The Challenge: Turning Clicks into Bookings
Airbnb observed a strong link between the number of property images and booking rates. Many listings with few or no images were "redundant," failing to attract a single booking. Our goal was to find the sweet spot: the minimum images required to get noticed and the optimal number to maximize success.
The High Cost of Poor Imagery
Unbooked Days: The "Open Listings" Problem
"Open listings" are properties that were available but remained unbooked. Our analysis shows a dramatic trend: listings with fewer images are far more likely to sit empty.
Listings with 0-5 images account for over 70% of all unbooked days.
Invisible Properties: The "Redundant Listings" Issue
"Redundant listings" haven't received a single booking in the last year. The data clearly shows that a lack of images is a primary cause, making these listings practically invisible to potential guests.
A significant portion of listings with few images are redundant.
Finding the Sweet Spot: How Many Images Are Enough?
Performance of Regular Hosts
For Regular Hosts, there's a clear peak. While more images are generally better, the highest median number of bookings occurs in a specific range, suggesting a point of optimal engagement.
Peak median bookings for Regular Hosts occur with 12-13 images.
Performance of Superhosts
Superhosts show a similar trend. While some outliers with many images perform exceptionally well, a practical and highly effective number emerges that balances effort with reward.
For Superhosts, 11 images provide a fantastic, practical return on booking volume.
The Influence of Listing Age on Performance
Does a listing's age impact its success? This analysis shows the total sum of bookings for different image counts, broken down by the age of the listing. This reveals how performance is tied to both image count and listing maturity.
Regular Hosts: Total Bookings by Listing Age
For Regular Hosts, older listings (3+ years) with few photos still account for a significant number of bookings, but the highest potential is seen in newer listings that adopt the 11-15 image best practice from the start.
Superhosts: Total Bookings by Listing Age
Superhosts show a clear strategy: total bookings peak dramatically in the 11-15 image range. Newer listings (< 3 years) contribute the most to this success, indicating that top hosts quickly maximize their photo count.
Monthly Bookings for Active Listings
This analysis shows the count of monthly bookings for listings that have at least one booking per month. It clearly demonstrates the direct relationship between the number of photos and booking frequency for active hosts.
Monthly Bookings (Regular Hosts)
For active Regular Hosts, the count of monthly bookings peaks for listings with 11-15 images, showing a clear incentive to increase photo counts.
Monthly Bookings (Superhosts)
Active Superhosts see the highest count of monthly bookings in the 11-15 and 16-20 image ranges, reinforcing this as the optimal target for maximum engagement.
Actionable Recommendations
Start Here: Assess Your Listing
Is your listing underperforming, new, or old and un-updated?
The Minimum Standard
6
Implement a **mandatory minimum of 6 images** per listing. This is the baseline to escape redundancy and ensure consistent monthly booking potential, especially for older listings.
The Optimal Goal
11-15
Strongly recommend hosts provide **11 to 15 images**. This range is the data-proven sweet spot for maximizing your booking rate and revenue, for both new and established listings.
✨ AI-Powered Photo Planner
You know the optimal number of photos. Now, let's plan *what* to shoot. Describe your property below, and our AI will generate a custom shot list to make your listing shine.
Your personalized photo suggestions will appear here.
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