Easy Website Tips to Make Google Happy

Question: When prospective home buyers and sellers search online for listings in your area, does your website appear in search results?

How about when you Google your company's name? Do you come up on the first page?

(Go ahead, Google away. We'll wait.)

If you're not getting the search engine placement you want, you're not alone. While the algorithms that search engines use to determine search results change all the time, there are a few things you can do to make sure your website isn't actively working against itself.

Here are 5 website tips that will help you secure a higher ranking:

1. Go mobile-friendly or bust!

As of last April, Google made a huge change to its algorithm. Basically, for your website to even appear in search results when prospects search from a phone or tablet, your website has to be mobile-friendly.

2. Use words wisely.

Keywords, of course. The days of keyword-stuffing may be long gone, but you should still optimize different pages of your website for different keywords, so people looking for the information you offer will be able to find it.

One thing we like to suggest is to think of questions that buyers or sellers might Google. Then incorporate those questions into your web copy. Here are some other meta data tips to help you out.

3. Write for humans, not robots.

Quality information that website visitors actually find useful trumps boring content written for search engine robots every time. The more the writing on your website appeals to and provides value to readers, the more time they will spend on your pages. And the more likely they will be to share your site with others.

(Wouldn't you know it, those are both things that can help your site rank higher in search results!)

4. Update frequently.

Keep the content on your website fresh. Visitors don't like outdated content. Updating the content frequently also attracts search engines to index your web pages more frequently. One easy way to regularly add fresh content to your website is by maintaining a real estate blog.

5. Don't underestimate social media.

Your social media channels can appear prominently in search results, helping you take up more space on the first page. In addition to your website, your Facebook page, Pinterest profile or Twitter account might appear in results, showing prospects that you are a local authority and total marketing pro. Make sure all of these pages link back to your website!

To view the original article, visit the Point2Agent blog.