SEO, for those who are not familiar, stands for Search Engine Optimization. SEO attracts search engines and people searching online using targeted keywords and strategies and can increase the quality and quantity of website traffic organically. Considering over 90% of potential home buyers start their search online, it’s key to use SEO in order to increase your website ranking and boost your online presence. Higher rankings and increased exposure will result in generating more leads.
Know Your Audience
In order to take advantage of SEO, you will need to know your audience. Once you have identified your target audience and their intent you will be able to narrow down what they’re searching for online, words they’re using, and what type of content they are looking for.
Conduct an SEO Audit
If you want to optimize your site and expand your reach you need to pay attention to numerous things. Take a look into your site structure, page structure, and content.
- Your site should be responsive and work on any device. According to NAR about three-quarters of buyers found their homes using their phones.
- Fix any broken links.
- Make sure each page is tagged with keywords and meta descriptions, a summary of the content on that page.
- Image optimization- double check that your images are compressed and don’t slow down your loading speed. Each image should have a descriptive title and alt tag description.
Use Google and Other Directories
In order to increase visibility, get your business listed on Google Maps and Google My Business. If you want your business account to pop up in localized search results, it’s important to use your Google business account. You should also get listed on online real estate databases and yelp.
Be Active
If you don’t have a blog now is the time to create one. Having a relevant blog and consistently adding content helps overall website performance by providing you more opportunities to rank in search engines and secure traffic to your site. When writing each post keep in mind who your audience is. If you are describing a home, describe it in a unique way. Before posting an article make sure to include keywords into titles, subtitles and meta descriptions.
It’s also important to maintain an active social media presence. It provides linking opportunities to your site to increase your ranking and can connect with your audience. Posting relevant content on social media platforms increases your exposure and highlight your knowledge on real estate.
