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What is SEO and Why Every Real Estate Agent Needs It

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What is SEO and Why Every Real Estate Agent Needs It

 

You can step up your marketing game by learning more about real estate-specific SEO, search engine optimization, practices.

You may have created a website for your real estate business; however, you cannot sit around and wait for your website to magically move to the top of Google search results and provide an ongoing flow of real estate leads.

SEO optimization will help you to grow your online real estate presence. With SEO marketing services for real estate, you can once again thrive in a marketplace that has changed seemingly overnight.

To learn the answer to the question “What is SEO for real estate?” read on.

What Is SEO?

It is important to understand why you need SEO. Building your real estate presence online is similar to nurturing a garden. You must prepare the soil and plant your seeds; however, you must also maintain your garden and nurture it so that it will grow. If not, it will not produce desirable results.

SEO is a set of practices that will help you increase traffic to your website. These practices will increase your search engine ranking. In turn, more people will see your real estate business when they search for related services. When more people see your real estate listing, more potential buyers will navigate to your web page.

Typically, SEO optimization involves developing quality content; however, you must also cross-link to existing content on your website. Cross-linking is one of the most important parts of SEO optimization. You want to link to a minimum of five other pages or blog posts for each piece of content you create.

These links will give your website visitors an easier way to find other related content. It will also help search engines to find your other blog posts.

It is also important to ensure that the content contains relevant keywords. You must also organize your content using headings, subheadings, bullet points, and features such as bold and italic characters.

Optimizing Your Real Estate Website

You must also optimize the HTML code on your site so search engines can tell what is on the page. With this information, search engines can display your results for relevant pages.

HTML optimization involves using metadata. For example, you would include metadata in the title tag and meta description.

Search engines rank paid results by relevance. They use an algorithm to assess the quality and reliability of sites. Google updates the algorithm continually.

The algorithm attempts to assess a site in the same way as internet users. For this reason, part of SEO optimization involves making sure that your site is a unique and relevant resource.

What Is SEO for Real Estate?

If you are a real estate agent, you should contemplate SEO considerations that are specific to your industry.

Search engines organize internet content, so when people enter information into a search box, the most useful sites pop up first.

In relatively recent years, these kinds of searches have increased considerably. Every year, a larger percentage of people use search engines to find information.

Today, nearly all prospective homebuyers conduct some part of their search online. In fact, nearly half of all homebuyers start their real estate search using the internet.

It is important to understand that search engine optimization is not a one and done deal. It is an ongoing process.

Furthermore, in the real estate business, it is important to consider the local SEO features of your website. In this regard, using keywords that include local terms is an effective strategy. For example, you might use keywords such as “[your city here] luxury homes” across your website. These keywords will help your website to rank better in local searches.

It is also essential to optimize the way that you present data on your website. Your webpage search box should allow users to search for information in a variety of ways. For example, you must give users the option to search for homes by location, price range, and other important features.

Advanced Real Estate SEO Considerations

SEO optimization is a lot of work; however, the rewards are well worth the effort.

The right keywords are only part of nurturing your online real estate presence. For example, you should embed a Google map on your website. The map will show the Google search engine where you are located. It will also give your website legitimacy.

Google wants to provide beneficial information. For this reason, the company will use the information on your webpage to verify information that it finds across the internet.

Resultantly, it is important to format information such as your phone number correctly. For example, you should use one of the following formats for your company phone number:

• (222) 222-2222
• 222.222.2222
• 222-222-2222

These formats will also enable one-click dialing to your real estate agency.

Showing Homes in the Age of COVID-19

Today, the Coronavirus has changed the way that real estate agents do business. Now, social distancing and shelter in place rules are in effect across the nation. For this reason, many real estate professionals are looking for ways to keep their businesses moving forward during the pandemic.

Before COVID-19, open houses were a top way for creating buyer interest. Now a growing number of real estate agents recognize the importance of using SEO to attract buyers.

Once agents attract buyers, however, they must use technology in innovative ways to showcase their listings. For example, 3D tours are quickly becoming popular among real estate professionals.

Today, real estate agents have a limited ability to show and market properties. If you have not started taking advantage of 3D virtual tours, now is the time to start.

Doing More with Fewer Resources

Virtual staging is another technological resource that is growing in popularity among real estate agents. It is a cost effective alternative to physically staging a home. You can also use virtual staging to complement traditional staging.

With virtual staging, you can create digitally staged photos of vacant homes. Virtual staging technology gives you access to a variety of contemporary furnishings.

The technology allows you to create exceptional, photorealistic staged homes. What is even better is that anyone with internet access can view your perfect staging virtually.

For most home buyers, pictures are a major deciding factor when viewing homes on the internet. You can increase interest in your listings with 3D virtual tours and staging.

It is important, however, to choose a high-quality virtual staging provider. Your virtual photos must look realistic. A poorly executed virtual staging can do more harm than good. Realism is what attracts a buyer’s attention. It is important that potential home buyers can imagine living in a home.

For this reason, it is important to choose a virtual staging service provider that will give you access to current digital furnishings. More importantly, the image quality of the furnishings must rival their real-life counterparts.

Companies like Hommati offer virtual staging to their clients, and they will work with real estate agents on what the best design would be for the house they are selling. The cost is low, and the quality is high which makes for a great virtual staged home. 

Why Your Real Estate Business Needs Marketing Services

Today, real estate agents leverage search engine optimization to funnel potential buyers toward a range of industry-specific resources. Top SEO marketing services can provide you with a range of innovations. For instance, you might use SEO to direct your clients to 3D interactive tours.

You may also direct buyers to value-added content such as aerial video and photo stills. Alternatively, you might lead your clients to high-definition photographs of a property.

Virtual reality tours can give you a way to showcase your properties during a time of social distancing. You can even provide potential buyers with a video slideshow.

Furthermore, you can list important details about your properties online. For instance, you can give your clients access to full floor plans with precise measurements.

Virtual staging is a great way to give your potential buyers an idea of what it’s like to live in a particular property. You can also arrange for potential buyers to explore properties using augmented reality.

SEO marketing services, however, provide even more ways for you to promote your real estate business during a time of limited social contact. For instance, you can increase your presence on social media. You can also let your clients get to know you better by creating an agent video biography.

Finally, technology is a great way to access leads from potential buyers. You can receive lead notifications right on your smartphone. Leading real estate marketing companies will even provide door hangers services to help direct potential clients to your website.

When working with Hommati, you can become a Featured Agent, and you will receive all of the leads that your home generates, which will help you reach out to potential buyers to make the home sale a possibility. 

Let Us Take Your Real Estate Practice to the Next Level

Now you know the answer to the question, “What is SEO for real estate?” Now you need to know how to get SEO marketing services that can help you to take your real estate practice to the next level.

Hommati can provide you with the SEO marketing services that you need to build buyer trust. We can help you increase your online presence and authority.

With Hommati, you can access the latest innovations to promote your real estate business. We make it easy for you to get ahead of the digital marketing curve.

Start marketing your listings to a wider audience today! Please feel free to browse our online resources for real estate agents.