SEO for Real Estate Agents

With so many real estate websites competing for attention in the search engines, what can a real estate agent do to set their site apart from the competition?

A blog would be a good start because the nature of a blog is such that new information is posted regularly and it is appropriate for a realtor to provide personal commentary on a topic as well as generic facts.

Don’t know what to blog about? I have a friend who launched a Montreal Real Estate blog and started just by entering information that she learned in her real estate course and subjects that she thought would be of interest to her readers. As time went on she came up with new subject ideas to blog about based on the keyword phrases people entered into search engines before arriving at her site.

Examples of such phrases include:

• what i should know about buying a duplex
• buying duplex in montreal
• montreal duplex for sale needs work

A good agent should be able to take any of these phrases and write an article that is designed to be informative and yet will help to draw in additional search engine traffic.

Like all subjects in the world of SEO, this is no longer enough. In order to draw larger amounts of traffic, real estate agents need to start creating Link Bait on their website. What is link bait? It is a piece of content that is so juicy, numerous other sites can’t help but link to it.

Take a look at these five popular classifications for link bait hooks (taken from Famous Agents):

1. News
2. Contrary
3. Attacks
4. Resource
5. Humor

Read more about these link baiting ideas in the article 21 KEYS TO LINK BAIT SUCCESS by Famous Agents or see how they have added a sixth category of Link Baiting called Fear in the article Thousands of REALTOR Websites Disappear from Google.

Last but not least, you may want to check out 106 Content Ideas for the REALTOR who has Nothing to Write About. Here are my top picks from that list:

1. Home prices in local market

2. Local subdivisions/ farm area prices, solds, actives, pendings, etc.

3. New construction plans in area

4. New businesses coming to area

7. Create a helpful checklist for buyers and sellers

9. Mortgage rate updates

10. Dangers of certain types of loans (such as interest only, certain ARMS, etc.), and why they are not for everyone – be careful not to buy more house than you can afford

11. Advantages of going through a mortgage broker for your next loan as opposed to your local bank (i.e., more options for finding a lender to say yes, potential for better rates, competing lenders so can find the best program for your needs)

12. Buying your first investment property

13. Dos and don’ts of buying investment properties

14. Should you rent it or flip it?

15. What you should know about home inspections

19. Simple repairs to help your home show better and sell faster

22. Landscaping can make a difference

23. What is curb appeal?

27. Local shopping and attractions in the area

28. Guide to dining out – rank all the restaurants in your area (let the restaurants know about your ranking guide and see
if you can get a link from them)

30. Anything newsworthy in your area (fires, road construction, crime reports, job markets, etc.)

31. Anything controversial in your area such as upcoming elections, debate about a subway/rail system, problems at a local nightclub, road noise from new freeway, new housing development with controversial architecture, etc. (best to take a somewhat neutral stance by posing questions to the reader rather than just stating your opinion – you don’t want to offend anyone, but people do like a good debate)

33. What homeowners can do to save on energy costs

34. Remodeling ideas to instantly increase the value of your home

35. Resources and tips for hiring contractors and actually having a good experience

41. Buying a resale home versus a new construction home (or completed spec home)

44. The new craze in buying Office Condos

45. Things you must know to successfully sell your home on your own (great bait for FSBOs – overwhelm them with so much powerful info so that after reading it, they will WANT to hire you to sell their home)

48. Plan a neighborhood block party or kid’s parade and then write about it, send flyers out, take photos, etc to get the word out – see if the HOA or local chamber or other organization will link to your site for more info

49. Travel tips for visitors to your area (great for out-of-town buyers)

58. Have webcam feeds from local points of interests such as ski resorts, traffic monitors, etc.

59. Create a quarterly crime report – gather the data from local law enforcement offices and break it down by city, area, subdivision, etc.

63. Moving resource guide (resources for buyers moving in from out of the area, for local moves, and for sellers moving out – all are potential client bases for you)

64. What should I offer for earnest money and down payment when buying a home?

67. Three Biggest Seller Mistakes (typically, these are Price, Condition, and Marketing – they must price it right, have it in good condition, and market it well – this is where you can talk up how your marketing program beats the competition)

69. Subdivision Reports (you could have one page for each of the popular subdivisions in your area or more specific to your farm area – title the page with the name of the subdivision and talk about the amenities, location, local shopping, attractions, home prices, architecture, HOA info if any, builders info, types of housing such as single vs. 2-story, homes with pools, etc.)

75. Attend local zoning commission meetings, council meetings, school board meetings, etc. and write recaps of the meetings

86. Interview three of your best local home inspectors. Come up with a common list of the 25 Most Important Things a Homebuyer should watch out for when buying a home. You could also come up with a list of the 10 Most Common Code Violations found by local inspectors.

87. Give your readers a space of their own to ask you questions. Post the questions and answers on your site. This allows reader interaction and avoids the one-way conversation. It can also get you links from both the reader and others who like your answers and want to reference your information.

88. Keep a Toolbox on your site. These are tools that your readers may want to use on a daily basis, and thus link to your site for easy access. (Some examples are a calendar, scheduler/planner, link to mapquest, local yellow pages, local & national news sites, weather sites, local newspaper, reliable online dictionary/thesaurus, computer troubleshooting site, local sports teams, movie reviews/local theaters, community newsletter,…)

105. Comment on other blogs. Once those blog owners notice you when trolling through their referral logs, they will likely return the favor. (This, by the way, is a legitimate reciprocal link.)

So much to digest! Even if you implement one of these a week you will be well on your way to driving additional traffic through Link Baiting!