Being a real estate agent in a big city is, to say the least, competitive and tough. It requires a lot of hard work, dedication and late nights searching for ways to set yourself up for success and put yourself ahead of your many competitors. That's easier said than done. That's why it's in your best interest to look into an SEO program. But to be more specific, you need to work with an expert who specializes in SEO for real estate agents. There are many search engine optimization experts who specialize in helping people rank in their particular industry which is where real estate SEO services can be what really makes your business stand out from the rest.

Real estate SEO is more than just keyword research

While you have to know how to market yourself as a real estate agent, you likely don't know how in-depth local SEO can make a huge difference in your search engine rankings. In fact, you may not even understand the basics of SEO in the first place. Who could blame you? You have enough on your plate as it is, another reason why hiring a real estate SEO expert is the key to your success.

When first hearing about SEO, many people just assume that it's all about searching for high-traffic keywords and incorporating those into content on their website so it will instantly boost their business to the top of search results. While yes, that is a part of it (although it doesn't work instantly), there is much more that goes into an SEO strategy which we'll get into below.

Why real estate businesses need SEO in the first place

It's no secret that the real estate industry is a tough one to make yourself stand out in. That's where SEO comes in on top of building brand awareness on social media comes in, as well as ensuring you have a Google My Business profile with a proper address, postal code, phone number, URL to your website, online reviews, and listed services and Google My Business posts (GMBs) that include local, relevant keywords. This will make it much easier for potential customers to find your local business and get in contact with you.

Real estate SEO is vital for your success in such a competitive market

But in order to gain even more traffic to your website, you'll need to have a monthly SEO program in play that keeps you at the top of people's Google searches in the first place. Yes, this has a lot to do with local keywords that people are typing into Google, but again, there is a lot more that goes into it than you may think.

How SEO for real estate agents works

A complete SEO strategy for your real estate business is crucial in improving your search engine results. This doesn't just involve keyword research. In order to really boost your real estate website to the top of search engines, keyword research will need to be combined with the following strategies:

Mobile-Friendly Website

Chances are, your potential clients are searching for a realtor or real estate listings via their mobile device. When it comes to people searching online for practically anything, being on mobile devices is a much more common option nowadays, whether that be their phone or tablet. Just think about it: you're probably doing the same, so your potential clients will be too. This is why you need to have a desktop and mobile-friendly website to appease your mobile users. If your site doesn't work properly across various devices, you're much more likely to lose out on that lead.

Fast Loading Website

It's not surprising that the modern human attention span is even shorter than that of a goldfish. A goldfish has an attention span of nine seconds. Need we say more? If your website isn't loading quickly, people are going to bounce. They want to land on a reliable and fast website that gives them the information they seek right away. A slow website is also a huge ranking factor on Google. Google even recommends having page load speed at less than three seconds.

Link Building Strategy

Now it's time for the more difficult aspect of SEO: links. Exactly what are links and why do you need them?

High-quality links can positively affect real estate websites on Google.

Links refer to URLs from either other relevant content on your website (internal links), or from another source verifying your information and authority on the subject (external links, or backlinks). This is one of the top-ranking factors on search engines, mainly because the search engines are deeming your content as authoritative and of high quality. Essentially, the more backlinks you have, the greater the chance of boosting your rankings and, eventually, leads. You have to be careful with external links though. You can't just link to absolutely anything. They should be high-quality links that hold authority themselves and that actually relate to your business. Poor quality or broken links can damage your SEO scores significantly.

Local Citations

This refers to business listings that list all of your information: name, phone number, postal code, full address, URL, and a map of your location. Being on Google maps is a big one, but there are plenty of other popular directories, too. You should also list all of your information on your social media platforms so they're as easily accessible as possible. The more citations you have, the better chance your local SEO efforts have at succeeding.

Regular Blog Content

One of the main reasons that regularly posting blog posts can boost your organic traffic and your rank on search engines is because you can end up covering a variety of topics that answer your potential client's questions. Having helpful content or covering the latest news is the perfect way to generate leads. It makes people trust you and, therefore, continue to return to you to answer their burning questions and real estate needs.

This is another reason why working with an SEO expert is crucial. You don't have time to research blog ideas or write them so you should leave it to a professional to decide what topics get search volume, what your competitors are posting, building links, and spend time researching and writing compelling content that makes sense and is error-free.

Optimized Titles & Meta Descriptions

No matter if it's a blog post or a new web page that's added to your website, adding optimized SEO titles and metas are very important. They can be what entices people to click on your website in the first place and one of the things that people base their first impressions on. This is also going to be the information that is processed by search engines to figure out how to display searches. This is why, if you have an existing website that's older, you need to have an SEO expert run an audit to determine where there are missing titles and metas and have them updated.

If your real estate agency has an older website, have your SEO titles and metas updated.

Local SEO for real estate agents

While these real estate SEO tips may be easy to understand and implement yourself, they can be time-consuming. SEO is a long-term commitment; something that you don't have time for on top of all of your other realtor duties.

We are Merged Media; a full-service digital marketing agency specializing in real estate marketing. We hone in on local SEO for realtors by integrating all of the above methods and more. Whether you want to target first-time homebuyers, sellers, or retirees looking to downsize, we can put the proper customized strategies in place to drive quality leads to your website or property listings. If you live in Canada and are interested in generating leads and learning more about how our SEO process works, give us a call or fill out a contact form. We can also provide you with success stories, or assist with the following services:

Social Media Marketing

Realtors' social media presence is of utmost importance, especially when it comes to showcasing your real estate listings and building your brand. If you don't have time to post regularly or generate compelling content, we have dedicated social media managers who can do that for you. If you want to target a specific audience on social platforms, we can do that too. TikTok, LinkedIn, Instagram or Facebook … you name it and we can create an engaging and visually appealing ad that will attract new followers and retain the attention of your current ones.

PPC

Pay-per-click advertising is a great, cost-effective way to generate sales. PPC, or Google ads, work as such: when people's online search aligns with the keywords you want to target, your ad will appear at the top of Google. When they click on it, you pay for that click.

Web Hosting

Never worry about having a slow website ever again. We provide web hosting services that are of the highest quality available. And if you run into a problem with your site, we're here to provide instant customer service that is fast and efficient.

These SEO tips can help you boost your rankings and generate sales.

Contact Our Search Engine Optimization Experts Today

Our Merged Real Estate Marketing team is readily available to answer any of your questions and put your business on the right track to success with our reliable and professional SEO services. We look forward to helping you reach your business goals.