This is a rewrite of a blog posting on my SEO Diva blog.
During last week's SEO conference in Las Vegas, Matt Cutts - Google guru - mentioned some important areas to concentrate on in 2008.
High Quality Content: We all know this, but it's a good reminder that content is the most important factor on your web site, and we would all do well to remember to refine it, and add more as time permits.
Personalization: Be ultra specific in your niche - in this case, your real estate market. Whether you specialize in land, investment property, first time home buyers, luxury homes, condos, or vacation homes, you need to zero in on your specialty and what you offer within it.
Localization: Make sure your address is on your home page, and don’t forget to add your site to Google local search results. It's easy to do, and you certainly want your name to show up in local search listings when a prospective buyer is looking for 'your town real estate agent.'
Build Sites for Mobile: More people than ever are using their cell phones to surf the Internet. Can't you just envision all the those home buyers driving around, surfing for homes for sale or open houses on their iPhones? This site has tons of tips on how to make your web site ready for mobile.
18 Comments on Real Estate SEO for 2008
Great suggestions for us all to keep in mind as we tweak our sites. Thanks for the reminders.
Oh Kay how I love your blogs. Thank you so much. I can't believe it is going to be 2008. I just turned 60 yesterday and the good news is I got a listing and they will be giving me more properties to sell for them. At least 3 at this point. So that sure was a great Birthday present. Thank you for sharing your wisdom.
Pat - I'm so glad you like them. Happy Birthday!! (Confetti raining down) Congratulations on your listing, too - sounds like it was a great birthday for you.
Kay - Great stuff here - I'm forwarding this over to quite a few people. Always good to be reminded of the 'key' points. Thanks for attending/assimilating the conference and sharing with the rest of us here.
Kay... thanks for the info! I just spent a few minutes looking at the mobile site info. That's really interesting stuff. I'm sure that aspect of our electronic life will continue to grow and become more important. I just need to find some time to learn more and do something about it before I find myself behind the technology again!
You made an interesting point about the cell phones. I do not have a cell phone with internet access, however the tool to view a property via a mobile website is powerful. Tech savvy buyers will love it and seller will love the opportunity.
Technology is changing so fast, it's hard to keep up with it all, and requires constant learning. Mobile is definitely the next area to conquer. Once I get it figured out I'll post what I've learned on AR.
The US is far behind much of the world when it comes to mobile technology especially the marketing aspects. One of my friends was telling me that in the UK you can get messages from billboards and promotions at clubs and such (like free songs) beamed through your bluetooth device. I have also read about the ability to get information about attractions in certain areas sent to your phone through map functions.
Mark - my company has thought about doing that very thing (promos beamed through bluetooth) for events downtown. I was amazed when I heard about it. The UK seems to be into technology in a big way - they are huge users of social media sites.
Matt - let us know what happens - like if you show up in the 3 Google local listings, or gain more business because of it.
The other important point is Niche. I am a mortgage broker in Florida, and I have a basic website that let's people know that if they need a mortgage - We Can Do It. The old shot gun approach. Of course my page rank in important categories is 1.3 million. But that's okay, because we can direct our new borrowers to the website or the new borrower can search for us by name. Wrong!
Most of our web driven business actually comes from very specific web pages covering specific topics. Even free blogs or answering simple web questions works better than our expensive all encompassing website.
Wow, such a great post, thank you for the information!! I added myself to the local Google Business search!! That looks awesome. I also see that you can put a coupon in there too. Not a bad idea for a "finders fee" program!
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Great suggestions for us all to keep in mind as we tweak our sites. Thanks for the reminders.