Jay’s beautiful three-bedroom condo graces the sands of Gulf Shores, Alabama. With a massive 73,000 impressions in 30 days – a number most Airbnb hosts only dream of – Jay’s beachfront property enjoyed the limelight.
The vast majority of these impressions can be attributed to one of Airbnb’s most popular filters: beachfront. With a whopping 61% first-page impression rate, far surpassing IntelliHost’s average of 10%, it seemed Jay was doing almost everything right.
But there was a catch. Despite being showcased frequently on the first page, Jay’s property had a measly 7% click rate compared to his competitors’ average of 24%. Read on to discover the problem.
Psssssst! If you’d rather watch Jay’s property analysis on YouTube click HERE
What was going wrong?
IntelliHost’s deep dive into Jay’s listing revealed two significant areas for improvement:
- Differentiation: The main image, which displayed the beach and nothing more, was a commonality among beachfront properties. It did little to make Jay’s property stand out from the plethora of similar listings.
- Photo Quality: Though Jay’s condo was undeniably charming, his photographs didn’t capture its essence. Issues like improper camera angles made the property images appear less polished than those of his competitors.
IntelliHost’s recommendation was twofold: Overhaul the property photographs to capture its true essence and change the primary image to something that offers both a view of the beautiful interior and a hint of the beachfront.
The Transformation
Two weeks later, the results were in. Jay’s new set of photos, with guidance from IntelliHost and insights from founder Jeff, truly captured the condo’s allure. Proper angles were maintained, ensuring an authentic visual appeal.
The metrics? There was a clear difference. The first-page impression rate saw an unexpected but welcome surge, increasing nearly 10% from 66% to 76%. The click rate saw a slight dip from 7% to 5%. However, the star metric was the conversion rate: From a previous 0.17%, it soared to a remarkable 0.83%, marking almost a 5x increase!
The Takeaway
Jay’s journey underscores a vital lesson: While property location and features are undoubtedly important, the visual allure is often the decisive factor. An investment in professional photography, as recommended by IntelliHost, can dramatically elevate booking rates. In the digital age of property rentals, it’s often the nuances in a photograph that set a listing apart.
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