Real estate agents strive to reach as many prospects as possible by casting a wide net. Typically, agents generate leads using websites, social media, and direct mail.
The power of blogs, however, is commonly overlooked as a lead generation tool.
Platforms for generating real estate leads are typically designed to generate results instantly. Direct mail marketing, IDX websites, and pay-per-click campaigns are among them. It is also important to build a blog if you wish to generate organic leads for years to come.
The ROI of an effective blog is unlimited, despite the time and effort it takes to build one.
Lead generation platforms are built on top of high-quality content marketing strategies. People turn to search engines when looking for answers to their questions.
The power of this strategy lies in the fact that you can write about anything. In the case of a prospect, a web search may include:
Best cities in Australia
Best neighbourhoods in Melbourne
Best real estate agents in Sydney
Cost of living in Brisbane
Fun things to do in Canberra
Your search results are more likely to appear if you respond to the user’s question clearly and concisely.
Factors affecting search engine rankings
A number of factors are taken into consideration when search engines decide what search results to display. EAT, however, is a simple acronym that summarises the most influential factors which mean Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness.
Expertise
It’s likely that your “about me” section of your website shows that you’re already an expert in your local market.
Online reviews and social media posts are also likely to mention you.
You are considered more of an expert by Google if you’re mentioned more frequently.
If you provide information about your local market in your blog postings, Google will trust your opinions.
As a result, you will rank higher than other people who are doing the same thing.
Authority
A person’s authority is largely determined by how others perceive their opinion of them.
Having other websites link to yours is the best way to build authority with search engines.
Forbes, for example, linking to your website signifies that a widely recognised, highly read publication trusts your information.
DA, or Domain Authority, is used to grade websites formally. DAs above 50 indicate well-known, trustworthy websites. The most visited sites are those with DAs above 85.
Trustworthiness
Despite being an expert in your field, you must still gain the trust of a search engine.
If you’re contemplating buying something, think about what you do.
Are you concerned about the quality of feedback and ratings on online reviews?
This will increase trust in your brand. Seeing more good reviews increase your likelihood of purchasing.
The search engine algorithm considers social signals, such as online reviews, BBB complaints, and brand mentions, to ensure users get the best results.
Online reviews and feedback from your customers play a significant role in this process.
A good reputation increases your blog’s chances of appearing in search results.
Choosing a topic to write about
You will need to begin researching topics now that you understand what factors impact search engine rankings.
However, you have to be strategic about your content strategy.
Topic Research
Your article can be the best in the world, but if nobody finds it, you’ve wasted your time.
If you’re only planning to write a few posts, save your money in favour of free tools like the Google Keyword Planner.
You can use this free tool to see how often people search for a particular topic.
Ranking for highly competitive keywords can be challenging if you just launched your blog or don’t have any backlinks.
Topics like “how to buy a house” are highly competitive and can be written about by anyone in any market due to their breadth and depth.
Content writing
Posts need to be written in a series once you’ve decided what to write about.
Content creation can be done using the “batching method.” In this method, you write a few articles on a wide range of topics.
In spite of this, you will never be able to guarantee that you will appear in search results. Diversifying your topics will give you the best chance of appearing in one of the search results.
It is important never to post content that does not help the reader. Quality should always be the priority.
As a result, your article should be easy to read while also answering the reader’s questions.
Building Links
Your website can be linked to once you build a solid content base. The goal here is to promote your content and get a backlink to your website in return.
When another website links to your website as a reward for good content, a guest post, or a quote, you are referred to as a backlink.
The stronger the link, the higher the domain authority. Forbes, for example, can boost your search engine rankings if they link to your website.
A blog’s link building is its most difficult task.
Even though it’s hard work, long-term rewards are plentiful.
Guest Posting
By guest posting, you provide the host site with relevant content that their audience will find useful. Backlinks to your own site are usually returned in return.
Although this method is effective for building relationships with your industry colleagues, make sure your host site receives high-quality content from you.
Creating and promoting your content is just the first step.
Agents skip organic blogging because it’s hard work and results take time. It will take at least 6 months before you start seeing any significant traffic.
The timeline extends to a year if you are a new site.
The content you write and promote will appear in search results for years to come.
Conclusion
It takes a lot of time and effort to start a real estate blog, and many agents have a hard time justifying the investment.
Keeping one step ahead is the hallmark of savvy agents.