6 Important Do’s and Don’ts of Real Estate Blogging
If you are a real estate agent or company looking to boost your SEO potential in an organic fashion, one of the best strategies you can implement is having a real estate blog. Many businesses already have some sort of a blog, but aren’t seeing the true benefits. There are right ways and wrong ways to manage a professional blog. Let’s take a look at some of the do’s and don’ts of real estate blogs:
Do: Produce Your Own Quality Real Estate Blog Content
The best way to build up credibility and organic search engine optimization through a real estate blog is to produce your own unique content. The ideas and topics don’t have to be 100% original. Let’s face it. Almost every topic has already been covered ad nauseam on other blogs and social media platforms. Look for ways to put your own unique spin on each subject. Or, at the very least, rewrite each post in your own voice. This helps you avoid costly “plagiarism” detected by Google algorithms while also personalizing the content to reflect your brand.
Don’t: Use Other People’s Real Estate Blog Content
“Copy” and “paste” are the two worst words in real estate blogging. Though it may be tempting to lift copy from other sources, it is only going to hurt you in the long run. Not only are there potential legal issues for direct plagiarism, but Google’s advanced systems can easily recognize what’s unique content and what is not. Even just slight changes in wording can still easily be detected and will work against your SEO rankings. Also don’t bother with RSS blog feeds from sources who are posting the same exact content on hundreds of other real estate websites. The lack of unique content will not really benefit you much at all.
Do: Post Frequently and Consistently
When you have a real estate blog, it is very important that you develop a content production schedule that allows you to post frequently and consistently. The minimum amount of posts you should be doing is every other week (twice a month) with articles that are at least 500 words long. Ideally, you should be aiming for at least once a week or possibly as much as twice a week. Your posts should also be consistent with quality language (always proofread), brand messaging and presentation. Your site should already have built in style guides. Use the same header, paragraph, color and link settings in every single post.
Don’t: Let Your Real Estate Blog Gather Digital Dust
One of the most common problems we see is a real estate blog with the best intentions. A blog page was created. A handful of good posts were made and even the quantity/frequency was right on track. Then, the posts start happening a little less often. Maybe you ran out of ideas or just lack proper motivation. You didn’t climb up the Google rankings in a few months of blogging, so you don’t think it’s working. Blogging for SEO is a marathon, not a sprint. It takes time and effort to see the best results. Or, most likely you just don’t have the time to keep up with the blog. It’s exciting at first, but gradually becomes less important as part of your real estate business routine.
Whatever the reason(s), you have to try to avoid these big content gaps and stoppages with your real estate blog. It has to be an important part of your routine and you have to stick with it. If you let it sit around and gather what we call “digital dust,” you will only fall down the rankings further. The blog won’t do you any good if no new activity is happening!
Do: Hire a Professional Real Estate Blogger
You are busy running a real estate business. Making time to write a blog and post the articles week after week isn’t easy. You may want to consider hiring a professional blogger who specializes in SEO-driven real estate content and will ensure that your posts have the desired consistency, quality and targeted content. Digital Bullet Agency specializes in all aspects of advanced real estate SEO services, including blog production and management. If you don’t want to outsource your real estate blog, hire an assistant or bring an experienced writer into your office to focus on blogging and social media activities.
Don’t: Let Yourself Get in the Way
Real estate is a stressful business. There is always something happening and it always seems like there are fires to put out on a daily basis. Running a successful real estate blog isn’t easy if you don’t have the time, expertise or resources. Find someone to help you. The good news is that a professional blogger will pay for themselves over time as you increase web traffic, improve conversion rates and generate more real estate leads. Commissions from one home sale generated from a blog lead will likely pay for an entire year of blogging!
We may continue with this “do’s and don’ts” series in the future for real estate blogging and other real estate SEO topics. These are just a few of the most basic do’s and don’ts of real estate blogging.
If you are looking for a professional real estate blogger and a holistic real estate SEO strategy, contact Digital Bullet Agency today