The iTalki system is a chicken or the egg situation. You'll have a better chance of showing up in search if you have a reasonably high lesson-to-student ratio. So, retaining students is very important. Best to be flexible and attuned to what the student wants--a structured lesson/learning plan versus the conversational method, etc. Personally, I just do conversational lessons so it'll be how well I generally get on with the person and whether we can continually have interesting conversations. Providing notes, corrections, and new vocabulary in chat without interrupting the flow is very helpful. For attracting new students: your price seems very reasonable and competitive. Having many time slots and a predictable schedule is also important. Other than that, you could create a YouTube channel and use that to drive traffic-- I've noticed people with a YouTube presence can often charge more, and students will come to the table already being interested in your teaching style or personlity.

To be a charming teacher ✨️)