How search ranking / algorithm works
By default, spots are ranked / sorted in search based on the following primary inputs:
- Distance - spots closer to the search location rank higher
- Booking score - which is "bookings from guests that first visited in the last 60 days" / "count of times your spot appeared in the search results". It's basically a conversion rate that estimates how likely a guest is to book if they see your spot in the search. This is the most important factor in ranking.
- New spots - new spots with certain attributes that our guests like will rank higher.
- Photo count - spots with at least 10 photos will rank higher. Spots with 10+ photos earn 10x more than spots with less than 10 photos. This only counts photos uploaded by the host, not photos added by guests. It's easy to get this boost in search; make sure your spot has at least 10 high-quality photos!
Some users have asked us to put a heavier weight on distance in the spot ranking. We tested this in an AB test, but we found that guests that saw spots ranked by distance only actually were less likely to find a spot and book. This is why we rank spots using relevance rather than distance. If you would like to see spots rank or sort by distance, you can open the search filters in the mobile app and select to sort results by distance.
Search is only one way that hosts can get guests. Some suggestions for getting more guests:
- Be sure that have a great listing
- Be sure to provide a great experience for guests. This will bring word of mouth.
- You can market your spot
- Many guests use filters for search, so you can add unique features that will show up for filtered search