I Ranked 9 Airbnbs (Most Hosts Are LOSING Money)

Over the last 16 years, I've helped over 1,000 short-term rental hosts generate over a billion dollars in bookings. And in this video, I'm going to rank real Airbnb listings that are all from the same location and area. And by the end of this video, you'll know exactly what separates an average host who struggles to get bookings from the hosts that stay consistently booked all the time. But before we even rank these, we need to get clear on what actually makes a good listing that actually gets booked. I've been in this business for over a decade, so I know what makes a good listing work, and it looks a little bit like a stool. So it's a kind of a weird analogy, but bear with me, because just like a stool, it needs 3 legs to hold it up. A listing needs 3 legs or pillars that hold them up and actually gets these bookings. And if a listing doesn't have one of these pillars, the whole listing just collapses. So in the short-term property game, Those 3 pillars are these 3 things. Firstly, it's the quality of your photos. Secondly, it's how intriguing your title is. And thirdly, it's the quality of your description. So for each of these 9 properties I'm going to show you, we're going to rank them from the S tier, which is all the way up here at the top, all the way down to the F tier with these 3 property pillars in mind. And for each listing, I'm going to give the host an actionable step on what I would improve if I was in charge of their marketing and wanted to get them more bookings. So let's jump right into the first listing. Now, on paper, this should be one of the best in the whole video, but there's a mistake I see loads of you making that stops them from getting bookings. How? Well, this has got a 4.94 rating and it's got nearly 600 reviews, and Airbnb itself calls it one of their most loved homes on the entire platform. So why isn't this instantly an S tier straight away? Well, let me show you how. First, let's read this title out loud between you and I. Unique Granite Wall Game Cave Dynamic Location 22. What does that even mean? I've read it 5 times and I still no idea what exactly I'm booking. This is because the host has tried to get a little clever here and he's tried to stuff the title with keywords. And if you saw my recent interview with the founder of Autorank, you'll know that the Airbnb algorithm doesn't care about this in any way, shape, or form. This is something that used to help you back in 2019, but those days are long gone. This title alone, I anticipate, is costing this property lots and lots of potential bookings. But what about the photos? Well, here's the frustrating part. The photos do look great. You instantly see the character of the property with the exposed brick, You've got the games room, you've got those arcade machines, and that bright vintage space. The first shots show off the things that the guests care about and sells the story of the vacation, which the title doesn't do. And what about this final pillar of the property, the description? Well, first off, it leads with the location and tells us some landmarks nearby, which is, you know, pretty good. It calls out the free reserved parking, which is of course very good. So what would I do instead if I was listing this property and where am I going to rank it? Well, I would make a small tweak to the title and list it as something like stylish Midtown studio, steps to Piedmont Park and free parking. With that change, it would go into the S tier, but because the title is poor, I'm going to have to put it up here in the A tier. So let's move on to listing number 2. Now this one, this is the type of listing I see most often and it's the exact reason why this whole video exists.. So let's go and look at the title: Luxury Apartment in the Center of Midtown Atlanta. There's nothing wrong with it, but what actually does separate it from thousands of other apartments that are based in Atlanta, Georgia? I mean, the pictures are fine and the description reads way too generic. There's nothing in this listing that tells me a single real thing about what it is to actually stay there. And here's the real killer. It has got zero reviews. Brand new host, we get that, but there's no proof. There is nothing to make me trust this over the next Airbnb host next door. So here's the truth, and write this one down if you are a host. Being forgettable is worse than being bad. And as you'll see later in this video, a bad listing at least gets noticed, but this one just gets scrolled straight past. So what would I do? Honestly, I'd start again. With a very specific title, real pictures that tell a story about your guest experience and what it's going to be like to stay there, and a description that talks like a human and not from a robot from ChatGPT. And look, there's nothing severely wrong here, but that's exactly the problem. So for that reason alone, I'm actually going to put this in the F tier. So let's keep moving. All right, perfect. So unlike the other previous listings, this title works really well here. Walk to Mercedes-Benz Stadium. I know exactly where I am and what's in for me. So this is going to go into the S tier. Well, perhaps not. The pictures are good. We've got clean, high-quality shots of the interior and a big picture of the Mercedes-Benz Stadium. But when we scroll to description, everything just falls apart. Your description is where you sell the dream of the vacation and can go more in-depth about who it's for, what the stay feels like, and why the heck to actually book your property instead of the loads of others that are in your area. But when we look at the description, we have one rushed sentence that's crammed together again with no story. And with just 3 reviews, there's barely any proof to fall back on either. So the description has to do way more of the heavy lifting here. So what should we be doing instead? The fix is 2 minutes., and it's 2 minutes of rewriting the description and tell me how the stay would feel if I visit there. Now, this is a good location with great pictures, but it has a very lazy description. So for that reason, it's going to go into the B tier. Now let's move on to listing 4. Weirdly, this listing has the opposite problem to the last, and let's see if you can spot it at home. Now we're into our number 4 listing we're looking at. Straight away, this title is trying way too hard. Exquisite downtown luxury. 'Walk to FIFA, 2-bed, 2-bath.' All of this is crammed with keywords and dashes, and '2-bed, 2-bath' all mashed together. It just looks messy. It's not awful, but it's not pulling me in either. The photos are actually good, to be fair, and you can see the place is spacious and bright. But again, when we scroll to description, we've got the opposite problem to listing 3, where that one said nothing. This one says way too much. It's a wall of emojis and text boxes, and the very first thing it hits us with is the $300 deposit, photo ID for every guest, and parking warnings. So how does this make you feel as a potential guest? Because before I've even had the chance to even picture myself staying there, I'm being read the rules like I'm checking into a prison, which is a shame because the place is clearly great and the guests love it. So what would you do instead? Well, we'll lead with the experience, not the warnings and the legal. So move the deposit and the ID stuff to the very bottom if you must keep it. Cut the wall of emojis and tidy up that title. Let's do less ChatGPT and more a human writing this one. It's a brilliant property, good pictures, but the listing buries itself with the rules. So for that reason and that reason only, it goes into the B tier. Okay, let's go on to the next one. Now listing 5 looks the part at first glance, but stick with me. Have a look at this title: Stylish pool, 5-minute drive to FIFA, free parking. So let's look at these little lines first and foremost. I see this a lot. Now this reminds me of one of those dodgy spam emails, and I get them all the time in my inbox. And hopefully by now in the video, you already know that by jamming keywords into a title literally does Nothing. So the pictures are good. The rooftop pool shots do a nice job of selling it. But here's where this listing gets really interesting. If you scroll into the description, there's a catchy title conveniently forgets to mention the bedroom doesn't have a proper door. It's actually convertible, which is a polite way of saying there's a wall, but nothing you can actually shut. Oh, and the host lives there part-time, so some of the cupboards are locked. Now, to be fair, they're being very honest about it in the description, which I do respect. But it probably explains why this one's got the lowest rating that we've seen so far at just 4.64. So what would we do instead? First off, write one clean human-looking title. Then what I would be doing is putting the no door situation right into the caption of the photo itself, and I would explain it in the description. If you set that expectation early, you kill off those disappointed reviews. Good location. Decent photos, but a messy title and a surprise that should be upfront. So for that reason, this listing just goes into the C tier. Okay, let's move on now to listing number 6. And right after the last one, this listing is a breath of fresh air. So let's look at the title: Stylish condo near the Mercedes-Benz Stadium. It's not trying to be super flashy, but it's clear on what the property is about and who it is for. I know exactly what it is. And where it is. And in about 2 seconds, we didn't even need all that keyword stuffing stuff. The photos are good and you can actually see the space, even if there's no immediate hero image that sells me something unique. But the description is where this property earns its spot. So let's just take a look at it straight away. It's clear who this place is for. It's a solo escape or a couple's retreat or a small group getaway or even for the FIFA World Cup, then it paints a picture of the stay with the floor-to-ceiling windows, the king bed, the soaking tub, and that private balcony. That's the story selling we keep banging on about, where you sell the holiday, not just the furniture. So is this one finally at the top of the board? Almost, but there's a couple of small things that hold it back. The title, while clear, plays it a little bit safe, and you could hint at what this makes this place truly special. And with 11 reviews, it's still building its proof compared to the big hitters. So what would I do? Honestly, barely anything. I would punch up the title just a touch and keep stacking those reviews over time. And that is what good will actually look like. For that reason, it's a strong A tier knocking on the door of the S tier, and after a few months of reviews, it could get there. Which brings us on to listing number 7. Let's look at this title very quickly. APT short for apartment, by ATL, Atlanta Beltline, free, which is for miles, to Mercedes-Benz Stadium. This is clear, specific, and does it include something people actually care about? Yes. And what's really clear here is that we don't have to keyword stuff, but we can get in as much as possible by shortening the words. So APT is obviously apartment, MI is obviously miles. So let's see how we can be clever and get as much in in a short space of time without doing that keyword stuffing. So let's look at the pictures now. Do we have a proper hero image? Your unique selling picture as the first picture? Yes. And it sells the space straight away with the other pictures telling a story instead of just showing the rooms. And the description is the cleanest we've seen all video. It's laid out so you can actually scan it without the sleeping setup, the amenities, the location all broken into clear sections. Then there's the proof. 39 reviews and guest favourite badge, which is exactly what happens when all 3 property pillars fire at once. So where does this listing go? Well, for me, it's straight in the S tier. Literally zero notes for me. And if my advice would be for you, take this as your template for what to do with your own listing. This is the one to copy. Now, that's all well and good, but the top hosts I work with know that getting your listing right is just one small part of making more money with your short-term rental business. And honestly, if I knew what I know now, I could have saved so much more time and money over the nearly two decades. So watch this video next and I'll show you the 7 costly mistakes I've made in my last 16 years of being in property and what I would do instead. I'll see you there.