Do you have an empty space in your house that you don’t know what to do? Well, it’s time to perk things up and open your doors to travelers. In this article, I am going to show you how to become an Airbnb host and in the process, learning the basics of starting an online business. Let the exciting journey begins.
What Is Airbnb?
Airbnb is an online booking accommodation site that connects people who own unique properties to seasoned and business travelers, families on vacation as well as communities in need. Hosting through Airbnb is a great way to meet people from all over the world. Established in 2008, the company currently lists properties in 34,000 cities and 190 countries.
How to Become An Airbnb Host?
To get started, simply go to the main page of Airbnb and click on the button for hosting. This will lead you to the first listing page that looks something like this.
It will give you an earning estimation based on your location. In Sydney for example, if you rent out an entire house for 2 people, you can potentially earn $761 in one week. If that sounds good, then just click continue.
In the next page, you’ll need to fill out more information such as;
- Description about your area.
- The location address.
- The amenities that you will (not) be providing (Airbnb will provide you with the checklist)
- Photos to showcase the property.
- Home safety features to help your guests be prepared in the event of emergencies.
- Detailed resources for guests.
- Rental fee for daily, weekly or monthly duration.
- Calendar to show your availability.
- A good profile picture of yourself with a valid contact number which is visible only to confirmed guests.
All this information is crucial for guests to find you, so do make sure that you take the time to fill them out carefully. You see, Airbnb has their own search algorithm whereby they would pick the best listing to match the guests travel destinations, dates and budgets. So the more precise the information, the more visible your listing would be.
Speaking of visibility, there’s one more place that has more online viewers than anywhere else – Google search engine. For your listing to show up on Google, you either have to pay for an advertisement or rank naturally in their search algorithm. Most people would opt for the latter because it’s easier and cheaper to start with.
Create Your Own Homestay Website
To get ranked on Google, you’ll need to set up a website. If you have no experience, this article will show you how to create a free WordPress website in just 4 simple steps.
Back at your Airbnb listing page, there are a few links that you should know – a direct link which is the URL, a collection of social links and a HTML code.
These links allow you to share your listing content on your website, email as well as on social media. For example, to use the code, simply paste it into your WordPress text editor and you’ll be able to see an excerpt of your listing beautifully displayed on your webpage.
And it also comes with star ratings, just like hotel reviews. How cool is that? When readers click on the given link, they will be able to view your full listing on Airbnb and make their reservations.
The Benefits of Having a Website
Instead of relying on Airbnb to feature your listing, running your own website makes you a very proactive host because you are in control of what you can publish online and the kind of visitors that you want to attract. The equation is very simple;
More people visit your site = More people view your listing = More booking reservation
Through blogging, you can create any kind of articles targeting keywords that are related to your property listing. Keywords are nothing more than just terms that people type when they are searching for something online.
For example, have you ever noticed that Google always suggests a few terms as you’re typing in a query?
These are actually the keywords related to the term “best budget places to…”, that are trending online. Now, how do you leverage from these keywords? Here’s where keyword research comes in.
Using Jaaxy, my favorite keyword tool, I found that the term “best budget places to stay in Tokyo” only have 1 (ONE!!!) competing website. When you think about the scale of people visiting Tokyo every month, who wouldn’t want an affordable place to stay, right?
So, if you have a nice home in Tokyo and you share this interesting topic on your social networks, it would certainly attract a lot of comments engagement that will indirectly build your reputation as an Airbnb host. And if you keep blogging content based on low competition keywords, imagine the amount of targeted traffic that you could create for your Airbnb listing.
THAT’s how you can make the most profit out of your property.
How Much Does It Cost for the Host?
It’s completely free to post your listing on Airbnb. However, a host service fee of 3% will only incur, whenever a successful booking is being made.
So, Is Airbnb Worthy of Your Time?
Consider some of these questions before you list your property on Airbnb;
- Do you live in/near a major city that is always bustling with travelers?
- Is your home near a unique destination?
- Is your empty room facing a beautiful view?
If you answer yes to any of these, then Airbnb is certainly worthy of your time. Using the techniques that I’ve just explained, your house will not only provide you with a secondary income, but it could also help fund any entrepreneurial project that you have in mind.
So, go ahead, create your listing and visit my recommend training platform to learn how you can become an Airbnb host while running an online business.
“Homestays are not about staying. They are about experiencing and sharing lifestyles, by sharing meals, and by celebrating diversity” -Doozze.com
Do you have any thoughts or questions about this topic? Please leave them in the space below and I’ll be happy to respond to you.
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