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YSNM vs. Our Competitors - Why Choose Us?Realtor: Why haven’t I gotten a single lead since you built my real estate website?
July 23, 2019 · 10
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I get this question a lot – Why isn’t my website generating leads? The answer I give is almost nearly the same for everyone: Your website is a tool and if you aren’t using it & promoting it, it’s not going to magically get thousands of people to it every day and generate a ton of leads. Search Engine Optimization isn’t easy or everyone would be on Page 1 of Google.
The conversation usually goes like this:
Realtor: I haven’t gotten a single lead since you built my site. I feel like I wasted my money.
Me: What are you doing to generate traffic to your site?
Realtor: I thought that you put SEO into my site so it would show up in the search engines.
Me: I put Meta Titles, descriptions, alt tags and I have added keywords in all of the possible places I can as well as set up your Google Analytics and submitted your sitemaps to Google Search Console -*IF you opted in. (BTW: That is more than 99% of real estate website designers do.) What that means is that when Google crawls your site it will know exactly what it is about so it can index it for the keywords you want to show up for. That does not guarantee you will show up on page 1 of Google. Your site is competing with thousands of other sites that have been on page 1 probably for a long time and those sites are likely blogging every day and adding content to their site every day and promoting it in some way. If you want your site to generate traffic then you have to use it as the tool it is meant to be.
Realtor: How do I do that?
Me: Build content and resources into your site; we recommend Community Pages, promote it on Social Media & Blog about topics that people want to read like. Google has said for years – Content is King. Add content and then exploit it on Social Media to get followers and traffic and your site will rise in the SERPS if that content is valuable to the audience you seek. More traffic equals more leads!
How do I get my real estate website to get more traffic & generate leads?
Well that is the million dollar question isn’t it? Below I have put together a few steps to get you started. Remember – this is only my advice, there is no recipe for success when it comes to SEO. There are a LOT of things you have to do but the below 3 things are my highest recommended tips for getting leads from your real estate website.
Step 1: Build pages with valuable content using the keywords you want to rank for
Your site needs valuable content added to the PAGES. This means you should have community pages on your site that talk about the main areas you service. Each of these pages should include info about the community, what its like to live there, school info, things to do, shopping, dining, etc. It should also include some properties and the REAL Google Gold comes from the Saved Searches. Adding in links so the consumer can search by property type, price range, zip code, popular searches and especially subdivisions and neighborhoods is what really gets this page some major Google Juice. Each of the saved links you create in your IDXBroker account is new content for your site. And because IDXBroker is so awesome, each one has SEO options like Meta Title & Description & Sub-header built right in! The Brentwood, TN page we built here is a great example. Make sure you scroll to the bottom of the page to see how many IDX links there are! I highly recommend hiring a professional writer who is a Google Expert to write these pages. You can write them yourself but at the end of the day you do not know how to write for SEO. We recommend Angie over at UniqueWebCopy for all of your copywriting needs. Once you have these community pages then you can move on to the next step.
Step 2: Blog to get Traffic
Blogging isn’t as hard as you think it is. You don’t have to be a professional writer to be able to blog, I mean, hey look at me! My blog posts sound exactly like I talk. I’m no professional writer but I do write and that’s the key. You just have to commit the time to it. Choose to write one blog post a week and you will have a good start. Once you are ready to start you should pick out some topics and then write a compelling title for them before you begin. The Title should make someone want to click on it. For example – TOP 5 Mistakes to Avoid when Selling a home vs. Things to know when Selling Your Home. Which one do you think will get more clicks? Topics should include things that people will click on and want to know and should be timely. Think to yourself – would I want to read this? The most successful blog posts (the ones that get a lot of clicks) are simple and has easy to read info with bullet points to help break up the content.
Blog Title Ideas: Below are some compelling title ideas to get your creative juices flowing
- How to do XYZ
- 5 things to know about ABC
- 3 Top Mexican restaurants in X
- 2 Best Coffee Shops in Z
- DIY Tips and Tricks
- Local Events this week in X
- Things to do in Y
- Easy Wrapping Tips for Christmas
- Spring Cleaning 101
- 2019 Best Things to do in X
- Best DIY Organic Weed Killer
- Did you know your Zillow Home Value Estimate is off by as much as 20%
Almost as important as the Title is the Featured Image you use. Using a plain image with a picture of a house or something boring will not help your click through rate. Make sure you use a compelling photo in your blog post that has the title of the blog in it. Like mine for this post. I use Canva to make blog images. You probably noticed the blog image for this post before you even read the title from wherever you clicked on it to read this. The Blog Image is KEY to getting a higher click through rate. Don’t skip it. If you are going to spend time blogging, then make a good image too. Canva is easy to use and has ready made templates. I made mine for this post in under 3 minutes.
Real Estate Blog Topic Ideas
So now you know how to write a Title – here are some topics ideas! There are a limited amount of real estate related topics in the list below because they don’t get as many clicks as the ones that are more ‘fluffy’. We recommend blogging about fluffy topics because they tend to get a lot more clicks and social media followers which equals more google juice.
Real Estate Blog TOPICS that are generic:
- Buyer tips
- Seller tips
- Staging ideas
- Home Décor
- Gardening Ideas
- Outdoor Living (Porches, Decks, etc)
- DIY & Life Hacks
- Home Organization
- Moving & Packing
- Hiring a REALTOR
- Home Loan Tips
- Using ‘our’ Search Tools
- Moving with Pets
- Moving with Children
- Holiday Tips/Decorating/DIY
- Kids Activities
- Rainy Day Activities for Kids
Real Estate Blog TOPICS that are local:
- Things to do in X for INSERT DATE
- Places to See or Visit
- Top Restaurants to eat at
- Break down to other things like coffee shops, health food stores, Mexican, fine dining, etc)
- Local Entertainment
- Local Upcoming Events/Things to do
- Relocation Tips (local utilities, garbage, electric, gas, schools, etc)
- Grand openings of new businesses
- Local Charity Events – 5K runs, walks, etc
- How to enroll your kids in X Schools
- Golf
- Golf Events in X city for X Date
- Profile one of the MAIN communities, local neighborhood, subdivision or ‘area’ of the main community(s)
- Emergency/Evacuation Routes
Step 3: Post it to Social Media
Every Realtor knows they SHOULD be using Social Media…..but then who has the time to do that, right? Well you can always get a plugin that will syndicate your blog posts above to your Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. That is the simple way to post content to your site and market it on social media. Doing this is smart because people on Facebook (for example) will click and read the post, share it with their friends and Like it. All of those things give your site a boost because Google (AKA BIG BROTHER) is always watching and if Google sees that your site is getting lots of click throughs and people are spending time on it and it is getting likes and shares then it must be good content – instant boost! Well maybe not INSTANT but you get the idea. Facebook is GOOD M’KAY? But you really want to generate leads as well. So this is where you want to post things to social media that are purposely intended to generate a lead. For example I recommend posting an IDX Saved Search for “TODAY’S Newest Listings in [CITY]” or “Featured Property of the Day” OR “Find out the TRUE Value of your Home”. All of these are IDXBroker pages or saved searches you already have in your account that you can post to Facebook. The video below is one of my favorite tutorials on how to create an IDXBroker Saved Search link and then post it to Facebook to generate leads. And hey – if you are our IDXBroker Developer partner then I am happy to make you a few pre-made links to use on Facebook to get you started. All you have to do is ask!
I thought it would be easier to get Leads on my website
Yeah, we all want to think that. I totally get it. And I get that you probably are a busy person too. But if you are reading this still then you must have some plan to at least TRY. The good news is if you find that the things above are too time consuming for you, then you can always hire someone! Check our our Real Estate Website Services or feel free to schedule a call with Char to discuss your plan. If we can not help you then we will do our best to point you to someone we trust. And hey – make sure you follow us on Facebook to get more tips for Realtors!
Online Marketing Tips
We’ve been in the online website marketing business since 2004 and we love what we do! If you are looking for more tips, check out our How to Make a Google Business Page for your Company in 7 Easy Steps or How to Add a Business to Apple Maps (For FREE!): Step-by-Step Guide!
If you need some tips on how to go viral then check out my blog post on Unleashing the Power of Viral Marketing Campaigns: 7 Tips to Make Your Blog Posts Go Viral plus Strategies, Tools, and Examples. Need help with your websites SEO? Check out My 3 BEST Real Estate Website SEO & Lead Generation Tips.
YourSiteNeedsMe is a Real Estate Websites WordPress Designer for REALTORS and enjoys writing blog posts about hot topics and fun things to do.
YSNM vs. Our Competitors - Why Choose Us?IDXBroker Tip: When your listing photo isn't showing up on Facebook PreviewIDX = A Smarter, More Professional Way to Run Your Real Estate Business
Your website is more than a digital flyer—it’s your central hub for building relationships, giving your clients a better search experience, and generating new business. By using an IDX-integrated real estate website and sharing it effectively, you put yourself in a much stronger position to succeed long-term.
Interested in a new WordPress website? Find out why YourSiteNeedsMe has 100% 🌟 5 Star Reviews on Google! Give us a call or check out our $499 real estate website package today! Charra Hammett 734-323-1833 (Call or Text)
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