You probably already know that having a real estate website is a necessity rather than a luxury. We simply can’t imagine not having a website these days! Any business that doesn’t have a website seems dated and unprofessional – and this is true for the business of real estate too.
But having a website is not enough. Your realtor website should be optimized for search engines, to make it easier for prospects to find you. While the vast majority of clients still find their realtor via referrals from friends, a growing number of people start their search for a home online, typing certain keywords into the search engine search box. If their search results include your real estate site, and if your site is professional and filled with relevant information, they just might contact you and turn into leads, and maybe clients.
That’s why it’s important to choose a few main keywords for your site, and to optimize your site for those keywords. Optimizing means that ideally, your main keyword should appear in your realtor website URL, in your site’s title tags, and sprinkled generously into your website copy. Don’t overdo it though! Just write naturally, as you would write for a human reader. Writing for search engine bots is never a good idea.
For example, if you specialize in San Francisco real estate, a wonderful URL for your site would be SanFranciscoHomes.com (keep in mind that the best URLs are already taken, so you might need to compromise); your homepage’s title tag should say something like “San Francisco Real Estate | San Francisco Homes For Sale | Your Name” and your website copy should include these keywords too.
Optimizing your real estate website for search engines is pretty straightforward. Take the time to learn the basics of search engine optimization and do it. It could bring you clients down the road and will certainly help you to establish yourself as an expert in your area.