How can real estate investors, agents, and businesses get their websites to rank better on Google this year?
Almost 100% of home searches start online. Any real estate professional or business serious about winning customers this year knows that they need to do well at showing up on the top of Google searches. Having said that, what can real estate professionals do to help their websites rank better in Google search results?
1. Blog: Blogging is one of the easiest and best tools for improving Google rankings. It helps build SEO that lasts, increases sharing and boosts inbound traffic via third party links. If you can’t blog daily, at least make it a consistent part of your monthly real estate marketing.
2. Articles: Off-site articles can be just as beneficial for real estate websites as onsite blogs. While the SEO benefits of article directories and inbound links may be cyclical as Google constantly updates its ranking algorithms, we’ve recently seen a resurgence in article directory articles showing up in real estate searches. This is a low cost form of real estate marketing that can go on providing long term results. However, it is important for real estate brands to watch where they post. This definitely includes spreading content among a wider variety of sites for more diverse back links, and using a variety of different back link text. Real estate professionals also need to be wary of providing too much support to third parties, which may become competitors, or end up holding that content captive.
3. Press Releases: Real estate leaders influence markets by directing the media, not following it and reacting to competitors’ published pieces. Make the news, don’t read the news.
4. Better Social Media Marketing Tactics: Facebook and other social media marketing has almost come full circle, back to its original roots. Systematic changes have been penalizing real estate marketers with big follower and like figures, that are not relevant, and which don’t show a truly engaged network. For many, it is time to do a little social media spring cleaning. Tighten up those networks and focus on more meaningful engagement.
5. Use Trending Keywords: Keywords are the fabric that makes good SEO. Sadly, most real estate marketers have no clue what really makes good keywords. They often end up attracting the wrong site visitors and burning their budgets, or focus too small and don’t attract enough leads. Others are still working keywords they identified years ago. The best keywords are always changing. If you can’t keep on top of this on a monthly basis, at least check out the top trending keywords now, and get ahead of the competition.
6. Long-Tail Keywords: A new review of marketing challenges and opportunities for 2016 highlights the importance of long tail keywords. Consumers are reportedly becoming more specific in their Google searches, and mobile users are more empowered to be more detailed by using tools like Siri.
7. Extend Your Domain Name Registration: While domain name reservation length may come second to some of the above factors in Google’s calculations, it is believed to be important when it comes to ranking. If you’ve only registered your domain for a year or two; upgrade now. Show Google your determination and that you are a serious business with a 5, 10, or 100 year registration.
8. Diversify Your Content Length: There have been many debates over whether short or long content is best over the last couple years. The truth is that they both have their unique benefits. Mix it up with in-depth pieces and shorter more exciting ones.
9. Optimize Your Existing Real Estate Website Pages: Most real estate website owners haven’t optimized their core pages for SEO and Google at all. This means using keywords in your page titles and descriptions, mobile friendly design, and a healthy blend of inbound, outbound, and internal links.
10. Google Ads: For those that don’t like to wait to see results, the fast way to get on top of Google is to simply pay for it. Launch a Google Adwords campaign now, and you can be on top of Google in a matter of hours.
