Marketing tips
Choosing the best Airbnb photos
4 Oct 2022
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By Sophie Eminson
Photos are arguably the most important part of any vacation rental listing. A survey conducted by Travelnest found that 73% of potential guests agreed that photos are the first thing which attracts them to a vacation rental advert, over other elements like price. One of the 30 bookings sites which Travelnest is partnered with, to help hosts market a vacation rental, is Airbnb. The Airbnb algorithm works to help hosts receive as many bookings as possible, even down to the order of listing photos. We’ve summarised how to choose the right photos for your Airbnb listing to match the algorithm.
How to take good photos
It is possible to capture great photos of a property with a smart phone. Make sure to take photos in landscape mode, as many booking channels like Airbnb only accept photos in this orientation. Try to get these photos in natural lighting, with a clean and tidy environment to create an appealing aesthetic. We recommend investing in professional photos or camera to get professional-looking shots. This will also give you more control over things like aperture, shutter speed and ISO; as well as the images being high in quality. See the different professional photos make in our blog.
The best photos for Airbnb
Make sure to capture every angle of your holiday home and get plenty of options. The more photos the better, aim to get over 30 different photos to use for the listing, which show off your holiday home to its best. Don’t take pictures straight on, try to get a little bit of the rooms character into each one. If there’s something interesting about the space that would make for an interesting photo, like a unique selling point, try to include it in your shot. The most eye-catching and clear photos are a good choice.
Airbnb smart photo feature
Travelnest Airbnb hosts are likely to have photos reordered based on the Airbnb smart photo tool. This tool selects listing cover photos based on certain features which will help attract guests and bookings. The AI behind the tool uses features such as: popular amenities, the angle, brightness and composition. Airbnb also released Categories earlier this year, which categorises properties in to different groups. Based on the category your property fits, it is likely to choose a photo which best represents this category. Find out more about this Airbnb update in our Airbnb 2022 release blog.
The Airbnb algorithm
The photos you choose also play an important part in where your listing appears in search results. Airbnb uses an algorithm to generate search results that appeal to guests. The algorithm sorts through the millions of listings to find the right listings for each search. Guests enter search criteria and the algorithm returns listings that reflect those criteria. This is based on popularity, price and quality. You can read the full Airbnb search results guide here.
