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Designing a Real Estate Website with SEO in Mind - 3

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Services for Real Estate Pros

Part 3 - Building Area Content

In part two of Designing an SEO Friendly Website, we discussed researching the key phrases for your website. If you're dealing with a template, you should have gotten rid of any of the content these website providers include in the navigation that is used and re-used by all the agents in your area. Remember that you don't want duplicate content on your website - ever.  While it might not get you penalized by the search engines, at the very least it will be un-indexed, and you've wasted a precious link and a page of content that you yourself should write.  Who knows more about the good stuff your city offers than you, when your career involves answering questions and helping people who are moving there?

If you can't write, then sit down and write out a bullet point list of the city attractions...what you like or even don't like about the area.

Where do you like to eat?  What do you do for fun?  Do you have a museum, a live theatre group, a beautiful park, or a lake?  Are you on the beach, in a ski resort, near a big tourist attraction?  Make a list of all this stuff and find somebody who can write, if you can't.  Expect to pay $20-50 for a good researched article, and hang on to it.  Go out and take some photos of these things and keep it together.  You'll give this to your web designer or use it yourself if you've decided to use a template.

Barefoot Resort Homes for SaleSo now you have a page about your city attractions.  Let's take it a step further.  Are there certain neighborhoods or subdivisions in your city that are popular?  Spend some time and think this out.  Choose 5 or 10 of these areas if you have them, and come up with a paragraph about each.  What's special about it?  What kind of homes do you find there?  Is it a condo complex? Is it a luxury home development? Is it a gated neighborhood or great for retirees? Whether it's a desert  home in Albuquerque Acres NM, or homes for sale in Surfside Beach SC, there's something special about the neighborhood.

Describe as many of them as you can, and do a bit of research to see what the average price of housing is in each.  Save this, again, for your web designer or yourself to make into pages for your website.  Go out to these neighborhoods and take photos.  Always photograph any water amenities or pretty parks.  Pick a sunny day and get the best looking photos you can!  If you see a "for sale" sign, take a picture of the home or complex from an angle that doesn't show the sign.

Does this sound like a lot of work on your part?  It is.  But a web designer is not going out to take pictures.  A non-Realtor does not know what kind of housing is in a neighborhood or what the average prices are.  This is what YOU KNOW...and if you want a great website, then take the time to do this once, and do it right.  It will pay off more than you can imagine, because THIS is what the search engines are looking for!  You want to have content on your website that Betty Competitor at Remax is too lazy to offer.

Home for sale in Myrtle BeachIf you don't want to take the time to get photos, then pay your assistant or even a professional photographer to do it.  Don't steal photos from other websites.  It not only reflects on your character...you can actually face a lawsuit and have to pay damages for copyright infringement.  There may be a time when you will almost have to use a photo that belongs to somebody else...but do it as a last resort, and try to get permission from the owner when you do.

So now you have your basic pages planned, and the content to build pages for your most important neighborhoods.  That's a great start, and next you want to start putting it all together!

Stay tuned for the next chapter of Designing a Real Estate Website with SEO in Mind...

SEO Web Design Part One
SEO Web Design Part Two

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Myrtle Beach Condos For Sale
Myrtle Beach Homes For Sale

Comments (8)

Jose Dias
Home Sellers Help in Scottsdale-Phoenix-Peoria-Glendale - Scottsdale, AZ
Sell Your Home in Scottsdale-Phoenix-Peoria-Glendale-Goodyear

Jan,

Love your post and advice. I am going to read parts 1 and 2 also.

Thank you for sharing.

Oct 02, 2010 06:20 PM
Praful Thakkar
LAER Realty Partners - Andover, MA
Andover, MA: Andover Luxury Homes For Sale

For some reason, missed part 1/2 but will go over it - as I finish this one. I am in the process of 'makeover' for one of my websites and this will be very useful!

Thanks, Jan.

Oct 02, 2010 07:14 PM
Jan Chilton
Myrtle Beach, SC
Real Estate Marketing

I'm pleased if it helps somebody!  Thanks to both of you.

Oct 02, 2010 07:17 PM
Didi Doolittle
Slifer Smith & Frampton Real Estate, Eagle Office - Vail, CO
Vail, CO Realtor 970.232.8225

Ditto Jose and Praful, I need to see 1 & 2.  Great post Jan!

Oct 03, 2010 04:28 PM
Jan Chilton
Myrtle Beach, SC
Real Estate Marketing

Thank you, all.

Oct 03, 2010 05:03 PM
Tanya Connie
Sun Rise Real Estate - Myrtle Beach, SC
Myrtle Beach Real Estate

For those who missed SEO Web Design 1 & 2 you definately need to go back and find them.  They are filled with great information.  Jan is a SEO wizard.

Oct 04, 2010 03:13 PM
Jan Chilton
Myrtle Beach, SC
Real Estate Marketing

Sandy, I appreciate it.  You're biased, but I still appreciate it...:-)

Oct 04, 2010 03:21 PM
Ann Nguyen
eXp Realty of California, Inc. - Truckee, CA
Lake Tahoe Truckee Homes For Sale

Jan,

Thank you for all your helpful advices! I will spend some times to implement them soon.

Jan 15, 2011 04:49 AM