What You Need to Know About Writing Airbnb Image Captions
Airbnb recently updated the way it displays photo captions in your listing. You can now add up to 250 characters of text to each image as a caption. This is beneficial as a host because it allows us to explain our property in more detail. We can highlight important features, and as a result, enhance our SEO.
If you can describe your home in a way that allows guests to picture themselves inside the home, then you’re more liking to get a booking! Good photos are definitely the most important part of your listing, but well-written captions can give you that extra edge over your competition!
Most hosts are not taking advantage of using descriptive photo captions. Adding specific keywords and nearby attractions can also help optimize your SEO, this will result in you appearing higher in search results!
Here are 5 tips for writing alluring captions that will convert into more bookings!
Showcase hidden features
Use your captions to explain features that are difficult to photograph or missing from your photos. For example, does the master bedroom have a walk-in closet? Does your bathroom have radiant floor heat? Does the sliding glass door in the living area lead to a private balcony?
All of these “hidden” features can help you get that next booking if they are highlighted properly. You should definitely be highlighting features that may otherwise be missed!
Label the Rooms and Add a Floor Plan Photo
Keep in mind that guests do not know the home as well as you do. What may seem obvious to you, may need explaining to your guests. This is especially true when there are multiple floors or multiple bedrooms and bathrooms.
These can often look identical to guests viewing your photos but that can be fixed with a caption saying “downstairs bathroom”, and “upstairs bathroom”. Guests love listings that are complete and transparent. They do not want to book a place where they feel like they are having to guess how many bathrooms are available. You can even add hand-drawn floor plans which include colors and decor!
Use Your Captions to Optimize Your SEO
Want to rank higher in search? Utilize the full potential of captions to improve your SEO! If you add captions for local attractions, your listing may come up as a Google search result for that attraction. For example, if someone types in Google, “Lori Wilson Park Airbnb”, and one of your captions mentions “Lori Wilson Park”, your listing may eventually appear as the number one result for that search term on Google.
This can also result in Airbnb’s own search algorithm ranking your listing higher because it sees the extra interest your listing is getting due to your new higher ranking on Google.
Add Quotes from Your Reviews
Remind guests that you have some awesome reviews and let them see what people love most about your property. For example, “I enjoyed sipping my coffee each morning in the swing, taking in the incredible view,” —Mary Smith.
A really high percentage of guests just look at the price and photos when booking a stay. These guests may not bother scrolling down to see your awesome reviews. In that case, we want to show that “picture only” guest a review we are really proud of by placing a screenshot of that great review in our pictures!
Describe the Experience
If you are having a tough time coming up with a caption for a photo, try describing what the guest will experience or can do with that amenity. For example, “The large, wrap-around porch provides the perfect gathering spot for deep conversations and relaxing together as a family.”
You want the guest to really feel like it’s a place they could see themselves staying at. The more they feel like they can see themselves in your place, the higher the chance they will book it!
Wrapping up
In conclusion, Airbnb photo captions are often overlooked as an area to optimize your listing. However, photos are arguably the most important section of your listing. Well-written image captions are essential to provide your future guests with additional information. Use these captions to describe your home in more detail and ultimately they will help you convert more bookings!
