Lets help each other with Promoting each other listings

Dear friends, i have an idea how we hosts here can promote each other listings without violating airbnb rules

So i watched a video of THIS GUY recently
I very often do not agree with him on many things but sometimes he is useful

So he told that adding your listing to Wish List improves it SEO depending on wish list title - i did research and it is actually right

So if we can cooperate like several hosts and create wish lists for each other listings that might be actually useful

I am looking for someone to create wish list named “Easy and affordable accommodation in Bangkok” and add my 48 (yes 48) listings there in exchange i will do the same i will create a wish list with a title you like “Luxury apartment of Mexico city…” “Best home stay in Barcelona” etc.

If any of fellows from this forum thinks is a bad idea please explain in detail below as i think it is absolutely legal and dont violate any airbnb rules and also sounds like a healthy way to help each other

Oh please not that old chestnut again @Ivan_Joorevic

He is not right. You would literally need thousands upon thousands of people to ‘favourite’ your listing to have a chance of it making any difference in the rankings.

What research did you actually do to demonstrate he was correct. What evidence do you have?

It is a bad idea not because it violates Airbnb rules but because it makes absolutely no difference and there are much better ways to market your listing.

I personally have no interest in creating a group for your 48 listings.

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Thanks for your reply, i think the key to success here is to create a name of wish-list which will match a particular search request for example “Rooms close to Goethe institute Bangkok”
When people will google this they will see the wish-list in google search results

Really - can you share some links from Google that demonstrate this? @Ivan_Joorevic

You can use the groups you have created for one or more of your listings to demonstrate they come up towards the top of Google rankings for the terms.

Nothing at all from an Airbnb group comes up in Google for the term you suggested.

https://www.bing.com/search?q=rooms+close+to+goethe+institute+bangkok”&form=IENTHT&mkt=en-gb&httpsmsn=1&refig=2b1b925d77654607897ab4775631c5a5&sp=1&qs=HS&pq=rooms+close+to+goethe+institute+bangkok”&sc=1-40&cvid=de977cebd23e4ec8d26c190309df7b97

That was something i would like to create, something that already exist will look like

i think people dont really pay attention to wish lists now so it is a good field to attract a little bit more attention to your listing, if you go to some very particular place in your neighborhood or particular amenity like i searched “airbnb outdoor showers and baths” and FIRST link on google was this wishlist

unfortunately airbnb keeps their search criteria as a secret so we should use every possible opportunity

If you want to waste your time on this please go ahead, you are not thinking about this from a user point of view, but frp, what you see as a marketing tool @Ivan_Joorevic

Users are not going to include the word ‘wishlist’ when doing a google search for places to stay or the specific term you have defined for your wish list.

But if you think it will work for you, do go ahead.

Marketing is not about using every possible opportunity, but focusing your resources and time on those that will be relevant to your target customers and that will give you the best return.

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Helsi is absolutely correct. And instead of believing some guy on YouTube, I suggest that you read the Airbnb blog which explains exactly how wishlisting works - and it’s not at you suggest.

Once again, I suggest you read their blog as it’s full of information about their search criteria, as is their technical division’s account on Medium.

We should use every opportunity should we? Have you ever thought about how many listings your own has to compete with in Airbnb’s search? Have you ever considered that when you signed up Airbnb didn’t in any way promise that you’d be featured highly in their search? Have you ever realised that you have no god-given right to even be in the Airbnb search?

And, do you realise anything at all about how to market your business?

It sounds to me that you are very young and inexperienced. So the thing that can help you most is learning. Not from some randoms on YouTube either, from marketers.

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ivan, even if this is true and I add all of your 48 listings and the 50 of someone elses and so on, what will happen when I really want to look at the legitimate listing I liked and saved in bangkok or australia or etc. You see what I mean? there will be too many to remember which were the ones I legitimately wanted to save and the ones I was just helping out.

so, im sorry but i don’t have time for that.
Although if you allow me one question: with 48 listing you must be fully booked and doing really well. Why the heck you need even more seo?

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I would appreciate some useful information in answers, not just negative opinion

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One strange thing happened to me regarding wish list. I travel and host via Airbnb so when I got accepted to Duke University a couple years ago I set up my first wish list for cheap places to stay near Duke on the Thursday nights before my weekend classes.

Fast foreword six months or so and I had a guest contact ME as a Host wanting to stay at one of the properties I had in my wish list thinking that it was MY Property because it showed up somehow on my user profile.

Not helpful. Not only did I have to waste my time explaining this, there was zero chance that this guy was going to stay at bay if my actual properties since my wish list was for places not near me!!!

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There is a lot of wisdom in @jaquo’s advice, if you have the attention to absorb it. A bunch of very seasoned hosts are telling you this is an ill-advised way to spend your time.

Airbnb DOES discuss the important factors in your search placement, as Jaquo said. Here’s a link:
https://blog.atairbnb.com/search/

Having “liked” listings is helpful in results, but it’s a RESULT of good hosting, not a way to gain guests. I invest my time in things that benefit the attractiveness of my listing, the happiness of my guests, and my profits. Likes and good reviews follow without having to game the system the way you’re describing.

There are plenty of shitty hosts forming review cartels, which is a slight variation of what you’re suggesting. You can go do that if you’re desperate for bookings, but you’d be better off studying guerrilla marketing tactics and doing some of the following:

  • Make contact with local visitors or tourism bureaus, event organizers, and large employers who can send people your way
  • Create a social media presence through Instagram or FB
  • Let neighbors know to send their in-laws to your house for the holidays
  • Create an independent booking site so Airbnb doesn’t own you
  • Create a referral program so guests send others your way
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Well, @Ivan_Joorevic. I think that there was quite a good amount of useful information in my post. Certainly, I don’t agree with you but I thought you were looking for opinions here not just sycophantic agreement.

But you, it seems, would have preferred me to tell you a lot of nonsense about how your idea is a good one, am I right? So you’re in the wrong place. Sad to say, but we actually give our genuine opinions here.

No idea why you said that.

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Thank you that was useful, i never offered writing fake reviews as it has too temporary effect which does not represent guests experience, it is also expensive
However liking each other listings and adding wish lists seems like a cheap way to improve some SEO

  • Make contact with local visitors or tourism bureaus, event organizers, and large employers who can send people your way, the problem here is how to charge them in advance

  • Create a social media presence through Instagram or FB - i think it is more like for unique properties i was doing fb page for 3 years didnt get any single guest from there - i might be not good at so i wont tell it is not effective

  • Create an independent booking site so Airbnb doesn’t own you - did so again two problems cant charge guests in advance, google ads are very expensive per click

  • Create a referral program so guests send others your way well again problem to charge guests

Same problem with booking.com 15% commission and not providing payments

thats all make me think improving performance on airbnb is more effective

well if it is 60% full i am not making any money if it is 70-80% full i do, every percent make a difference

The link you sent me tells:
"Yes! When travelers add your listing to their wishlist, it does indeed help your search ranking! One individual wishlist may not make a visible difference but over several months, if many guests love your listing and choose to wishlist it, it will rank higher. "

So yes i am not looking for fake reviews - that will be inappropriate, i am looking for tips on marketing - absolutely, if someone want to like each other listings and add to wish lists i would be happy to do so as it is free and doesn’t violate any rules

My idea of useful answer is: I dont agree with you, but i can suggest you to Read this article link, or did you try to do this ____, can i see listing you are talking about i can advice then etc.

It is clearly if i had enough confidence and experience i would not look for advice

@Ivan_Joorevic you have already been given some great tips on marketing. Its just you have dismissed them all. Of course you can take advance payment through your own website/FB page. And yes posting interesting content and advice in a sustained way on social media works. Just posting links to your listings won’t. As a large scale property owner why don’t you invest in a local marketing person to develop a measurable marketing plan and activity for you.

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Violates federal and state laws against unfair competition.

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thats not true, means liking posts on fb and instagram also does