4 Ways to Harness SEO and Get More Traffic to Your Real Estate Website
A real estate newspaper ad no longer cuts it; these days, almost all home buyers use the Internet during their search. Your personal realtor website is more important than ever.
But what good is your website if it’s buried deep in thousands of other, similar Google results?
That’s where search engine optimization (SEO) comes in. SEO is a set of techniques and strategies that you can use to improve the visibility of your website. Effective SEO means that whether someone searches for you by name or by words related to real estate, you’ll be amongst the first wave of search results.
Here are a few strategies to improve the SEO of your realtor website.
Use the right keywords
A key part of SEO is understanding what people are searching for. In the case of real estate, most home buyers and sellers are looking for a realtor in their area. Try using phrasing like “[insert town or region] real estate agent” or “[insert town or region] homes for sale” on several pages of your website. But don’t go overboard; too many keyword phrases look contrived.
Tip: don’t forget about your name as a keyword. Use your full name, alongside words like “realtor” and “real estate agent,” in various areas on your website.
Collect reviews
Testimonials play a huge role in encouraging prospective home buyers and sellers to visit your website, stay on your website and contact you. Having numerous reviews makes you appear trustworthy, and increases your visibility in search results. To get reviews, just ask. Satisfied clients will be happy to oblige.
Tip: make it easy for clients; send them links to several websites where they can leave a review, such as Yelp, Facebook, RankMyAgent, and Google.
Make sure you’re mobile-friendly
More and more Internet users are searching from smartphones and tablets. Your website needs to look good and function well on all devices. If your website isn’t mobile-friendly, you will not rank as high in Google searches coming from a phone or tablet. Google offers a tool to help you determine whether your website is mobile-friendly or not.
Tip: with responsive websites you don’t to create a separate mobile website. All myRealPage websites are responsive. Your website will work perfectly on any device, with no effort on your part. Read about myRealPage responsive websites here.
Build a Google ‘My Business’ page
Google offers a platform called My Business that local businesses can use to publish and update their information. With My Business, you can share your real estate hours of business, information about your realtor services and collect reviews. Having a My Business page helps improve your position in search results, and gives anyone searching for you the correct information, instantly.
Tip: you need a Google account and a Google+ page to get started. The Google My Business page will take you through the process.
