Keyword Research Tips for Real Estate SEO

Written by Posted On Tuesday, 18 December 2018 09:10
Keyword Research Tips for Real Estate SEO Photo by PhotoMIX Ltd. from Pexels

Many factors influence the success of a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) campaign, including backlinks, quality content, and market knowledge.

The heart of an SEO campaign, however, lies in its keywords.

This is the case for all industries, including real estate. This doesn’t mean that cramming your content with the right keywords will elevate your rankings alone; but it does mean that savvy keyword research can accelerate your campaign in a promising direction from the start.

Most realtors start their keyword research with a pen, a paper, and a strong cup of coffee. I’m afraid it will take a little more than this when it comes to real estate SEO, however.

Integrate these keyword research tips as you develop your real estate SEO campaign.

Identify Your Ideal Customer (and What They Want)

Every marketing effort should be linked to its target, and the more knowledge you have of your ideal customer, the better. You will need to identify your target market before you launch your optimization campaign.

But identifying who you wish to reach as a realtor can effectively launch the keyword research process. In fact, researching keywords can tell you more about your ideal client and what they want.

Craft a buyer persona before you start researching long-tail and short-tail keywords. Learn more about this process here. As you craft this persona, be sure you identify their needs and wants--these form the crux of any Google search, after all.

Identifying your ideal customer may be sufficient to get those keyword brainstorms starting. I still recommend following the rest of these tips to position yourself for success, however.

Check Out Online Forums

Learn more about what your ideal clients are thinking, wondering, and doing by visiting online forums. Drop by Quora, for example, to see what questions people are asking about your niche of real estate.

(Hint: Another way to prop up your authority as a realtor is to actually respond to some of these questions, linking to your website!)

Social media can also be helpful, albeit somewhat limiting. Yet even noting what your friends and followers are asking (with regard to the real estate industry) can be valuable.

Jot down questions and keywords that keep appearing in your online platform browsing. Make sure you also test out a bunch of your own keywords in the search bars of these platforms.

Think outside the box as much as possible. For example, try to search for keywords more associated with homeownership (rather than real estate), such as “heating and cooling” or “homeowners’ taxes.” These provide alternative and potentially more fruitful ways of engaging with prospective clients.

Inspect Your Competitors’ Content

It’s always healthy to know who your competitors are when developing an advertising strategy. If you haven’t yet done so, honestly identify your competitors and start inspecting their content.

If you use a platform like Ahrefs, you can even see what keywords your competitors are using--and how successful these are! But you can do a DIY inspection by visiting a competitor’s website and analyzing keyword use, integration, and content quality.

The key with competitor analysis is to take it one step further once you’ve analyzed. What keywords are your competitors lacking? How is their local SEO game?

Use Tools

There are scores of online tools at your disposal when it comes to real estate SEO keyword research. Google’s Keyword Planner, designed for AdWords campaigns, can be immensely useful.

The same goes for Ahrefs Keyword Explorer.

Keep in mind that you do need an AdWords campaign or an Ahrefs subscription to use either of these.

A free tool that could be of great value is Answer the Public. This resource compiles content ideas and combinations based off of select keyword research. I highly recommend checking this out.

Lastly, remember that keyword research should be ongoing and organic. Keep tabs on your SEO campaign to see which keywords are performing highly--and which aren’t. A healthy SEO campaign is an evolving one!

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Kate King

Kate King is a freelance writer, editor, and blogger. 

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