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5 Tips to Make Your Real Estate Website an Effective Selling Tool

by Katie Russell | Apr 30, 2019 | Blog, Content Marketing, Real Estate Marketing | 0 comments

Use your real estate website to boost engagement and drive sales. Here are five tips to start using your website as a selling tool in the sales process. 

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Highlights:

• In order to move visitors down the sales funnel, a brand’s website needs to be informative, visually pleasing, and functional. 
• Your brand strategy should drive the layout, design and content to make sure all elements of your website align. 
• A testimonial page on your website provides an opportunity for clients to talk about how satisfied they are with your properties, creating customer loyalty and increased brand trust. 

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Your real estate website can be a powerful tool in driving business growth. After all, it is the public face of your company. But the demands of digital marketing — social media, blog writing, video — can take center stage, leaving your website behind the scenes.  

Real estate marketers need to give websites the attention they deserve. After all, most of your digital marketing efforts are driving visitors to your site. What happens once prospects get to your real estate website is key to the buyer’s journey. In order to move visitors down the sales funnel, a brand’s website needs to be informative, visually pleasing, and functional. 

Here are 5 updates you should make to your company real estate website to help increase sales. 

1. Brand messaging

Your website might be beautiful, but it also needs to be valuable. What makes your property different from other properties? What makes your brand better than the competition? Make sure that your website accurately depicts your brand and what makes it unique. Your brand strategy should drive the layout, design and content to make sure all elements of your website align. 

2. Live chat

Did you know that 82% of consumers rate an “immediate” response as important or very important if they have a question? Live chat is one of the easiest ways to communicate with leads, in real time. The way prospects communicate with brands is changing. More and more leads want immediate responses and live chat gives brands an opportunity to deliver on their wants and needs. It’s also an effective way to capture contact information for visitor’s already poking around on your website.  

3. Video

The popularity of video sites, like YouTube and Vimeo, is just the starting point for capitalizing on your videos. If you’ve invested in a corporate video or even shot quick interviews in your office, start using them on your website. The brain processes visual information 60,000 times faster than text, so providing videos on your website helps your brand’s messaging resonate longer with visitors. A great example of a real estate brand utilizing video is Ditto. The homepage features a large video that is visually appealing and is a sure way to keep visitors on their site longer. 

4. Testimonials

Visitors to your website are learning about your real estate brand through your content (text and visual), but they may still be hesitant to put their trust in your hands. As a marketer, you know that customer testimonials are a great way to increase trust, so why not showcase your satisfied — dare I say — happy clients? A testimonial page on your website provides an opportunity for clients to talk about how satisfied they are with your properties, creating customer loyalty and increased brand trust. 

5. Measure

We talk a lot about the importance of a data-driven approach when it comes to measuring success. To grow your business strategically, you need to track your efforts, analyze successes and failures, and determine ROI. This holds true for all aspects of your digital marketing strategy, including your website. Use tools, like Google Analytics, to regularly track traffic and engagement. Determine which pages visitors are converting on and why and make sure to tweak pages that have a high exit rate. 

It’s no longer optional for businesses to have a website, it’s essential. Websites are a virtual profile of your brand and when used correctly can encourage action by prospects. Utilizing these tips will help boost engagement and drive sales through your real estate website site. 

Related posts: 

• 3 Ways to Boost Your Real Estate Marketing with Video 
• Video: How Content Marketing for Real Estate Can Help Sell Properties 
• 4 Types of Content Real Estate Marketers Need to Be Using 

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4 SEO Tips to Improve Your Real Estate Website Ranking

by Katie Russell | Mar 17, 2020 | Blog, Content Marketing, Real Estate Marketing | 0 comments

Search engines are constantly changing, but these 4 SEO tips will ensure marketers can improve their real estate website ranking. 

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Highlights:

• Google’s primary focus is delivering the most accurate information to meet user’s searches.
• You should start thinking about the major themes of your content (your property!) and then build posts and website pages to support them.
• Reviews are an easy (and free!) way to help boost your real estate website ranking.

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More and more marketers believe that SEO is dead. So much so that 210 people search “is SEO dead” every day. But we do not subscribe to this mentality. 

93% of all online experiences begin with a search. And why shouldn’t they? The internet is full of useful information. So there’s no reason that your website shouldn’t be at the top of the search results. But as the enormous amount of content being published daily continues to grow, it has become harder and harder to rank on search engines. 

Google’s algorithm to rank websites is constantly changing. And for good reason — people are changing, too. As the needs of users evolve, so does Google’s need to stay ahead of the curve. As the leading search engine in the world, Google’s primary focus is delivering the most accurate information to meet user’s searches. 

So how do you improve real estate website ranking? In other words, how do you get your real estate website, and more importantly, your properties, to the top of the search results page? How do you deliver accurate, informative content that Google deems worthy? Here are four tips to help boost your SEO ranking. 

4 SEO tips to improve your real estate website ranking 

1. Keyword research

People are now searching with a phrase or question rather than a single term. In response, search engine development has focused on natural language processing — meaning search engines now analyze phrases as a whole rather than a single keyword. That essentially means they evaluate a site’s content regarding an entire topic rather than its use of a particular word in order to deliver the best answers to users’ queries.  

To improve your SEO ranking, stop trying to rank for a small set of keywords. What’s important is broad visibility across a topic. You should start thinking about the major themes of your content (your property!) and then build posts and website pages to support them. 

2. Optimize for mobile

In 2019, mobile traffic accounted for more than half of internet traffic, and that percentage is growing. Google reported that more searches take place on mobile devices than on desktops. In response to this trend, Google’s algorithms rank mobile-friendly web pages higher in search results than desktop pages. 

93% of home buyers start their search online. And since we know mobile traffic is growing at a rapid pace, it’s imperative your website be optimized for mobile use. Some easy ways to optimize for mobile include: 

• Utilize website design specific to mobile  
• Make sure pages are high speed 
• Minimize pop ups 
• Don’t block CSS, JavaScript, or images 

3. Review management

90% of consumers read reviews before contacting a business and 72% of consumers will take action only after reading a positive review. If you’re trying to gain exposure for your property, start by using the positive reviews of other residents and clients.  

Late last year, Darren Shaw of Whitespark released the findings from his annual Google Local Rankings Survey. The survey found that reviews accounted for 15.44% of how Google ranks a local business.  

Missing an abundance of reviews? Just ask! If clients have expressed their appreciation for your services, don’t be afraid to ask them for a positive review on Google. These reviews are an easy (and free!) way to help boost your real estate website ranking. 

4. Video

We’ve been talking about the benefits of video for a while now. Having video on your landing page will robustly improve your SEO. Video increases conversion rates, improves bounce rates, and boosts overall time on sites. 

Search engines use bounce rates to rank pages — a low bounce rate and high user retention rate are indicators of strong content and high relevance to your perspective buyers. Consequently, Google is strongly emphasizing these metrics in its ranking algorithm. Video keeps users on your site better than just about anything else and is therefore one of the most effective ways to boost SEO. 

Need more tips to boost your real estate website ranking. We can help! In fact, we’d be happy to do it all for you.  

Related posts: 

• The Role of Social Media in Luxury Real Estate Marketing 
• 4 Real Estate Blogging Tools You Should be Using 
• Infographic: Statistics that Prove Why Your Real Estate Marketing Needs to Include a Blog 

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Using Content Marketing to Market and Sell Luxury Real Estate

by Jennifer Hart Yim | Jun 16, 2017 | Blog, Content Marketing, Real Estate Marketing, Social Media | 2 comments

Luxury real estate firms use content marketing and social media to carry the lifestyle brand they’ve built around their properties into the online world.

In real estate sales, you want people to find your properties, like what they see, and ultimately be moved to purchase. In other words, you want to attract visitors, convert visitors to leads, and convert leads to deals. Innovative luxury real estate firms are finding ways to leverage digital tools to guide more buyers down that path to purchase.

Without a doubt, luxury real estate buyers are a diverse bunch. “One day I have to know all about feng shui, and the next I have to be able to talk to a pig farmer from Iowa,” says one luxury real estate sales executive. “I’m like a chameleon.”

And luxury buyers are trending even more heterogeneous — both geographically and demographically. What’s more, they are more connected than ever before due to the proliferation of digital technologies that enable buyers and properties to connect with one another in new and different ways.

Digital marketing’s role in luxury real estate sales

It’s clear that technology is a strategic way for properties to get in front of more potential buyers. Moreover, it creates competitive opportunities for luxury real estate firms that are prepared to adapt to this new landscape.

Many luxury real estate firms are already using digital and social media to carry the lifestyle brand they’ve built around their properties into the online world. With the use of inbound or content marketing — think of it as the intersection of valuable content, social media, and lead generation — they are creating new virtual “touch points” to connect with affluent, hyper-connected luxury buyers.

What we know about luxury buyers is that they are likely to do purchasing research online. They are influenced by peers and their interactions with websites, mobile apps, and social networks. We also know that 93% of all online experiences begin with a search engine, and that 75% of searchers don’t move past the first page of search results. Through publishing relevant, quality content, content marketing gives luxury real estate marketers the tools needed to make certain their properties are being found online.

Social media and real estate

According to Sprout Social’s Consumer Engagement Index, which ranks industries by which ones receive the most engagement from customers on social media, the real estate industry is second overall in terms of inbound engagement relative to audience size. But how exactly, are real estate firms using content marketing to sell luxury properties?

The majority of real estate firms, through the use of social media and blogs, are seeking to draw visitors to a property’s website. Others are putting social media to use for functional purposes, such as communicating real-time updates to potential buyers about project timelines or changes in sales office hours.

Content marketing gets results

Of their recent content marketing efforts, the New York City-based Corcoran Real Estate Group says they have realized significant benefits. A spokesperson for the company says, “The main thing we’ve seen is that the quality of the referral traffic back into our main website has significantly improved. And not only are we seeing more traffic coming in, but visitors coming in from social media sites are staying longer and looking at more things — something we had also seen with search engines, but not in such large numbers.”

Corcoran isn’t alone in their use of emergent technology and social media strategy to ensure maximum exposure for their luxury properties. Long & Foster’s Luxury Homes e-magazine showcases luxury properties through an extensive online campaign targeting luxury clients. The online campaign drives traffic to the e-book and the website. Similarly, residential homebuilder Polygon Homes currently connects their available luxury properties to over 6,000 people through a multitude of social media platforms. The company’s social followers are linked to relevant articles, outside press coverage, and traditional marketing resources that serve to build on the lifestyle brand of each property.

Real estate firms are also recognizing value in blog content as way to attract visitors and nurture leads. For example, One Riverside Park, a New York City building with luxury condo units for sale, uses its blog to highlight not only their property, but also additional relevant information such as neighborhood amenities, seasonal local weather, and area restaurants.

Boston is experiencing a substantial upsurge in construction of high-end luxury residential units. And local real estate firms are using content marketing to sell those luxury units.

Seventy percent of the luxury units at the 60-story Millennium Tower under construction in Boston’s Downtown Crossing neighborhood have been sold. Millennium Partners, the firm responsible for the marketing and sales of the luxury units, has embraced content marketing as part of their overall marketing strategy. Millennium Tower’s Facebook page not only shares construction progress, sales information, and related press coverage, but neighborhood amenities, industry trends, and an array of visual content that’s more often than not shared widely by followers.

Building a data-driven strategy

Beyond increased prospect engagement and driving more traffic to their websites, other firms are using content marketing as a way to gauge market reception of traditional print marketing materials and the general perception of properties. Knowing what resonates online through focus group-like participation is valuable information that marketers are finding bolster their offline marketing efforts.

In that same vein, while real estate marketers are realizing value from creating and sharing content, they’re also recognizing the importance of analytics and measurement.

Real estate marketers are using content marketing metrics to determine what type of content is inspiring current customers and pulling in new leads. These firms are looking at how their online numbers compare daily, weekly, and monthly and planning content accordingly. Specifically, they’re monitoring measurements like page views, video views, document views, content downloads, and social conversations. They’re examining how sales are impacted by social media and digital content by tracking metrics such as referrals from Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest. Knowing all of these metrics allows for a more nimble real estate marketing strategy — one that’s able to rapidly adapt and engage potential buyers in real time.

Content marketing is a new approach to an old strategy — one that’s putting real estate marketers in charge of the way potential buyers interact with their properties.

These marketers are guiding prospects down the road of purchase through lead generation campaigns, capturing emails and other contact information through blog subscriptions and form completions for content downloads. They’re strengthening branding efforts for their properties by building robust online social communities and employing previously untapped sources of referrals. And real estate marketers who use content marketing are seeing their properties rank higher in search engine results pages, experiencing a steady increase in their website visitors, and increasing conversion rates of leads and sales.

Taking into consideration the changing demographics and increased digital connectedness of luxury real estate buyers, firms that seek to broaden the reach of their marketing efforts through new and emergent technologies will aggressively position themselves as strong competitors in an increasingly competitive luxury property market.

Related posts:

• Learn How Content Marketing Increased Real Estate Sales by 37% in 90 Days
• Real Estate Firm Grows Sales by 300% through Content Marketing

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Top 6 Effective Digital Marketing Strategies For 2019

by Katie Russell | Oct 22, 2019 | Blog, Content Marketing, Real Estate Marketing | 0 comments

As a real estate marketer, you want to be at a competitive advantage. To sell properties faster, here are six digital marketing strategies to get your properties in front of your competitors. 

When it comes to real estate marketing, the same concepts apply. Everybody wants to know what the competition is doing differently. To drive sales, you have to look at your performance and make changes where necessary.  

The trick is to look at key performance indicators (KPIs) such as website traffic, conversion rate, market share growth, purchaser rate, and social media engagement as benchmarks to measure your progress. But there is more to real estate digital marketing than just looking at your website traffic. 

Here are six of the top digital approaches that work for real estate. 

1. Optimize your website 

As of July 2019, there are 4.33 billion active internet users, most of whom come from the United States. This means almost everyone, including those searching for luxury developments, is using the internet to do research and find properties to purchase. Therefore, the importance of having a professional website cannot be emphasized enough. In fact, many luxury real estate firms are using digital media to show their properties online. 

Recent data from the National Association of Realtors backs this up: 

• 90% of real estate firms have websites to show their property listings.  
• Over 50% of home buyers looked online for properties in 2018 

With the traditional real estate market increasing its online presence, optimizing your website is crucial to get ahead of the competition and reach more potential buyers. The result? More sales. 

2. Be easy to reach 

With a professional and well-optimized website, users will want to reach you. Make sure you include all your contacts on social media pages, website, and emails. Your contact information should remain consistent whether it’s on a business card or social media accounts — you’d be surprised how often this is not the case! 

3. Have a video marketing campaign 

Of all the digital formats, videos have the highest engagement rate, making video marketing one of the most effective digital marketing strategies to showcase your services, increase brand awareness, and lower cost per lead.  

Videos on Twitter get an average of more than six retweets, while Facebook users view 100 million hours of video content daily. Video content can drive organic search traffic by 157%.  

4. Start blogging 

Do you want more prospective visitors to your website? Then start a blog or breathe new life into that dormant one on your site. A business blog is an essential and inexpensive marketing tool for driving traffic to your web pages and improving search engine ranking.  

However, did you know only 44% of people update their blogs, yet there are over 329 million monthly readers? So, while other companies are relying on traditional marketing strategies, you can capitalize on this competitive advantage and use a blog to provide value to customers and build trust. 

5. Use social media as part of your digital marketing strategy 

You need to be where your prospects are. That means you need to build a strong presence on social media platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and many others. The easiest way to promote your brand is to through your social media account. According to Forbes, having a LinkedIn company page increases brand awareness and helps to promote your services to potential clients. With over 500 million users, LinkedIn is also the most effective social media platform for securing professional audience engagement. You can also use all the other social media accounts to communicate with your followers and boost your online presence directly. 

6. Optimize for local SEO 

Even after optimizing your website to reach a broad audience, you should also focus on local traffic. A targeted approach allows those looking for properties nearby — let’s say in Boston or surrounding areas — to get the luxury development listings that match their needs and goals. Use Google Analytics to find out if locals are visiting your site and add your company to local directories. Other ways to optimize for local SEO is to use a local number, encourage customers to leave reviews, and having geo-targeted content. 

As of 2019, there are more options to market real estate business than ever. Whichever digital marketing strategy you prefer, you should be branching out and using the most effective ones for your business. Remember, your real estate digital marketing goals should be tailored to maximize your visibility online, bring in new businesses, and keep you ahead of the competition. 

Related posts:

• Real Estate Marketing Leads: 4 Myths (and How to Disprove Them)
• DIY Digital Marketing Strategy for Real Estate in Four Easy Steps
• Developing Your Real Estate Brand with Video Marketing

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What are Google Sitelinks and Why Real Estate Marketers Need to Know About Them

by Elizabeth Hines | Aug 21, 2018 | Blog, Content Marketing, Real Estate Marketing | 0 comments

Google sitelinks boost a website’s visibility and credibility, and they help users get right to what they’re looking for. Here’s what real estate marketers need to know about them.

Do you ever wonder if visitors to your website are going right to what they’re looking for? For example, if a potential buyer does a google search for properties in your area, will he or she be taken directly to listings, or need to navigate through your website first?

This is where Google sitelinks come in. These links are shortcuts, or a table of contents, designed to help users navigate to the right part of your website quickly, rather than needing to load the homepage first. Here’s why real estate marketers need to know about Google sitelinks, and how they can help market your properties.

How do they work?

If you frequent Google (and who doesn’t?), it’s likely that you’ve seen sitelinks in action. Typically, if a site is the #1 search result from a query, sitelinks will appear below the listing. To create the links, Google’s algorithm analyzes your website’s structure and content. It finds the most popular and useful content, and lists it as shortcuts below the search result.

These shortcuts “deep link” to pages within your site, like your blog, pages for specific properties, other content offers, etc. If you use Google AdWords, you’ll recognize sitelinks as very similar to the links that appear in ads—but in this case, Google chooses what links get featured.

What’s so great about Google sitelinks?

There are all kinds of benefits if you can manage to get sitelinks to appear when your website pops up in a search. In fact, having sitelinks is an excellent indicator of a website with a healthy SEO. It means that your site is properly constructed to allow Google’s algorithm to mine and sort its content thoroughly, and feature key components.

Sitelinks help to increase the chances of your most effective pages getting more visibility. Since the algorithm that sets up the table of contents for your website factors in popularity, the content on your site that has historically performed best will continue to get a boost. In the same vein, having those most effective pages be your web calling card instantly lets your audience know what you have to offer. Sitelinks helps put an emphasis on your premium content and properties.

As you might guess, Google sitelinks can significantly improve your click-through rate. Again, since your most popular pages end up front and center, there’s a greater chance that searchers will click them right away. You also get a free enhancement of your credibility, just from the fact that with sitelinks, your site takes up more space among search results, drawing the eye.

How can I get sitelinks?

Since there aren’t any official guidelines from Google on how to get sitelinks, we need to extrapolate some best practices. Here are five tips to get you started:

• Sign up for Google Analytics, and be sure to add their tracking code to your website.
• Is your Site Title unique and descriptive? Make sure it accurately reflects your business and properties, and that no one else is using it.
• Create a unique and descriptive Meta Description for each piece of content.
• Organize your main navigation menu—keep it simple. Keep your most important pages featured as the menu items, with related pages in dropdowns.
• Create cross links to and from your website’s most important pages.

Related posts:

• How to Measure Social Media ROI with Google Analytics for Real Estate
• Paid Digital Advertising: A Beginner’s Guide for Real Estate Marketers
• Learn How Content Marketing Increased Real Estate Sales by 37% in 90 Days