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The Secret Way To Outrank Zillow - Part Two

By
Services for Real Estate Pros with Best Real Estate Writer, a Layton Media brand

Welcome back! As you remember, last week in part one of this series I revealed to you that one of the easiest and most effective ways to beat Zillow in search results is to build out your collection of neighborhood profiles and hyperlocal content.

 

I also showed you how building your library of hyperlocal content would help you to:

  • Show off your local expertise

  • Build your email list

  • Set you apart from local competition

  • Generate more qualified buyer and seller leads

  • Keep visitors on your website much longer

 

Finally, I told you that there was a second strategy to help you outrank Zillow so that you can capture more buyers and sellers in your farm.

 

That strategy boils down to just three little letters: F. A. Q.

 

That’s right, a well-assembled list of frequently asked questions can dramatically escalate your performance on the web and allow you to passively gather hoards of buyers and sellers in need of your services.

 

Today, I am going to explain:

  • Why FAQ pages are so important to the success of your real estate website

  • What questions you should include on your FAQ page

  • How many questions you need to be successful

  • The right and wrong way to answer those questions to optimize results

 

So keep reading to learn how to put the final nail in the coffin of Zillow and all those other real estate bullies that have been stealing business from you for so long.

What Is So Powerful About Real Estate FAQ pages?

Not only does your FAQ page help to streamline some of your customer service issues by addressing common questions, but they also help you to supercharge your SEO.



Even if you don’t know anything about search engine optimization, you probably know the number one rule which is that the rules are constantly changing.

 

One of the biggest and most prominent changes to SEO in the last five years is how the algorithms for Google search to answer questions more efficiently. More specifically, they are drawn to websites that can produce an instantaneous answer which they can display right on the search results page. In other words, if somebody asks a question which you have posted on your FAQ page, you are that much more likely to show up as the top result in a Google search.

 

Furthermore, search engines are becoming more and more drawn to full sentence questions because more and more people are running searches verbally through assistants like Siri and Alexa.

How Many FAQ’s Do You Need?

In my opinion, you can never have too many FAQs. However, a great starting off point would be about 25 to 30. I frequently suggest to my clients that they add one or two essay cues to their page when they have a couple of minutes of downtime. Frequently adding new questions and answers, a.k.a. fresh content, to your website, will continuously boost your SEO as well.

How Do You Know Which Questions To Include?

The obvious answer here would be those questions which are most frequently asked by your target audience. However, I strongly urge you to include niche specific questions and answers which will help to gain more targeted traffic and showcase your unique expertise.

 

Try to put yourself in your ideal clients’ shoes and come up with as many questions as you can from their perspective. As your collection of questions grows, do not be afraid to section them off into categories in order to make finding them easier for your real estate website’s visitors.

How Long Should Your FAQ Answers Be?

Use your judgment on this one. If you can provide an appropriate answer within a couple of sentences, then, by all means, do so.

 

However, if you believe that the topic at hand is the one that should be addressed in greater detail, this is the perfect opportunity for you to provide a link to a blog post, video, or podcast episode which you have already created to address that topic.

 

Those internal links on your website will further improve your SEO, as well as, keep prospects on your website much longer so they can fall in love with you and hire you.

 

Don’t have a long-form piece of content that answers the question yet? Well, then I think you just found inspiration for your next piece of real estate content my friend.

What Is The Fastest Way To Create A Real Estate FAQ Page For Your Website?

As I mentioned, there are several easy ways to brainstorm questions for your FAQ page. However, putting your list of questions together and creating the content around them can be time-consuming.

 

As a result, many agents make the MAJOR MISTAKE of copy and pasting this content from other websites. You should NEVER do that under any circumstance because it will:

  • Severely damage your SEO

  • Potentially have your website permanently removed from search engines

  • Make you vulnerable to lawsuits

  • Put you in jeopardy of losing your license

 

I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that it is totally not worth it to try and cheat that way.

 

Instead, if you want to reap all of the benefits of an effective FAQ page for your real estate website without an ounce of effort, simply allow me to write it for you.

 

I will put together a list of questions that will not only appeal to your ideal clients but will make Google swoon for you too.

 

To get started, simply book a free consultation with me here at your convenience.  

 

 

Comments (12)

William Feela
WHISPERING PINES REALTY - North Branch, MN
Realtor, Whispering Pines Realty 651-674-5999 No.

Some good ideas for those of us who want to be able to stay out in front

Apr 16, 2019 09:27 AM
Sarah Layton | Copywriter & Inman Star Contributor

Thank you, William. I am so glad you enjoyed the article!

Apr 16, 2019 01:25 PM
Will Hamm
Hamm Homes - Aurora, CO
"Where There's a Will, There's a Way!"

Hello and thank you for the information,  Sounds like you have great knowledge to share with us.  Cannot wait for part 3

Apr 16, 2019 09:32 AM
Sarah Layton | Copywriter & Inman Star Contributor

It was actually just a 2 part series but if you would like more info on beating Zillow or improving your SEO let me know and I would be glad to share some other articles with you : )

Apr 16, 2019 01:24 PM
Debb Janes
Nature As Neighbors - Camas, WA
Put My Love of Nature At Work for You

This is great, Sarah. We'll have to spend some time with our FAQ's and start builing...

Apr 27, 2019 08:12 AM
Sarah Layton | Copywriter & Inman Star Contributor

My pleasure! Let me know if you need help. slayton.office@gmail.com

Apr 27, 2019 09:11 AM
Kat Palmiotti
eXp Commercial, Referral Divison - Kalispell, MT
Helping your Montana dreams take root

What a great point. I'm in the process of revamping things for my next home state and will include FAQs.

May 04, 2019 03:02 AM
Sarah Layton | Copywriter & Inman Star Contributor

That's awesome Kat! Let me know if you ever need help. Keep up the good work : )

May 04, 2019 03:19 AM
Mike Cooper, Broker VA,WV
Cornerstone Business Group Inc - Winchester, VA
Your Neighborhood Real Estate Sales Pro

Sarah, thank you for the great information. It's bookmark worthy and something I will include on my site right away.

May 05, 2019 08:19 AM
Stephen Turner
House Broker Realty - York, PA
The BIG Guy of NEW HOME SALES

Love the advice. Hyper-Local and using the power of FAQ. Thanks for sharing.

May 06, 2019 09:38 AM
Roy Kelley
Retired - Gaithersburg, MD

Thank you very much for sharing your experience and your advice.

May 07, 2019 05:48 AM
Marney Kirk
Cummings & Co. Realtors - Towson, MD
Towson, Maryland Real Estate

Great ideas, Sarah! I try to do FAQs often, but probably not often enough.

May 07, 2019 12:17 PM
Sarah Layton | Copywriter & Inman Star Contributor

Thanks for reading! Let me know if you ever need help scaling them : )

May 07, 2019 01:01 PM
Caroline Gerardo
Licensed in 20 states - Newport Beach, CA
C. G. Barbeau the Loan Lady nmls 324982

I'm parked and reading. :) 

May 08, 2019 10:23 AM
Endre Barath, Jr.
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties - Beverly Hills, CA
Realtor - Los Angeles Home Sales 310.486.1002

I loved this post and indeed it is worthy of a second chance recognition....Endre

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