Why Every Real Estate Website Needs SEO

Imagine building the biggest, most impressive house you can think of, and then choosing to plop it down in the middle of nowhere. This is a house that any buyer would fall head over heels for, except that it's located far from any roads, with lost hikers and woodland creatures the only foot traffic for miles.

Building a beautiful, functional real estate website and skipping search engine optimization (SEO) is like building that impressive home in the middle of nowhere. No matter how much valuable content and inspired design your website contains, it can't benefit your business unless people know how to find it.

Real Estate Marketing Must-Haves: SEO for Real Estate Websites

Even if you're new to SEO for real estate, you probably have a pretty good idea of how valuable search engines are for finding what you need, when you need it. When you need directions, want to find something fun to do, or wish to research a neighborhood, where do you go first?

If you answered Google, then you're on the right track. Real estate clients search for homes, agencies, and REALTORS® the same way, so SEO is really a way to help your target audience find you. Earning a consistent position on the first page of search results is one of the best ways to grow your real estate business online.

SEO Helps You Outshine the Competition Where It Matters Most

Online marketing in the real estate industry is very competitive—just like this industry as a whole. The reason why landing on the first page is so important is that most search engine users don't click past the first page of results. They start from the top of the first page, work their way down, and click the most promising links until they find one that answers their needs.

Once your website consistently ranks in the first page of the search results, your goal changes to ranking as high on the first page as possible. And when you move up the rankings, your competition has to move down to make room.

Local SEO Helps Clients Find You, No Matter Where They Are

Savvy home buyers research neighborhoods extensively when they are shopping for homes online, and search engines are a huge part of the research process. Tailoring your real estate content for local SEO makes it easier for clients to find information about the neighborhoods where you do business, even if they currently live across the country. Local SEO for real estate also allows you to focus on the local competition, rather than worrying about outranking agencies that don't do business in your area.

SEO Is a Must for a Mobile-Friendly Website

Real estate buyers and sellers are very goal-oriented, and will devote any spare moments they can to finding the right match. That makes mobile browsing especially important for real estate websites, because you want them to land on your listings whenever they pull their phone out for a few minutes of research.

A responsive or mobile-first website is a must, but SEO is also a crucial ingredient for drawing that all-important mobile traffic to your website. Ranking on the first page takes time, but the results are more than worth the effort.

To view the original article, visit the Delta Media Group blog.