by justsellhomes | Feb 12, 2020 | Uncategorized
The need for good real estate content in an online marketing strategy is important. Few do it but those who do reap the rewards. Most who are creating good real estate content know to avoid one thing.
Fluff. My biggest pet peeve.
The best digital marketing strategy is to provide no fluff. All you should do is provide value to your audience. Nothing extra inserted just to hit a certain length you read in a blog post was optimal. Whether it’s written, video, or audio just provide the most value you can with your content.
For example, some of our most popular videos on YouTube are over an hour long. That’s because it is valuable content.
This is the same strategy real estate agents should use when trying to create good real estate content.
That may mean some content is shorter than you think is appropriate and some is MUCH longer. I’ll make them as short or as I long as I need to ensure that everything I put out is focused on value above all else.
“The Most Valuable of All Talents is Never Using Two Words When One Will do” – Thomas Jefferson
It’s an old quote but very applicable today. You don’t need to hit a minimum number of words to be effective. From an SEO perspective, Google values good content above all. Algorithm changes will effect you a lot less if you’re focused on providing good real estate content.
A lot of gurus will say that peoples attention span is short now and you need to make content short. This isn’t true. While attention span may be short for a lot of things, people will consume good content.
Whether its a Netflix binge, an hour long discussion over beers about real estate marketing, or comedians in cars getting coffee. People will consume great long form content. Jerry Seinfeld had people turn down his web show specifically because he wanted it to be longer than the 3-5 minutes executives thought people would watch online.
He’s now made tens of millions because people watched good content.
So the real secret to good real estate content is to provide as much value as possible and then stop at whatever length that is.
by justsellhomes | Feb 8, 2020 | Uncategorized
I speak to real estate agents all the time and hear I bought this real estate website but haven’t generated any leads from it, it’s crap.
The truth is, the majority of real estate agents marketing online are at fault for their websites failure. They treat their website as if they got a seller to agree to list their home with them then never even put up a for sale sign on the lawn or put it on MLS.
You have to put together a strategy to actually generate business from your website. You can’t just buy a templated website and walk away.
So here are 3 basic ways to generate leads from your real estate website.
Lists of Homes for Sale
The consumer wants their life made easier through your real estate website. They have one goal, and that’s a house. Finding the right
one can be nerve wracking. So help them in their search. Offer to create a customize list of homes for sale that match their criteria. They sign up and get a specific list such as bungalows, fixer uppers, or homes with three car garages for example.
I would offer these on different pages of your real estate website. Do you have a blog post about ways that discusses a specific school? Add a popup form, which can be easily created through a tool like Leadpages, that offers homes for sale in that specific school district.
Make the list of homes specific to the content they are looking at during that specific moment. So when you’re going through your site and looking at a page, think about what type of list of homes would make the most sense to offer.
On top of that, make specific pages on your website for each of different types of homes for sale so they can start to rank on Google.
Pro Tip: When you deliver the homes, add some personal insight. Don’t just send them the listings like everyone else will. Add insight that proves your expertise.
Resource Guides
People are hungry for information and want to consume a lot of it. Especially when it comes to a huge purchase like real estate. So your real estate website should offer them information they can’t get anywhere else. Specialized knowledge especially offers great opportunity. So create resources on your website that offers to help people learn about very specific situations.
As an example, you have a potential client living abroad who wants to move to your area for work. How would they find you?
They are going to go on Google and search for information about the process of relocating to your area. Build some posts on your site explaining every part of the process from the beginning until they are living in their new home. Make it a one stop shop for the information they need. Then add in some downloadable resource guides they can download in exchange for their contact information.
You can do the same with first time buyers, first time sellers, seniors, investment properties, military relocations, etc… It’s a long list of specific situations and if you help them navigate the waters they are often willing to leave their contact information in exchange for these guides.
IDX Real Estate Website Plugin
The most competitive way right now to generate leads on a real estate website is with an IDX feed. By using IDX or DDF to have listing displayed on your website you can keep people on your site longer. As I mentioned earlier, ultimately most people are just looking for their next home, so why not provide it for them?
The odds of you ranking organically from your IDX feed is incredibly low. It’s really hard to compete against the the big brands and companies like Zillow on organic SEO.
So you’ll most likely need to pay for google ads that drive traffic. Then with forced registration you can capture their contact information. Without forced registration you won’t generate a consistent flow of leads from IDX but the leads you do generate will generally be higher quality.
Online there are a ton of ways to generate leads from your real estate website. These are three of the most simple to implement. The resource guides can take some time to build but once they’re built they can work for years. You’ll need some expertise to install the home search function but we recommend hiring a professional company to do that for you.
A big thing digital marketing for real estate is to continually test new ways to get more business. You never know which method will work until you’ve tried it. Sometimes its something you least expect.
When you’re visiting websites, look at what you like and what intrigued you, and think of ways you can implement all or parts of it yourself!
by justsellhomes | Oct 29, 2019 | General
For the sake of simplifying Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for real estate —and to take the edge off an otherwise intimidating task — we’ll liken your website to a cozy cabin in the woods.
You’ve converted said cabin into a bed and breakfast and now you need to fill it with customers (stay with me here). But much like the real estate industry, your badass B&B faces steep competition. Fortunately, you’re about to learn simple SEO principles that’ll kickstart your ranking quest and give you the edge over competitors.
So what exactly does Google look for in a high ranking website?
High Quality Content
Google has one goal for their users: To serve them the best possible answer to their search or ‘query‘. If your real estate website lacks quality content that people will find valuable, you’ll never be a blip on Google’s radar.
How can Google tell if people like your content? One determining factor is your bounce rate. If website visitors don’t see a reason to stick around, they’ll quickly bail — or “bounce” — signaling Google that your content wasn’t useful.
So if your B&B cabin was rundown and riddled with cockroaches, most sane people would u-turn and leave. I mean, if you saw a bunch of people running out, would you spend your money there?
Same concept.
💡The takeaway: Above all, focus on creating content that potential clients will find valuable. Keeping them engaged and coming back for more is key for successful real estate SEO.
High Quality Backlinks
After some reno love, your B&B cabin hits 5-star status. But just because you built it, doesn’t mean they’ll come. If you want people to come to your cabin, you need a boost.
Wait —what’s this? Oprah just raved about your hot new five-star B&B during Super Soul Sunday. You just hit the instant credibility jackpot. People start to flock.
In the other corner, Mr. Sketchy on the street is incoherently rambling about this ‘killer cabin in the woods.’ In this case, one might think meth shack over cozy cabin. Bottom line: No one is going —at least not the caliber of customer you’re shooting for.
That’s the idea behind backlinks —one of the most potent techniques to showcase your value to Google and drive traffic to your website. When another website links to yours, it validates the quality of your website to Google. But you don’t want just any website linking to yours. Untrustworthy websites with bad content won’t help.
💡Just a Tip: So how do you earn links from high end website in your niche? Make a list of 5 well respected, authoritative websites in your niche and pitch them with an idea for a guest blog post. In your article, weave in a link or two that directs traffic to relevant content on your site. Sidenote: Some sites don’t allow backlinks in guest posts so be sure to clear it with them first.
As a real estate pro, you know how powerful word of mouth can be. Why not leverage it online?
Keywords
When it comes to SEO for real estate, you’ll need to know the keywords you want to rank for. When someone searches specific words and terms in Google, these words signal Google that your content is a match.
For example, someone searches “Toronto Homes for Sale.” If your website doesn’t once mention “Toronto Homes for Sale,” Google won’t once mention you.
What are your potential clients searching for? Consult Google’s free keyword planner to figure it out. Be warned though, to rank for the top terms, competition is stiff. And rather pricey.
Companies like Zillow, RE/MAX, and Royal LePage spend a LOT of money to get their site ranking —more than you’d ever feasibly spend. So trying to outrank them for the keywords “homes for sale in Toronto” is a pipe dream.
So how do you compete with the big guys? Well. Your random “bed and breakfast cabin in the woods” search term won’t make the cut. But “bed and breakfast cabin in the woods for people with Chihuahua’s,” will surge your odds of ranking high.
Aim to start ranking for terms that those big sites don’t target. This means in-depth, specific and local.
Think of a buyer’s linear path —what’s the earliest you can hook them? For example, someone searching for “homes for sale” is already in house hunting mode and pretty late in the process.
You want to nab them information gathering mode.
Think of hot topic questions people might search. To illustrate, everyone was talking about bully offers a few years ago. So I created a blog post entitled “What is a bully offer?”. That post single handedly brought hundreds of people to my website every week.
Visitors will come to your website for something like that, and stay for the great information. That’s when you swoop in and start building relationships with them. By the time they’re ready to start looking for homes, it doesn’t matter if they end up on Zillow or Realtor.ca — you’re already working with them!
The more niche you can go the better, too. If you rank for “bungalows for sale in Leslieville with pools within walking distance of the 501 streetcar” you won’t have much competition. Those are long-tail keywords.
💡Just a tip: If you farm a specific neighbourhood, create an in-depth page on your website about every single street. Add a new street every week. Over time, any time someone Googles a street in your area, they’ll end up on your site.
Low volume but high value traffic!
Header Tags
Header tags are valuable for real estate SEO. They point Google to what’s important.
Think of headers as the ‘Turn Here‘ and ‘Exit here for 5 Star Bed and Breakfast Cabin’ highway signs that help people navigate to you.
Use header tags in an H1, H2, H3, etc. format to emphasize specific text. Your H1 tag should only be used once on a page to highlight the keyword you’re trying to rank for. H2, H3, and so on should highlight other pieces you want to emphasize.
Headers also improve your content’s readability. People skim blog posts online so using headers to break up the content into sections makes for a better reader experience overall.
Internal Links
While backlinks are important, so are internal links or links that connect to other pages on your website. They make it easy for Google to find more content on your site and better understand it’s structure.
As a top notch B&B, you provide each guest with a welcome packet that includes a list of on-site activities, available amenities and instructions on how to get to their room.
Internal links serve the same purpose —not only to guide Google but encourage your guests to spend more time on your site. The more time spent on your website, the more likely they are to do business with you.
Site Speed
Whether it’s SEO for real estate or a cabin in the woods, speed matters. You’re likely to get more business if your cabin is 10 minutes from the customer source versus 5 hours. The longer it takes to get there, the harder it will be to attract people.
The same goes for your website. The longer it takes to load, the less likely they are to use it or ever come back.
Large images, heavy graphics, or too many plugins can reduce your sites load time. The slower it is, the lower Google will want to rank your site in search results.
Mobile Responsiveness
Ninety percent or more of your traffic will likely come from a mobile device. That means if your site isn’t mobile friendly, your Google rank will plummet.
To milk the cabin analogy — because there’s nothing like beating a dead horse — if that area was a dead zone and people couldn’t use their phones, your customers would be miffed. Not having a mobile friendly website is a quick way to tank your traffic volume and your relationship with Google.
Now that we’ve unpacked your basic SEO elements, we’ll touch on some best practices.
What is White Hat & Black Hat SEO?
There’s a right way and a wrong way to do it SEO for real estate. Ever heard of the terms “white hat” or “black hat SEO?”
White hat SEO is the right way. It’s what Google wants. It’s optimizing your site to help Google learn where it should rank online. Black hat SEO —spoiler alert — is the opposite. It’s trying to game the system, find loopholes and exploit them.
It would be like putting up 1,000 open house signs all over town when town by-laws state only 4. They may work in the short term but will catch up with you. Google could de-list you entirely.
💡The takeaway: Do what it takes to please the Google Gods and play fair.
Getting Results From SEO
It’s worth mentioning that once you start creating great content and implementing SEO, it could take 6 months or more to start seeing measurable results. Sure, you won’t reap the rewards overnight. But keep it up. It’s worth it.
We’ve barely scratched the surface of SEO for Real Estate. It’s a complex and in depth practice with cutthroat competition. But this simplified guide is enough to help kickstart your ranking quest.
Tired of second guessing whether you’re doing SEO right? Or maybe you’re just getting started with digital marketing and need timely advice from pros while you implement…That’s what the Wheel House Elite is for.
by justsellhomes | May 12, 2019 | General
“A good real estate agent is equal parts marketer, negotiator, and magician.”
-Unknown
For the third straight year, Just Sell Homes is rallying the industry’s top performers, coaches and expert marketers to present you with powerful tools and needle-moving strategies that are working RIGHT NOW in real estate.
Agents and teams will glean key insights from industry experts like Jeff Lobb, Kathleen Black, Amy Youngren, David Greenspan, Mark McLean and BMREC Creator and Founder/CEO of Just Sell Homes, Andrew Fogliato. Our allstar panelists include Ara Mamourian, Kristina Clement-Wilton, Chuck Charlton, Shannon Smith, Chris Keleher and James Milonas. [More TBA so stay tuned!]
And Tim Hudak is back this year to relate where OREA sees the biggest opportunities and challenges in the year ahead. It’ll be one for the books!
Topics on Tap for Blue Mountain Real Estate Conference 2019
- How to Leverage Instagram
- The Online Strategies That Work
- Systems and Tools of Top Producers
- The Voice Revolution: Podcasts & Flash Briefings
- Partnering with a Mortgage Rep
- OREA update
And more to be announced!
Agenda
Day 1 – The “Unconference” – This optional mastermind day extends a rare and valuable opportunity to tackle the topics that personally impact your business the most. With an open agenda format, you’ll get practical solutions to any and all of your marketing challenges to help next-level your growth. (Seats are limited to 50 for this special one-day event so reserve your spot today>>.)
Day 2 – The Main Event – One value-packed day featuring engaging keynote presentations and panels from some of the brightest minds in real estate. The content focuses on various elements crucial to business growth —from lead generating social media marketing tactics to the systems and tools of top producers. Expect to absorb fresh, new ideas along with actionable info you can install right in your business. And for the third consecutive year, Just Sell Homes will proudly donate ticket proceeds to charity (TBA).
Networking Cocktail Kickoff
Your BMREC ticket doubles as your VIP pass to experience the charming village culture while expanding your network over a drink. Paul Hannan returns as legendary host of this year’s networking event happening on day 1, Tuesday July 9(location TBA).
We just wish Paul was actually looking forward to it…
Location, Location, Location
Blue Mountain, Ontario
Nestled between Collingwood and Thornburry, The Blue Mountains, ON is its own ecosystem of awesome with scenic views, unique attractions and a lively village. We’ll spend two days roughing it in the Village Conference Centre’s state of the art facilities overlooking the Georgian Bay.
Typical July temperatures range from 23-27 °C and the area is known for its adventurous accomodations like hiking, biking, caving, and climbing. Bleisure trip anyone?
Where to Stay
We joined forces with the town to offer quality rooms at stellar prices, from budget-friendly hotels to treat yo’self suites. Rooms are limited and going surprisingly fast so secure yours, like, now, if you haven’t already. [Note: Find the group code in your registration confirmation email].
💡Experienced Event Goer says: Opt to stay within walking/stumbling distance of the village and conference centre.
Market-dominating agents and teams, legendary coaches, and master marketers assemble under one roof to deliver a value-packed experience powerful enough to completely transform your business. We’re talking pipeline-packing lead generation strategies, winning systems and tools of top producers, and opportunities to cement meaningful (and profitable) relationships with a group of like-minded real estate pros.
And if hearing top agents spill their best business growth strategies and marketing secrets in a mountainous paradise isn’t your thing, go for the free food → Learn more about BMREC 2019>>
We’ll see you in The Blue Mountain!
