With tech heavyweights, such as Zillow, Redfin, and Opendoor joining the crowded real estate market, it is getting more and more difficult to land real estate clients with simple SEO tactics. In order to stand out and reach new and organic customers and clients online, you will need to implement even more technical and advanced SEO techniques to reach your goals.
In this article, we are going to discuss the top 7 ways to find real estate clients with SEO. We will review the basics and fundamentals of SEO and delve into the more nitty-gritty of SEO to help you on your journey of success in real estate.
What is SEO?
In the online parlance, SEO, or search engine optimization, is the process of improving one’s website to be more visible on search engines such as Google and Bing.
By optimizing certain aspects of your website, such as keywords, meta descriptions, site speed, user experience, and mobile friendliness, you can rank higher in online search queries, leading to higher amounts of organic traffic.
And although SEO is a broad term, as a real estate agent, you should focus on, and niche down to, local SEO. Local SEO is a specialized branch of SEO that primarily focuses on optimizing an online presence for a specific location-based search.
An example within the real estate industry would be a user utilizing Google to input two unique queries. The first, “average home prices in the United States”, would be a broad SEO search and one that would likely garner results from the likes of CNN, The New York Times, and CNBC.
The second query, “homes for sale in Atlanta, Georgia”, would qualify for a more local SEO result. As the second query is more location and geographic based, the search results would differ and provide more location specific results.
Why is Local SEO Important?
In the competitive landscape of real estate, a perfect and immaculate online presence is not only needed, but also necessary. A recent survey by the National Association of Realtors indicated that upwards of 97% of homebuyers used the internet to help them find a home.
With more and more users utilizing the internet to assist them in the home buying process, ranking at or near the top of Google searches can be the difference between a successful year or an unsuccessful one.
Similarly, with more and more users searching for location-specific terms like “real estate agents near me” or “homes for sale in [city]”, appearing near those search queries will help you to get more leads and close more deals.
Top Ways to Utilize SEO for Your Real Estate Business
Whether you are a real estate agent, a real estate broker, a real estate developer, or just about anyone who dabbles in the real estate industry, it is of utmost importance to review and optimize your SEO setup regularly.
Below, we will review the top 7 ways to find real estate clients with SEO. These are simple and straightforward tactics that can be done today!
Optimize Your Google Business Profile
Perhaps one of the most important aspects of local SEO is your Google Business Profile. Your Google Business Profile is a free tool offered by Google that helps businesses to appear in Google Search and Google Maps.
With a Google Business Profile, you can post photos, videos, and updates. Provide more information on your offerings and services, link to your website and phone number, and read and respond to reviews left by clients.
Optimizing your Google Business Profile is one of the first and best steps to take when looking to establish yourself within the world of local SEO.
Use Location-Specific Keywords
Content reigns king online. And, when it comes to local SEO, the saying is even more true. As a real estate agent looking to leverage SEO, be sure to create content targeting specific neighborhoods, cities, or regions.
Further, be sure to incorporate these keywords into your website’s meta tags, blog posts, and property descriptions to attract clients searching for homes in those areas.
As an example, if you are a realtor in the Atlanta area, write blog posts that follow a theme such as, “Most Dog Friendly Parks to Live Near in Sandy Springs” and “Best Middle Schools For Kids in Alpharetta”.
Utilizing location specific posts will help you to stand out in the local SEO world and place your content first in Google’s rankings.
Publish Content Regularly
While we understand that it can be difficult to post content regularly, Google and other search engines and social media platforms value creators who post often.
Writing blog posts, creating and uploading videos and engaging with your audience will help to establish you as a local source of information and knowledge.
Build Your Backlink Profile
Backlinks are the backbone of the internet. In the simplest terms, backlinks are a link from another website to your website. High quality backlinks can help to increase your ranking on Google and improve visibility of your business.
To help build up your backlink profile, be sure to collaborate with local businesses, news outlets, or community organizations to gain backlinks to your website.
Optimize for Mobile Users
As stated above in the National Association of Realtors survey, more and more users are looking to the internet to help them with their home buying process.
These users are typically utilizing their mobile phones for these searches, meaning that your website should be optimized for mobile.
Ensuring your site loads quickly, is easy to navigate, and places an emphasis on mobile experience, will help your real estate SEO efforts.
Leverage Online Reviews
Within your Google Business Profile is a section for clients to leave a review. Google utilizes those reviews as “social proof” of your business and your services and offerings.
Be sure to encourage positive reviews but also be sure to respond professionally and politely to negative reviews. Doing so will add more legitimacy to your business in the “eyes” of Google.
Use Schema Markup for Real Estate
Adding structured date to your website will help search engines to understand your content better. For example, you should utilize schema to highlight property listings, open houses, and client testimonials.