If you’re an estate agent and care about your business, chances are you’ve at least thought of using SEO (search engine optimisation) to increase the number of visitors to your website. You may already be employing some aspects of SEO for estate agents without even realising it.
So what is SEO? How does it work? And how can it help improve your business?
What is SEO for Estate Agents and why is it important?
SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) has many benefits that can boost the overall growth of an estate agency business. SEO is the process of making your website more accessible to search engines. When someone searches on Google, Bing or Yahoo! for a certain phrase, say “Worthing house for sale,” the results that are returned are determined by several factors including how well you’re ranking according to the search engine’s algorithm. Ranking highly means that your website will be returned as a top result, alongside the results “sponsored by” companies that paid for their position.
Websites that are optimized for SEO receive higher rankings and more traffic than those who aren’t ready to take advantage of search engine optimization. Put simply, having a good SEO strategy is like having the best salesperson working for you 24/7, bringing in potential customers who are actively looking for your product or services.
How can Estate Agents rank higher in the search engines?
Search engine rankings are determined by a variety of different factors. There’s no “one-size fits all” strategy that will work across the board, however, there are some aspects that can be implemented based on your website platform and keywords relevant to your business.
Keyword research
If you want to be found for specific keywords relevant to your business it’s important to know what they are. Before you can do this, you need to understand what keywords your potential customers are using when searching for your products or services
To discover the best keywords for your website, use a keyword research tool such as Keyword Planner on Google Adwords. Be discerning with the words you choose; the most popular ten or twenty keywords won’t equate to much if no one is searching for them.
The keywords you want to target should be relevant to your business, specific and widely searched.
Once you’ve figured out which keywords you want to focus on make sure they’re present throughout your website; this includes SEO page titles and meta descriptions.
Case study – how one estate agent increased their website traffic by 150% with SEO
Implementing a sound SEO strategy helped one UK-based estate agent increase the number of website visitors to their website by over 150% and rise to the #1 position on Google within months of opening their new office.
Prior to starting an SEO campaign, this estate agency was ranked 16th on Google. They employed us to help them build their new Estate Agency website and optimise it for SEO.
We helped to implement a social media strategy which included creating profiles on Google My Business, Instagram & Facebook as well as a Facebook Group. They also invested in paid search campaigns which saw the estate agency’s website visits increase by 150%. They are now The Market leader in their new town with a market share of over 70%
Should you use a blog as part of your SEO strategy?
Blogs are a great way to establish yourself as an expert in your field and build links back to your own website. Each time you publish a new blog post that mentions one of the keywords you’ve chosen, it can also be published on both your site and several other sites including Google My Business and Facebook.
By doing this not only are people being directed towards your site, but it’s also helping you to build the website’s authority too.
It’s important to realise that SEO isn’t just about placing keywords in certain places or paying for PPC campaigns. The best approach is a balanced one that acknowledges how your customers are searching for your products and services and helps them find you.
Tips for getting the most out of your website through SEO
1. Optimize your website’s meta descriptions and page titles for relevant keywords.
This tells search engines what your post is about, and will help to push it up in the rankings.
2. Ensure that the entire website is “SEO friendly”.
This includes all images, text and links present on each web page. For example, don’t forget to include alt tags on all images.
3. Be descriptive and concise with page titles and meta descriptions
Doing this can affect your website’s ranking in organic search results. Try not to use “Click here” as a meta description for example – this doesn’t tell the reader what your site is about, so will cause you to lose out on potential customers.
4. Create a blog and update it regularly
This will help you to generate more content for search engines to spider, as well as giving your customers new reasons to visit your website and read about the Estate Agency services you offer. Make sure you provide value with each post; don’t publish any thin or poorly researched content. Also, a blog is not the pace to brag!
5. Use social media profiles
Having profiles on Facebook, Twitter and Google My Business will help to spread your SEO strategy. Each time you publish a new blog post that mentions one of the keywords you’ve chosen, it can also be published on all three sites too.
6. Research the competition
Find out what search terms they are targeting. This way you’ll understand how to optimise your own content and website for search engines.
Remember, a great website built with a good user experience and implemented SEO correctly can help increase your business’s online visibility, improve its authority and drive more traffic to your site.
Should you invest in using an agency for your SEO?
Even with all things like website optimisation, social media and paid search campaigns taken into account, there’s no sure way of ensuring that your business will remain at the top of any search engine for keywords related to your industry.
It is advisable to consider using an agency if you don’t have the time or expertise yourself – but make sure that you only work with those who truly understand your sector and they will give you a more accurate idea of the improvements you can expect to see from their efforts.
Using a blog as part of your SEO strategy is a great way to improve your site’s ranking in search engine results, gain new organic traffic and engage with new customers. An experienced agency can help you get the most out of your website’s SEO and make sure that you’re always at the top of any search engine for keywords related to your business.
What next?
A good digital marketing strategy is critical for any business, but it’s especially important for estate agents. If you don’t have a plan in place to rank higher on search engines like Google and Bing, then your competitors will be getting all of the sales while you sit at home twiddling your thumbs. With our help, we can create an SEO or PPC marketing campaign that drives traffic to your Estate Agency website by taking advantage of what people are searching for when they’re looking for Estate Agents to help them.
We offer free sessions with one of our experts so that you can get started today!
