Shoot great photos of your Airbnb.

Why photos decide everything

In a list of results, travelers see an image first, then a price. Your first photo decides whether they click or move on. On your website it is the same: the header photo is seen before a single word.

Before you shoot

• Tidy and declutter: remove personal products, cables, tea towels and fridge magnets.
• Make the beds properly: tight sheets, aligned cushions. Nothing changes a bedroom more.
• Open the curtains and switch on every lamp, even during the day.
• Take out the bins and close the toilet lids.
• Add a touch of life: a few flowers, a breakfast tray, folded towels.

Gear and settings

• A recent smartphone is enough, as long as you wipe the lens first.
• Shoot during the day, with natural light. Avoid the flash, it flattens the room.
• Hold the camera at chest height, level, keeping wall lines straight.
• Stand in a corner of the room: that angle shows the space best.
• Turn on the grid on your phone to keep the horizon straight.
• Shoot in landscape: that is the format used everywhere, on Airbnb and on your website.

Which photos, and in which order

1. 1

   The cover photo

   Your strongest asset, not your hallway: the view, the pool, the terrace or the brightest living room.

2. 2

   The living spaces

   Living room, kitchen, dining area, with two angles per room.

3. 3

   The bedrooms

   One wide shot and one detail per bedroom. Show every bed you advertise.

4. 4

   The bathrooms

   Clean, with folded towels and tidy products.

5. 5

   The outside

   Terrace, garden, pool, façade, parking space.

6. 6

   Details and surroundings

   Coffee machine, games, fireplace, then the beach, the old town or nearby trails.

Aim for 20 to 30 photos on your listing, and 10 to 15 on your website: on a website, a few excellent photos beat many average ones.

After the shoot

• Straighten and crop rather than over-filter. An over-edited photo creates disappointment on arrival, and disappointment ends up in reviews.
• Compress your files for your website: heavy images slow the page down, and a slow page loses visitors.
• Name your files clearly, for example living-room-sea-view.jpg: Google reads image names too.
• Add descriptive captions on your listing, they answer common questions.

PageOptimus takes the photos from your listing, compresses them and organizes them in your website automatically. You can check how many you have with the free audit.