For years marketers have told real estate agents that they must establish “themselves” and get their “names” known. While in an era of local markets and no internet this was good, sound advice. But what about now? What about in an internet era? What about in a time when over 90% of home buyers are searching the internet before ever contacting an agent?
In the world of internet and technology agents are facing a harsh reality. With over 90% of home buyers using the internet first for their searches many real estate agents are finding that marketing efforts of the past are no longer working today.
real estate SEO and branding now have to merge into one strategic marketing package. The internet is garnering more traffic then ever before and more home buyers are using it to conduct their searches. What good is all the branding for yourself if over 90% of the home searchers don't know you and won't know you until they hit your website.
Your website now becomes the first contact with potential clients, so the branding has to change from you the agent to you the website. Agents need to conduct SEO or search engine optimization for their websites. This real estate SEO effort will pay off in the end with a portion of those 90% searchers doing their searching on your website. They will visit your website and leave their contact information without even seeing your face, talking with you, or hearing your sales pitch. This is the new way of branding.
You don't need to stop branding yourself, but you do need to know where and how to do this effectively. Branding yourself should be done locally where you can build relationships with businesses and consumers. Establishing yourself with the local community can bring huge dividends to those in your area seeking a “local” expert. Everyone still loves the idea of doing business with a handshake and a smile. There is something “Mayberry” about this and brings warm fuzzies to both parties.
The internet is different. There is no “Mayberry” with the internet. The World Wide Web is vast and fast paced and your website has to capture those seven (7) second visits or the consumer is off to visit someone else. It makes no sense to brand “yourself” on the internet. No one is typing in your name in the search engines to find homes in your area. Nobody knows you, and most internet searchers like this anonymity. For the internet, make your website a place of authority, easy searches, and great local information. This makes people want to stay on your website and look around. Once they look around a while they will find your contact information.
The world is changing fast and real estate SEO and branding has got to change with it. Put yourself in the internet searchers shoes and you should have a good idea of how to build your website presence.
Lee West is the owner of WestBridge Solutions, which supplies SEO services to the real estate industry. With nearly ten years of web design and marketing, Lee brings to the table a solid marketing strategy and a wealth of information for those agents needing search engine optimization for their websites. If you would like Lee to talk with you about your real estate SEO needs please contact us at WestBridge Solutions
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