You have a website, it has all the bells and whistles - MLS search, community information, buyer/seller information, etc. So WHY are you not getting the traffic you should be getting to make this "internet thing" worth your while?
Many agents have sites put up and don't understand the intricacies of SEO (Search Engine Optimization), and internet marketing. They believe that if they just have a site, that all the leads should be coming to them. The problem is that many agents have been lead to believe that their website domain should be “yourname.com”, or some catchy phrase. They fail to do market keyword research to know what people are actually looking for when searching online. So many people start out trying to come up with some cutesy domain name, or something that is “catchy”, but they fail to realize that the most amount of traffic to their site will come from search engines, and it’s important to make sure those search engines understand what the site is all about.
Your first step - even before buying a domain name - is to do keyword research and find out what people type in to the search bar, when looking for what you have to offer. This step is a crucial one. This domain name will be the heart of your business, and it’s going to take some real thinking to see what would work the best.
You see, search engines start reading your site by looking at your domain name, first. What you put here is going to help the search engines determine what your site is about, so you are going to have to include “keywords” in the name which describe the main focus of your site.
Let’s say that you are a Realtor in Austin, TX. You are going to be focusing on being a Seller’s Agent, listing properties in the Austin area. Put yourself in the mind of a seller. What type of terms would they be looking for when searching the internet to find who is selling properties in Austin, TX? You would probably type something into the search box like “Austin TX Homes For Sale”, right? So, wouldn’t it make sense to make your domain stand out by being “AustinTXHomesForSale.com”. See where I’m going with this? You will need to “load” the domain name with “keywords” that describe what your site is about. This will get you more traffic in the long run.
Now don't go jumping out there and just put in the words that YOU think people are searching for. Make yourself a list of different keywords that would be a possibility for your area. Once you have a list of words, you are going to first want to test those words out to see if they are ones that are being searched for.
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