SEO in the Time of Pandemic

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Why do we need SEO? Is it relevant to our business? The answer is yes, 80% of all Internet users find new web pages through search engines every day, especially now, in these hard times, when everybody turned to Google to find service providers, product delivery, online advice or to simply browse the news.

So it’s extremely important for your company to consider Search Engine Optimisation. Just having online presence alone just doesn’t cut it anymore.

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Search Engine Optimisation

If your company has a precise business goal and you know who you want to target, then, here at 4Property we can help you work out a business concept which suits your needs.

Remember, getting people to talk about your company on Twitter or Facebook can also maximize your SEO concept.

Blogging

Many Irish estate agents have taken up blogging due to its effective results and ease to use.

We are assuming you already have a blog. So, how to generate more leads through your blog?

We recommend the following actions:

Make the agent’s phone number visible by putting it as the header of the article, thus drawing your readers attention and providing a call to action. A call to action will assist you in converting a lead to a sale.

Place a text box at the top of each page that allows readers to ask questions. This will encourage conversation and nurture your leads. Including a chat option within your blog will affirm this.

All of these strategies are used to achieve a common goal — to produce more real estate leads through your website.

Call to action/commenting/live chat:

Making the phone number more prominent is self-explanatory. It doesn’t require much discussion. If your contact information is easier to spot, people will be more inclined to use it.

The commenting feature generates real estate leads through the blog by encouraging readers to ask questions and give opinions about something they are reading.

Your lead is real time and your readers are the most most curious and likely to close. Live interaction with clients and customers will advance your lead within the sales funnel, as once they leave your site they are less likely to follow up with you regarding any questions.

Your live web chats will eventually turn into a business relationships and is an effective way to get more online real estate leads.

Live chat can help you breathe life into your website. Instead of sending an email and waiting for a response, people can click the chat button and have a dialogue with a live person.

Results: More Real Estate Leads

By adopting the recommendations above you can double the inbound leads you receive via your website. Not only are you providing real  time customer support and clear call to actions, you are creating fresh web content frequently. This fact alone will increase your Google ranking and make your website more accessible to your potential clients.

Top 7 Factors to Consider When Launching a Professional Blog

As a successful commercial blogger, it’s integral to stand out from the crowd. Your goal should be to make your readers see your blog as the go-to source for expert advice with a personal twist.

Rule 1. Perception is your primary concern.

Your readers will ask: “Who you are, what you are saying and why you are saying it.” It is extremely important to have this rule in the back of your mind as this is the basis of your content. It’s essential to appreciate the weight these issues have on your readers.

Rule 2. Redefine your “why”.

Why are you blogging? It could be for a number of reasons including: fame, fortune or simply to educate your followers. It is important to establish this objective at the very start of your online experience.

“I was worth about over a million dollars when I was twenty-three and over ten million dollars when I was twenty-four, and over a hundred million dollars when I was twenty-five, and it wasn’t that important because I never did it for the money.”

Steve Jobs

Rule 3. Understand the basics.

All you need to know is the basics such as WordPress installation, post drafting, publishing and updating, searching for information, creating accounts, copying and pasting scripts and so on. Don’t waste your time mastering all the technical jargon associated with blogging, just learn the basics and get started. As you progress, encounter problems and solve these problems; your knowledge base will unconsciously increase.

Rule 4. Stick with what you know.

I have seen people start blogs that they are not interested in; just to earn a profit. The biggest and most profitable blogs are the ones we have a personal interest in, and they will relate to your industry, whether it’s hospitality, retail or real estate. The economy may not be booming, but where there is hope, there is quality content that will invoke trust and generate leads.

Visitors to your blog can smell your passion from your written words; they can tell if you are really interested in helping them, or you are just another empty blog. Articles written by professional writers have no effect, because they lack the passion and drive needed to spur readers to action. Your blog pieces should have a specific call to action that will invite your readers to do something; such as call you regarding your web content, make an appointment to meet you or in the case of an online shop purchase your stock.

Rule 5. Listen to the concerns of your readers.

Your readership is fundamental to the success of your blog, therefore write for them, not the search engines. Be motivated about helping them and address their needs, and in return you will have loyal customers.

Your articles should answer real concerns and invoke conversation, examples could include  “Has the Irish Property Market bottomed?” or “When should I purchase gifts online to ensure they are delivered by Christmas?” Issues that concern your customers are more likely to be shared, and your brand will be amplified via your blog.

Rule 6. Ignore the shortcut.

There is no shortcut to online success. Success in any endeavour requires discipline, commitment, investment, and time. Nothing more, nothing less. A blog with relevant and informative content will help you on this road, complemented by an SEO strategy and expertly designed website.

Rule 7. Connect with those that matters.

Your goal should not just be to build an authority blog, but to build a business around a subject that influences your customers and industry. Why not study experts that have proved themselves in your industry and learn from both their successes and failures. This will provide you with recognised content and again influence and educated your customers. Examples may include influential designers, online entrepreneurs and property corporations. But these influences are highly personal to your business and objectives.

Rule 8. Let everyone know you posted.

Utilizing WordPress update services is your first step to faster indexing. As a mechanism that literally says “hello, I am here” to search engines, implementing WordPress update services is a no-brainer. In this short guide, we’ll explore the what, how and why you should use WordPress Update Services for SEO. Now, let’s get your pages indexed in record time.

Social Media

Social media has made it easier than ever to connect with the right audience. It gives Estate Agents and Auctioneers s a way to engage people within their specific area and allows them to keep them informed of property changes and other information.

Here’s a concise list of social media marketing tips for selling/renting real estate.

1. Define your market niche as social media marketing is all about engaging audiences so your message needs to specific. Will you be selling bank-owned property? Will you be targeting first-time buyers? Will you focus on lettings and property management? Your answers will give you the precise segment you want to focus on.

2. What is your unique selling point (USP)? Find an offer/service that your target audience cannot refuse. This could be a professional consultation service or extended viewing times for busy purchasers/renters. What are the common concerns of this set of people? What do they appreciate, and what do they dislike? When you have found the relevant answers, you will need to craft your offer and the corresponding marketing messages around this USP. Create a free report, weekly property lists, video tours and other useful marketing tools around your business. All of these tools can be  executed with a CRM such as Acquaint which automates all your marketing collateral and online presence.

3. Drive traffic to your website. This is where social media marketing becomes a targeted tool. Tell your followers/friends about your website and your business. Then ask them to tell their friends about it. The reach of your social network is enormous bearing in mind there is over 1 billion Facebook users alone. Use your social media connections as channels through which to distribute your marketing materials. These steps, combined with a well designed website, which considers the end users priorities and SEO from the conceptual stage, will contribute towards an exceptional online presence for your estate agency.

4. Be helpful and commercially valuable to your connections. Having a large following is great, we really need to build relationships. In order to do this you need to produce content which is of value to your followers. Only once you build their trust, may you convert these connections to leads and sell to them.

5. Build up a database of contacts whom you can email. This will be your marketing database and will be the core of your business, regardless of how you fare with your social media, SEO and other marketing efforts. It is what you can build the rest of your marketing strategy on, this database is integral to maintaining operational controls such as auction invitations, rent reminders, inspection reminders, distributing online newsletter and appointment confirmations.