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With so many short-term rental properties available, it’s easy for your Vrbo property to get lost in the mix. Improving your Vrbo SEO search ranking will mean that your listing is clicked on more frequently, resulting in a higher number of bookings and increased revenue.
Read on to discover how to achieve a higher ranking for your listing and optimize your rental property for Vrbo’s algorithm. Explore proven search engine optimization tips that can help your property stand out in search results and attract more potential renters.
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How to Improve Your Vrbo Ranking
To increase your visibility in Vrbo search results, optimize your vacation rental listing. This involves improving the headline, photos, and rental description while applying power-ups (Vrbo boosts) and tailoring your property to your target market. If your photos are lacking, consider hiring a professional photographer to capture images of your space. The goal is to create a virtual tour and paint a vivid picture for guests staying at your place, whether it’s a beach house, villa, condo, etc., during their vacation.
To further improve your Vrbo ranking, align your pricing strategy with the competition, using dynamic pricing to keep your listing current. Simplify the booking decision for potential guests, and maintain reliability and responsiveness as a host.
If you need assistance crafting a compelling Vrbo description to increase your ranking and convert more clicks into bookings, learn more about our Vrbo listing copywriting service.
Why is my Vrbo Ranking Low in the Search Results?
There could be numerous reasons why your Vrbo property’s search ranking is low. Take a close look at your Vrbo listing and host profile, and ask yourself the following questions:
- Do you always reply promptly to guest inquiries?
- Do you regularly update your booking calendar and listing description?
- Have you enabled instant booking?
- Do you have great reviews?
- Have you limited the number of house rules?
- Are your rates competitive?
- Have you added as many amenities as possible to your property and listing?
- Is your headline catchy?
- Is your Vrbo description engaging and informative?
If you answered ‘no’ to any of the questions above, then these might be the areas to focus on. Read on to find out how to increase your presence in Vrbo’s search algorithm.
Here are 12 easy ways to increase bookings on Airbnb or Vrbo.
Vrbo SEO Tips: How to Rank Higher on Vrbo
There are five main ways that you can improve your Vrbo ranking: optimize your listing, make your property appealing to your target guests, review your pricing strategy, make it easy for guests to book with you, and be a responsive and reliable Vrbo host. Additionally, you can apply power-ups to boost your listing if you are part of Vrbo’s Boost Program.
Let’s look at these rental SEO strategies in more detail below:
1. Optimize Your Vrbo Listing
Firstly, in order to increase your visibility in Vrbo’s search rankings, make sure your listing is fully optimized by writing a catchy headline with relevant details about your short-term rental property. Your Vrbo description should also be optimized with short paragraphs, bullet points, and the key features of your Vrbo property.
Highlight unique selling points of your space, including attractive amenities and nearby attractions. For example, if your vacation rental includes a Jacuzzi or hot tub, be sure to mention this in the headline and description. Or if you have a game room, fireplace, or swimming pool, showcase these features prominently in your listing to capture the attention of prospective guests.
Learn how to make your vacation rental listing stand out.
You can also ensure that your listing is optimized with high-quality photos that wow your potential Vrbo guests and showcase the unique features of your property. You can even add a link to a video in your description to further showcase your vacation rental.
In the example above, the Vrbo host has selected some eye-catching, high-resolution photos to draw in guests and accurately portray the location and features of the property.
How to write irresistible photo captions for your Vrbo property.
Becoming a Vrbo Premier Host enables you to artificially move your listing up the rankings, by applying ‘power-ups’ for certain date ranges.
2. Appeal to Your Target Vrbo Guests
A great Vrbo listing is a good start, but you’ll also need to make sure that your rental property appeals to your target market. List as many amenities as you can, in order to appear in a large number of searches when filters are selected. Include location tags such as ‘beachfront’, ‘sea view’, or ‘forest’ in your Vrbo description and headline, and relevant keywords throughout your listing.
Consider the popular filters that your target guests will select. For example, if you are trying to appeal to families, make sure you select amenities such as ‘cot’, ‘highchair’, and ‘washing machine’, and tick ‘family-friendly’ and ‘children welcome’.
Above are a few of the search filters that guests can use to find their ideal holiday accommodation on Vrbo.
In addition, make sure you state your cleaning practices. Is the property cleaned to a high standard after every booking? Is bed linen cleaned and provided? Can check-ins and check-outs be conducted contact-free?
In the example above, the Vrbo host has listed their cleaning practices to reassure guests that health and safety are a priority.
3. Review Your Pricing Strategy
If you want to increase your search ranking on Vrbo, you also need to consider your pricing strategy. This means ensuring your nightly rate is competitive, as many guests choose to order their search results based on price. Consider doing this if your short-term rental property is relatively new to Vrbo and you don’t have many guest reviews yet.
You may want to consider integrating some form of dynamic pricing into your listing using third-party integration software. This will allow you to constantly change your rates in line with seasonality and demand. You can also do this directly in Vrbo with MarketMaker, or manually at least once a month.
In addition to your rates, you may also want to review your additional fees, if you have any. Make sure they are in line with what your competitors are charging, and consider pausing them temporarily if you are struggling to get bookings.
Learn how to increase your views on Airbnb or Vrbo.
4. Streamline the Booking Process
When improving your performance on Vrbo, you need to make it as easy as possible for your guests to make a decision and book your property. One of the best ways to do this is by enabling ‘instant book,’ which allows guests to book your property without first messaging you.
You can also limit the number of house rules you list, keeping it to only the most important rules. Too many rules will be off-putting for guests, and they may look elsewhere as a result. You can include additional rules that guests should follow in your guidebook or house manual.
Lastly, your potential guests will be able to make a decision much more quickly if they trust you. One of the best ways to build trust is to collect great guest ratings and reviews from those who have stayed with you previously. If you’re new to Vrbo, you may want to consider asking family and friends to submit reviews until the bookings start coming in.
In the example above, the Vrbo host has 100+ five-star reviews, which helps to build trust with potential guests and demonstrate their credibility.
Learn how to attract more guests to your property listing on Airbnb or Vrbo.
5. Be a Responsive and Reliable Host
Vrbo’s search algorithm also prioritizes hosts who are attentive and reliable. This means those who respond quickly to inquiries, regularly update their listing and booking availability and limit cancellations. These factors also contribute to achieving Vrbo’s Premier Host status, which is comparable to being an Airbnb Superhost. Premier Hosts have access to other features, like Vrbo Boost, and have a checkmark next to their listing.
Ultimately, being a good Vrbo host or property manager and providing guests with a great experience is the best way to boost your listing and increase your occupancy rate. Make sure your rental property is always clean and tidy, and that you are quick in your response to questions, queries, or complaints.
Learn what to send to guests in your pre-booking message to ensure a smooth check-in.
Vrbo Boost Strategy: How to Boost Your Vrbo Listing
Are you wondering how to boost your VRBO listing’s performance? Listings that are part of Vrbo’s ‘boost program’ receive ‘power-ups’ when a booking is completed, which is a crucial part of the VRBO Boost Strategy. These power-ups are only available to Premier Hosts, hosts who have an owner-initiated cancellation rate of 5% or lower, an average review rating of 4.3 or higher, a booking acceptance rate of 90% or higher, and a minimum of five bookings, and three or more Vrbo reviews.
Power-ups can be used to promote a listing over a date range when demand is lower, for example during certain months of the year. By incorporating this strategy into your hosting, your listings will appear higher up the search rankings, resulting in more views and hopefully more bookings! Utilizing the Vrbo boost program is a great way for hosts to maintain a more consistent occupancy rate all year round, ultimately improving your listing’s ranking.
What to do if the Vrbo Boost is not Working
If you’re experiencing issues with the Vrbo Boost strategy, there are several steps you can take. Start by evaluating your listing’s data, ensuring pricing accuracy, availability, and the quality of your Vrbo description and images. Check if your vacation rental property meets the eligibility criteria for the Vrbo Boost program and analyze its performance metrics, tracking changes in visibility and ranking.
Guest reviews and feedback can significantly impact your Vrbo listing’s performance, so promptly address any negative comments or lower ratings. Optimize pricing and availability to match demand in your area and continuously enhance your listing with high-quality photos and updated descriptions. Vrbo rewards hosts with high-quality listings who take pride in providing exceptional customer service for their vacation rental business. If issues persist, reach out to Vrbo customer support to see if they can provide assistance.
Consider marketing efforts such as social media promotion on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, utilizing Google Ads, and collaborating with local influencers. Keep in mind that the Vrbo Boost strategy may take time to yield results. In addition to social media, create your own website for your vacation rental business and build up website traffic. Both organic traffic and paid ads can help enhance your listing’s ranking in Google search results and drive more traffic and bookings to your rental properties.
By staying proactive and consistent in your efforts, you can troubleshoot and improve the performance and ranking of your Vrbo listing.
Mastering the Vrbo Algorithm for Higher Bookings.
Vrbo’s search algorithm ranks properties based on how well they fit the searcher’s needs, and whether it fits their individual preferences. To do the former, Vrbo compares all of the properties in a given area, ranking features such as the number of bedrooms available, the reviews, and the amenities listed. To do the latter, the person searching selects their individual preferences from a list of search filters.
Vrbo’s search filters include:
- Property type e.g., cabin, villa, cottage, or apartment rental
- Nightly price or total price
- Number of bedrooms and bathrooms
- The presence of a kitchen, dining room, living room, or outdoor space
- Whether the guest allows for free cancellation
- Features and amenities e.g., swimming pool, Wi-Fi, bed linen, washing machine, barbecue
- Guest ratings and awards
- House rules e.g., pet-friendly, children welcome, smoking allowed, family-friendly
- Location e.g., waterfront, beachfront, rural, city center, near a golf course
- Activities e.g., snowboarding, fishing, hiking, horse-riding, theme parks
- Whether the Vrbo host is a Premier Host
- Safety installations e.g., carbon monoxide detectors or smoke detectors
- Accessibility features e.g., lift, wheelchair accessibility
- Whether ‘Instant Book’ is available
- Whether the guest offers any weekly, monthly, or ‘new listing’ discounts
In addition to the Vrbo ranking algorithm, The platform employs a Vrbo keyword search feature. This search function operates by matching the keywords entered by users with the textual content in property listings. It helps users find listings that closely align with their specific criteria, making it easier to discover vacation rentals that meet their desired preferences and needs. Therefore, you want to include as many relevant keywords within your Vrbo description and headline as possible without resorting to keyword stuffing.
Summary
In summary, you can increase your visibility in Vrbo’s search algorithm by optimizing your listing, appealing to your target market, being a reliable and responsive host, ensuring that your pricing is competitive, and making it quick and easy for guests to book with you. In addition to this, Vrbo’s Boost Program allows hosts to apply ‘power-ups’ to their listing, which promotes their listing for a given date range.
If you need assistance in improving your Vrbo listing’s ranking and increasing the likelihood of guests booking your vacation rental, check out our Vrbo description copywriting services.
