Real estate is often a local business, with people typically working in one area or several adjacent regions. Having an excellent online presence and ranking is crucial for real estate agents, and using search engine optimization (SEO) is a viable way to ensure you get in front of the right audience.
However, local SEO should be your primary focus, not just SEO in general, because you don’t want to be targeting areas across the country. You want to be able to rank high and connect with potential clients living or working in the areas you focus on. That’s why understanding and utilizing local SEO practices is key to growing your real estate business.
What is Local SEO?
Local SEO is used to help you boost your visibility on search engines but in specific areas. For example, if you work primarily in the Greater Toronto Area, you want your website or social accounts to come up first when people are looking for REALTORS®️ in that area.
Why is Local SEO Important?
Focusing on local SEO efforts can improve your ability to rank higher in the Google search when people look for local real estate agents, driving local traffic and brand trust awareness.
High visibility is the main goal of any real estate business because it helps increase client inquiries and conversion rates. With local SEO, you can do just that.
How to Optimize Local SEO Efforts
To ensure that you’re utilizing local SEO in the best way possible, you can:
Perform an Audit
Before you can do anything to change your SEO, you’ll need to understand how your website and other online accounts are faring against the competition. This requires a high-level audit of high-performing pages and areas that may need a little work, giving you the complete picture of your digital footprint.
Keyword Research
The keywords you use to help your site rank higher act as the backbone of your SEO campaign, so you want to do in-depth research on what works and what doesn’t. Typically, you want to identify specific long-tail keywords that are frequently used by buyers or sellers and see how they do when it comes to search volume. That way, you can pick the right keywords for your business that help you rank higher locally.
You will also want to acquaint yourself with the local lingo and ensure that you are using the right nicknames for neighbourhoods or local places that people who live in these areas would be well-versed in.
Understand the Competition
There is no shortage of real estate agents ready and waiting for new potential clients, so in a sea of competition, you’ll want to understand precisely what they’re doing and how it works for them. This way, you can use your local SEO efforts to put a more unique foot forward.
Essentially, you want to be a part of the Local Pack, the block of business listings at the top of Google search. Understanding how your website works for you, the keywords you should be using, and how the competition ranks are all ways to help you get there.
If you want to make the most of your local SEO efforts but aren’t sure where to start, book a strategy session with us today! We can help you get to where you want to be so you get as close as possible to that top spot.