Scott advises REALTORS® to focus on the relevant keywords that best describe themselves and the markets they do business in. “There’s no real silver bullet here. Describe who you are and where you do business making sure the keywords you focus on (like buyers, sellers and the hyper local areas you focus on) are consistently showcased and repetitive.” Scott also notes that a simple, descriptive URL and appropriately tagged video content can help.
Other differentiators when it comes to optimizing for search engines include more detailed listing information that is unique from what is available in the syndicated listings, and a detailed “contact us” page that includes your address, zip code, telephone number, etc.
SEO Best Practices
• Every page on a site should have a title (not to exceed 70 characters). Titles ideally should include your brand name, location and the most effective keywords that buyers would use to find your site.
• Every page should have a meta-description (not to exceed 155 characters) that offers more insight into what the page is about. This appears in the search results as a snippet. Be sure to include the brand name, relevant information about the page, your targeted keyword and your location.
• Don’t overlook local profiles, since these help SEO rankings. Google+ Local, Bing Places and Yahoo Local are three must-haves.
• Local reviews are important. Encourage satisfied customers to review your business on Google+ Local, review-specific sites such as Yelp, or other business review sites.
