These days, people use the internet for just about everything – finding a date, ordering food, and shopping for real estate. People looking for a house overwhelmingly use the internet. About 90% of buyers shop for a home online during some part of their search process, and about 53% begin their search online, according to an in-depth report about consumer trends in real estate called “The Digital House Hunt,” sponsored by the National Association of Realtors and Google.

Making the most of the market and reaching buyers is vital for long-term success in any industry, and this is especially true for real estate companies. Real estate lead generation has always been fundamental for success, and in today’s digital world, understanding how to use search engines to generate leads online is the new way to thrive. Can advantageous use of SEO (search engine optimization) generate real estate leads? In short, yes. Here are some ways to do it.

Making SEO Work for You With Real Estate Lead Generation

The intelligent use of popular keywords in your content marketing helps you reach many interested buyers who otherwise might not know what you have to offer. However, while using the right keywords is an integral part of SEO, there are many more strategies to discover. Maximizing SEO potential for your business and acquiring leads online involves an array of practices specific to the real estate industry.

Focus on Generating Local Real Estate Leads

While house hunters may start their searches with wider terms such as “houses for sale,” the course of their searches will quickly become more specialized, homing in on specific cities and even neighborhoods. Therefore, to gain traffic, which can translate into leads, make a place for yourself in the local market through the careful use of area-specific references and keywords.

You may do business in multiple cities and areas, but focus on the main city first. For example, buyers looking for a new house or condominium in Burlington, VT, might search for “Burlington realtor.” There are multiple important local keyword phrases that can help drive traffic to your site.

• Burlington [any city] homes for sale
• Burlington [any city] real estate
• Burlington [any city] realtor
• Burlington [any city] real estate listings

Use locally focused keywords throughout your website. Incorporate them in page names as well as page content. For example, your webpage can be arranged to guide searchers easily through your local listings and provide useful, informative content that gives added value to your website for potential buyers.

• Burlington Homes for Sale
• Burlington Real Estate Comments
• Life in Burlington
• What To Do in Burlington
• Meet Your Burlington Realtor

Outsource Your Content Creation

If you are not sure about how to use keywords naturally throughout your website content, if you do not have a website at all, or if you need to completely rewrite it, consider hiring a dedicated content company such as BKA Content. Content marketing has become integral to success in today’s digital marketplace for large corporations and small start-ups alike.

Coming up with great marketing content takes time, especially because you need to post consistently to reap the benefits. According to eMarketer, about 60% of marketers generate at least one new piece of content every day. Writing strong content that makes a good impression on visitors takes experience and talent.

About 64% of B2B (business to business) marketers outsource content writing, according to TopRankBlog. Considering the massive advantages that powerful content can bring you, it makes good business sense to turn to an experienced content company, whether you need an entire website or a new blog post.

Use Blogs To Promote Sales

Speaking of blogs, if you do not have a blog for your real estate business or you only post sporadically, make blogging a content marketing priority now. According to HubSpot, about 82% of businesses that blog see positive ROI (return on investment) from this type of content marketing. Strong, well-written blogs serve you in multiple ways.

• Use blogs to help your business by incorporating strong keywords about homes you particularly want to sell. Use the addresses as keywords, and include them in features such as title tags, meta descriptions, headlines, photograph captions and file names, and content.
• Make your posts useful to customers. Answer their questions and provide practical information. Engage them by inviting them to comment. Get creative with formatting, experimenting with question-and-answer formats, video, and even music.

When you provide added value to potential buyers, you make a good impression on them, and they are more likely to remember you. The more you blog, the better your results are and the higher your ROI will be. Companies that see the most success from content marketing have a dedicated employee or department to handle this important responsibility. If you cannot hire someone in-house to do this for you, work with a content company that feels like an extension of your own business.

Make Your Site Mobile-Friendly

Today’s home buyers take their house searches with them wherever they go – restaurants, lines at stores, the gym – so be sure your website is mobile-friendly to have the best chance at real estate lead generation using online content marketing. According to “The Digital House Hunt,” about 89% of people shopping for a home used mobile devices during some part of their searches.

To make the most of SEO for generating real estate leads, ensure that your site is mobile so potential buyers can search your listings, read about you, and contact you easily when it is convenient for them. You still need great content that drives traffic to you, but you also need a user-friendly site that makes buying your listings almost an organic process.

Content Marketing That Brings Real Estate Lead Generation

Generating real estate leads online takes planning, work, time, and talent. Using today’s best SEO practices for your industry is vital for driving traffic to your site, but once potential buyers are there, you need to impress them with your knowledge and interest in helping them. You need strong, fresh, and consistent marketing content to hold audience attention.

After all, just because potential buyers visit your site does not mean they will stay long. Great content marketing is like a warm welcome. It encourages buyers to come in and “sit a spell.” The more time they spend on your site, the better your chances are of ultimately making a sale.

To ensure your website has content that makes the best possible impression, as well as specialized content such as fresh, creative blogs and great property descriptions, turn to a dedicated content company such as BKA Content. We make ordering fast, easy, and fun. Contact us to find out how we can help you with great content marketing that improves real estate lead generation online.