Market
Where it is hardest to get seen
Some markets are 12x tougher than others.
150 vs 1,776 impressions
Based on
Competitive-set 12-month avg
Key finding: In the toughest short-term-rental markets, a listing gets around 150 first-page impressions a day. In the easiest, it gets nearly 1,776. That is roughly 12 times harder to be seen, depending only on where you operate.
The short version
Visibility is not the same everywhere. Some markets are naturally crowded, so every listing has to fight for a small pool of daily looks. Others hand out attention freely. Before you touch your price, your photos, or your title, the market you chose has already set the difficulty. Knowing which side you are on changes how you compete.
The data
We ranked markets by daily first-page impressions per listing, using a competitive-set 12-month average.
Toughest markets, like Broken Bow, Gatlinburg, and Park City, average around 150 impressions per listing per day.
Easiest markets, like Manhattan Beach, average nearly 1,776 impressions per listing per day.
The gap between the two ends is roughly 12x.
Why it works
Impressions per listing are a supply and demand ratio. Year-round destinations attract a deep bench of hosts, so the same search traffic gets split across many more listings. When supply is heavy, each individual listing surfaces less often, even if it is a strong one. Markets with lighter competition spread demand across fewer listings, so each one gets seen more. This is about position in the crowd, not the quality of any single listing.
What to actually do
Find out where your market sits on the visibility scale before you judge your own numbers. Low impressions in a tough market are normal, not a failure.
In crowded markets, treat every ranking factor as high stakes. When looks are scarce, price, photos, reviews, and response time decide whether you win the few you get.
In easier markets, focus on conversion. You will get plenty of looks, so make the listing close the booking.
The honest caveats
This is a correlational finding. It shows that market saturation lines up with how often a listing is seen. It does not prove that any single lever will change your outcome, and it does not rank your specific listing. The figures are competitive-set averages, so individual listings vary above and below them. Broken Bow, Gatlinburg, Park City, and Manhattan Beach are named examples of the range, not the full map.
Methodology
The finding is drawn from IntelliHost and Key Data, using a competitive-set 12-month average through 2026. Markets were ranked by daily first-page impressions per listing. Comparisons hold within comparable competitive sets, so listings are measured against genuine local peers rather than across unrelated market types. The headline range spans from about 150 impressions in the toughest markets to nearly 1,776 in the easiest.
Frequently asked questions
How much harder is it to get seen in a saturated rental market?
About 12 times harder at the extremes. Listings in the toughest markets average around 150 daily impressions, while the easiest average nearly 1,776.
Which short-term-rental markets are the hardest for visibility?
Year-round destinations tend to be hardest. In this study, Broken Bow, Gatlinburg, and Park City sit near the bottom at roughly 150 impressions per listing per day.
Does low visibility mean my listing is bad?
Not necessarily. In a saturated market, around 150 impressions a day is normal for the whole competitive set, so low looks often reflect the market rather than the listing.