Create a Hyper-local Real Estate Blog & Get More Leads

Rank Higher in Search & Get More Traffic

Ok, are you ready for the “duh” remark of the year?

Real estate is local.

Sure, it’s a well-known fact, but reading through some agents’ websites and blog posts, it seems as if many in the industry have forgotten this fact.

If you hope to compete against the “big guns” to reach the first page of Google, you need to get hyper-local. And, we happen to have three easy tips to get you started.

 Help out your SEO with local titles

We recently read an article about SEO on a website that sells IDX sites to agents. The author suggested teasing your blog posts on your homepage – adding snippets of several to get folks to hop over to your blog to read more.

Good suggestion. The example he showed, however, included titles such as “When is the right time to sell?” and “6 tips for first-time homebuyers.”

Really? Not only are neither of these titles compelling, they lack a local focus. At the very least the agent should have included the name of her town in the titles: “When is the right time to sell your Anytown condo?” “6 tips for first-time homebuyers in Anytown.”

Don’t just toss out national statistics

Here’s an example of a recent post we read on an agent’s site about spring home maintenance.

“This time of year tends to have more rainfall than any other season. Did you know that for every one-inch of rainfall on a 1,000 square foot roof, you will collect 600 gallons of water? That is why so many homeowners across the U.S. have chosen to install rain barrels to take advantage of this great resource and use it for their landscaping.”

Although there’s some great information in this post, the agent has blown the perfect opportunity to stand out by offering hyper-local information. There is nothing in that passage that speaks to the reader who lives in this guy’s market.

Don’t just grab and use national statistics; take some extra time to localize them to your area. For example, the aforementioned agent works in the Rochester, NY area. He would serve his readers so much better had he taken an additional five minutes to research his local area’s rainfall average.

We did, and we learned that Rochester gets about 11.5 inches of rain each spring, on average. So, the new and improved section would read:

“Get ready to take advantage of those spring showers. Did you know that every 1-inch of rainfall on a 1,000 square-foot roof results in 600 gallons of water? Here in Rochester, with our average 11.5 inches of rain in the spring, that means you could collect 6,900 gallons of water each spring.

Smart homeowners across Rochester are realizing this and installing rain barrels to tap into this amazing, free resource to use on their landscaping. You can purchase your barrels at Joe’s Hardware (123 Main St.), Home Depot (3000 No Name Ave.) and even online at Amazon.com.”

Not only did we localize the statistics, but we added local places to buy the rain barrels. His readers won’t find that information on Zillow.

Photos matter too

The occasional stock image on your site is fine, but when it’s completely filled with them, and little local photography, your site becomes anonymous. Even if you take the photos yourself, use as many easily-identified landmarks as possible.

Then, ensure that the images are optimized with ALT attributes for local search. Describe what the image is and “include relevant keywords,” suggests Shane Barker at BrightLocal.

“For local SEO, you should include the city/locality/region you’re targeting when creating the ALT attributes,” he continues. Here’s an example of what Barker is referring to:

img alt=”Anytown Mulberry Hill Homes for Sale”

Just as real estate is local, so goes search, at least if you hope to rank in the search engines. The more local you get on your site, the better your chances.

Another way to serve the traffic landing on your Blog is to offer a Free Report such as, “5 Facts That Drive a Successful Home Sale”  in exchange for their email address.

Order this Report today so you have some on hand for open houses, listing presentations and more.

Stand out from the crowd and show them YOU’RE the expert!

Need help targeting the perfect niche of buyers or sellers? Use our mailing list tool to create the ideal list (it’s easy) or call our support team for assistance at 866.405.3638!

PLUS: When you have time…here are 2 free ways we can help you CRUSH IT in 2018!

1.  The 12 Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Plan.

The Real Estate Marketing Planner is a powerful 12-Month-Guide that strategically defines what marketing to do when. Four key market segments are included, Niche Marketing, Listing Inventory, Geographic Farming, and Sphere of Influence – Click Here

2. The Free Online ROI Calculator. 

Consistency and automation are the keys to success. Discover how effective direct mail marketing can dramatically increase your bottom line. Enter your statistics in our Free online ROI Calculator and click the ‘CALCULATE MY ROI’ button to see your results instantly! – Click Here

Also…check out these cool tools 

Three Click Postcards – Just snap a home photo & create a postcard all from your mobile phone

MLSmailings.com – Automated Just Listed, Just Sold Postcards

Market Dominator System – Become a neighborhood brand

Want to Refer a friend or colleague? Refer them, Here. THEY get a Free $25 Gift Card and YOU become their hero (BTW, you also get a $25 Gift Card too, now that’s what I’m talking about)!