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Ours is “Catharine Valley Place * 4 miles from Watkins Glen”. The main thing we wanted to stress was how close it is to Watkins Glen, a popular Finger Lakes destination in New York. The name of our home refers to the Catharine Creek that borders the property and the valley location. The header really tells nothing about the house itself, but does attract guests looking for a place to stay in the Watkins Glen area.
I started out trying to be “catchy.” It was “K9 Karma Casa is now open to humans.” This is because I was doing in home dog boarding first and that’s still #1 here. I can make triple the amount of $$ dog boarding than I can Airbnbing so it’s essential that people understand the dog situation.
However, people don’t read. You have the headline and then the brief description. I learned from experience and reading here that you need to cram as much into those as possible. Especially for those folks booking from “on the road” which is a good chunk of my business. So now my header is “Private entrance & bath @ I-10 exit 28 in El Paso.” That has to be the most boring title ever. But with Airbnb lumping me in with Juarez, Mexico or Las Cruces, NM, USA in last minute searches it seemed like the thing to do. I do sometimes change if for special occasions. For example if I end up being available Sunday I might say “NDMF special for Sunday,” as it’s the second night of a little music festival in town and there might be someone looking.
As an old-school web head, I think that it’s a good idea to have words in your title that people might be searching for on Google. I don’t think that the word ‘hideaway’ is going to be searched for
And as @KKC says, people don’t read anyway. So I go for the basic ‘where is it, what is it?’
Pet Friendly 2 Bedrooms & Bath
Pet Friendly Private Back Bedroom & a Bath
Pet Friendly Private Front Bedroom & a Bath
Lodging for Horse & Dog Lovers
(Although I just recently added a heart and what looks like a dog nose and smile at the end of the last one)
I have the “(name of my island) - private rm/bath. Roku. WiFi.” I specifically list the town/island because AirBnB being how they are, will display every island or town within 50 miles so it helps people looking specifically for THIS island. Especially the newbies who don’t quite get the search process.
My husband, not usually the most poetic of souls came up with “On top of the world in the heart of the City” for our new Cape Town listing. The first is a slight exaggeration since although we are on the top floor the building is only 7 floors high - but we do have a nice view of Table Mountain. If it didn’t spoil the flow I’d add “air-conditioned” which is vital, but not particularly standard in SA.
We figured the name was catchy enough. I may change the “Jazzfest” out for “Voodoo” or “Endymion Parade” depending on the time of year as these are all events within walking distance to us, but the rest will stay the same as it clarifies which part of New Orleans we are in for the quieter times of year.
A couple of months out should be sufficient. We weren’t booked for the second weekend, but we had JUST listed. This suggests people make their Jazzfest plans a few months in advance. As soon as we listed (mid- April) we were booked for Essence festival (July 4th weekend). Mardi Gras will be the same I imagine…two-three months out, if you want your pick.
Just a tad, Jackie … Mount Nelson €250 a night, Top of the World €50 a night! The trick is to stay with us and then walk ten minutes to the MN for their gorgeous High Tea, which also gives you access to their pool. So, we’re expecting you …
Incidentally, you owe me the hour and a half I should have spent getting ready for tomorrow’s guests which I’ve actually spent reading your fascinating magazine. I went for the DIY blacklight and stayed for the Jaffa cakes and travel articles! I was pleased to see Willy Lott’s Cottage - I once painted a watercolour of it which I’m hoping if I keep it long enough might become a second Constable …
“Green Cottage in the Catskill Mountains” and “The Clover Nook: Catskills Vintage Travel Trailer” all because of what @jaquo said - these are words folks might search on as well. Along with what is in the description. I count on AirBnb to know how to maximize our content for search engines.
Mine is literally just “The Swan’s Nest.” I would have added more but… I checked out the other listings in my area and everyone else had descriptors for location. I kept it sweet & simple simply to make mine stand out.