Most hospitality professionals put effort in optimizing their listings, but there is one element they often miss out on, their description. The time of passive listing descriptions is over, you need to make them more dynamic to push your listings to the top of the OTAs. In this blog we are discussing the future of OTA descriptions and how you can leverage this knowledge. And before you click away, we announce an exciting new solution that might change the way you handle your listings forever, so read till the end!

What's in this blog:

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Why Description Optimization Matters

• Why Static Descriptions Don’t Work Anymore

Different Approaches for Airbnb and Booking.com

• Airbnb Description: Crafting Your Own Story
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• Tips on how to write Airbnb description
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• Case Study Airbnb Description Optimization
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• Booking.com Descriptions: Data-Driven Descriptions
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Leveraging tools for Description Optimization

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Conclusion: Keep Your Listings Fresh to Boost Revenue

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Why Description Optimization Matters

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Your listing's visibility and appeal are directly influenced by the quality of your descriptions. We all know the importance of adding all of your amenities, services, and property details to your listing, however the algorithmic complexity of OTAs is increasing. That means that these basic adjustments don’t do it anymore. By optimizing descriptions, you're increasing the chances that your listing will appear in the top search results, thereby driving more traffic and bookings and maximizing your OTA revenue. 

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Airbnb reports that hosts who enhance their listings can boost their bookings by as much as 60%.

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Why Static Descriptions Don’t Work Anymore

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Most hosts create a compelling description when they first list their property and then never touch it again. However, market conditions and traveler preferences change constantly, and so should your listing.

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Here are a few reasons why static descriptions fall short:

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Shifting Market Demand:

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Depending on seasons, events and other factors, the audience that is looking for travel accommodation changes. A family-friendly home might attract couples during off-peak times, or business travellers might look for long-term stays during conferences. If your description doesn’t speak to the right audience at the right time, you could be missing out on potential bookings.

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Algorithm Priorities: 

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Like other online platforms, OTAs use an algorithm to rank listings. Dynamic content - regularly updated descriptions, photos, and titles - shows those algorithms that your listing is fresh, relevant, and worth showing to more potential guests.

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Different Approaches for Airbnb and Booking.com

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Every OTA works differently. In this blog we will be covering 2 of the biggest OTAs out there, Airbnb and Booking.com. We will give you tips on how to write Airbnb descriptions and Booking.com descriptions. Of course, if you are only present on one of these platforms, feel free to skip to the relevant one.

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Interested in the differences between the algorithms of OTAs? Check out our blog: Does Every OTA Determine Their Ranking Differently?

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Key Differences Between Airbnb and Booking.com

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Creative Freedom vs. Data-Driven 

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Airbnb allows hosts to tell their story through personal, engaging descriptions. In contrast, Booking.com takes a data-driven approach, automating descriptions based on the provided property details.

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Control Over Narrative 

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On Airbnb, hosts have complete control over the narrative and can personalize the description to match their brand. On Booking.com, consistency across listings is prioritized, and hosts must focus on completing all fields to optimize their automated descriptions.

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Airbnb Description: Crafting Your Own Story

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An Airbnb description allows hosts full creative freedom. This platform thrives on storytelling, and there lies a great opportunity in that for you.

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Tips on how to write Airbnb description:

1. Don’t Forget The Basics
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   • Create a title that stands out and highlights unique aspects of your property.
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   • Keep it short and focused: Clearly mention the key selling points.
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   • Be specific about the space: number of rooms, types of beds, amenities, and overall layout.
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   • Mention standout features, such as a pool, fireplace, or a modern kitchen.
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   • List all amenities clearly.
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   • Highlight any extras like bikes, beach equipment, or a home theatre.
     
     
2. Highlight Experiences
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   • Go beyond the property. Mention local attractions, unique activities, and cultural elements. Travellers are often looking for more than just a place to stay—they want an experience. 
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   • On top of that it is important to keep an eye out for events in the neighbourhood. Is there a festival planned, an important trade-show, et cetera? Don’t forget to mention that in your description. This is a way you cater to the market demand of the moment.
     
     
3. Incorporate Keywords
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   • SEO is essential for an Airbnb listing. Short for Search Engine Optimization, SEO is a strategy marketers use to boost a website's ranking in Google search results. This process involves researching the most relevant and frequently searched keywords, then strategically including them into content to improve visibility and attract more traffic. This is exactly what you can do to boost your Airbnb listing’s visibility as well. 
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   • The way it works: Algorithms scrape the data from the first page of Airbnb, they analyse the words being used in the descriptions and count the number of times they occur. Based on that, the algorithm scores the words. Based on those scores you can score your own listing and look at the difference of the listings on the first page of the search results. By adding the most valuable and relevant keywords, you can increase your score and end up on top of the ranking. Curious how you can do this automatically? Stay tuned for the rest of the blog!
     
     
4. Update Regularly:
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   • Otamiser sent out a survey to discover how often most hosts update their Airbnb listings. The answer was shocking. Almost 70 percent of hosts rarely update their descriptions. That creates a way for you to stand out from the crowd.
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   • Airbnb's search algorithm favours active listings. Regular updates signal to the algorithm that a listing is maintained and relevant, which can enhance its visibility in search results.
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   • The algorithm considers how often guests engage with a listing, including how many times it is saved or booked. An updated description can lead to higher engagement rates, as it may better capture the interests of potential guests.

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Case Study Airbnb Description Optimization
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Still don’t believe the impact of Airbnb description optimization? Here’s a case study showing how description optimization can transform your listings.

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One of the biggest property management companies in the U.S. was the first user case for an AI-driven listing optimization tool. They selected 20 low-performing listings and implemented the AI tool. 

This solution performed 24-hour updates of the Airbnb descriptions. Based on a machine learning program it detected changes in the OTA’s algorithm, injecting the most recent powerful and relevant keywords into the Airbnb listings. It was changing the focus on different hot target audiences and optimizing the structure and flow of the descriptions. 

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The manager of the company didn’t expect to see such good results. Take a look at the graph, and see for yourself.

Not only did the visibility of the listings skyrocket, they also saw an impressive increase in conversion rates of over 50%. And all of that without lifting a finger. 

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The good news is that this solution will soon be available for other hots as well. Don’t hesitate to join the waitlist.

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Booking.com Descriptions: Data-Driven Descriptions

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Unlike Airbnb, Booking.com automatically generates your listing description based on the information you provide about your property. The platform uses a structured format, ensuring that each property is consistently presented. 

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While you can't manually write your listing's description, the key to optimizing it lies in the quality and comprehensiveness of the information you provide. And just like Airbnb, there is a huge power in keywords. The more detailed and accurate your data, the better Booking.com will describe your property.

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Booking.com Tips:

1. Fill in Every Detail:
   
   Booking.com generates descriptions from the fields you complete. Ensure you fill out every section, whether it’s amenities, nearby attractions, or property policies. Even minor features, such as “pet-friendly” or “free parking,” can make a difference in your listing’s appeal.
   
   
2. Inject Keywords
   
   Just like we talked about in the Airbnb tips, keywords work for Booking.com as well. Booster is an algorithm that analyses the listings on OTAs like Booking.com continuously to find every parameter that impacts the ranking of the listings. The algorithm also understands what keywords will help listings perform better and injects those in the listings, ensuring that they will be ranked on the highest positions of the OTAs.
   
   
3. Use High-Quality Photos
   
   While descriptions are automated, your images still play a vital role. According to Booking.com’s optimization guide, high-quality photos of the property’s interior, exterior, and unique features will complement the automatically generated text and can dramatically impact your conversion rates.
   
   
4. Update Information Regularly
   
   Just like Airbnb, Booking.com prefers listings who are active on their platform. One way of making this clear to the algorithm is by updating your description on a regular basis.
   Ensure the details you provide are always up to date.
   
   
5. Mention Sustainability
   
   Many travelers are increasingly looking for eco-friendly accommodations, and Booking.com features a property's sustainability level using a three-leaf rating system. By integrating sustainable practices, you can attract this niche market, enhancing your property's appeal and improving its ranking in search results.

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The most important result of optimizing your descriptions on Booking.com will be an increase in click-through rates. 

What exactly are those? It is the percentage of people who see your listing that actually clicks on it. For Booking.com listings this is especially important. 

A big part of the ranking algorithm is focused on listings with a high click-through rate. When you increase your click-through rate you will increase your ranking, increasing your bookings and eventually maximizing your OTA revenue. 

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Leveraging tools for Description Optimization

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One of the biggest challenges in description optimization is keeping content fresh and relevant.
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That’s where AI comes into play. Otamiser created an innovative solution that automatically AI-optimizes Airbnb listings. By integrating market demand data, local events, and optimizing the content for keywords, the technology ensures that your listing remains highly visible and appealing to potential guests. It does 24-hour updates, to make sure your listings never miss out on a booking anymore. AT the bottom of this blog, you can find a link to apply for our waitlist to be one of the first to enjoy this new solution.

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Conclusion: Keep Your Listings Fresh to Boost Revenue

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Static listings are a thing of the past. Guests are searching for the best experience, and your listing needs to evolve to meet their needs. By updating your OTA descriptions regularly, you’re positioning your property as the perfect choice, driving more bookings, and ultimately, increasing your revenue.

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Book a call with the Autorank team, to start working the a platform designed to keep your Airbnb listing fresh and optimized automatically.

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