Talk about highly competitive industries, and you cannot keep the real estate out of the discussion. From big national conglomerates to solopreneurs trying to grow their venture, people are trying their best to get their business listed in the top 3 listings of Google and increase sales. The good thing with local SEO is that you don’t have to compete with businesses far from your location.
That does not mean the competition isn’t fierce. Local SEO allows you to optimize your listings better and get ahead of your competition. This is why it makes sense to know pro tips to optimize your website for local listings. Take a look.
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Optimize Your Website for Mobile
This means that your website should be responsive and reformat itself based on the device used to view it. It should also load quickly, as people are generally impatient when browsing on their phones. If you have a separate mobile site, Google may penalize you for having duplicate content.
Here is what you can do to ensure better mobile site optimization:
- Use large, easy-to-tap buttons: This will help the mobile user conveniently click on the button. For example, if they want to transact with your business, having a big, green “buy now” button on the checkout page will increase the conversion rate.
- Keep forms short: Long forms are a pain to fill out on mobile devices. If you absolutely need certain information, consider breaking the form up into multiple steps so it’s not daunting.
- Use large font sizes: Small font sizes are hard to read on mobile devices and lead to visitors dropping off your website.
- Use whitespace wherever needed: This will help break up the content and make it easier for the user to scan and read.
- Automatically resize images: Images too large will take up the entire screen on a mobile device and be frustrating for the user. Make sure your images are automatically resized, so they’re the appropriate size for the device being used. You can use plugins to resize images if your website is built on popular CMS platforms like WordPress and Shopify.
If you think optimizing your website for organic search (Web and Mobile) is overwhelming, consider connecting with experts like Stellar SEO. They can give you tips for getting links to your real estate site and help your brand gain more organic traffic.
Related Reading; 10 Local Business Marketing Strategies to Fuel Your Growth.
Claim and Optimize Your Google Business Profile
Google Business Profile is a free service offered by Google that allows businesses to manage their online information. This includes your business name, address, phone number, hours of operation, category, etc.
It’s important to claim and optimize your GBP because it helps you control how your business appears on Google Maps and in the local 3-pack (the top 3 results that appear for a given search).
To do this:
- Go to google.com/business and click “Start now.”
- Sign in with the Google account you want to be associated with your business.
- Enter your business name and address.
- Select or create a category for your business.
- Add additional information about your business.
- Upload photos of your business.
- Click “Finish.”
Once you’ve completed all the steps, your GBP listing will be created. You can then go back and add more information or make changes as needed. Be sure to keep your NAP (name, address, phone number) consistent across all platforms to avoid any confusion for Google.
Use Location Pages
Location pages are specifically dedicated to a certain city, neighborhood, or building. They help search engines understand where your business is located and what areas you serve.
Be sure to include the following on each location page:
- NAP: As mentioned before, include your name, address, and phone number on each page. You want to make it easy for people to find your business information.
- Location-specific keywords: Use relevant keywords in the title tags, meta descriptions, and throughout the content of each page. This will help search engines understand what each page is about and match it with relevant searches.
- Map embed: Include a map on each location page with your business marker pinpointed. This makes it easy for visitors to find your business on the map and get directions if needed.
- Photos: Add photos of your business, team, products, or services. People love visual content, and it helps give your website a more personal touch.
- Hours of operation: Include your business hours on each location page so people know when they can visit or contact you.
Optimize Your Website for Local Keywords
Local keywords are specific to a certain geographical area. For example, if you’re a plumber in Los Angeles, you would want to target keywords like “plumber in Los Angeles” or “Los Angeles plumbers.”
To find local keywords, you can use the Google Keyword Planner tool. Simply enter a seed keyword (like “plumber”), and Google will generate a list of related keywords, some of which will be local.
Here are a few places to add them:
- Page titles: The title of each page on your website should include a primary keyword and your city or region. For example, the title of this blog post is “10 Local SEO Strategies to Grow Your Real Estate Website”.
- Meta descriptions: The meta description is the short blurb that appears under each page title in the search results. Be sure to include your city or region in the meta description, so people know right away if your business is relevant to their search.
- Headings and subheadings: Use local keywords in your headings and subheadings to break up your content and make it easier to read. This is also a good opportunity to work on some long-tail keywords.
- Body content: Sprinkle local keywords throughout the body of your content, but don’t go overboard with it. A few strategically placed keywords will do the trick.
- URLs: Include local keywords in your URLs to give search engines an additional signal about the topic of each page.
- Images: Whenever you upload a photo to your website, be sure to include relevant keywords in the file name and alt text. This helps search engines understand what the image is about and how it relates to the rest of your content.
Final Word
SEO (along with Local SEO) is a long-term strategy, but it’s well worth the investment for any business, big or small. By following the tips above, you can get a leg up on your competition and start driving more traffic to your website.