Increasing Google Visibility to Gain More Leads

Increasing Google Visibility to Gain More Leads

As a real estate professional, you no doubt realize how competitive the marketplace really is. Everyone wants to make sure their homes are seen. The popularity of the web has made it easier than ever before for you to attract the attention of the web-savvy world, but you still need to make sure your website is as high in the Google search results as possible in order to achieve success. So what can you do to make sure people are actually seeing your website?

Proper Website Optimization

If the thought of “proper website optimization” made you wish you had another cup of coffee, you might want to consider hiring help. In short, you want to make sure that your website is set up in a way that is easy for the search engines to find, identify, and understand. If Google can figure out your site is about real estate, you’re more likely to come up in real estate searches. Most websites use meta tags to show the web crawlers what your pages are about and each page should have one.

You’ll also need to make sure your website is using the right keywords, which means keyword research. Have another headache? Your web designer or SEO expert can help you with that, too. Keyword research isn’t just about knowing what terms are relevant to real estate, but what terms people who are looking to buy or sell houses are actually using when they search the web. Using those terms on your site – especially in the aforementioned meta tags – can help increase your visibility.

Visual Tools

When it comes to real estate, prospective buyers need visuals. You’re going to want to have lots of images, usually in the form of a gallery, for your site – whether they stand alone or link back to your favorite listing sites. You should also have video – tips about buying and/or selling, walk-throughs of homes, etc.

You will want to talk to your web designer about how to make sure your images have the right alt tags. Search engines can’t “read” pictures, so the alt tags will tell them what’s there, especially if they are keyword specific, like your meta tags.

Don’t Ignore Social Media

Social media is a critical component to your online strategy, and the search engines do recognize certain pages and posts within social media profiles. If you’re new to social media, you should not go out and create a profile on every platform at the same time. Start with Facebook and Instagram – the most visual – and make sure your images and posts link back to your website and listing pages. You can add Twitter, Google, and other platforms as you progress.

Truth? As a real estate agent, you have to figure out how to best spend the precious hours of your day. If you aren’t web-savvy, ask a pro for help so you can focus on your leads and business. Just don’t ignore your web presence altogether. It’s definitely important.