Your Airbnb listing title is the one line of your own words a guest reads in search, next to the cover photo. Airbnb calls it often the first thing people read when searching for a place to stay. It has under 50 characters to do one job: give the guest a reason to tap your listing and not the one beside it.
Our guide to Airbnb listing optimization covers the title in one paragraph. This post covers how to write one: the length, what not to repeat, four formulas that suit apartments, and what to leave out.
How long can an Airbnb listing title be?
Keep it under 50 characters. Airbnb's own guidance is to start with the most important information and try to use fewer than 50 characters, because longer titles are shortened automatically in search results to fit smaller screens.
Its example: "Country cabin with lake view, fire pit, boat ramp" can show up as "Country cabin with lake view…". The fire pit and the boat ramp are written, and nobody sees them.
So write the title in order of importance. If a guest only reads the first 25 characters, those should still be worth reading.
What does a guest see next to your title?
Search already shows a guest several facts without your help. Airbnb says it's generally unnecessary to repeat information that's automatically provided to guests in search results, including:
- your city or town
- the total number of beds
- whether the listing is new
Your rating shows near the title too. Once at least three guests have rated the home, the average of their overall rating scores appears near the title in search results and on the listing.
That changes what a good title looks like. "New 2-bed apartment in Herzliya" spends almost all of its characters on things the guest can already see. The title is for what search doesn't show: the view, the walk to the beach, the balcony, the quiet street, the desk.
What should go in an Airbnb listing title?
Put in the one or two facts that make a guest choose your apartment over the next one, written so the guest can picture them. Airbnb's own advice is to highlight special features and share helpful details.
To find those facts, ask three questions about the apartment:
- What would a guest photograph first? A sea view, a big balcony, a lot of light.
- What does it make easy? Walking to the beach, working from home, parking a car, arriving with a pram.
- Who is it best for? A couple, a family, someone staying for a month.
Pick the strongest answer. If two are strong, use both and drop everything else.
Then check it against the photos. The title is a promise, and the guest who books checks it. Airbnb's accuracy question asks whether the home was accurately represented with up-to-date photos and info. "Sea view" over a sliver of sea between two buildings is the kind of title that costs an accuracy star. If you want to protect the rest of your rating, our guide to 5-star reviews on Airbnb goes through every category.
Title formulas that work for apartments
These four patterns fit most city and seaside apartments. The examples are for one imaginary apartment, a two-bedroom flat with a balcony, a seven-minute walk from the beach and a desk in the second bedroom. They show the pattern, not a real listing.
1. Feature + place-type "Sunny balcony flat, 7 min walk to the beach" (43 characters) Use this when one feature clearly sells the apartment.
2. Who it's for + what makes it work "Family flat near the beach with a big balcony" (45 characters) Use this when the apartment suits one kind of guest especially well.
3. Two features, separated cleanly "Beach walk, balcony and a real desk" (35 characters) Use this when two features matter about equally. Airbnb suggests commas with spaces or a single slash without spaces to separate ideas.
4. The feeling, backed by a fact "Quiet 2BR on a green street, near the sea" (41 characters) Use this when the apartment's strength is calm or space and you can name what makes it so.
Before and after, for the same apartment:
- Before: "NEW!!! Amazing Luxury Apartment Herzliya", followed by two emojis
- After: "Sunny balcony flat, 7 min walk to the beach"
The first one repeats what search shows ("new", the city), uses a word the guest can't check ("luxury"), and breaks three of Airbnb's style rules. The second one tells the guest something they can't see yet, and every word of it can be checked against the photos.
What should you leave out?
Leave out symbols used for emphasis, capitals, emojis and claims the apartment can't back up. Airbnb's title guidance covers the first three directly:
- Emojis and symbols. Airbnb says they can be confusing or misleading because they mean different things to different people, and can make a title inaccessible to some guests. A single "!" or "/" is fine; "!!!" or "***" isn't.
- Capital letters. Its advice is to capitalise only the first letter of the first word, with exceptions for proper names and abbreviations. Lowercase is easier to read.
- What search already shows. The city, the bed count and "new".
And from our own experience:
- Words a guest can't check. "Luxury", "amazing" and "perfect" don't tell the guest anything. "Balcony" and "7 min to the beach" do.
- Anything the photos don't show. If the title says balcony, the balcony should be in the first five photos. Our guide to the order of your Airbnb photos covers how to line them up so the title and the photos tell the same story.
How do you know if a new title works?
Change the title on its own, then wait a few weeks before you judge it. You can edit your listing's title whenever you want. Change the price and the title in the same week and you won't know which one moved the bookings.
Write down the date and the old title. Then compare views and bookings for the weeks before and after in your listing's performance data. A few weeks of data won't prove anything for certain, but it tells you whether to keep the new title or try the next formula.
Questions owners ask
How many characters can an Airbnb listing title have? Airbnb's guidance is to use fewer than 50 characters. Longer titles are shortened automatically in search results to fit smaller screens, so the end of a long title often isn't seen.
Can I use emojis in my Airbnb title? Airbnb advises against them. It says emojis and symbols can be confusing or misleading and can make a title inaccessible to some guests. A single comma or slash to separate ideas is fine.
Should I put my city in the title? Usually not. Airbnb says the city or town, the number of beds and whether a listing is new are already shown in search results, so repeating them wastes characters.
Can I change my title after the listing is live? Yes, as often as you like. Change one thing at a time and give it a few weeks before you judge it.
Writing the title, and rewriting it when the numbers say so, is part of both of our plans. You can see them on the pricing page.
