Local SEO – Real Estate Industry
Real estate agents have a dream: to generate quality leads on autopilot. No more cold calls, no more unqualified prospects, and of course, increased revenue. How can this be achieved? The answer is real estate SEO. Today 90% of home buyers use the internet to search for homes – so those who master local seo for real estate will win the game
Real Estate SEO means showing up in search engines when people are looking for someone to help them buy or sell a property. Local SEO is key here as it creates content relevant to users’ queries; if they’re searching “homes for sale” then their location will determine which results appear first. To make sure your website appears at the top there are four steps: keyword research; long tail optimization; optimizing NAP (name address phone number); and creating localized content that educates informs & engages customers throughout their life cycle.
Local SEO for real estate agencies is all about getting your business to show up in the search engines when people are looking for someone to help them buy or sell a property.
Some Key steps to Local SEO for real estate
Keyword research
When it comes to local SEO, keyword research is key. You need to understand consumer intent so you can target relevant keywords that will bring potential customers right into your virtual door step. Long tail keywords are especially important as they tend to have higher conversion rates than head terms since they indicate more specific searches with higher buying intent from users who already know what they want and where they want it from
Head keywords are short, broad and highly competitive – think “realtor” or “real estate”. To rank on page one of Google with these terms you need an established high-authority site behind you which can be difficult when just starting out with Search Engine Optimization. Traffic from head keywords only accounts for 18% of total searches and isn’t very likely to convert into sales either!
Long tail keywords however make up 70% of all Google searches and have higher intent than head words; people searching long tail phrases such as ‘buy a 3 bed home in Melbourne’ are more likely looking specifically at buying something rather than browsing information or news articles etc.
On-page optimization & Technical SEO
On-page optimization also plays an important role to achieve success in seo for real estate agents – make sure you include location names throughout title tags, meta descriptions and body copy; use Schema markup on your website platform; create indexable listings with XML sitemaps; etc. All of these elements will help ensure that Google knows exactly what kind of content you’re offering so it can serve up the most relevant results for searchers near you!
Localized content
Finally, creating localized content tailored specifically towards those searching within your area is essential if you want stand out amongst competitors both big and small alike. Content should be informative yet engaging – think educational blog posts or videos featuring interesting facts about neighborhoods or communities along with helpful tips on how buyers/sellers should approach their transactions – this type of content not only helps build trust but also keeps visitors coming back again & again!
What does local SEO mean in real estate?
Local Search Engine Optimization is all about getting your business to show up in the search engines when people are looking for someone to help them buy or sell a property. Local organic optimization means creating content that speaks directly to queries – so if someone searches “homes for sale” they’ll get results tailored specifically to them.
How can local SEO help real estate investors and agencies?
This industry is a highly competitive business, especially in major cities. Everyone from the small solopreneur to the massive national conglomerates are fighting for visibility and listings. But luckily, you don’t have to compete with hundreds of thousands of other agents – just those in your hyperlocal area. Depending on location, this competition can be fierce but if SEO for real estate agents is done correctly it can surely give you an edge.
6 Tips to improve your Organic local SEO
SEO Audit
It’s time to take a step back and assess where you stand in the digital world. An Search Engine Optimization audit is like taking a snapshot of your website, giving you an insight into how it performs and what needs to be improved. It can be tedious work, but it’s worth every second as it acts as a compass for your journey ahead – providing clarity on which pages are doing well and which need more attention. Google Analytics & Search Console can help track progress too.
Now that you have the results from your audit, create an action plan to tackle each issue one by one – don’t forget keyword research & analysis; optimizing titles & meta descriptions; image optimization; content optimization etc..
Mobile Optimisations
More than half of the world’s internet traffic is now coming from mobile devices, so if you want to keep Google and your customers happy, it’s essential that your website works seamlessly on smartphones and tablets. To ensure this happens, there are a few key areas to focus on when it comes to mobile optimization: responsive design; page speed; hosting speed; homepage layout; site navigation; site search functionality; forms usability and conversions.
A responsive design will automatically adjust the size of your website for any device screen – an absolute must-have for user experience. Page loading speeds should also be kept as fast as possible – if visitors have to wait too long they’ll likely click back out of the search results in favour of a more user-friendly option. As such, try minifying code where possible or optimizing images for faster loading times. You can use an emulator tool too see how content is displayed across multiple devices before going live with changes.
When designing pages or features within them remember that simplicity is key – users don’t like having too many steps between them completing their goal so make sure everything flows easily from one step into another without any unnecessary distractions along the way! Ultimately it all boils down to creating something which looks great while still being easy enough for anyone (and everyone) who visits your site!
Google Business Profile – Rank on Google Maps
Google My Business Profile is a powerful tool for local real estate SEO. It helps to boost visibility and reach potential customers in on Google maps and local packs, allowing businesses to stand out from the competition. With Google My Business, you can create an online presence that will help your business get noticed by those searching for properties in your area using Google maps. You can add photos of listings, provide detailed descriptions of each property and even include customer reviews – all helping to make sure that potential buyers know exactly what they’re getting when they choose you as their realtor.
By providing accurate information about each listing along with helpful visuals such as photos and videos, it gives people confidence in their decision-making process when choosing which agent or broker best suits them.
Blog
Having a blog on your website gives you the opportunity to target relevant keywords and make an impact in your community. Your blog should include informative articles about your neighborhood such as walkability, cost of living, social life, schools and crime rates; visual content like images or video tours; virtual tours; live stream videos and infographics. Additionally conducting interviews with local business owners is also beneficial as they provide unique perspectives on what makes the area special – plus they are likely to share these interviews across their own platforms which helps increase reach!
Before posting any content online take some time out for search engine optimization by including geographic keywords in titles headings and subheadings.
Schema Markups
Schema is like a secret weapon; it’s like unlocking hidden potential within your website and giving yourself an edge over competitors in terms of visibility and ranking power! It helps search engines understand the content on your page, and provides additional information about your business that can help it appear in search results. This includes things like address, phone number, opening hours and more. By adding this data to your website using structured data markup (schema), you’ll be able to ensure that potential customers are able to find you when they’re searching for businesses like yours in their area.
It can be used to display rich snippets in search results – something that businesses can benefit from greatly.
If you’re unsure of how to implement it or where to start, consult with an SEO Consultant who will be able to guide you through the process. Once added, use the Structured Data Testing Tool for accuracy checks before publishing your work online.
Social Media
Social media may not directly affect your search engine rankings, but it is still an integral part of any digital marketing strategy. It helps to build relationships with potential customers, increase exposure and trustworthiness, drive more traffic to your website and ultimately convert leads into sales.
businesses need social media accounts in order to gain online visibility. Rather than trying to be everywhere on social media at once, focus on a few platforms that you can do well – such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or Pinterest – and use them effectively for maximum impact.
Share blog content or videos related to the industry & business along with local-focused hashtags and geo-targeted keywords in descriptions for increased reachability within the area. Use visual content like photos or infographics on Instagram & Pinterest as a way of promoting your website further too! Showcase the best sales opportunities available through Facebook posts so people know what’s out there waiting for them.