As of 2017, there were over 100,000 real estate brokerage firms in the US. Moreover, the Association of Real Estate License Law Officials (ARELLO) estimates more than 3 million active US real estate licensees. That’s how competitive the real estate business is. So, how can you get clients in such a competitive industry?

In this digital age, the first and perhaps most obvious answer is Search Engine Optimization (SEO). SEO puts you in the sight of your target audience. It ensures that you attract and capture the interests of potential customers to your business’s web page.

In doing this, SEO helps you to drive organic traffic to your site, generate leads, and build brand awareness. Better yet, it increases your credibility, puts you ahead of the competition, and ultimately increases sales.

All these ensure your company can thrive in the competitive real estate market. But first, there are various aspects of SEO for real estate that you should understand.

This blog provides a guide on leveraging SEO techniques in growing your business. We’ll delve into what SEO for real estate entails – the approach and strategies to employ to expand your reach. Let’s start with understanding SEO for real estate.

Understanding SEO for Real Estate

SEO refers to enhancing your website’s visibility and ranking organically on search engine results pages (SERPs). This strategy plays a crucial role in driving traffic to your website. This, in turn, helps generate leads and eventually boost sales.

However, it’s important to note that you can only implement SEO with understanding how search engines operate. For instance, search engines like Google use complex algorithms. These algorithms are responsible for crawling, indexing, and ranking web pages based on various factors.

Another important aspect of SEO is the use of keywords. Fundamental components of SEO, keywords act as the bridge that helps search engines link user queries to relevant web page content. Using them increases the chances of your web page appearing at the top of the SERP.

While there are various general SEO strategies, it’s crucial to understand that different industries have unique SEO approaches. As such, implementing SEO for real estate has its unique challenges and opportunities.

For one, the industry is highly competitive, with numerous firms fighting for the attention of potential clients. Besides, real estate searches often involve location-specific queries. This, therefore, necessitates localized SEO for real estate websites.

On the other hand, the visual nature of real estate listings presents opportunities for rich media optimization. This allows you to use high-quality images and videos to attract and engage prospective buyers.

Key SEO Strategies for Real Estate

One of the most effective means of growing your business is to focus on SEO for real estate websites. As such, it might be best to seek the expertise of professional SEO services for real estate. This will ensure your business stays ahead in the competitive real estate market.

Some of the key SEO strategies that can improve your online presence and ensure growth are:

#1. Conducting keyword research

Keyword research involves identifying the words and phrases potential clients use when searching for properties online.

To get relevant keywords, brainstorm general keywords related to real estate. Examples are “homes for sale” or “real estate agents.” Afterward, find more specific keywords with high search volume and low competition.

You can use tools like Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, or Ahrefs to find such keywords.

Upon acquiring the right keywords, ensure that you insert these keywords naturally into your website content. This includes your homepage, property listings, and blog posts.

#2. On-page optimization

On-page optimization refers to enhancing the content and structure of your website to make it more search engine-friendly. This includes optimizing meta tags (title tags, meta descriptions), URLs, headings, and image alt text.

For title tags, describe the content of your page properly while accurately inserting keywords. Also, write compelling meta descriptions that include keywords and encourage users to click on your link in the search results.

Another important part of on-page optimization is utilizing URLs with keywords related to your web page content. It also involves properly structuring your content using H1, H2, and H3 heading tags. Afterward, insert your keywords in headings where relevant.

Finally, using descriptive alt text for images that relate to your keywords is also important.

#3. Off-page optimization

Off-page optimization has to do with building high-quality backlinks from other websites. You can do this by creating valuable content, i.e., content that reputable websites will want to link to. This includes blog posts, infographics, or videos.

Furthermore, off-page optimization involves leveraging social media to improve your website’s authority and credibility. Social signals from these platforms, such as shares and comments, can indirectly impact your SEO.

#4. Local SEO

Local SEO is crucial for real estate companies. This is because, more often than not, people search for properties in specific locations.

To improve your local SEO, optimize your website using local keywords. Other aspects that you should prioritize when improving local SEO include:

  • Google My Business: Create and optimize your Google My Business listing to enhance your visibility in local search results. Then, make sure your listing has accurate information about your business. This includes your address, phone number, and business hours.
  • Local Citations: Ensure your business is listed accurately on local directories and review sites. Specifically, consistent NAP (name, address, phone number) information across these sites can improve your local SEO. Common review sites include Yelp, Yellow Pages, and Zillow.
  • Localized Content: Create content that is relevant to your local audience. This might be local news, events, or tips relating to real estate. By providing valuable and relevant content, you can improve your local SEO and attract local visitors to your website.
  • Monitor and Analyze Performance: Use tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console to monitor your website’s performance in local search results. This will allow you to adjust your strategy and improve your local SEO efforts.

Content Marketing and SEO for Real Estate

Content marketing plays a key role in the success of your SEO efforts. It’s a strategic marketing approach that creates and distributes valuable, relevant, and consistent content. By using this strategy, you can attract organic traffic to your website. This would, in turn, improve your SERP rankings.

What’s more, valuable and relevant content can help you establish credibility and build trust among potential clients. Content marketing is an important part of SEO for real estate companies.

How can you implement it? You first need to know the types of content that resonate well with audiences. One such content in the real estate industry is property listings showcasing available homes. Another is neighborhood guides highlighting amenities and attractions.

You can effectively engage prospects by diversifying content types and catering to different stages of the buyer’s journey. As such, this gives room for you to nurture them towards conversion.

Apart from diversifying, you should create compelling and search-engine-optimized content. This might require conducting thorough keyword research. On the other hand, you can employ professional SEO services for real estate to help derive and integrate real estate keywords.

Conclusion

The importance of SEO for real estate agents must be emphasized. This is because SEO for real estate agents enables your company to stand out among fierce competitors.

However, effective SEO requires paying attention to the different real estate SEO strategies. This includes proper keyword research and integration, local SEO, and on-page and off-page optimization.

Using these techniques, you can drive more traffic to your website and generate leads that translate to sales. Some tools you can leverage to create an effective SEO campaign include Google Analytics, Yoast SEO, and keyword research tools.