Nowhere to be seen on Google? Want to feature above 'Bloggs & Co.
' On Yahoo? Want more business knocking on your door?This document is by far not a quick fix for getting a top spot on Google, the people who promise this sort of thing to you are thieves! Use this document as a checklist for formulating an online marketing strategy for your estate agency and be sure to try a few of the items, they're simple to carry out and you don't even have to be a nerd to do them! Step 1 - Have you told the main engines about your site? It amazes me just how many firms forget to tell search engines that they are there.
It's simple to do, just visit each of the engines below, type in 'submit URL' and follow the simple instructions to register your site with the top engines: Google yahoo dmoz Step 2 - Write 10 keywords/key phrases about your business.
Getting your keywords right is certainly one of the top three things to consider for your website.
Estate agency is hugely competitive and therefore if you want a decent ranking and to be found put some time into some careful thought.
In fact, keywords is probably the wrong term, think more along the lines of the sorts of 'key phrases' that your prospects would type in and list 10 of these for each page on your site.
Here's a simple example to consider: BAD - 'estate agents' GOOD - 'estate agents in Farnham' BAD - 'EPC' GOOD - 'energy performance certificates uk' The objective is to refine the sorts of phrases your potential clients would type in and thereby stand more chance of being found than the competition for that phrase...
simple! Here is a fantastic tool for assisting you decide on which key phrases to use wordtracker.
com .
Step 3 - Placing your key phrases in your website.
OK, so this part may require a little technical assistance, but I need to emphasise that this is not a huge job and any good web developer will know exactly what to do with your keywords and for little money.
Using your key words and phrases be sure to place them in the following places: PAGE TITLES - the description that appears in the top left when your web page appears.
HEADINGS - your key phrases should appear here as search engine spiders will be looking to these for search relevance CONTENT - Your key phrases should be carefully written within the content of your website without making it read without making sense.
Also, don't write an essay - 150 words is perfect! ALT TAGS - These are keywords that are associated with images and whilst are not that crucial to search engines, are still an added bonus for you.
TOP TIP - Always take a look at your competitors (who appear above you on search engines) keywords on their sites by simply going to their website, right clicking on the page and selecting 'view source'.
You will see a load of code appear and this is where you can review their keywords and phrases under the title 'META'.
Step 4 - Add a sitemap to your website.
When the likes of Google come along and take a look at your site the Robots want to understand the structure of your site simply and easily.
A site map does this for you! Very easy to add to your site and incredibly useful, they basically list every page on your site and link to them.
Step 5 - Bloggs are the future! FACT - Blogs are indeed the future of search engine optimisation! A blog is simply a 'diary or journal' which you can simply and easily add to.
Rich with content and keywords, these will ensure your website gets found over your competitors.
From an estate agents perspective they are hugely useful for building a loyal following in your area.
Use them for market intelligence in your area and marketing specific properties with a little bit of history (for example).
You can also make a few quid on the side from advertising! Be aware: They DO take time to manage and update BUT the rewards are tenfold when it comes to your search engine positioning.
Some fantastic property blog examples are: theratandmouse.
co.
uk/weblog blog.
overseaspropertyonline.
com/ propertyinvestmentproject.
co.
uk/blog/ Step 6 - Write an article and publish it here: goarticles articledashboard EzineArticles If you want to generate more traffic and start promoting your professional viewpoints when it comes to property then why not write an article about something you are passionate about and publish it for the general public to see.
Become a journalist! Once you have written and are happy with it, load it onto all three of the above article websites (above) and make sure there is a link to your website at the bottom of it.
This way you'll also be building links with content related to your business, something that's crucial for improving your positioning and page rank on the major search engines.
Step 7 - Links, links, LINKS!!! Step 6 hinted at the importance of links.
In search engine terms links are as important as location is to selling a property! Every marketing strategy today should have a link building strategy within it...
and simply put, the strategy should list how many links you intend to build per week and how you are going to build them.
Whilst this is probably the most time consuming element of search engine optimisation, you simply can't afford to leave this out if you want to move up the engines.
Google for example, see the links that point to your site and determines how important your site is then gives you a position to suit.
Quality of link is also crucial, look to try and exchange links with preferred suppliers in your industry and always get them to point to your home page! Whole volumes have been written about link building so I'm going to give you just a few ideas to get you started as to how to start building those crucial links: 1.
Offer free market advice on a regular basis to your local paper or magazine and make sure they publish it with a link to your site on their website.
2.
Set up a preferred suppliers page and contact all the local businesses related to, and who can add value to your offering - be choosy and always go for the one who comes recommended! You may get some reciprocal work out of it anyway! (e.
g.
storage companies, cleaners etc) 3.
Answer questions on Yahoo Answers related to buying or selling a house...
and add a link within your answer 4.
Find forums discussing the property market and make an intelligent comment and remember to post a link too 5.
There are hundreds of free directories out there to add your details on.
Never be duped into paying for a listing though! Step 8 - Website structure - how well can search engines read your site? Having a well built site is 70% of battle for a good listing.
If you have done your site on the cheap then don't expect someone who knows what they are doing as it's unlikely.
Also be aware of expensive sites, ask the web company how well their other sites have performed in the past and ask to see some examples.
If they show you a number of sites that really don't place anywhere decent on search engines (first pages) then move on to the next agency! Ensuring that the code behind the site is clean is a must! Google and the other engines send out robots which access your site and read its contents so as to list it on the engines for specific search categories.
The easier it is for them to read the greater the chance of a decent listing! Step 9 - Get your body copy right! Whilst it's important to optimise the main body content on the pages of your website, it still needs to make sense.
Remember that your 'human' customers are going to be reading this and deciding whether to call you...
not just a robot looking for keywords! Don't give away too much either.
Sell the benefits rather than the features on the home page - treat the home page text as an executive summary and simply summarise what you do and how well you do it.
When writing, always have in mind who your target audience is and make sure it talks their language and answers their prayers.
Finally, spur them on to want to keep reading through the site and make the decision easy for them to contact you.
As a guide, 150 words per page is perfect! Step 10 - Tell the World about YOU! So, you've followed all the above tips and got a site that blows all the whistles and rings all the bells! It's time to tell the world about why you are so good at what you do and why they should call you.
Don't just rely on the internet for driving web traffic to your site, use off line mediums too.
There are some fantastic new services out there that will help you no end.
Start with a simple PR campaign and work on some ideas for stories that will have journalists sitting up and reading.
Start with local journalists as they will be far more interested in knowing your 'local' news that perhaps a journalist from The Times.
You could also try sending a press release using: responsesource.
com - it will cost you £40 but you'll instantly get in front of thousands of journalists desperate for cutting edge news.
A fantastic service by all accounts.
Remember...
search engine optimisation never stops - the internet is a level playing field for all and it's those who invest time into their sites and keep abreast of changes concerning SEO who come out smiling...
and a lot wealthier!
' On Yahoo? Want more business knocking on your door?This document is by far not a quick fix for getting a top spot on Google, the people who promise this sort of thing to you are thieves! Use this document as a checklist for formulating an online marketing strategy for your estate agency and be sure to try a few of the items, they're simple to carry out and you don't even have to be a nerd to do them! Step 1 - Have you told the main engines about your site? It amazes me just how many firms forget to tell search engines that they are there.
It's simple to do, just visit each of the engines below, type in 'submit URL' and follow the simple instructions to register your site with the top engines: Google yahoo dmoz Step 2 - Write 10 keywords/key phrases about your business.
Getting your keywords right is certainly one of the top three things to consider for your website.
Estate agency is hugely competitive and therefore if you want a decent ranking and to be found put some time into some careful thought.
In fact, keywords is probably the wrong term, think more along the lines of the sorts of 'key phrases' that your prospects would type in and list 10 of these for each page on your site.
Here's a simple example to consider: BAD - 'estate agents' GOOD - 'estate agents in Farnham' BAD - 'EPC' GOOD - 'energy performance certificates uk' The objective is to refine the sorts of phrases your potential clients would type in and thereby stand more chance of being found than the competition for that phrase...
simple! Here is a fantastic tool for assisting you decide on which key phrases to use wordtracker.
com .
Step 3 - Placing your key phrases in your website.
OK, so this part may require a little technical assistance, but I need to emphasise that this is not a huge job and any good web developer will know exactly what to do with your keywords and for little money.
Using your key words and phrases be sure to place them in the following places: PAGE TITLES - the description that appears in the top left when your web page appears.
HEADINGS - your key phrases should appear here as search engine spiders will be looking to these for search relevance CONTENT - Your key phrases should be carefully written within the content of your website without making it read without making sense.
Also, don't write an essay - 150 words is perfect! ALT TAGS - These are keywords that are associated with images and whilst are not that crucial to search engines, are still an added bonus for you.
TOP TIP - Always take a look at your competitors (who appear above you on search engines) keywords on their sites by simply going to their website, right clicking on the page and selecting 'view source'.
You will see a load of code appear and this is where you can review their keywords and phrases under the title 'META'.
Step 4 - Add a sitemap to your website.
When the likes of Google come along and take a look at your site the Robots want to understand the structure of your site simply and easily.
A site map does this for you! Very easy to add to your site and incredibly useful, they basically list every page on your site and link to them.
Step 5 - Bloggs are the future! FACT - Blogs are indeed the future of search engine optimisation! A blog is simply a 'diary or journal' which you can simply and easily add to.
Rich with content and keywords, these will ensure your website gets found over your competitors.
From an estate agents perspective they are hugely useful for building a loyal following in your area.
Use them for market intelligence in your area and marketing specific properties with a little bit of history (for example).
You can also make a few quid on the side from advertising! Be aware: They DO take time to manage and update BUT the rewards are tenfold when it comes to your search engine positioning.
Some fantastic property blog examples are: theratandmouse.
co.
uk/weblog blog.
overseaspropertyonline.
com/ propertyinvestmentproject.
co.
uk/blog/ Step 6 - Write an article and publish it here: goarticles articledashboard EzineArticles If you want to generate more traffic and start promoting your professional viewpoints when it comes to property then why not write an article about something you are passionate about and publish it for the general public to see.
Become a journalist! Once you have written and are happy with it, load it onto all three of the above article websites (above) and make sure there is a link to your website at the bottom of it.
This way you'll also be building links with content related to your business, something that's crucial for improving your positioning and page rank on the major search engines.
Step 7 - Links, links, LINKS!!! Step 6 hinted at the importance of links.
In search engine terms links are as important as location is to selling a property! Every marketing strategy today should have a link building strategy within it...
and simply put, the strategy should list how many links you intend to build per week and how you are going to build them.
Whilst this is probably the most time consuming element of search engine optimisation, you simply can't afford to leave this out if you want to move up the engines.
Google for example, see the links that point to your site and determines how important your site is then gives you a position to suit.
Quality of link is also crucial, look to try and exchange links with preferred suppliers in your industry and always get them to point to your home page! Whole volumes have been written about link building so I'm going to give you just a few ideas to get you started as to how to start building those crucial links: 1.
Offer free market advice on a regular basis to your local paper or magazine and make sure they publish it with a link to your site on their website.
2.
Set up a preferred suppliers page and contact all the local businesses related to, and who can add value to your offering - be choosy and always go for the one who comes recommended! You may get some reciprocal work out of it anyway! (e.
g.
storage companies, cleaners etc) 3.
Answer questions on Yahoo Answers related to buying or selling a house...
and add a link within your answer 4.
Find forums discussing the property market and make an intelligent comment and remember to post a link too 5.
There are hundreds of free directories out there to add your details on.
Never be duped into paying for a listing though! Step 8 - Website structure - how well can search engines read your site? Having a well built site is 70% of battle for a good listing.
If you have done your site on the cheap then don't expect someone who knows what they are doing as it's unlikely.
Also be aware of expensive sites, ask the web company how well their other sites have performed in the past and ask to see some examples.
If they show you a number of sites that really don't place anywhere decent on search engines (first pages) then move on to the next agency! Ensuring that the code behind the site is clean is a must! Google and the other engines send out robots which access your site and read its contents so as to list it on the engines for specific search categories.
The easier it is for them to read the greater the chance of a decent listing! Step 9 - Get your body copy right! Whilst it's important to optimise the main body content on the pages of your website, it still needs to make sense.
Remember that your 'human' customers are going to be reading this and deciding whether to call you...
not just a robot looking for keywords! Don't give away too much either.
Sell the benefits rather than the features on the home page - treat the home page text as an executive summary and simply summarise what you do and how well you do it.
When writing, always have in mind who your target audience is and make sure it talks their language and answers their prayers.
Finally, spur them on to want to keep reading through the site and make the decision easy for them to contact you.
As a guide, 150 words per page is perfect! Step 10 - Tell the World about YOU! So, you've followed all the above tips and got a site that blows all the whistles and rings all the bells! It's time to tell the world about why you are so good at what you do and why they should call you.
Don't just rely on the internet for driving web traffic to your site, use off line mediums too.
There are some fantastic new services out there that will help you no end.
Start with a simple PR campaign and work on some ideas for stories that will have journalists sitting up and reading.
Start with local journalists as they will be far more interested in knowing your 'local' news that perhaps a journalist from The Times.
You could also try sending a press release using: responsesource.
com - it will cost you £40 but you'll instantly get in front of thousands of journalists desperate for cutting edge news.
A fantastic service by all accounts.
Remember...
search engine optimisation never stops - the internet is a level playing field for all and it's those who invest time into their sites and keep abreast of changes concerning SEO who come out smiling...
and a lot wealthier!
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