3 Tips to Generate More Website Traffic

Being on the first page of search results when someone searches for homes in your area is one of the best ways to get more leads. And as you're probably aware, you get to the first page by implementing and continually working on your search engine optimization (SEO).

In a recent webinar, SEO expert and VP of Marketing for Boostability Kelly Shelton shared his best suggestions to help real estate professionals generate better results online. Find our favorite tips below, then watch the recorded webinar for even more ideas.

1. Add your business to online maps.

Claim your business through companies like Google My Business and Bing Places. Doing so ensures you show up on map results when someone searches for real estate in your area.

Optimize your account to attract more buyers and sellers:

• Write a business description.
• Select the right business category.
• Include as many photos as possible.
• Complete your profile.
• Get local reviews.
• Audit your social sites and websites to make sure you have the same contact info on each.

2. Optimize your website for search engines.

Make sure search engines can recognize the great content you have by properly labeling it. According to Shelton, "Every page on your website should have a title and description relevant to the information on that page. This is how Google ranks pages." If you don't know how to add titles, tags, and meta descriptions to your website, consider taking advantage of online tutorials, or just hire someone to do it for you.

You can also optimize your website's SEO with the following methods:

• Schema markup: This is a process your web manager can use to add additional coding to your website, making it easier for search engines to find.
• Page content: Make sure your information is useful and detailed. Longer content is typically better for SEO.
• Images: It's not enough to have images. They need to be optimized with keywords and an "alt-image" tag on each one.

3. Create interest in your brand.

To improve your lead generation, try to get people talking about your brand. However, there's only so much buzz you can create around a listing or an open house, so trying other, supplementary interest-generating strategies is advisable.

Some methods you can try include:

• Link building: Make sure your website is regarded as trustworthy by people and search engines. This starts by making sure your website is registered on legitimate sources like Bing Profile, Google My Business, Yelp, and Homes.com. Other things you can do include sponsoring a sports team or arts program in exchange for a link from a trusted site.
• Press releases: Share newsworthy events happening around you or your business. Sharing these as news releases can help you get the attention of journalists and others who will want to know more.
• Guest posts: Find other influencers in your area who have run a blog and exchange posts with them so that some of the blogs you write are posted to their blog with links to your website. This will help you reach a new audience and boost your credibility with search engines. Don't forget to have the other blogger write content for your blog as well!

Find these tips and many more in Shelton's full webinar, available for free here.

To view the original article, visit the Homes.com blog.