Airbnb ASO Audit Report

Buse Kanal

3 September 2024

Airbnb iOS App

Airbnb is among vacation rentals in app stores today. With over a million people downloading the app, Airbnb has enjoyed a relatively high ranking in the App Store. In fact, Airbnb, by the time of this writing, is rated to be the #3 apps in Travel based in the United States.

While Airbnb has already accomplished things that other vacation rentals apps haven’t achieved, there is still a way to maximize their app store visibility and increase their chance of getting noticed.

After all, the biggest room is the room for improvement. No matter how great Airbnb might already be, they can still do something to reach the number 1 spot and not be overtaken by competitors.

In this ASO audit, let’s take a look at how Airbnb can improve its keyword ranking in the most efficient way possible.

Airbnb Keyword research

We did a quick keyword research for Airbnb based in the United States. We have shared the details at the end of this post.

Looking at the research result, we can see that we are already ranking for some important keywords. Nevertheless, we have identified some great opportunities for us to take advantage of.

In this situation, ASO intelligence tools come in handy. These tools are effective in identifying popular keywords with the lowest competition. For example, in ShyftUp, we use Mobile Action to perform reliable keyword research.

Among the results we get is the term Search Score. Here’s a quick overview:

The Search Score ranges from 5 to 100. The score represents the number of users who are searching for a specific keyword compared to other keyword options in the App Store and Google Play.

For example, one of the keywords with the highest ranking is the keyword “Facebook.” It has a search score of 100.

The lowest score is 5, which means no one is virtually searching for that keyword. Most keywords will never even see a score beyond 5.

Going back to the results that we got, here’s how Airbnb’s ranking looks like:

“Hotel” keyword has a search score of 54, which we rank at no. 13.
“Travel” keyword has a search score of 49, which we rank at no 13.
“Rental homes” keyword has a search score of 48, which we rank at no. 14.
“Apartment finder” keyword has a search score of 47, which we rank at no 31.
“Apartment” keyword has a search score of 40, which we rank at no. 43.
“Trip planner” keyword has a search score of 39, which we rank at no. 82.
“Rentals” keyword has a search score of 35, which we rank at no. 16.
“Houses” keyword has a search score of 34, which we rank at no. 92.
“Bookings” keyword has a search score of 30, which we rank at no. 29.
“Travel app” keyword has a search score of 27, which we rank at no. 53.
“Room for rent” keyword has a search score of 23, which we rank at no. 11.
“Reservation” keyword has a search score of 15, which we rank at no 29.

We also did research on competitor keywords. We got the following results:

“Expedia” keyword has a search score of 67, which we rank at no. 5.
“Vrbo” keyword has a search score of 63, which we rank at no. 2.
“Priceline” keyword has a search score of 58, which we rank at no. 11.
“Zillow Rentals” keyword has a search score of 47, which we rank at no. 14.
“Tripadvisor” keyword has a search score of 41, which we rank at no. 6.
“Sonder” keyword has a search score of 41, which we rank at no. 8.
“Vacasa” keyword has a search score of 41, which we rank at no. 4.

The results show us that there is a lot of work to do. To ensure that we climb up the rankings, we should use these keywords in our metadata.

Title

The title of Airbnb in the App Store is this:

Airbnb

Take note that the App Store allows us to use up to 30 characters for the title. As of now, Airbnb is using 6 characters.

Looking at the search scores of the keywords included in the title, the search score of “Airbnb” is 75. As you can see, the keywords have a high search score. However, there is a great opportunity for improvement.

To ensure we stay competitive, we must test the title and its keywords continuously. One way to improve the title is to go to the keyword pool. From there, we should continuously check how many keywords we are ranking for that are in the title. For instance, we could check the keyword “apartment rentals” in our keyword pool.

After starting to use the “apartment rentals” keyword, do we start ranking higher for these keywords? Do we start ranking for more keywords that include “apartment rentals”? If the keywords are not improving our ranking, then we should test other keywords and their variations.

In this case, we can try a new title like:

Airbnb: Vacation Rentals

As you can see, we have added the words “vacation” & “rentals”. This is a great move in terms of keyword ranking for the following reasons:

The term “vacation” has a high search score of 29.
The term “rentals” has a high search score of 35.
By adding the term “vacation” we can potentially rank for longer search terms such as “vacation rentals” with a good ranking score of 32.
By adding the term “rentals” we can potentially rank for longer search terms such as “rental homes”, “house rentals” & “rental apartments”. All have good ranking scores, which are 48, 32 & 30, respectively.

All these changes to the title can potentially improve keyword ranking. However, please note that there are other combinations and possibilities when it comes to using keywords.

That’s the reason you need to constantly test these keywords. You should check your keyword ranking every week and see if the changes in your title bring better results.

Subtitle

The subtitle of Airbnb in the App Store is this:

Vacation Rentals & Experiences

Like the title, Apple allows us to use up to 30 characters in the subtitle. As of now, Airbnb uses 30 characters.

Looking at the search scores of the keywords included in the subtitle, the search score of “vacation” is 28, “rentals” is 35 and “experiences” is 5. As you can see, all keywords have high search scores except “experiences”, and we can conclude that Airbnb has an average strong subtitles.

Even though, if we would like to test a new variation, the subtitle can be changed to:

Trip, Bookings, Travel & Homes

As you can see we have added the words “trip”, “bookings”, “travel” & “homes” and excluded the words “vacation”, “rentals” & “experiences”. This is a great move in terms of keyword ranking for the following reasons:

The term “trip” has a high search score of 45.
The term “bookings” has a high search score of 31.
The term “travel” has a high search score of 49.
The term “homes” has a high search score of 42.
By adding the term “trip” we can potentially rank for longer search terms such as “trip planner” & “trip plans”. Both have good ranking scores, which are 39 & 36 respectively.
By adding the term “bookings” we can potentially rank for longer search terms such as “hotel booking” & “booking app”. Both have good ranking scores, which are 28 & 24 respectively.
By adding the term “travel” we can potentially rank for longer search terms such as “travel app” & “travel guide”. Both have good ranking scores, which are 26 & 20 respectively.
By adding the term “homes” we can potentially rank for longer search terms such as “homes for rent” & “rent homes”. Both have good ranking scores, which are 39 & 26 respectively.

To ensure we stay competitive, we must test the subtitle and its keywords continuously. One way to improve the subtitle is to go to the keyword pool. From there, we should continuously check how many keywords that are in the subtitle. For instance, we should check the keyword “house rentals” in our keyword pool.

After starting to use the “house rentals” keyword, do we start ranking higher for these keywords? Do we start ranking for more keywords that include “house rentals”? If the keywords are not improving our ranking, then we should test other keywords and their variations.

Ratings

Airbnb Ratings

Looking at the ratings, we can see a lot of things to improve here. Take note that Airbnb, at the time of this writing, has an average rating of 4.8 stars from more than 649.4K users.

Let’s compare that to their competitors:

Vrbo – 4.8 stars from 2M users
Booking.com– 4.8 stars from 878.3K users

We do need to improve app features and overall user experience to raise the ratings up and get more positive reviews.

Screenshots

Screenshots can either make or break your app. If you use the wrong screenshots, you’ll surely chase away users. Use the right screenshots, and you’ll attract more users.

As we take a look at Airbnb’s screenshots, we can see that they have chosen great images. However, Airbnb can use more value-oriented headlines on the screenshots. It is super important to choose screenshots that show the value, features, and reasons why users should use your app. Here are some of our feedback for Airbnb:

- Readability: The font size is adequate. Headlines make grammatical sense.
- Background Color: Other colors or patterns could be split-tested, alternating colors etc.
- Headline strength: The current messaging is strong. However, different messaging can be A/B tested.
- Social proof: Testimonials, media coverage, and # of chargers, etc., can be showcased on the 1st screen.
- Cover Screen: A new cover screen can be created including Airbnb’s logo along with vacation rental images.

Video (App Preview): A preview video that shows vacation rentals through the app’s functions could be added to the first slot.

Airbnb Screenshots

The App Store allows us to use up to 10 screenshots. However, these screenshots don’t have equal exposure. As you may already know, potential users will initially see the first three screenshots. They need to open your page to see the rest of the screenshots.

With this in mind, you need to choose the best screenshots and place them on the first three screenshot slots.

To determine which screenshots give you the best result, A/B testing and Apple’s Product Page Optimization (PPO) are always the best way to go.

Here are a few more things to consider:

Apple indexes the title, subtitle, and keyword list to determine app rankings in the App Store.
The app title, which can be composed of up to 30 characters, is considered to be the most important ranking factor. Thus, you should add the most crucial keyword to your title. When you do that, you’ll most likely get a higher ranking for that keyword.
Next to the app title is the subtitle in terms of importance for indexing. Thus, other more vital keywords should be added to your subtitle. Add as many relevant and high-ranking keywords as possible to ensure you increase your ranking. Moreover, if possible, maximize the 30 character-limit for the subtitle.
The keyword list is considered to be the number 3 most important ranking factor in the App Store. You are allowed to use a maximum of 100 characters. You need to add all the keywords that you believe are relevant to your app. You can even include brand names and competitors’ keywords. You have more flexibility to include whatever you see fit based on your keyword research. After all, users won’t be able to see this list. Only you, as the admin, can see them via the App Store Connect. But it affects your visibility significantly.

Airbnb Keywords