Most real estate companies realize the importance of their native website for snagging new leads. It goes without saying that search engine optimization (SEO) is fundamentally necessary to drive those new leads. However, relatively few companies grab the SEO bull by the horns.
This might change if agencies understood that half of all online revenue comes from web searches and that only 1% originates with social media. The bottom line is this. No matter how many people an agency has in its network, there will always be more undiscovered leads than the known ones. There are way more strangers looking for houses than the people you already know. Now for a few tips to turn those strangers into leads using correct SEO.
Research your keywords
Without dedication to researchig the best keywords your SEO efforts will fall flat. You simply must keep updating for the trends that people are most interested in. It is also important to keep in mind that keywords are based on national searches, which makes it tough for a local company to rank for them individually. Keep a list of phrases your potential clients will use when searching for local real estate services. The top five keywords in 2018 and early 2019 were; real estate, mls, house for sale, home for sale, and for sale by owner. The bad news is your company will probably never rank for these, so going hyperlocal is your best bet. Be sure to use location modifiers for any broader keywords you wish to rank for. As an example, instead of “home for sale” or “Atlanta home for sale,” try “Buckhead home for sale” instead.
Image Names Do Matter
Use human-readable image names to improve SEO such as describing the page like “2019-seo-chart.jpg” and etc. It’s always best to use original and previously unused images wherever possible too since Google put a stronger value on them. Also, an image with related text ranks better for the keyword it is optimized for, so keep this in mind as well. This Yoast report will guide you in optimizing images properly, I suggest you make it your go-to reference.
External Links
The value of external links will always remain where stellar SEO is concerned. This is why Google spends so much time marshaling SPAM links and so on. The value of your content is spotlighted by the value the web community puts on it. Share your useful content on social media, and ask real estate related websites to link to it. This is the white hat SEO tactic that works rank your site higher. The bottom line is, if your content is valuable enough, people on the outside will have not problem acknowledging and referencing it. My best suggestion for agencies is to be sure you are up to date on something called “cornerstone content” – which is also described well by Yoast. Put your best foot forward!
Munchable Videos
Back in my days with the tech blog giants, Pete Cashmore’s Mashable became famous creating brief but informative reports some referred to as “munchable bites.” Mashable became a big hit because of information overload intersecting time constraints and laziness. The mobile generation just did not want to read that much. Well, a video that promotes what you are trying to sell is best done in less than 3 minutes. Share short informative videos on YouTube and social media, and link them to your website. End of story.
Watch Those URLs
Very few real estate blogs practice editing for the proper URL structure. Everybody in the business knows a blog can superpower your site’s SEO, so it#s amazing to me so few take the time to edit for something like realtybiznews.com/real-estate-seo-tips. A URL that describes the page you are posting is as important as any other SEO element. So, why do so few take the time to tell Google what all the typing is about? This is a simple SEO tip that will rank you higher over time. I suggest you implement.