written. For example, many property managers like to use the word luxurious. Although it sounds like a nice word, it is not terribly descriptive, and luxury can be better illustrated through a photo of your property.
5. USE ALL THE SPACE AVAILABLE
Airbnb allows property owners to use up to 50 characters to write their titles. Treat these spaces like gold and use every single one of them. If don't have enough words, you can use stand-out characters (like *, =)) or symbols (like a star (☆) or a heart (♥)) to fill in a few blanks as well.
6. FIRST WORDS COUNT
Remember that on many mobile devices and even on computer screens, the potential customer can only see the first few words of your title in a listing of multiple titles. Think carefully about the first words you use; they will be the most important.
7. TARGET MARKET YOUR RENTAL
Instead of writing a generic title that tries to reach everyone and ends up reaching no one, spend time crafting a title to capture the attention of a very specific customer. Think about what type of customer would appreciate your rental the most and why.
If you have a romantic getaway, target your headline to couples, newlyweds or anniversary celebrators. If you have a spacious, kid-friendly house, call out to big families with lots of children. If you have the ultimate party pad, invite reunion groups or bachelor parties to your place. If you have a small office, high-speed wi-fi, you can promote your listing to business travelers.
8. BRAINSTORM UNIQUE WORDS
Okay, so you know what to avoid and you know what to include from a strictly practical standpoint. Now the fun part. How do you craft that eye-catching title?
Start by brainstorming a long list of words. Write down all the adjectives that best describe your place. Write down your rental's best features. Write down your favorite things about your home. Then, scan through any reviews you have received and write down words and phrases used by former customers. If you're a left-brain person, pull up an online thesaurus and type in a few words from your list to see if you can find words that better fit the bill.
What Works For You?
Take some time and look at some of your favorite sites and headlines. They can be other Airbnb listings or your favorite food or hobby sites. Collect a list of phrases, words or titles that make you want to click. Then, think about these phrases and words and why you wanted to get more information. Try to apply those same principles in writing your own Airbnb listing titles.
Put It All Together
Now, take your list of words and write down several 50-character titles. You'll find that you like some and dislike others. If you have a friend or family member to help, doing this as a team exercise can sometimes be more fruitful. Studies also show that readers tend to scan through titles, focusing on the first three and last three words. Remember this as you draft your titles. Once you have several titles, take a break, and come back to them with a fresh eye. Then pick one to try and post it!
Test and Track
The best way to see if your title is a good one is to see if it accomplishes the goal of increasing your click rate. Change your title and track your click rate for a week. Then pick another title off your list and test that one. If you rotate through a few of your best titles and see a marked increase with one or two, you'll know which title should be your standard one.
9. UPDATE TITLES FOR SPECIAL EVENTS OR SEASONS
By refining your target marketing efforts as the seasons change or as special events move in and out of your city, you can increase traffic further. Add words related to specific seasons or events to your brainstorming list, and revise your title often. You may even want to put together a calendar that features a new title each month, depending on local events or holidays, and test and track those titles throughout the year.
10. ASK THE EXPERTS
Many creative folks out there work magic with words, and it may be worth the investment to outsource some of your hosting duties that include title and description writing. If you find yourself spending hours agonizing over these exercises and still unhappy with the result, throw a few bucks to those right-brained professionals out there for help. Airbnb listing optimization is included in our Standard Management service. If you're interested,
CONCLUSION
By investing some time in creating a unique, catchy, description title for your Airbnb listing, you can significant increase the click through rate for your properties. The more people who spend time reading the details and checking out your photos, the greater number of customers you will have. This results in more business, higher occupancy and more revenue for you.
Okay, so you know what to avoid and you know what to include from a strictly practical standpoint. Now the fun part. How do you craft that eye-catching title?
Start by brainstorming a long list of words. Write down all the adjectives that best describe your place. Write down your rental's best features. Write down your favorite things about your home. Then, scan through any reviews you have received and write down words and phrases used by former customers. If you're a left-brain person, pull up an online thesaurus and type in a few words from your list to see if you can find words that better fit the bill.
What Works For You?
Take some time and look at some of your favorite sites and headlines. They can be other Airbnb listings or your favorite food or hobby sites. Collect a list of phrases, words or titles that make you want to click. Then, think about these phrases and words and why you wanted to get more information. Try to apply those same principles in writing your own Airbnb listing titles.
Put It All Together
Now, take your list of words and write down several 50-character titles. You'll find that you like some and dislike others. If you have a friend or family member to help, doing this as a team exercise can sometimes be more fruitful. Studies also show that readers tend to scan through titles, focusing on the first three and last three words. Remember this as you draft your titles. Once you have several titles, take a break, and come back to them with a fresh eye. Then pick one to try and post it!
Test and Track
The best way to see if your title is a good one is to see if it accomplishes the goal of increasing your click rate. Change your title and track your click rate for a week. Then pick another title off your list and test that one. If you rotate through a few of your best titles and see a marked increase with one or two, you'll know which title should be your standard one.
9. UPDATE TITLES FOR SPECIAL EVENTS OR SEASONS
By refining your target marketing efforts as the seasons change or as special events move in and out of your city, you can increase traffic further. Add words related to specific seasons or events to your brainstorming list, and revise your title often. You may even want to put together a calendar that features a new title each month, depending on local events or holidays, and test and track those titles throughout the year.
10. ASK THE EXPERTS
Many creative folks out there work magic with words, and it may be worth the investment to outsource some of your hosting duties that include title and description writing. If you find yourself spending hours agonizing over these exercises and still unhappy with the result, throw a few bucks to those right-brained professionals out there for help. Airbnb listing optimization is included in our Standard Management service. If you're interested,
CONCLUSION
By investing some time in creating a unique, catchy, description title for your Airbnb listing, you can significant increase the click through rate for your properties. The more people who spend time reading the details and checking out your photos, the greater number of customers you will have. This results in more business, higher occupancy and more revenue for you.