Local SEO and Why it Matters for Real Estate
Did you know that 90% of real estate buyers rely on online resources and social media marketing for property hunting?
It is true that social media and the internet has significantly changed traditional marketing trends, but at the same time, it has facilitated buyers with convenience.
When buyers can look for their dream residence just by sitting at home, why would they consult real estate agents when property hunting?
New real estate tools have been designed to sell more real estate units without the use of real estate agents like developers enticing buyers with augmented reality or virtual reality, or new ways of purchasing homes that are off-market like Remzy.
Though a number of buyers still hire estate agents, a high portion do because they don’t have enough knowledge about how the real estate industry works and how much money they could save or not.
However, for home hunting and price surveying, saavy buyers that don’t need any assistance from real estate agents, you can give thanks to the internet for that.
There are lots of real estate apps and even more real estate websites serving the local market but some of the major websites include:
- Zillow
- Trulia
- Realtor.com
- Homes.com
Get Found Online
Customers in the 21st century are saavy when it comes to purchasing anything. Whether it’s a trip or shoes or real estate, customers have a vast amount of data and information to know exactly what they want and how much they want to pay for it.
And they will research, research, research to get the right price!
This is the reason that real estate agents and brokers alike need to learn the important differents aspects of digital marketing and how it relates to their internal marketing processes. These are the types of real estate solutions that will help you win an edge over your competitors online.
There is no denying the fact that factors like content marketing channels and advertisement strategies such as Pay Per Click and Facebook advertising play a vital role in effective real estate marketing, but there is one tool that can help marketers attract more buyers who rely on online resources for property hunting and that is Local SEO.
Here is why Local SEO is important for real estate agents and marketers:
Targeted Marketing
Local SEO allows marketers to identify their target audience. This is probably the most authentic and easiest way to understand the demands and expectations of buyers as it can help marketers understand what they are looking for.
Is your ideal real estate customer searching for:
- 2 bedroom 3 bathroom house near the beach
- Luxury condo in downtown Sarasota, FL
- Real estate with big backyard for dog
- Palm Beach Real Estate
- And millions of keyword variations
Data tools such as Google Analytics and Webmaster Tools are also used to gather important data like incoming traffic on landing pages or blog content etc. and this information can be used by real estate marketers to improve their customer marketing and modify their digital marketing strategies in accordance with the mindset of buyers.
Real estate is probably one of the trickiest markets because it is really difficult for marketers to keep track of constantly changing market trends and buyers’ expectations.
But AdWords campaigns have made it really easy for any real estate agent and online marketer to do targeted advertisements. People are always searching for goods, products, and real estate on Google.
Attract More Buyers
With the boom of social media marketing and online advertisement, it has become easy for home buyers to find the dream real estate they are looking for. This is the reason that real estate agents and agencies have to be really strategic when it comes to their digital marketing.
They have to use their everyday real estate knowledge to best convey the language and images that would best serve in their advertisement content that will attract more buyers to their website and generate more phone calls.
Sell More Real Estate
With customers evolving in terms of how they purchase real estate, with technology changing the way people are selling homes, real estate agencies and their agents need to be cutting edge when it comes to selling more real estate in 2017 and beyond!
The customer age has changed to the Millenials but the “silver surfer” age demographic continues to push the real estate forward with the bulk of purchases.
So as a real estate agency what do you need to do to stay at the forefront of customer searches on Google but also top of mind brand awareness in 2017?
Real Estate Marketing in 2017 should include:
- Responsive Website
- Fast, Quick Loading on Mobile
- Dynamic Keyword Landing Pages
- AdWords / Paid Media Budget
- Video Real Estate Listings
- Video in General
- Drone / Professional Photography
- Local SEO / Google Maps Optimization
- Socia Media / Facebook Advertising
- Search Engine Optimization / Mobile SEO
- Aggressive, Monthly Blog Content
How Can SMDigital Help You?
For the last 14 years SMDigital has helped over 500 companies reach their sales goals through the implementation of digital marketing strategies and tactics.
For the last 6 years, SMDigital has worked hand in hand with a South Florida-based real estate developer on building their online presence.
With over $200 million dollars sold in luxury real estate, SMDigital knows a little thing or two, about selling real estate. Whether it is a landing page or a fully integrated marketing campaign, SMDigital can handle it all!
For a review of your real estate digital marketing strategy and online audit, please call 561.404.9787 for more information.
