Airbnb listing photos: which shots to take and in what order
Lead with a cover image that still reads at thumbnail size, usually the pool, terrace or view in good light. Then show the main living space, each bedroom so guests can count the beds, the bathrooms, the outdoor dining area and the view. Guests decide from the first few photographs, so the rooms that matter most go first.
The cover image
The cover is the only photograph most people see in search results, and it is shown small. Choose a landscape image with one clear subject and plenty of light. For an Ibiza villa that is usually the pool and terrace with the sea or the countryside behind, photographed when the light is soft. Check it at thumbnail size before you choose it.
The first five photographs
After the cover, guests look at a handful of images before deciding whether to read on. Use them to answer the main questions in order: what the living space feels like, where they will sleep, what the pool or terrace is like, and what the view is.
- 1. Cover: pool, terrace or view
- 2. Main living space
- 3. Main bedroom
- 4. Pool, terrace or outdoor dining
- 5. The view, or the best feature of the property
Bedrooms: let guests count the beds
Give every bedroom one wide photograph that shows all of its beds, taken from the doorway or a corner. Groups booking a villa check that the sleeping arrangements match their party, so a bedroom where one bed is out of frame causes questions or lost bookings. Show sofa beds made up if they are part of the sleeping capacity.
Kitchen and bathrooms
One clear, wide photograph of the kitchen and one of each bathroom is usually enough. Detail shots come later in the set, after guests have seen the whole room.
Outdoor spaces and the view
In Ibiza the outdoor space is often what guests are booking. Show the outdoor dining area, the barbecue or outdoor kitchen, the garden and any chill-out areas, and include at least one photograph taken at dusk with the lights on.
What to leave out
- Close-ups of decoration before the rooms themselves have been shown.
- Several near-identical photographs of the same space.
- Dark or blurred photographs.
- Anything that no longer matches the property: guests compare the photographs with what they find.
Booking.com and Vrbo
The same order works on Booking.com and Vrbo. All three platforms show landscape images best, so photographs taken for one can be used on the others. At Ibiza Mi Casa every Airbnb set is delivered in this order, with cover options and sizes for Airbnb, Booking.com and Vrbo.