The real estate market is very competitive nowadays with new real estate agents coming up. For your real estate agency to win in the market, you need to stand out and be seen by your prospective clients. This can be achieved through innovative marketing strategies. Research has shown that more than 90% of buyers are searching for property listings online. Google is the most used search engine but there are other search engines including Bing and Yahoo.

 This means that you have to make your real estate business get found when users search for property listings online. Most clients will search for terms like “House for rent in city y”, and “4 bedroom apartment in city x”, among other terms related to property buying. You need to make your agency website found when people search for phrases related to your business. This process of optimizing your website is referred to as Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

 This post explains how real estate agents can use SEO to generate website traffic. It helps you generate a website from relevant users: people searching for your services. If done right, SEO can make you stand out and dominate the real estate market. Over 1 billion people are searching on Google every day and this makes Google a gold mine you cannot ignore in your overall marketing strategy. 25 % of online searches lead to a purchase while 70 % of people searching a business online pay a visit. SEO is therefore an important part of any successful marketing strategy.

 To get meaningful results from SEO, you need to create relevant content on your website that will attract traffic. You must be knowledgeable in real estate as clients trust brands they perceive as experts in their field.

Ways to implement a successful SEO strategy for your real estate business

 The following are top tips for real estate SEO:

1. Set goals

 You must set clear goals for your real estate SEO. What do you want to achieve? Whether you want to drive relevant traffic or position yourself as an industry expert, starting with clear goals will act as a guide for the rest of your SEO journey.

2. Quality content

 Content is at the center of every successful SEO plan. You need to create content that users will enjoy leading as Google ranks websites based on the quality of content. When users visit your website and spend a significant amount of time, it means they enjoy your content and this will make your content rank highly on search results. Your content might take many forms including blog posts and regular email newsletters.

3. Google My Business profile

 As stated earlier in this post, most users will search for “Real estate agents in city x” and “Rental houses in city y”. This means you need to optimize your business to appear on search results when users search for real estate agents or properties in your city. This will be achieved by creating a profile on Google My Business.

 When creating your business, add important information about your business including opening hours, website, contacts, and street address. This will guide your prospective clients on how to find you.

4. Keyword research

 You need to research to understand which keywords your target clients are searching on Google. These keywords are related to rental properties, for-sale land, and other real estate services. Make a list of these keywords and optimize your website content to rank for these keywords.

5. Publications

 Many publications write content related to real estate. These include real estate magazines, property sections in newspapers, and blog posts. Reach out to these editors to request a chance to contribute to these publications. You can write weekly articles on these publications and link to your website for readers to get more information.

 Some of these publications are influential and attract a huge reader base which you can tap into. Some of these readers are seeking answers to questions related to the services you provide. You may write blog posts answering these questions. This will create a perception that you are an expert and knowledgeable in real estate and readers might visit your website to acquire more information about you.

6. Create content for users, not for search engines

 Some real estate agents make the fatal mistake of writing content for the sake of ranking instead of creating content for the readers. Such websites tend to fill their content with keywords which is overusing keywords. Google has a way of detecting such websites and they penalize them by not ranking them. Readers will also detect content that is not offering them value and they will not visit the website.

 When creating content for your real estate website, you should have the readers in mind. Make content that is meant to offer them value and when they flock to your website, Google will notice this and will rank your website.

7. Build customer trust

 People will visit your website regularly if they trust you and perceive you as an authority in your industry. You need to earn the trust of clients by providing quality services and offering excellent customer service to enhance their experience. Satisfied customers become loyal fans and they even tell their friends about you who follow you by visiting your website and interacting with your content.

8. Technical SEO

 There are several technical aspects of your website you should work on to improve your overall SEO efforts. You should make your website friendly across different devices including computers, tablets, and mobile phones. Your readers are using different devices and your website should be usable on all these devices.

 Also, ensure that your website loads quickly as slow website loading is a huge turn-off for users. Once a user clicks a link to your website, they expect it to load quickly. If they wait for minutes for your website to load, they leave and explore other websites. Also, make sure your website images are compressed so that they can quickly and easily appear on the website. Compressed images reduce your website loading time.

Conclusion

 Search Engine Optimization is a critical part of every overall real estate marketing strategy. As a real estate agent or marketer, you should invest enough time and resources in SEO to improve your website ranking and ensure maximum return on your marketing investments.

 The real estate industry is changing every day with new property developments and real estate trends coming up. Players in the industry need to be informed of these trends as they come up. The real estate field therefore thrives on creating up-to-date content and its timely delivery to its intended audience. As a real estate professional, you must advise your clients and inform them of new and upcoming industry trends.

 You need to create content that appeals to your audience to showcase your expertise and build a reputation as an industry leader. Quality real estate content will help you connect with your audiences and attract a loyal fan base.

Importance of content marketing in the real estate business

 Quality content positions a business as an expert in their field. It is therefore important as a real estate agent to incorporate content in your overall marketing plan. Here is why content marketing is important for your real estate business:

1. Your target clients are seeking information about the latest industry trust and you need to be the source of this information if you want to stand out.

2. Well-optimized content will get found on Google when people search for real estate phrases related to your business and this helps you raise brand awareness.

3. Well-optimized content will help you attract relevant traffic to your website.

4. Informative content positions your business as an expert in your field.

5. If your content provides answers to your readers` questions, it will build brand trust and loyalty.

How to executive an effective content marketing strategy for your real estate business

1. Personalize your content

 Your content should be customized according to your target clients’ demographics including age, income level, and location. Marketing content about the high-end property should be directed to high-income earners while low-cost housing content should be directed to middle-income earners. Your content should resonate with different customer segments.

2. Cover local issues

 The real estate industry is local and your content should therefore cover issues happening in local areas. This content should however be relevant to your industry. For example, you can write a blog post about infrastructure in a certain area, weather conditions, and available social amenities in a certain city. People want to buy property in areas with good infrastructure, favorable weather conditions, and social amenities like hospitals, schools, and recreational facilities. Providing this information will help your audience make better property purchase decisions.

3. Website

 The majority of property buyers search for property online before making any buying decisions regarding which property to buy and which agent to work with. Your business should therefore have a well-designed website to showcase your property. Your website should have a great user experience to guide clients through their buying decisions. Have a blog section on your website to post regular updates and information. Make sure you put relevant information about your business on your website including location, phone number, and email address. This will help your prospective clients reach out to you.

4. Have a content plan

 Every successful content strategy starts with a plan. You should plan your content topics and posting schedule. This will help you be consistent and achieve maximum results. Create a calendar to help you plan your content.

5. Email marketing

 Email marketing is one of the most effective forms of content marketing. Unlike social media and websites that deliver content to a mass audience simultaneously, email delivers personalized messaging straight to your target audience`s inbox. On your website, have a subscription button that encourages your visitors to leave their email addresses. Use this to come up with an email list, and then create content to send to your subscribers. You can send links to new blog posts, newsletters, new property listings, and industry trends.

6. Social media

 A lot of people are on social media interacting with friends and brands they love. Your real estate business should have a presence on Social Media. Create a page on the major social media channels including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Use these channels to post your property listings and share links to your real estate blogs. You can also interact with your clients by responding to their questions and creating polls. This will help your business nurture meaningful relationships with your clients.

Content ideas for your real estate business

 Below are content ideas you can use for your business:

i) Testimonials

 Request satisfied clients to share their experience working with you in front of testimonials. Let them share what they liked about your business whether it is good properties or great customer service. Prospective clients will believe this information coming from satisfied clients more than when it comes from you.

ii) History

 In one of your blog posts, share a history of your business including your early beginnings up to now. Your humble beginnings will resonate with most of your clients who also value their humble beginnings.

iii) Industry trends

 Talk about industry trends including new properties coming up, new house designs, etc. Customers value such information and this will build brand loyalty.

iv) Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

 List the most common questions your customers ask you whenever they are in contact with you. Put these questions on your website FAQ page and provide answers to these questions.

v) Webinars

 Host webinars and post them on your website or YouTube page. Your webinar can discuss a wide range of topics including how to make wise real estate investments, how to choose properties, etc. You can even host industry experts to discuss issues in their industry.

Conclusion

 Every marketing channel revolves around content marketing. Whether it is social media, email marketing, or blogging, you have to create content for every platform. The success of your real estate marketing therefore depends on the quality of your content. Quality content builds brand loyalty and helps you connect with your customers. You should be consistent with your content marketing to achieve meaningful results.