Home Listing Cover Photo

I’m curious about the pet-vs-house as first photo question. I’m assuming that pretty much all HO’s post photos of their pets in somewhere their listing, so first photo is a first impression, a hook, if you will.
I’m wondering if it’s mostly for homes with dogs where that’s an issue. There’s just so much more variability in size, etc., with dogs.

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I’m always looking for sits with small dogs, and the dog icon doesn’t give off their size. I assume that most of the homes are going to be nice and the hook for me is the area, not the house. Once I see the pet and the area then I can look and see if the house is suitable. It looks like nobody agrees with me but I’m going to maintain my position. It’s a lot of work having to open up listings and scroll to the bottom to see the pet.

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Thank you, D-And-D,
That would confirm what I’ve been thinking. That, maybe, for homes like mine, with two cats and no dogs, it’s best to post a photo of the house, and very clearly describe the location, rather than posting a photo of the cats, first. They’re cats - and they’re somewhere between 8 & 12 lbs! Of course they’re adorable!

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There was a topic a while back about what photo attracts people to a listing. There were lots of different opinions and different types of photos appeal to different people. I found it interesting at the time as I couldn’t narrow down what photo would most attract me to a particular sit, as it varies. It could be a photo of the garden, the house, the pets or even a local view.

https://forum.trustedhousesitters.com/t/what-attracts-you-to-the-pics-in-a-listing/7608

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@GardenCat

An extra adorable pet, a photo of the house showing a nice yard, or a beautiful view will draw me to look at sits I’m not particularly interested in at that moment, to favorite.

But dates and location are the most important, followed by the list of responsibilities, overall cleanliness and whether the HO leaves reviews for their sitters. Then I start looking at the rest of the sit.

Just as an aside, I prefer sits with bigger or more energetic dogs. There really is something for everyone.

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Hi @DebbyAndDazzle: Yes, stick to your position. I mean, it’s what works for you, right? It’s like what’s your favorite flavor of ice cream?


I don’t know if anyone’s mentioned this, but the main reason most listings have a home photo first is probably due to the UI from the PP side. Home photos are added first in the “Your home” section. Then pet photos are added in “Your pets,” so they come later. What’s a bit quirky is that the cover photo can be only a photo from “Your home.” So to get the first photo to be a pet, you’d have to “rock the boat” and purposely upload a pet photo when it asks for photos of bedroom/bathroom/etc.

Also, you can rearrange only photos in “Your home,” not “Your pets.” To do the latter, you’d have to manually delete and re-upload to get the order you want. (Yes, I’ve reported that to Member Services.)


Personally, my view is more “meta”: A cover photo should spark joy, but it should also stand out from the other listings around them. And the “spark-joy” can be focused on one’s ideal sitter, as we can’t please everyone. If I want a sitter who loves cats, then I’ll put a cat photo first. If I want a sitter who loves my tiny home, I’ll put a photo of the outside first.

But in general, I think a good pet photo will stand out more … neurologically. For example, did you know that our brain has a region dedicated solely to distinguishing and recognizing faces? I don’t think that’s true for rooms/houses. And a pet is a lot closer to a human face than a house.


Back to the original question by @GardenCat (hi again!): Your cat photos are sooo amazing! I love how close-up they are! And this one in particular:

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That’s an incredible thumbnail! The cat’s huge, the cat’s pose stands out, and it just happens to also show part of your home!

But just as compelling could be your image of your Airbnb ratings:

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If I see that as the cover photo, am I going to click thru to read more? Of course I am. 532 5* reviews?!


I wish PPs had more metrics to help A/B test something like this. I have also reported this to Membership Services. Hopefully someday!


Edit: Thinking some more, another option for a cover photo is a collage photo.

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