Saturday, September 7, 2024

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    Using keywords has gotten technical. Gone are the days when “real estate agent in [your city]” could help you capture interest. Nowadays, it is more important to cast a smaller net, niche down your keywords, and find those folks who intend on transacting soon. Enter keyword intent. 

    What Is Keyword Intent?

    As you know, keywords are the words and phrases people type into search engines like Google.  However, not all keywords are created equal. Keyword intent is about understanding the reason behind a search query.

    Why is someone searching with that specific term? This is the intent. And it gives you something to aim for to provide them the answer.

    There are three main types of keyword intent:

    1. Informational Intent
    2. Navigational Intent
    3. Transactional Intent 

    Understanding these different types helps you know what your potential clients are really looking for. How to use keyword intent in your real estate business So, how do you put this into practice? Let’s break it down.

    1. Identify the searcher’s intent

    First, figure out what kind of intent matches your target keywords. Are people looking for information, trying to navigate to a site, or ready to take action?

    Here’s a quick way to identify intent: The pros at SEMRush.com offer a great example of the differences between the three types of keywords/keyword phrases:

    • Informational keywords are search queries used by people who want to learn something . . .
    • Navigational: Searchers want to find a specific site or page 
    • Transactional: Searchers want to complete an action (e.g., make a purchase)”

    The Content Card Series is shown above. To learn more, Click Here.

    1. Create targeted content

    It’s pretty safe to say that most real estate agents who are trying to generate leads will need to target the transactional searcher. These are the ones ready to take action soon. But don’t disregard the other two types of content.

    • Informational Content: Write blog posts, guides, and how-to articles that answer common questions. Example: “10 Tips for First-Time Home Buyers.” Or sellers.
    • Navigational Content: Use your brand name and specific services to guide users to the right place. Example: “Visit [Your Real Estate Company] for Lakefront Property Listings.”
    • Transactional Content: Focus on listings, service pages, and calls to action. Make it easy for potential clients to take the next step. Example: “Browse Homes for Sale in [Your City].” 
    •  
    1. Optimize Your Website

    Make sure your website is optimized for the keywords you choose. Use them in your page titles, headers, and meta descriptions. This helps search engines understand your content and match it with the right search intent.

    1. Use in your advertising and marketing

    When creating online ads, match your keywords with the right intent. For instance, if you’re targeting transactional intent, use strong calls to action like “Contact Us Today” or “Schedule a Viewing of this Gorgeous Home in [name of town].”

    1. Monitor and adjust, as needed

    Keep an eye on how your content performs. Use tools like Google Analytics to see which keywords are bringing in traffic and what kind of engagement they’re getting. Adjust your strategy based on what works best.

    Bringing it all together

    Understanding keyword intent isn’t just a fancy marketing term; it’s a powerful tool to help you connect with the right clients at the right time.  And that “right time” is when they’ve decided that it’s time to buy or sell. 


    When you have time…below are some marketing tools to help support your success.

    1. Put Your Real Estate Business a Step Above with Your Own Branded Magazin

    Homes & Life Magazine is a customizable magazine with rich, full-color content and a sharp, professional aesthetic. It includes compelling, direct, response-driven articles written by real estate industry experts and engaging lifestyle content. Send out Homes & Life Magazine in Just Minutes – No Minimums Required. Or we’ll ship it to you. Homes & Life Magazine is the ultimate “Coffee Table Lingerer”! …and it costs less than sending a greeting card!Click Here

     

    2. The Free 6-Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Planner

    The Real Estate Marketing Planner is a powerful 6-Month Guide that strategically defines what marketing to do and when. Four key market segments include niche Markets, geographic farming, sphere of influence, and past clients. – Click Here

    3. The Free Online Real Estate Business Plan

    The Real Estate Business Plan allows you to enter your business goals for the year and get a breakdown of how many prospects, listings, closings, and so on are needed to reach your financial goals.   – Click Here

    4. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook 

    This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Become-A-Listing-Legend-3D-Book-White-274x300.jpg

    Ready to take a vertical leap in your real estate career? If you’re looking for inspiration…and the tools and methods to dominate a market and go to the top in real estate…you’ll find them in this free book. – Click Here


     

      As promised, here’s part two of our walk-through on how to find a real estate website builder that builds websites that convert…

      Do their websites convert?

      Remember: “… simple designs have higher conversion rates.” 

      And, again, the home page should be the simplest of all. 

      We know how tempting it is for agents to tell visitors right off the bat that they’re the best agents on the planet and why. 

      But leave that for the About page. Consider using your best, short testimonial instead.

      Understand what’s important to your visitors and jettison the rest, again, at least on the site’s homepage. You can’t convert visitors who leave the second they land on your site.

      So, what’s important to them? Here are the no-brainers:

      • Buyers are looking for an agent, listings, and knowledge about the buying and mortgage process.
      • Sellers are looking for an agent and knowledge about the selling process. They, too, may be looking at listings to find their next home.

      They want to find this information easily, so don’t make them guess where it is on your site.

      Do they have the ability to attract organic search engine traffic?

      So, how do you turn your website into an even bigger lead-generating monster? Start by performing small changes to several pages on your site.

      Localize blog posts as much as possible. It only takes minutes to add local search terms. Here’s an example from a recent post about appraisal problems in hot markets:

      Fiery real estate markets such as what we’re experiencing are a dream come true for sellers unless prices are rising so fast that the market can’t keep up.

      Stick the name of your market in that post to boost its SEO value.

      Fiery real estate markets such as what we’re experiencing here in Vallejo

      For even more value, link the name of the city to its page on your site. These types of links are called “internal linking” and each of your blog posts should contain at least one. 

      “… using the right internal linking strategy can boost your SEO.” Learn more about internal linking and how you can use it to boost your site’s visibility in organic searches at Yoast.com.

      Then, work on your neighborhood pages by adding local photos.

      Right about now you’re wondering “What happened to help me find the right real estate website builder?” 

      Regardless of the real estate website company you choose, your site will need to be localized. 

      Does the website builder get you through the entire process?

      Compare vendors on whether or not they offer the “goodies” to help make your workday easier:

      • Template-based pages that make adding and deleting information a snap
      • Help to build landing pages
      • CRM integration that will help you convert website visitors into leads
      • A slew of apps to help with everything from lead capture and management to boosting SEO and increasing website traffic.

      The best real estate agent website maximizes an agent’s brand and optimizes his or her online activities with one simple goal in mind: To help you get more leads, sell more houses, and improve your professional and personal brand.


      When you have time…below are some marketing tools to help support your success.

      1. Put Your Real Estate Business a Step Above with Your Own Branded Magazin

      Homes & Life Magazine is a customizable magazine with rich, full-color content and a sharp, professional aesthetic. It includes compelling, direct, response-driven articles written by real estate industry experts and engaging lifestyle content. Send out Homes & Life Magazine in Just Minutes – No Minimums Required. Or we’ll ship it to you. Homes & Life Magazine is the ultimate “Coffee Table Lingerer”! …and it costs less than sending a greeting card!Click Here

      2. The Free 6-Month Done-For-You Strategic Marketing Planner

      The Real Estate Marketing Planner is a powerful 6-Month Guide that strategically defines what marketing to do and when. Four key market segments include niche Markets, geographic farming, sphere of influence, and past clients. – Click Here

      3. The Free Online Real Estate Business Plan

      The Real Estate Business Plan allows you to enter your business goals for the year and get a breakdown of how many prospects, listings, closings, and so on are needed to reach your financial goals.   – Click Here

      4. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook 

      This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Become-A-Listing-Legend-3D-Book-White-274x300.jpg

      Ready to take a vertical leap in your real estate career? If you’re looking for inspiration…and the tools and methods to dominate a market and go to the top in real estate…you’ll find them in this free book. – Click Here


        The three most important pages on a real estate agent’s website:

        • Home page
        • Testimonial page
        • Agent (and team) bios

        You can add an IDX page to that list if you’re a buyers’ agent. 

        Today, however, we’re going to take a look at agent bios and the do’s and don’ts when writing yours.

        The importance of your agent bio
        Personal Brochure, see more here.

        “Your bio page is where you can build rapport with your potential customers if done right—something that can be difficult if you’re not face-to-face with them,” according to Daryl Johnson, founder of Frontier Marketing.

        And doubly difficult if the two of you are total strangers. 

        The purpose of your bio is to connect with you not as a salesperson but as a human being. It’s a tall order but critical if you hope to earn their trust enough to pick up the phone and call you.

        If writing your bio is easy, you’re doing it wrong

        Perhaps one of the biggest mistakes agents make when composing their bios is to use other agent bios as a template of sorts.

        If what you hope for is to appear like every other agent in town, use that strategy. 

        If not, the initial steps to writing your bio should include:
        • Knowing your audience 
        • Knowing yourself 

        Research performed by crm.com.au found that websites that stand “… out from the crowd in favorable ways used tactics that helped them appear authentic and transparent.

        Those tactics included:

        • Using real photographs, not stock
        • Offering various ways to get in touch with you
        • Storytelling
        • Showcasing testimonials from previous clients

        “People favor companies that showcase themselves as being customer-focused, human, and easy to understand,” they concluded. And, we might add, they do so without being overtly salesy.

        Most of all, an agent’s bio should help the reader feel like they’ve gotten to know you better and should give them a clearer understanding of how you attend to your client’s needs.


        PLUS: When you have time…below are some marketing tools to help support your success.

        1. Put Your Real Estate Business a Step Above with Your Own Branded Magazine

        Homes & Life Magazine is a customizable magazine with rich, full-color content and a sharp, professional aesthetic. It includes compelling, direct response-driven articles written by real estate industry experts combined with engaging lifestyle content. Send out Homes & Life Magazine in Just Minutes – No Minimums Required. Or we’ll ship it to you.

        Homes & Life Magazine is the ultimate “Coffee Table Lingerer”! …and it costs less than sending a greeting card!Click Here


        2. The Free 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 and when. Four key market segments include niche Markets, geographic farming, sphere of influence, and past clients. – Click Here

        3. The BusinessBase, SOI building system

        The most effective thing you can do to build a real estate business is to become more visible, more likable, and remembered more often. The BusinessBASE™ not only checks all of these boxes but is also a business-building machine. In two easy steps, you can begin to build a robust sphere of influence that will provide you a lifetime of repeat business and referrals. – Click Here

        4. The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan

        The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan allows you to enter your business goals for this year and get a breakdown of how many prospects, listings, closing, and so on are needed to reach your goals.  – Click Here

        5. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook 

        This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Become-A-Listing-Legend-3D-Book-White-274x300.jpg

        Ready to take a vertical leap in your real estate career? If you’re looking for inspiration…and the tools and methods to dominate a market and go to the top in real estate…you’ll find them in this free book. – Click Here

        6. The Take a Listing Today Podcast

        Watch the ProspectsPLUS!, Take a Listing Today Podcast for actionable content to help you get more listings. – Click Here


          Finding the time in a busy schedule to sit at a keyboard and pound out blog posts isn’t an easy task. If you’re looking for leads, however, building organic search traffic for your website is an integral part of a well-rounded lead-gen strategy.

          The best way to build this traffic is by blogging and promoting the posts, consistently.

          The best real estate agent blogs offer something for everyone. Yes, this includes buyers and sellers, but also those readers interested in home décor, gardening, DIY projects, and more. 

          Let’s go fishing for topic ideas.

          Internet sources you may not have thought about

          Answering common real estate consumer questions is a good place to start when making a list of blog topics. You know the basics, such as “Should I sell my home before buying another?,” “What renovations should I make before selling?” and “What credit score do I need to buy a home?”

          Sure, these are common questions and, yes, they should be answered. But there are so many other topics that real estate consumers may find interesting.


          The Farm, Animals I Series is shown above. To see more, Click Here.


          Check out the Porchlight section at Zillow.com. They haven’t updated the section in about two years but there are so many posts there you’ll have no trouble finding evergreen stuff to help inspire you:

          • Interviewing Real Estate Agents: Best Questions to Ask Listing Agents
          • How to Reduce the Stress of Selling a Home
          • What Is Escrow?
          • How much is a down payment for a house?

          You’ll find more ways to get your creative juices flowing at Redfin.com:

          • How to Avoid a Delayed Closing
          • How Much Does it Cost to Stage a House?
          • How to Calculate the Square Footage of a House
          • 4 Low-Cost Remodels That Increase Home Value

          Find additional topic ideas at magazine.realtor, Better Homes & Gardens Real Estate, and realtor.com.

          Online shopping for blog topics

          Love it or hate it, Amazon.com seems to offer something for every shopper. Including you. But what you’ll be looking for won’t cost you a penny.

          When seeking consumers’ pain points so that you can help solve them, you can’t go wrong with Amazon’s best-selling products list.

          For instance, right now, the second-best-selling product in the Home and Kitchen category is liquid ant bait. How about a blog post for the homeowners in your CRM on how to get rid of ants?

          Get hyper-local

          Even real estate buyers and sellers enjoy local content. It’s also one of the best ways to build organic traffic.

          If your city boasts a regional magazine, head straight to its website to mine for topic ideas. For example, Austin, Texas is home to Austin Monthly magazine. Here’s a sample of some articles that would make excellent hyper-local blog fodder:

          • 15 Free Things to Do in Austin this April
          • Austin’s Top Doctors for Kids 2022
          • Five Essential Gardening Shops in Austin

          Hyper-local blog posts, most of all, make you appear to be connected to and knowledgeable about the community you serve.

          Ok, you’ve found some topic ideas. You’ve written and published your blog posts. Don’t skip the last step: push those posts out on social media, linking back to your website.


          PLUS: When you have time…below are some marketing tools to help support your success.

          1. Put Your Real Estate Business a Step Above with Your Own Branded Magazine

          Homes & Life Magazine is a customizable magazine, with rich, full-color content, and a sharp, professional esthetic. It includes compelling, direct response-driven articles written by real estate industry experts, combined with engaging lifestyle content. Send out Homes & Life Magazine in Just Minutes – No Minimums Required. Or we’ll ship it to you.

          Homes & Life Magazine is the ultimate “Coffee Table Lingerer”! …and, it costs less than sending a greeting card!Click Here


          2. The Free 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 Markets, geographic farming, sphere of influence, and past clients. – Click Here

          3. The BusinessBase, SOI building system

          The most effective thing you can do to build a real estate business is to become more visible, more likable, and remembered more often. The BusinessBASE™ not only checks all of these boxes, but it is a business building machine. In two easy steps, you can begin to build a robust sphere of influence that will provide you a lifetime of repeat business and referrals. – Click Here

          4. The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan

          The Free Interactive Real Estate Business Plan allows you to enter your business goals for this year and get a breakdown of how many prospects, listings, closing, and so on are needed to reach your goals.  – Click Here

          5. The Become a Listing Legend Free eBook 

          This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Become-A-Listing-Legend-3D-Book-White-274x300.jpg

          Ready to take a vertical leap in your real estate career? If you’re looking for inspiration…and the tools and methods to dominate a market and go to the top in real estate…you’ll find them in this free book. – Click Here

          6. The Take a Listing Today Podcast

          Watch the ProspectsPLUS!, Take a Listing Today Podcast for actionable content to help you get more listings. – Click Here