Real Estate Marketing & Beyond
Although street names and neighborhoods can make or break a property's desirability - and, therefore, sell-ability - perhaps the most important location feature of all is where your listings rank on internet search results.
Real estate SEO is becoming increasingly important, particularly as the volume of mobile web searches continues to expand. According to a study conducted by the National Association of Realtors, 43% of real estate shoppers in 2014 started their search online first, while a whopping 88% of buyers visited a real estate website at some point during their search. And these numbers continue to rise as the digital age unabatingly dictates our actions, including the way buyers find properties.
It is this increasing reliance on the internet that makes SEO for real estate an unavoidable necessity. Nowadays, to get your listings in front of the right prospects, it's all about discovering the same combination of real estate keywords your prospects are using to find you, and then broadcasting those keywords on every digital outlet for maximum online searchability. Learn how to choose the best keywords for seo by reading blogs that share tips on that topic.
The real estate industry presents a unique opportunity for SEO, specifically in the fact that its audience is highly local. That said, you should focus your efforts on ranking high in local SEO, that is, appearing when prospects search for properties in the area you serve.
And while each property listing needs to be unique, you should include a few basic keywords when crafting your real estate SEO formula:
Are you selling a house or condo? Are you leasing an apartment or duplex? The real estate industry is an expansive one, so make sure you specify what exactly is your specialty. Also, consider the different terminology prospects might use when searching for your listings, like homes for sale vs. houses for sale. Try to cater to each variation as much as possible.
Over 69% percent of online real estate searches start with local keywords. Emphasize the specific markets you serve to make it easy for buyers searching in those areas, such as (City) Realtors or Rental Homes in (City, State).
If you serve a well-known neighborhood or area of town, include that information on your website and in your listing description, such as Homes For Sale in (Community).
Waterfront home? Gated community? Swimming pool? Five acres of land? If these things matter to the right buyers, they will include them in their online search, which means you should include them in your listings.
Website visitors may automatically assume your role as agent or broker, but that does not mean the search engines will. Buyers searching for Find a Realtor in (Area) or Real Estate Agents in (City) can find you easily if you include your full job title in your website profile or bio.
Of course, your prospects don't simply search for realtors or waterfront homes. For narrower targeting, combine any of the above keywords and make them as specific as possible, like New Homes For Sale in (City). Or, consider highly specific copy like Home For Sale 3 Miles from Downtown (City) for individual listings.
Determining the real estate keywords and phrases prospects use to find you provides a challenge in itself, but it doesn't stop there.
To get the best results, implement keywords and phrases throughout your website, not just your individual listings. You can add keywords in your About Us web page, home page, and other landing pages that feature specific services. Make sure you use each keyword multiple times in your web copy, but only as long as the copy reads well without sounding like keyword stuffing.
Once you begin actively pursuing better SEO tactics, tools like Google Analytics can help you determine which keywords and phrases are driving web traffic so you can continue to optimize your website and listings.
SEO may seem like a constant work-in-progress, and truthfully, it is. But with enough practice and planning, you can upgrade every web page and listing to move-in ready status and prepare them for their new location at the top of your prospect's search results.
