The Importance of SEO for Your REALTOR® Website

Effective SEO practices are necessary to improve the ranking of your website in search engine results pages (SERPs). When potential buyers or sellers search for key terms related to your real estate business, you want to ensure that you are one of the top results returned. For instance, if you are a REALTOR® in Kelowna, you want your website to rank high when a buyer searches for “homes in Kelowna” or “real estate agent Kelowna.” By optimizing your website, you increase the chances of appearing at the top of their search results, when key terms like these are used. 

With increased website visibility comes numerous benefits, like higher click-through rates (CTRs). Your CTR is simply a measurement that determines what percentage of individuals see your website link/advertisement and subsequently click on it. Websites that consistently rank on the first page of search engines are more likely to experience greater traffic (more clicks) than those on the second page or greater. Your CTR is a great metric to keep in mind when trying to improve your website's visibility. This is because it can help you understand what works and what doesn’t when trying to reach your target audience. 

Another reason to invest in a strong SEO strategy is that users often perceive higher-ranking websites as more trustworthy. When users see a website in the top five results of their search, they often assume that the website is an authoritative source of information. This leads them to be more trusting of the services and products you are offering. Not only this, but it will also increase your brand recognition and awareness. The more users see your website, the more familiar they’ll become with your business. 

The Best Real Estate Websites Use These SEO Strategies 

If we’ve convinced you that SEO is a must-have on your real estate website, here are some strategies that you’ll want to consider:

• Local SEO

Local SEO is the practice of optimizing your website to be more visible in local search results on various search engines. For most businesses, they operate out of one or two locations in which they want to target their marketing efforts. This is especially true for real estate agents. If you are a REALTOR® in Victoria, BC, you want to use local SEO to make sure that you are ranking highly for all relevant keywords to real estate in Victoria BC. Where you show up in local SEO is largely determined by relevance, distance, prominence, and organic results. 

• Content Marketing

Content marketing is another age-old strategy that is very effective in boosting a website's location in SERPs. Building a blog that you post consistently to can seriously improve your ranking in search engines. By building your blog you’ll also show potential clients that you are knowledgeable in your field of work. This can help you capitalize on more leads and build greater trust between you and your clients. The use of other forms of content like photos, videos, and interactive experiences is also a great way to utilize SEO. 

• Link Building 

Last but not least, is link building. Linking is a critical component of any good SEO strategy. There are two parts to link building on your website: the first is internal linking, and the second is external linking. Internal links are the ones that improve the navigation of your website. On the other hand, external links are the ones that link from your website to other websites. These are important because they signal to search engines that your content is credible. 

Contact us Today!

The best real estate websites often use SEO to ensure a high rank in SERPs. This helps both agents and real estate firms acquire clients and build a trustworthy reputation. 

For more information about how to implement an SEO strategy into your real estate website, contact us today. We’d be happy to help you as you work toward establishing yourself in the real estate industry. Be sure to check back next month for more information like this! We look forward to working with you in the near future.

The post The Best Real Estate Websites Use SEO and This is Why appeared first on Real Estate Websites in Canada for REALTORS®, Brokers and Banners.

The writing has been on the wall when it comes to real estate in Canada for some time. We all watched housing prices climb to an almost untenable high during the pandemic. Battles were waged for properties that some fathomed would never sell pre-pandemic and home buyers were in a state of panic and desperation.

Often times we saw unheard-of tactics to get the deal done. Frenzied buyers were forgoing protective practices like home inspections. Some even leveraged themselves in what could only be considered a dangerous game of musical chairs. Hoping that the music wouldn't stop while they scooped up their dream property on one side and waited for a buyer on the other.

And now, here we are. Waltzing intrepidly into uncertainty. Prices are declining in most markets throughout Canada. Buyers are tightening the screws, home inspections are back on the table and inventory is beginning to replenish itself. So what does that mean for agents and brokers now that the gravy train of multiple competitive offers has turned back to price reductions?

In most cases, it means buckle up because we are entering a buyers market.

How to market yourself during a buyers market in real estate

If you're an agent that has built your business thoughtfully by expanding your network and reinvesting in your marketing then you likely have a cushion for these rainy day scenarios. If you haven't been in the game long enough then you might just be in need of some advice on how to plan for the ebbs, especially if all you're used to is flow.  The name of the game in real estate is to get listings.

In order to get listings during slower times, you need to position yourself as an expert when marketing for real estate. Customers will gravitate towards a REALTOR® who appears to be aware of and capable of navigating customers through a changing market.  New customers are likely to find you online either through word of mouth or through key terms entered into a search engine like Google. Your first question should be what will they find when they get there?

Here's a quick checklist to review when you load your real estate website:

• No SSL - if your website does not have an SSL then it is not secure. That translates to your customer's data and privacy being exposed online. Invest annually in your SSL.
• Slow loading - some of it can be attributed to Internet connection but most of it can be attributed to your hosting and website infrastructure. Make sure your website performs well in a speed test.
• Outdated/incorrect information - are you still showing sales stats from 2020? Not a good look. Update those benchmark numbers annually and always provide your monthly regional numbers in a blog post.
• Bloated digital footprint - still have that Twitter account that you set up for a campaign that you never started? Now's the time to nuke it. Consolidate your digital footprint and edit it often.
• Broken images - broken images in your listings or your web pages are not ideal.  Show customers, that you care by taking care of your website.

Keeping your website fresh is the easiest way to present yourself as a REALTOR® who cares.  If your website is slow, broken and out of date then it's not a stretch for a customer to assign those same qualities to you. Your website is key when marketing for real estate during challenging market conditions.

Reinvest in yourself and your online presence to see results. The sooner you start the better chance you have at attracting the right kind of customers.

If you leave your website to collect dust online then it won't be long before your career is in the dust too. 

What else can you do to stand out? Respond to your leads.

This seems obvious, but it's shocking how many agents don't return contact requests. Your lead generation mechanisms do not have to be expensive, or complex. The only thing that your lead gen needs to do is work. By working, we mean the lead needs to be delivered. And they need to be delivered in a manner that will encourage you to respond - quickly. Think about how you prefer to communicate. If your leads don't come to you in a format that makes it easy to respond then change it.

When marketing for real estate focus on building a database 

A lead database is a simple way to keep on top of your customer list. If you build it, it will grow and by growing your database you will soon have a list of contacts that you can market to. Oftentimes, we see agents focus on conferences and education when they really need to invest a few moments each day adding to their databases. Your database is a savior when times get tough!

A database does not mean that you need more software or an expensive CRM! Don't get caught up in that hype! Start a spreadsheet in Google Sheets with the information you need. First Name, Last Name, Email, Phone, and a few notes to jog your memory about the customer. This is a free solution to track your leads that works! This list can be uploaded to an email newsletter list, or used for direct mail in the future.

Don't sell out

We've all heard horror stories about agents who sell out a customer's best interest just to get the sale closed. Don't be that agent! Treat your customers like you expect to see them again. If you don't then you will see them either in a bad Google review or worse in court! Don't sacrifice your reputation for a commission check in tough times!

Build your network!

Great REALTORS® use their networks to their advantage, especially in tough times. Agents who have built a network of business, customer and real estate contacts do well because they have an audience for their inventory. If a customer hires an agent who simply posts their property on REALTOR.ca and sets and forgets it then what is the benefit to them hiring them at all in a buyers market? Use your network to promote your customer's assets. You never know what someone is searching for on the other end.

Your time is valuable when you're marketing for real estate!

When times are tough you need to do what you need to do. However, if you're considering picking up another full-time job while you're still advertising yourself as a real estate agent then we urge you to reconsider your career. Do one thing and do it well.

Another tip to consider is how you are pre-qualifying your buyers. Don't waste your time with tire kickers.  They'll have you wasting your precious gas and time driving them all across town, just to look at places they can't afford or are not qualified to buy. Pre-qualify your buyers before you let them in the door!

During challenging real estate market conditions it's important to simplify, but only where it makes sense. This isn't the time to cut down on your main web property, in fact, this is when you should be investing more time and energy into making it even more of a go-to local resource. The only thing you should be cutting out is the distractions of software and marketing gimmicks that promise to sell houses for you.

Software doesn't sell houses - REALTORS® do. 

Learn more about how EstateVue can take your website work off your plate so that you can focus on your customers and building up your networking opportunities. Just like these fantastic customers on our managed website program are doing below:

Brooks Lancaster is sharing tips on staging a Penticton property for sale this month.

The RE/MAX Vanderhoof office is discussing what types of renovations add value to homes in Vanderhoof, BC. 

Kevin Moist and Associates are sharing the latest market update for the area as well as information on the neighbourhood of Fort Richmond.

Neufeld Jones has added a new guide to Kelowna BC real estate near schools this month. Watch for updates!

Steve Leddy is an Edmonton Real Estate Agent and he's sharing answers to the questions he gets asked alllll the time!

Corinne O'Neil has great information about recreational facilities near St. Albert homes for sale.

Managed website program customers are talking about this right now:

The Current in Whitehorse is giving readers the lowdown on the best cafes near Whitehorse apartments for sale.

If you've been looking for a stand-alone cabin at Big White then you need to read more about Bullet Creek Cabins on the Big White Property Group this month.

Royal LePage in the Comox Valley is sharing tips on making your property in Comox Valley energy efficient!

The Kings Selling Castles are discussing the benefits of owning condos for sale in Winnipeg.

MYLIE Group Real Estate is at it again with great market updates surrounding homes in Ontario.

Janice Leffler is sharing an update for first-time buyers looking to buy townhomes in Comox Valley.

Miranda Moser is preparing buyers on how to buy real estate for sale in Calgary during a buyers market!

The post Marketing for Real Estate with Tough Times Ahead appeared first on Real Estate Websites in Canada for REALTORS®, Brokers and Banners.

Content is the most important part of any SEO campaign. It's the backbone of your organic strategy to rank higher without paying for ads. Good content needs to be written clearly and posted regularly to see success. All website content that you create will benefit from being optimized for SEO and readability. There are many tactics and processes involved with SEO for real estate websites but developing unique content is by far the most important.

Why is content important for SEO rankings in a real estate website? 

Unique content is important for a website to rank in the search engines. When we look to search engines like Google that develop the algorithms responsible for ranking, we have to look at what their company hopes to accomplish. That's why a read of Google's mission statement helps to clearly understand why good, fresh content on your website matters to them and in turn should matter to you.

Google’s mission is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful. That's why Search makes it easy to discover a broad range of information from a wide variety of sources.

The 'wide variety of sources' that Google refers to are websites like yours. Real estate websites, blogs, news portals, social media, videos, and more are all 'sources' for Google. Their goal is to index those sources for people who are searching, by classifying those assets as important. The way they decide a website is important comes down to how good the content is. In fact, aside from security and UX, content is the single biggest factor when it comes to ranking or tanking in SEO.

What makes for great content? 

Great content starts with readability.  The Internet is vast, which means it is also diverse. Diversity means people from all walks of life, income, and education are effectively your audience. If you don't appeal to all those people then you aren't creating what is known as accessible content.

Accessible content should appeal to readers of all levels. Typically we write content that is geared towards a Grade 7-8 level of education. This way we know that the content should be fairly easy to read. When we edit our content we always look to shorten sentences and skip the $20 words.

Articles, posts, and pages should be written to include unique information. Information that is related to a topic that you are an expert in. It should also be written in an easy-to-read format. That's why we include shorter paragraph breaks and plenty of subtitles to make topics easier to digest.

How much and how often?

Never enough and never too much. That's the general rule when it comes to SEO. As long as you aren't plagiarizing or cannibalising your own content then more is more in the case of SEO rankings. As a minimalist working in a maximalist space, this can be a hard concept to digest. That's why content plans, calendars, and automation become your closest friends.

If you want to be relative in your industry then you need to invest time into your website content each month. Focus on updating cornerstone page content and adding a fresh new article or page each month.  Your goal should be to create an article based on solid keyword research. Once you have your keyword focus selected then plan to write a minimum of 300 words. Ideally, we suggest 800-1200 words to be effective.

If you are creating cornerstone content then the longer the better. Cornerstone content is the most valuable content on your website. It needs to be regularly updated and it should read like a resource with links to other related and optimized content.  Cornerstone content should be the most accessible content on your website. Make sure that it is the easiest to find in your menu or from your home page.

What else is important when it comes to content marketing?

We touched on this earlier but staying organized will help you to realize the full potential of a content plan. We suggest the following takes place to kick off your content plan:

Plan your content for 3 - 6 months 

This is where you sit down with your team and think of the ideas that will be important to your customers, potential customers, and audience. Think of who you want to attract to your website and what topics might encourage them to visit. Topics that are closely related will help you to develop a relevant linking structure which will be important throughout your content development strategy.

Schedule your writing

Add each content topic into a calendar for writing in the months ahead. We use a calendar system to make sure that nothing gets forgotten. Content is written a week or so before it is posted to a website. This gives us a chance to edit and make any tweaks before we post.

Schedule your posting

By scheduling your posting you make sure that you have ample time to optimize for readability and SEO. This is also the time to find images that you are going to use and format the post so that it is visually interesting to read. You should also use this time to create backlinks for visibility.

We suggest using your social media channels to share links back to the articles or pages that you have created. You can also use REALTOR.ca to share links directly to a listing on your website. Another great way to encourage strong backlinking is to get your brokerage involved.

Oftentimes, brokerages are looking for unique content for their websites as well. Offer to share your posts (after you've posted them to your website first) on their blog as a guest blogger. Anywhere you can get a link on a high-ranking site back to your website the better for your own rankings!

I have no idea what to write or where to start!

This is the thing. This is the main reason that people outsource, but trust us when you take a moment to plan ahead it makes it so much easier to produce great real estate content marketing. Here are ten ideas that you can generate content for when it comes to writing content for real estate websites in Canada. If you planned to write just one article on the topics below you would have 10 months' worth of content!

Keep reading for more advice on real estate content topics -

Market Conditions

Statistics, sales, sentiment - this is your area of expertise! Tell the people what is going on with your local market! Sales data changes each month, so this is an easy topic to create content around every month.

Market Trends

What are you seeing out there? Do people want bigger? Are they spending more to have something special? Is there a trend that has seen better days?

Neighbourhoods

Where are the best places to live in your area? Where is the crime the lowest? What housing styles can people expect to find? Are there amenities that stand out as selling features? You are looked to as an expert on all things local - show off your knowledge!

Developments

Everyone loves something new. Show people from out of town what the latest and greatest buildings, subdivisions, and developments are in your city or town. Even better use a map and sync it with real estate listing data!

Economic Drivers

This is another great one for people who are moving to your community, city, or a new neighbourhood. Tell them what to expect of the people who live and work in the area and shine a spotlight on what drives the community.

Amenities

People like to know what's close by. Focus on local restaurants, pubs, bars, and recreation to entice home buyers to a property. Great parks, schools, waterways nearby? Share what makes your city or focus neighbourhood desirable!

Selling Tips and Advice

First-time buyers and seniors are niche markets in real estate. Both are generally out of practice when it comes to moving so focusing on either market segment will be helpful. Think of other segments that would benefit from your real estate experience and answer their frequently asked questions. Other segments include farms, investment, empty-nesters, professionals.

Moving/Community Resources

This is a great way to feature local businesses, organizations, and resources. Connect with like-minded businesses if you can and write a post about how they can help with moving.  Think mortgage brokers, movers, stagers, delivery companies, insurance, etc. This is a great strategy for trading backlinks and cross-promoting services.

Schools and Education

Education is the marker of a great city. Explain where schools are located, what grade level they service, and transportation to and from. This is another great way to connect on a local level while building out a resource that you can continue to develop.

Yourself!

Or, your team, don't be afraid to toot your own horn every once in a while! Do you have a unique story to share? Have you recently closed a big deal? Are you marketing something new? Share it wide and watch the traffic flow, because the more personal an article - the more it gets viewed and shared.

And finally, real estate content marketing starts on your website first!

This is the final bit of advice on what to do with your content once it has been developed. The hardest part is getting content developed and once you've gone through that you want to make sure that all the hard work pays off.

Always pay yourself first. 

You may have heard this before and it certainly applies to SEO. Pay yourself first in this case means don't unknowingly give away your hard work! The content you create must be shared and posted on your website first. End of story. If it gets posted 5 minutes earlier on your brokerage's website, it's no longer good for you. Conversely, if you post an article on your blog or website and then share a picture on Instagram with no link back to the article you just created you are missing all the advantages that you created in the first place.

Content is a lot like a nutritious vegetable. It's the best value for you when it's consumed raw. When you boil it, fry it and overcook it, then it loses its nutrients. The same can be said for content.

Take a look at some of the real estate content marketing that EstateVue has created for our MWP customers this month!

Learn more about becoming an MWP by getting in touch with us!

RE/MAX Vanderhoof is offering advice on how to decide on a property in Vanderhoof.

Neufeld Jones is covering all the things to consider before buying a farm in Kelowna.

Brooks Lancaster is diving into the topic of how to make homes in Penticton more energy efficient.

Corinne O'Neil is showing off the fantastic neighbourhood of Erin Ridge North.

Graham Frey has all the info you need about condos in Whitehorse that support EV's!

RE/MAX Elite is showing the difference in properties in Edmonton vs the rest of the Canadian real estate market this month.

Alpine Realty shares tips on buying a house for sale in Canmore this month.

Big White Property Group has all the details on family fun at Sundance Resort!

Janice Leffler is talking about the amenities of Courtenay townhomes for sale.

Royal LePage in the Comox Valley is sharing everything about Cumberland real estate in BC this month!

Steve Leddy is giving you all the reasons to choose real estate in Downtown Edmonton.

Cliff and Scott King are providing all the details on houses for sale in Oak Bluff, Winnipeg.

Kevin Moist and Associates of Winnipeg have added three new Winnipeg neighbourhoods to their website recently. Learn more about the best places to live in Winnipeg!

John Mattiello is showing us some of the best homes in Edmonton this month on his blog!

Miranda Moser is helping you find a home in Calgary in one of the best neighbourhoods!

Hilbert&Crick Real Estate Team is asking if Kelowna homes for sale are on the decline this month?

The post Why Content Marketing Should Be Your Number One Marketing Spend. appeared first on Real Estate Websites in Canada for REALTORS®, Brokers and Banners.

Our customers benefit immensely from consistency and it is, without a doubt, the secret sauce that most are missing when it comes to formulating their marketing plans. 

Keep reading for tips on how to put your business first and better your return on your time in 2022!

What are we going to do more of in 2022?

Less is More 

This is one we’ve been preaching for a while and if you’re an EstateVue MWP client you already know how we feel on this topic. Less is more when it comes to social media marketing. Consistency is more valuable than spreading yourself too thin. Throughout 2021 we spent a significant amount of time with clients getting their social media channels and digital footprints consolidated into a more manageable footprint. 

There isn’t a REALTOR® out there who is doing a fantastic job of managing, Tik Tok, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest, Tumblr, Google Business, and omg what else? Do you want to know why? The answer is simple, if they’re killing it on alllll of the mediums above then they’re more of an influencer than a REALTOR® in our opinion.  

Don’t interpret this the wrong way, you still absolutely need social media for visibility. However, you don’t need all of it at one time. It’s not only impossible to manage but it will also dilute your customer base in many cases. 

Our pro tip is to choose three and only three social mediums to use. This will allow you to stay consistent with your posts, engage with your customers and manage your digital presence. By cultivating a presence for your customers across three mediums you have a much stronger handle on your traffic and your analytics. 

So, which mediums should you use in 2022? We have some ideas! Keep reading!

Facebook is a need, but definitely not a want

Love it? Hate it. We all hate it. We never hear anything positive about Facebook but here we are with the numbers that can’t be ignored.  Facebook (META) now has 3 billion users and these numbers are still growing by the month! So the question of do I need Facebook should really be put to bed. The answer is yes, yes you need Facebook for your real estate business. Facebook will still reign supreme when it comes to raising your visibility profile.

Google Business is the Internets definition of nepotism

If Google wasn’t the most used SERP then we might not recommend using Google Business as part of your social strategy. But the Internet is ruled by giants and the biggest is Google. As such, we consistently see better-ranking results from the businesses who elect to post frequently on the Google Business platform. We highly, highly recommend getting familiar with your Google Business profile. 

Update those profiles, and check your locations because Google Business is where the most relevance for your business comes in, especially when it comes to local! Many customers are unfamiliar with Google Business and how it works. Posts will show up in your listing and allow for a great opportunity to create backlinks to your website.  See below for an example:

LinkedIn or Twitter for 2022?

Twitter is a big city medium. Maybe that’s a bit controversial but as a company that focuses on hyper-local advertising for its customers, we have found that Twitter is almost always the underperformer in our playlist. The slow adoption rate for locals is likely the biggest barrier to Twitter's taking off. Smaller centres with populations of 500k or less just don’t tend to have the enthusiasm for it.  It’s great for using hashtags and gaining followers, particularly if you’re attending conferences or events, but for gaining a local audience it seems to be only getting more dismal. 

That’s why. We’re giving up on Twitter for 2022 and instead, we will be turning our focus back to LinkedIn. LinkedIn has been steadily gaining as a preferred social media platform. They have added in a suite of new features that make it much more ad-friendly. Coupled with the closer connections it affords to local colleagues it’s really a no-brainer to turn your focus from Twitter to LinkedIn. 

We highly recommend getting LinkedIn added to your social media repertoire for 2022.

Newsletters are baaaaack

Newsletters really fell out of fashion in the real estate marketing world over the past few years. Mostly because they were never consistent and partly because they were also very spammy. We’re bringing back thoughtful, curated newsletters this year. We’ll be sending them out quarterly at first and making certain that we have something to say well in advance. 

Email remains one of the most powerful tools at your disposal.  A valid email address is data gold. There are several tips to consider if you want to use email marketing as a marketing method in 2022.

Keep reading if you want to add newsletters to your program or you want to refresh your existing plan. 

1) Develop personalized content that matters

Give your customers the feeling of exclusivity to keep them engaged with your content. Get to know your customers and make sure that you’re segmenting your customer base according to their interests. Don’t send buyers' content to sellers and vice versa. Don’t send first-time buyers' advice to your investors. Email marketing fails when it’s used as a blanket strategy. Don’t rush your email marketing and take the time to curate content based on your customers' wants. 

2) Keep newsletters minimal and concise 

Don’t send out novels in hopes that everyone will be inclined to read. Keep your newsletters short and make the format very clear. Minimal design is ideal and your layout should either be very interesting and engaging or very easy to follow along. Small snippets, catchy headlines, and lots of backlinks to your website are key to making newsletters work for your business in 2022. 

The average person receives over 150 emails per day. That’s a dizzying amount of communication. If you hope to stand out then don’t oversaturate. Give them something to look forward to. 

Focus on consolidating your real estate marketing channels in 2022

Focusing on the foundations of digital real estate marketing is key in 2022.  It’s a great time to consolidate at the start of a new year. Get rid of the social channels that no longer serve you and clean up that digital footprint. You’ll feel lighter and more in control of your business. Also, try not to get distracted by those shiny squirrels as the year wears on. The newest, latest and greatest will always be around the corner, but stick to the devil you know and you’ll be much happier with mastered results rather than useless, fleeting tech. 

Here’s a list of wrap-up posts from some of our real estate customers in 2021! We hope to see more of you included in this list in 2002! Get in touch if you want to subscribe to our Managed Website Program in 2022, we have limited spots available in each Canadian city.

The team at Neufeld Jones has launched their year-end wrap-up on their website this month - head over to their Kelowna real estate blog to read about their year of content now!

Real estate in Vanderhoof gets the review treatment this month!

Penticton real estate gets the wrap with Brooks Lancaster over on Penticton Houses For Sale this December.

Heading up to Big White this winter? Us too. Check out real estate in Snow Pines with the Big White Property Group before you go!

Edmonton's RE/MAX Elite is getting nostalgic this month with an entire year in rewind on their blog! Check it out!

HILBERT&CRICK have a great year-end recap on their blog this month! Check out how they're looking back at Kelowna Real Estate in 2021

The post Real Estate Marketing Trends for 2022 appeared first on Real Estate Websites in Canada for REALTORS®, Brokers and Banners.