It is the dream of any real estate agent to get quality local leads that are on autopilot. They aim to have meetings with qualified clients and make more profits. But how can real estate make this dream a reality? There is only one answer, Search Engine Optimization (SEO). The majority of people who want to buy homes or rent offices turn to the internet. Therefore, any agent that masters Google SEO techniques by Solespire will achieve the biggest share of profits. It is so because they stand out and show up on Google and various other search engines when people search for their services. Real estate SEO never rests, as it ensures potential leads 24/7 without buying ads or making calls. So, are you ready to get started and master SEO for real estate? The guide below will give you a clearer understanding of how to rank higher in your local market. It also will be a tactical roadmap that boosts your sales.
What is Real Estate SEO?
Real estate SEO refers to steps that a real estate agent takes to rank higher on the Search Engine Results Page (SERP) and increase traffic to their website, which is exactly what The Pinnacle List specializes in with Luxury Real Estate Listings and a Registry of Luxury Real Estate Agents. Real estate SEO by The Pinnacle List ensures that your listings and multiple points of contacts will show up on the search engine whenever a prospective customer searches to sell or buy a property. Assume that you are a customer and you want to purchase a new home. You have already decided what kind of property you want and the location that you want to settle. Which are the first steps?
If you are like 44% of other home buyers, your first step is to head to Google or your favorite search engine and input the type of property and the location.
The search engine returns several options, and there is a 60% probability that you may click on the top three search results, which is where The Pinnacle List ends up.
However, there are many changes in the Search Engine Results Page (SERP) layout today. Some instant answers and ads have pushed the local map stack. It has made it even more challenging to get attention on the internet for the key search terms.
A high number of businesses are competing for little organic real estate space left on the SERP. Therefore, SEO for agents and brokers has turned to be a highly competitive space. Today, you can not just create a website, publish your content and sit back expecting leads and conversions. To rank highly on the SERP, you need a good and proven realtor SEO strategy.
Why is SEO critical for Realtors?
The National Association of Realtors estimates that 44% of the real estate buyers perform an online search to see what property you list before committing.
That is a massive number of prospective customers. With almost half of the customers starting by searching for property online, you must optimize your property listings using various mechanisms that show relevance to a search engine. Below are SEO tips for a real estate agent to drive more traffic and increase your sales.
Local SEO Strategies
Optimizing the Google My Business Page
For your SEO efforts to bear fruits, your business must be listed in Google’s three-pack. This enables the potential customers to see a map that features your Google My Business page when they search for a local realtor. Potential customers are likely to pay extra attention to search results that feature ratings on Google Maps and snapshots. To achieve this, go to google.com/business and fill out the information. The profile should be 100% complete with the website, description, location, categories, and phone number, plus opening and closing hours. It would be best if you correctly formatted your NAP+W throughout the web. Since Google ranks a maximum of three businesses in local searches, if your profile is complete, there are chances it will be favored.
Adding Proper Schema Markup
Schema markups structure your website code so that the search engine understands the format of your content. For instance, you may have a table for describing a property. It may have things like prices, the number of bedrooms, the size of the property, among other attributes. When you use schema markup, you make the table more user-friendly, a factor that search engines use to rank various websites. It can even make your site appear on the instant answers on Google’s SERP. Sites that use schema markup properly get 20-25% higher CTR.
Focusing on the quality of reviews and the velocity
Search Engine Watch estimates that 90% of clients read various reviews before visiting a business. A further 75% of the prospective customers only convert if the reviews are positive. These statistics show how reviews are essential in boosting sales. They not only provide trust but also are a critical search engine ranking factor.
Reviews are a critical factor to stand out in the sea of real estate and increase your sales and conversions.
On-Site SEO Tips
Targeted keyword research
Keyword research is among the most overlooked aspects of SEO. They are essential in understanding the intent of a client. A keyword helps determine which customers use search to find you. If done correctly, we can consider it free traffic. Keyword research also ensures that you attract the right customers. Adding a location ensured that you could reach potential customers interested in the market you serve. With voice search, ensure that you have long-tail keywords.
Optimizing the page elements
Unlike other SEO, realtor SEO requires slightly different tactics. To begin with, you ensure that the name, address, and phone number are thoroughly used on your website. It must be the same NAP used in your citations and local listings. Ensure that you use the state and city names in the title tags, body, and meta descriptions. Ensure that your listings can be indexed and contain an XML site map. This helps you leverage the incredible SEO value that real estate listings have.
Website responsiveness
Today, 89% of prospective real estate shoppers use smartphones to search for various listings. This is a vast customer base you must consider if your real estate business makes more sales. Search engines are shifting towards mobile-first indexing for determining desktop and mobile ranking. The responsiveness of your real estate platform also engages the user experience, which is what The Pinnacle List accomplishes through Multiplex, an innovative modern media stack built custom for dynamically responsive content and advanced technologies, developed and designed by Marcus Anthony at Solespire Media. People are likely to spend more time on your website, which increases their likelihood of converting. To know if your site is responsive, run it through mobile-friendly testing tools.
Improve your page load speed
If your website takes forever to load, there is a high probability that prospective customers will turn away regardless of the services. Search engines use page loading, among the other factors, for ranking various websites. Any page taking over 3 seconds to load loses 53% of the visitor before it completely loads. Because of the minimal resources in smartphones, search engines consider page load speeds a ranking factor now that mobile searches have become even more prominent.
Conclusion
Real estate SEO differs from other forms of SEO. To boost sales and improve your real estate website traffic, you need to apply the various SEO tips above. Besides them, ensure that you use various types of content and optimize your images for search. Videos and images are an efficient way of showing your clients what they will buy. Other strategies include ensuring that you work with a reputable link building agency to acquire high authority backlinks. For a realtor, SEO is the ultimate way of increasing sales and conversions.
