Search Engine Marketing Blog: piloSEO

Local real estate sites have a hard time competing in the SERPs

Being involved in the real estate industry I am keenly aware of the problems that many local real estate sites have competing against the national brands and the likes of Zillow and Trulia. Of course it is going to be difficult to beat the big guys on terms like real estate and homes for sale but the local sites should be able to outrank the big sites on their local keywords. Keywords like Nutley Real Estate, Toledo Real Estate, etc should be dominated by the local real estate sites. Searchers are looking for sites focused on their local area and the local realtors have the detailed knowledge of that locale. So why do searchers have to trudge through the big national sites to get what they want instead of finding their local realtors on the first page of a web search?

Why do the local real estate sites have such a hard time competing?

Many realtors believe that they have no chance against the big national brands, Zillow, and Trulia for their locally focused keywords but the fact is they could very easily move up to the top of the SERPs. The reasons they don’t compete well are varied but much of the problem is within their control. I spend a lot of time visiting real estate sites and I continue to be surprised at how behind the times many are. Now I understand that most realtors do not have the time to stay on top of SEO trends but most would be surprised at how many more leads they would get if they put some time or money into optimizing their sites.

What is wrong with local real estate sites and how can they be improved?

• Template Sites: Now there is nothing inherently wrong with using a template site in general although some of the real estate sites are just beyond repair. The problem is using the template site and not customizing it at all. All of these sites have the same pages, links, content, etc. There is no real discernible difference and when most of your competitors are using almost duplicate content none of you are going to compete against the big guys.
  • How to Improve: You can use the template site but customize it as much as possible. Use different pages, update your internal links using proper anchor text, don’t join in on the link farms that many of these template sites have built in, and add unique locally specific content. Don’t just add listings. Add information about the local area. Include information about parks, neighborhood highlights, restaurants, local amenities, etc. Make yourself stand out as a top resource for your local area.

Why can’t this site rank well. I exchanged links with hundreds of other sites?

• Reciprocal Links: This goes back to the template site issue. Many of the template sites sold to realtors include terrible reciprocal linking in the template. They are all part of a reciprocal linking scheme. Not only are there link pages full of irrelevant links many of the template sites include a bunch of image links right on the front page. Again, this situation is duplicated across many real estate sites. On top of that too many realtors are stuck in the belief that the best way to get links is to trade them with every other site willing to do so. Not only are the front pages loaded with link exchanges many sites also include multiple link exchange pages which contain links to sites that are in no way related to real estate. Earlier this year these link exchanges were penalized and a number of real estate sites were pushed down in Google and removed by Yahoo for engaging in link farms.
  • How to Improve: Get rid of the link exchanges and stop seeking reciprocal links. Reciprocal links are fine as long as they are not making up your entire link profile, you are linking to relevant sites, and the links are useful to your users. Linking to some realtors who you have relationships with or a near your local area is great for users as is linking to sites offering related services like mortgage lenders, inspectors, etc. Linking to every real estate agent in the US or a casino site is not natural, does not benefit users, and will raise a red flag to the search engines. Especially when they link back to you.

My keyword meta-tag is full of my main keyword but I still don’t rank for it.

• Bad SEO: I suppose the first two points qualify as bad SEO but things can get much worse. I see too many real estate sites using outdated spammy tactics that have not worked in a long time (if they ever actually worked at all). Many of these tactics may have worked in the past but they were spammy then and are detected right away by the engines now. Some of the common bad SEO techniques I see are ridiculous keyword stuffing, loads and loads of repeated keywords in the meta and title tags, and hidden text. The problem is that many realtors are getting advice from the template site sellers or others who know what SEO means but really don’t know anything about it. These people can talk the talk but they don’t know what they are talking about.
  • How to Improve: Learn about SEO. At least learn enough to make an educated decision when hiring an SEO professional to work on your site. Quality SEO comes at a substantial cost but competent SEO work will pay you back big time in terms of leads and clients. If you are going to spend a considerable sum of money you should at least have a basic understanding about what you will be getting. There are a lot of great resources to learn about SEO and some of the best are included in my blogroll. There are many others besides what I have provided so do some research and check multiple sources to make sure you are getting good advice. There are a few things to avoid such as.
    • Avoid companies that offer submissions to search engines
    • Avoid anyone who guarantees a top ranking
    • Avoid companies that say that they have a huge network of sites that will link to you.
    • Be wary of an SEO that claim you will not need to make any changes to your site.

GET A BLOG!!!!

• You Need to Blog: Finally, if you don’t have a blog get one but make sure you add a blog to your site. Having a third party blog is OK but you will miss out on a lot of the benefits blogs provide if you don’t have the blog under your main URL. Blogging is a great way to add unique and compelling content and interact with your community. You can blog about homes for sale in your area, upcoming events, provide advice to buyers/sellers, or just about anything you want. With a blog you also get the added bonus of feedback from potential clients and fellow realtors. With a blog you enable yourself to stand out from the competition and provide something that the big sites don’t have and that is your extensive knowledge of your local area. Utilize that knowledge and become a resource for real estate information in your community.

Local Real Estate Sites can compete if they do things the right way.

Just because the big national sites have more money does not mean that local real estate sites can’t compete. The local sites just need to leverage their local knowledge forget everything they know about SEO. Take the time to do some research, at least enough to make an informed SEO hiring decision, get your site cleaned up, add a blog, and give the users what they want. Do that and you will be on your way to capturing quality leads from those users who are looking for your expertise and experience.

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