SEO for real estate agencies online: how to do it

You run a real estate agency. You want it to rank so it appears among Google's top results. Can it be done? Although SEO (search engine optimisation) is a well-known, on-trend process that delivers measurable results, knowing how to do it isn't simple. With real estate SEO, the result is more visits from people looking for a home in your area and, as a consequence, more sales. But how can we apply real estate SEO to create that impact? We'll walk you through it step by step.

The ABC of SEO

Perhaps you already know about SEO. Perhaps you've already tried to handle it yourself or, perhaps, you need feedback from a specialist to achieve lasting results. Whatever the case, there's an ABC of real estate SEO that works flawlessly when it's applied correctly. A guide that will help you rank your website, following logical, measurable steps that will, of course, deliver visible results:

1. SEO audit.
2. Phase 0: Technical implementations that are easy, quick and improve performance.
3. Phase 1: Actions that require prior research (identified in the audit as priorities).
4. Phase 2: Tracking, monitoring and implementing new actions, also set out in the audit.

If you're wondering what the audit involves, here's the answer: it's a dynamic process in which we work out which actions matter most for real estate SEO. Easy, right? The complication can come when actions turn up that weren't planned in the roadmap. That completely changes the list of priorities, which will need to be reassigned by a qualified SEO specialist.

The most important idea in real estate SEO is, without exception, to act logically. To get the organic results your business needs, you should first ask yourself what process to follow. Would you start by implementing your first SEO actions on something that already works? The answer is, without a doubt, no. First, you should look at the things that don't work, which are, of course, more urgent than anything else. The best approach? Start with a diagnosis that ranks actions by what they cost and what they can give you. The free website check gives you an instant first snapshot.

SEO: what you always have to look at

Although it's true that there's no fixed plan in real estate SEO, there are certain aspects we must always look at. A recurring example? Keyword research. For pure consistency, when this kind of study has to be carried out because it's been found that not every possible search intent is being covered, that will inevitably involve developing and implementing keyword research.

If we change or add new pages to our online property listings, the structure of the site may change (as it will most likely grow) and, because of that, content will then need to be added to each page with organic intent. In this case, the process the SEO specialist should follow is:

1. Keyword research.
2. Define the technical architecture and the information architecture.
3. Add content, not just text but also images and video, and implement an internal linking strategy.
4. Link building, although it isn't always necessary.

The key here is that we can't build an architecture without knowing which intents it should include or what content we should create. If we still can't define all the intents we're going to work on, or we don't know which ones our website needs, the sensible thing is to carry out that diagnosis first and only then touch the structure.

A list of SEO actions for real estate agencies

Can we follow a reliable checklist to carry out an SEO audit for real estate agencies? The answer is yes. Although real estate SEO has its own particular difficulties, following a list of actions can help us review the aspects we need to improve to optimise our website. This will help the buyer persona we've defined have a first-class experience when they land on our business and, as a direct consequence, increase sales.

• Content: Making sure your pages have relevant, high-quality content is a priority, both for users and for search engines. It's also important that the content is well written and well structured. Readability and ease of understanding matter a great deal in real estate SEO.
• Links: Earning quality links from other websites can significantly improve real estate SEO. Think of them as “votes” for your site: the more closely related the links pointing to your website are, the more relevant it becomes to search engines.

• Meta tags: Small pieces of HTML code placed in the “head” section of a web page. Which ones should you pay attention to? Mainly the “title” and the “description”. These are the tags that appear in search results, giving information about what the page contains.

• Keywords: Including relevant keywords in your site's content and in the meta tags is a very important step. It can help search engines understand what your site is about and show it to users who are looking for information on that topic.
• Loading speed: Make sure your site loads quickly. Search engines prioritise fast sites and may penalise those that load slowly.
• Mobile-friendly design: Searching on mobile devices is here to stay. Optimising real estate SEO means making sure your site displays and works properly on these devices. Search engines also prefer sites that are mobile-friendly.

• Security: Making sure your site is secure and uses the HTTPS protocol to protect users' information is a priority for real estate SEO. Search engines also prefer secure sites and may penalise those that aren't.

• Friendly URLs: Clear and easy to understand: that's all you need. URLs that contain relevant keywords can help improve real estate SEO.

• H1 and H2 tags: Used to give hierarchy and structure to your site's content. Use a single H1 per page, with its main topic, and an H2 for each section.

• Images and videos: Include relevant images and videos on your website and make sure you optimise them to improve SEO. Use “alt” tags to describe images, as well as titles and descriptions for videos.

• Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business): set up and complete your real estate agency's listing. This will let you appear in local search results and on Google Maps, optimising your real estate SEO.

• Google Analytics: Add the script to the <head> and use Google Analytics to measure your site's performance and learn about your visitors. This will help you identify the areas that need improvement and make informed decisions about how to improve your site's SEO.

The real estate agency of the future, optimised

Real estate SEO has to be dynamic, focusing on the key points that will generate business for the client. If your actions won't help you get more enquiries, don't prioritise them. If they won't bring in more sales, don't prioritise them either. It's important to define a real estate SEO strategy based on the business objectives you've set, so that it adapts to the optimisation priorities.

Although the steps to rank a real estate agency online are logical, the most technically demanding ones are those that take the most time and measurement. Getting results and putting your real estate agency at the top of Google is possible, but following a 360º marketing strategy that covers every aspect of your business is what will ensure lasting results. The real estate agency of the future starts with an innovative vision, and SEO is an essential part of the process.