It's hard to deny that the giant real estate portals are doing more than simply holding their own when it comes to branding and attracting Web traffic to their sites. They attract the lion's share of real estate traffic, and typically have bigger advertising budgets and deeper pockets for building brand awareness than the typical real estate firm. But there's at least one area where brokers and their agents have an advantage—if they choose to seize it: local content.

Brokers and agents know their local communities far better than portals ever can, and need to communicate that knowledge via strong content strategies that will bring customers to their sites, keep them coming back, and — most importantly — convert them into customers.

Keeping it Fresh and Local

You know your neighborhood. The portals, on the other hand, are trying to cover every neighborhood, and typically lack the local expertise to do this effectively.

"We've seen agents and brokers stand apart from portals in this. The more they update their content through blog posts, Facebook or tweets, it will drive consumers back to look at what's new. Someone that's curating an agent site at a local level can provide more specific info," says Andy Woolley, vice president at Homes.com.

But, creating effective content isn't a "one and done" prospect, in which you create it and leave it for perpetuity. It needs to stay fresh.

"It requires constantly updating [your content], refreshing it, reflecting your branding," says Curt Beardsley, vice president of customer and industry relations at realtor.com®.

Rigor about listing data accuracy is especially critical, since this is, of course, the key content that brings customers to REALTORS® sites. "When information comes directly from the MLS, accuracy is not an issue, but IDX rules allow data to be three days old," notes Beardsley. "In this day and age, that doesn't cut it."

In addition to keeping content fresh, it also needs to be right for your site and the customers you want to attract. "REALTORS® need to find a way to share appropriate content with their clients and prospective clients in such a way that showcases their unique value proposition. Just reposting content with no connection to the agent may not be best for the agent or consumer," advises Gary Scott, president of Long & Foster Real Estate.

Social media is a great place to assert your expertise in a particular community, build trust and confidence, and establish connections with potential customers. If there is a Facebook page dedicated to your community or niche, join it and get active," suggests Beardsley. "If there isn't one, start one. Set it up as a content source, not an advertising site, in which community participants can learn about you as a broker based on their experience of your participation in the site."

Marty Frame, president of Realtors Property Resource®, also encourages REALTORS® to be involved as leaders in their local communities and to generate content based on this premise. "If you've got something to say about the community, say it. Keep it local and relevant, but spare me the recipes for pie, packing tips or instructions on how to get a mortgage. That basic content 101 is ubiquitous," he says.

Who Has the Time?

Keeping content fresh requires updating it frequently. "The challenge for agents and brokers is to find the time to write all that content and do it well," says Woolley. "It takes a certain skill set to be able to write content. Not every agent is great at that."

For those that are pressed for time or not so inclined, there are a number of services available to help through sites such as Homes.com and realtor.com®, among many others. These services will write custom articles, blog posts or tweets, or enable agents to customize the portals' mobile apps with their own branding, so agents can spend their time showing properties and negotiating deals.

"There are so many options and third parties providing consumers with content," says Frame. "A key differentiator is your ability as a practitioner to interpret the data in a way that provides meaning to consumers."

Optimizing for Search Engines

One area that baffles many REALTORS® is website optimization. The good news is that the same approach that will engage would-be buyers will attract the attention of search engines — community information at the neighborhood level.

"Content-rich pages about specific neighborhoods/communities are both useful for potential buyers and attract traffic from the search engines," says Saul Klein, principal at Point2. "Content can include specific things like history of the neighborhood, education, health care, transportation, entertainment opportunities, etc. This can be used with a great degree of success, since big portals are not able to provide accurate, personalized information at neighborhood level."

Optimizing for search engines isn't about gaming the system, but about providing clues to search engines that your site is highly relevant for users who want particular information, and enabling them to rank your site accordingly.

Scott advises REALTORS® to focus on the relevant keywords that best describe themselves and the markets they do business in. "There's no real silver bullet here. Describe who you are and where you do business making sure the keywords you focus on (like buyers, sellers and the hyper local areas you focus on) are consistently showcased and repetitive." Scott also notes that a simple, descriptive URL and appropriately tagged video content can help.

Other differentiators when it comes to optimizing for search engines include more detailed listing information that is unique from what is available in the syndicated listings, and a detailed "contact us" page that includes your address, zip code, telephone number, etc.

SEO Best Practices

• Every page on a site should have a title (not to exceed 70 characters). Titles ideally should include your brand name, location and the most effective keywords that buyers would use to find your site.
• Every page should have a meta-description (not to exceed 155 characters) that offers more insight into what the page is about. This appears in the search results as a snippet. Be sure to include the brand name, relevant information about the page, your targeted keyword and your location.
• Don't overlook local profiles, since these help SEO rankings. Google+ Local, Bing Places and Yahoo Local are three must-haves.
• Local reviews are important. Encourage satisfied customers to review your business on Google+ Local, review-specific sites such as Yelp, or other business review sites.

What's Your Home Really Worth?

Automated valuation estimators based on properties sold in the area, such as Zillow's Zestimate, which is shown on all active listings, are popular among customers, even though the values are notoriously inaccurate, and often cause headaches for REALTORS® when buyers or sellers take these unreliable numbers too seriously.

It's worth noting that sites have different policies about these tools. For example, realtor.com® only provides values for off-market properties, not active listings or those sold within six months. Trulia doesn't show valuations on active properties, but shows them immediately when they go off market.

Woolley says, "Does it frustrate agents? Yes it does. But the better agents have figured out how to leverage these automated valuations to their benefit. The correct approach is to explain that it's an automated valuation based on information available over the last year, and offer to provide more accurate and current valuation through a full market analysis."

Scott agrees. "Most consumers realize that electronic valuation tools aren't really that accurate and certainly won't entirely trust that type of tool in a transaction as significant as a home purchase or sale. In many cases, these tools actually validate the need for a real estate professional to showcase their market knowledge."

Klein encourages all REALTORS® to bring the automated valuation data to all listing presentations, since buyers clearly have them. "Take the Zestimates with you, and be prepared to substantiate or debunk it based on data from the MLS, which you know is superior. You can easily turn the tables, because as a member of the MLS, you have access to more timely, accurate valuation data."

The Bottom Line

At the end of the day, your content strategy is to create engagement with the goal of converting leads. So don't overlook the most important part: providing conversion mechanisms, such as a phone number, a link to your email or a contact form. Ultimately, brokers need to continue to prove their value to consumers, and content strategy is a critical part of building engagement and staying in touch with customers, so that they look to you for all things real estate. The goal is that when they're ready to buy or sell, they will think of your firm first.

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