We all know how important search engine optimisation (SEO) is for businesses large and small. But if you’re an independent estate agency or small regional chain, how do you make sure your SEO strategy captures that essential hyper-local market where your new customers are to be found?
The answer lies in improving your local SEO. And the good news is that there are plenty of organic (unpaid) ways to optimise your content so your agency ranks well locally – whether on the main Google results page, via Google Maps or on the ‘Local Pack’ of businesses in the area.
While many of the techniques you’ll need for improving your local SEO are standard practice – focussing on keywords, boosting your backlinks and improving your pages’ load speed – it’s important to note that Google does work differently where local results are concerned, prioritising different criteria when ranking content.
Local SEO for estate agents is about making sure Google understands where your business is based as well as what you do and that you are trustworthy and well-regarded. This may be a little different to standard SEO where the relevance of your business to the search term and the strength of your site take precedence.
With that in mind we look at a few specific ways of boosting your local SEO.
1. Think local when planning keywords
While there’s a lot more to SEO, than keywords alone, this fundamental part of search is still important. For local SEO, think strategically about which keywords people are using when they want to find a local estate agent.
There are plenty of paid tools to help you refine your list – Semrush, for example. There are free applications you can use too – something as simple as Google Autocomplete can give you a good list of results. To use this method, type a search term into Google – ‘Best estate agents in x town’ for example. Google will give you a list of suggested search terms based on what people are commonly asking.
Google Keyword Planner is another free option which allows you to type in your competitors’ website URLs and receive keyword suggestions.”
Google Keyword Planner is another free option which allows you to type in your competitors’ website URLs and receive keyword suggestions as well as search data for those terms.
2. Get on top of your Google Business Profile
We’ve written whole articles on the value of this often-neglected free space from Google that can really impact on your company’s visibility – especially locally.
Not only is it important to have a comprehensive and professional Google Business Profile, you need to regularly update it to make sure all the information is accurate and relevant and that your images are fresh and appealing. You can also post to your Google Business Profile with your news, events and offers – in the same way as any other social media channel.
3. Maximise the power of reviews
Good reviews on Google are an important part of your profile – with those all-important star ratings helping you stand out on the Local Pack. Encourage happy customers to review you on Google as well as other platforms such as Trustpilot. Show how engaged you are by responding to all reviews – replying to points raised or just thanking contributors. Make it easy for people to leave reviews by including widgets on your website or making up business cards featuring QR codes.
4. Boost your citations
Citations are mentions of your name, address and phone number on other sites, such as business directories like Yelp. They are useful because Google may use them to verify your business is a genuine one. Make sure you are entered in business directories for your area and for the real estate sector. Also check that information about you is accurate and displayed consistently across directories.
5. Don’t ignore standard SEO practice
Remember, you still need to get your SEO right for each page you publish. This means including local keyword terms in your page title, meta descriptions, image alt tags etc. Include relevant internal links to help users travel around the page. You should also seek backlinks to your site. Do this by reaching out to non-competitor businesses to share mutual content, positioning yourself as a media spokesperson on the local market or supporting community events.
6. Monitor the success of your local SEO strategy
Finally, once you’ve boosted your local SEO and seen the rankings for your business improve, there’s no resting on your laurels. Your rankings can change so you need regular monitoring to help your strategy evolve – by refining your keywords, improving your page SEO and honing your business profile.
Need help with SEO? Contact us at Art Division.
