Even though most people looking to buy a home live just a few minutes away from a real estate agency, the first place nearly everyone looks for properties is the internet. More specifically, they go straight to Google. As a result, it only makes sense that you should be doing everything you can to ensure your website appears in search results. This will increase your exposure, generate more leads, and, most importantly, earn you more money.
Search engine optimisation (SEO) is the process of trying to make sure your website appears at or near the top of search results. Its value to businesses of all sorts is so immense that an entire industry has grown around figuring out how Google and other search engines determine who gets to be on the first page. Because of this, we could probably write a book about how to do SEO, but to get you started on the right foot, here are some of the most important things you need to know.
Choose the Best Possible Keywords
Keywords are the terms people type into a search bar. To rank for these keywords, you need to create content based around these terms, and for this to have an impact on your business, you need to know what your target audience seeks.
Consider what you’re selling and use a keyword planning tool to find out how many people are searching for relevant terms. Those that have the highest search volume will probably be the most competitive, so if you can, try to be more specific. Consider things such as location, property type, price, and even questions people might be asking.
This step is absolutely necessary if you’re going to have success with SEO, so make sure to put the time in to determine the keywords that will be the most effective.
Develop Excellent Content
Keywords are important, but content is still king. This is because while Google and other search engines will use keywords to determine if your content is relevant, they will use other metrics to make sure your content is good. This includes things such as the time people spend on your page, as well as shares and links.
Bad content is irrelevant, sparse, or over-packed with keywords. As a result, pick your keywords, and then focus on creating the best possible piece of content for your readers based on those terms.
Images Matter
Search engines love rich content. So, make sure your content is full of good quality images that make the article better. If possible, include some videos in your content to make it even more engaging.
Go After Quality Links
Links to your site indicate to search engines that your content is good. However, not all links are created equal; twenty links from garbage websites could be worth less than one link from a high authority page. In fact, if you have lots of spam links pointing to your site, that could even hurt you. As a result, focus on getting links from the best sites possible as this will provide your content with more juice and improve your search engine performance.
There are countless other things that go into a winning SEO strategy, but these are by far the most important. Spend time doing your research and creating content, and over time you will be able to enjoy the benefits that come from high-ranking pages.