Time and time again, we’ve mentioned how difficult it is to stand out in the world of real estate. Computers have replaced flyers, digital ads have replaced newspaper ads, and websites play a huge factor in the homebuying process. In fact, according to NAR, in 1981, 22 percent of homebuyers read the newspaper to find a home. Fast forward to 2016, 44 percent looked for properties online first. This is only growing and growing. A home buyer’s trust in a real estate agent is paramount. In 2016, NAR reported that 88 percent of home buyers worked with an agent to find their home. So, how do you stand out in the real estate world and how do you increase your SEO as a real estate agent? Keep reading.
First of all, what is SEO? For all of those who come here with no prior knowledge of what SEO is, it stands for Search Engine Optimization. It is the process of optimizing your website to get basic, organic, un-paid traffic. This is a fancy way of basically saying to get more visitors on your website. As simple as it may sound, it has to be handled with care and dealt with in a clever way. So, we’ve done the work for you. Here is a list of a few ways you can increase SEO on your agent website without you having to dig around.
1. Your Website needs to be Mobile-Friendly and Responsive
Simply put, if you don’t have a mobile-friendly website, forget about getting most of your leads. Potential home buyers, or any website visitors, for that matter, will be more inclined to look at your website on their phone or tablet rather than on a desktop or laptop. Most people are on the go these days and are looking for their potential real estate agent while at work or in line at the grocery store. Your website should also be responsive because your prospects wont have to adjust their screens to look at your site. The website will automatically be set up to view on a smart device. Your website should also have the ability to capture leads automatically so that you don’t have to worry about that aspect.
2. Create a Real Estate Blog
Once your real estate agent website comes with a blog, it adds credibility to you, as a trustworthy real estate agent. As a potential home buyer, would you want to go on a website of a real estate agent and find that you see nothing personal? No, you wouldn’t. You would feel overwhelmed because, prior to meeting them, you would feel overwhelmed and nervous that they would be too pushy or not understand your needs or requirements. Having a blog on your website will also increase your chances of ranking on search engines. Having a blog with neat, real estate articles relevant to your visitors will also pop up on google, which will also increase the chances of your website appearing on search results. Luckily, IXACT Contact is a real estate CRM that comes equipped with a real estate blog. On top of that, the blog is professionally written and SEO-friendly, so you don’t have to worry.
3. Promote your Website through Local SEO
According to an article published by Blue Corona, having your real estate website targeting your local geographic area makes a difference. Blue Corona states that more than half of your audience is searching for a home on their mobile device, which means you need to focus on your local SEO tactics. A good example of this would be creating content that has keywords and search terms containing your city name. This will make the prospect more likely to come across your website during their search process. Even if you can get your past clients to write reviews that have your name and city, it is already increasing your local SEO by a longshot. Simple keywords and terms go a long way. Having localized content is also a bonus. Featuring local events, seminars, a map, and any other information relevant to your community will also help increase your organic viewership.
4. Videos and Photos Make a Difference
The heading speaks for itself. Once you have professional looking photos and quality videos on your website, viewers are more attracted and are inclined to talk about you. According to Blue Corona, 70 percent of homeowners prefer to list with an agent who uses video marketing. Additionally, 89 percent of potential home buyers find it useful to have photos of listings. Keep in mind, these should be strategic as well. If you need help with photos and videos of your listings, read up on these tips from a previous blog of ours. Having sharp photos is a must. In fact, Blue Corona also reports that 44 percent of listings with crisp photos sell at or above list price.
To Summarize…
If you didn’t know what SEO was, we hope you came away with a better understanding of its true meaning. Yes, SEO is a marketing term, but you don’t have to be in marketing to apply it to your business. IXACT Contact Real Estate CRM and Marketing Automation software provides you all of the tools you need to successfully integrate proper SEO tactics into your agent website and online presence. Just by making a few strategic changes, you will already see the difference. Not only will you get more organic visitors to your website, but you will be able to turn leads into listings. On top of that, you will be the star of the show in your community.
If you would like to learn how IXACT Contact Real Estate CRM can help boost your SEO, give us a try. Sign up for our 5 Week FREE trial. Our team will help you get started from scratch. That even means setting you up with your custom agent website! Register today!
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