5 Tips To Increase Your Search Results on Vrbo (& Boost Your SEO Ranking)
With so many short-term rental properties available, it’s easy for yours to get lost in the mix. Improving your Vrbo 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 find out how to increase your visibility in search results, and optimize your listing for Vrbo’s algorithm.
How Do You Increase Search Results on Vrbo?
You can increase your visibility in search results on Vrbo by optimizing your vacation rental listing, including the headline, photos, and rental description, by applying power-ups, and by making your property appealing to your target market. You can also make sure your pricing strategy is in line with your competition, incorporating dynamic pricing to keep your listing up-to-date. Make it as easy as possible for your potential guests to make a decision about booking, and be a reliable, responsive host.
Need a hand in writing the perfect copy for your Vrbo listing to organically boost its position in search results? Get in touch to learn more about my Vrbo listing copywriting service.
Why is My Search Position so Low on Vrbo?
There could be a few reasons why your search position on Vrbo is low. Take a look at your listing and Vrbo 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 good guest reviews?
- Have you limited the number of house rules?
- Are your prices 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.
5 Ways to Increase Your Search Ranking on Vrbo
There are five main ways that you can improve your search ranking on Vrbo: 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 if you are part of Vrbo’s Boost Program.
1. Optimize your listing
Firstly, in order to increase your visibility in Vrbo’s search rankings, you should make sure your listing is fully optimized by writing a catchy headline with relevant details about your short-term rental property. Your vacation rental description should also be optimized with short paragraphs, bullet points, and the key features of your Vrbo property.
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. Make your property appealing to your target Vrbo guests
A great listing is a good start, but you’ll also need to make sure that your property is appealing 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.
Read the Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) Bible for sites like Airbnb and Vrbo.
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: a few of the search filters that guests can use to find their ideal holiday accommodation on Vrbo.
In addition to this, make sure you state your cleaning practices. Is the property cleaning 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. You should especially 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. Make it easier for guests to book
When you are trying to improve your performance on a site such as 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 of doing 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.
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 those who 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 host and providing guests with a great experience is the best way to organically boost your listing and increase your occupancy rate. Make sure your 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.
How Does Vrbo Boost Work?
Listings that are part of Vrbo’s ‘boost program’ receive ‘power-ups’ when a booking completes. 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. Listings that have been promoted in this way will appear higher up the search rankings, resulting in more views and hopefully more bookings! Utilizing the boost program is a great way for hosts to maintain a more consistent occupancy rate all year round.
The Vrbo Algorithm Basics
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
- 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
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.
Read more about my Vrbo listing copywriting service.