If in the 1980’s, newspapers and recommendations from friends were the main sources when searching for a home, today, 90% of buyers turn to the Internet.
With so much online opportunities, knowing the basics of SEO for real estate can make a great difference.
Here is how to use SEO to start driving traffic to your real estate website.
Real Estate SEO #1 – Target Local Keyword Phrases
When it comes to selecting the best keywords to target in real estate, the rule of thumb is to start locally.
Almost 70% of home buyers begin their search by using a keyword phrase that includes their target city or region. For instance, home shoppers in Baltimore would use the following keywords phrases:
- Baltimore real estate
- Homes in Baltimore
- Baltimore houses for sale
- Baltimore real estate agents
- Best realtors in Baltimore
These are the search terms you should optimize your website for, i.e. make sure these words and phrases appear throughout your site.
Note: If you operate in more than one city or region, focus on one of them at the beginning and you’ll expand to others later.
However, these searches are quite broad and, in turn, quite competitive. To avoid competing with big players in your industry who have large authority rankings, try targeting keyword phrases that include smaller areas like towns or neighborhoods.
For instance, try ranking for keyword phrases such as ‘West Baltimore real estate’ or even more targeted terms like ‘Inner Harbor real estate’.
This is the best way to make your website more targeted and capture local traffic.
Alternatively, you can also try ranking for more informational keywords, i.e. keywords based on typical questions your audience may have, such as:
- Best homes for big families in Baltimore
- Accommodation for single people in Fells Point
- Cheap apartments for sale in East Baltimore
Use tools like Google Keyword Planner to sort your selected keywords by monthly search volume. Then, choose the ones where the competition is lower because they’re easier to rank for.
Real Estate SEO #2 – Start Creating Content
One of the great SEO for real estate tactics is offering lots of free info and content on your site.
This is a great way to not only attract visitors to your website but also to convert them into leads. For instance, at the end of every article, you can ask them to enter their email to receive weekly newsletters or get your e-book for free.
But how do you determine what to write about?
- The keywords you’ve selected to rank for will dictate what you are going to write about. Look at long-tail keywords as possible blog titles. To get ideas, go to Google and type any of your selected keywords. Then, save 10-20 titles that look most interesting to you, along with the URLs.
You can also look for title ideas on Twitter or even local newspapers. This will give you an idea of what is trending in the real estate field
If you don’t know where to start from, turn to Google Keyword Planner once again. Check which of your selected titles have the largest search volume and write those articles first.
- Make your site a valuable resource. On pages like ‘Homes in Fells Point’, you can include useful information related to schools, public transport, average income, crime rates, etc. This will make people come back and help you build an image of an authoritative and trustworthy website.
- Write about the properties you’re especially interested to sell. The best way to drive traffic to specific homes is to write blogs about them. In that case, the address will be the keyword and it should be included not only in the content, but also in the title tag, meta description, and in all image ALT tags.
However, don’t forget to include original content about these homes as well. This content should have at least 200-300 words with information about the said property, including a short description and special features.
Producing the content
Now that you have topic ideas, it’s time to actually write the content. The content you want to write should be:
- informational
- high-quality
- shared on social media
As an expert in the real estate field, you need to offer even more, for instance:
- professional advice
- great tools
- new skills
- visuals
Make use of visuals
Visuals (videos and images) are the key components in real estate. People who plan to buy a home appreciate seeing a video tour and images of the property they’re interested in. Video testimonials of satisfied customers are also a great way to build reputation and trust.
Moreover, posts that include visuals get shared more on social media. That’s why you need to have great images, videos, and/or infographics included in your written content. But instead of using stock image sites (or even worse, copying someone else’s visual content), be original.
- Use your smartphone to take some pics of the properties you’re selling. Then, use a free app to put a filter and make them look more ‘professional’. Here are some of the best apps available for both iOS and Android:
- Contact someone on Fiverr or Upwork to create original visuals related to your article’s topic for about $5-$10.
Distribute keywords properly
Search through Google and Twitter to inspect the style, voice, and format of the content that gets shared. This is the ‘template’ you need to use.
But besides writing content that is useful and original, you should also consider the technical side, i.e. optimize your content for the search engines. According to SEO experts, an ideal piece of content should have the following features:
- about 2000 words
- 2% density of the main keyword
- the main keyword should appear in the URL, title, and all headings
- include at least two pictures
- include a CTA, for instance, ask them to join a newsletter list.
Real Estate SEO for Beginners #3 – Publishing and Spreading the Content
Blog
Your real estate website should have a blog where you’ll be posting all of your articles.
Note: Using plugins like All in One SEO or Yoast will help you a great deal in your SEO for real estate efforts.
Social Media
Besides publishing on the blog, make sure to share every article on social media as well. Social media is very important in the real estate field. It’s the place where you get to show your expertise, interact with clients, and build trust.
Find out where your target audience is present and focus on being active on those networks.
Facebook is, of course, obligatory since most people use it as a source of information. Use this network to join relevant and local groups where you’ll be able to share your content for free.
In general, platforms like Instagram and Pinterest are great for realtors because they allow sharing visuals (videos and images). Wanna ‘steal’ some ideas? Check hashtags like #realestate or #realestateagent.
Guest posting
Find websites in the real estate field that accept guest posts. Contact their editors/owners and pitch them an idea. Many of them will reject you or even ignore you, so it’s best to start with less popular ones.
Alternatively, you can also consider contacting sites that are not related to real estate but are in your area. For instance, you can reach out to a wedding-related website and suggest a collaboration piece that will resonate with both your audiences such as: “Best Wedding Venues in Baltimore” or “Best Restaurants for Small Weddings in West Baltimore”.
You can also contact local news sites. Look for their editors on LinkedIn and pitch them a few ideas. Again, don’t start with the most popular websites; they probably get hundreds of emails of this kind. Less popular news websites, on the other hand, would benefit from publishing great content with expert advice and are more likely to accept your articles.
Guest posting is a great way to get backlinks to your website and attract people’s attention. However, in order to start spreading your content, you need to have a base of content already written. In your pitch to the editors, include a link to your blog that already has about 15-20 articles to show your experience and writing style.
Real Estate SEO for Beginners #4 – Optimize for Mobile
According to the research conducted by the National Association of Realtors, almost 90% of home shoppers use mobile devices during the home buying process. They visit real estate sites to check out images, home listings, and info related to the home buying process among other things.
Statistics say that 58% of all home buyers found their home on a mobile device and 14% found their agent on a mobile device.
Similarly, a great number of real estate companies are using their mobile devices for a
number of activities, among which communication with clients is primary.
From this, it’s more than clear that you need to optimize your website for mobile. If you’re not sure how mobile-friendly your website is, start by running a simple test using tools like
Mobile SEO Page Analyzer by Pure Oxygen
Mobile SEO Issues Tool by Varvy
Conclusion
There are even more SEO for real estate strategies we can include like getting listed in real estate directories or internal linking. However, the tactics we propose are the best way for a beginner to get good SEO rankings.
Bottom line is, in order to be found you need to create, be it written content, images, or videos. As long as it is about your area, you’re on a right track.
Have you tried to do SEO? What’s your favorite tactic?