

When It Comes to SEO, Airbnb Has Some Catching Up to Do - phodo
http://priceonomics.com/when-it-comes-to-seo-airbnb-has-some-catching-up/

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ErikAugust
SEO is a distro channel. One of many. It, of course, helps, but it's not
necessary.

Remember these guys seeded their growth on Craigslist ads. And now have plenty
of cap to advertise across a number of channels. And good products ultimately
spread word-of-mouth and repeat usage, so I don't think SEO is something they
have to be too worried about.

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choppaface
The experience that Airbnb offers is distinct from most vacation rental
services-- Airbnb hosts and travelers expect to have some amount of friendly
interaction with each other. Rando SE users looking for hotel rooms don't have
that expectation. If Airbnb took on SEO, they'd probably a long tail of
customers who don't end up getting what they want through Airbnb's service.
Furthermore, SEO won't help cultivate their social network, and word of mouth
is getting them quality conversions right now.

While I agree with the article that SEO is a complimentary marketing effort
they're sagging on, perhaps they're doing so intentionally. If Airbnb had a
more traditional hotel-like product then SEO promotion would probably help
that product.

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ctdavies
Hey Airbnb, don't further optimize: you'll lose your hipster cred.

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wesleytodd
"Hey Airbnb, stop growing: only appeal to a small amount of potential users"
said no startup ever.

~~~
ctdavies
The belief in perpetual growth is a cultural malady.

But you're right, no startup ever said that!

