Local SEO is one of the most effective marketing channels for any real estate company or investor.
And while all the optimization, backlinks, etc. sounds confusing – it really can be simplified.
This article will show you our ultimate local SEO checklist for real estate websites.
What Are The Local SEO Ranking Factors?
Before we jump into the local SEO checklist for real estate websites, we wanted to walk you through the ranking factors.
We also have a complete guide on this here, but if you would just like to see the quick overview – check out the list below.
Our checklist will cover all of these, giving you the opportunity to rank ahead of competitors.
Local SEO Checklist For Real Estate Websites
Here is the complete local SEO checklist for real estate websites:
- Added Your NAP To Your GMB
- Added Phone Number To Your GMB
- Created Social Profiles & Kept them Active
- Refer customers to leave reviews
- You are adding your websites to directories
- Generate more citations
- Backlinks
Of course, you’ll need a little more information on them, so we’ve explained them below.
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Added Your NAP To Your GMB
As GMB signals account for over 25% of ranking signals, it’s crucial that you fill it out properly.
- Ensure all your information is correct
- Ensure the information is consistent with your website
- Make sure you have links to your website
- Ensure you have used keywords in your GMB (without stuffing)
The reason why it’s so important that the information is consistent with your website is because otherwise Google will see it negatively. If the information is different, it may not work – so it might harm the users experience.
And of course, make sure you are not stuffing the keywords because this will harm your rankings. In addition, it may lead to penalties.
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Added Photos To Your GMB
Adding photos to your GMB is essential. This may be images of your logo, your office, and maybe even some of your staff.
Photos do affect your GMB rankings, and skipping this step will cost you. So head over to the GMB manager, and add some images to show your prospects that you are real.
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Created Social Profiles & Kept them Active
As we saw at the beginning of this article, social signals are a ranking factor too. So it’s vital that you are signed up on the major platforms:
From here, try to keep them active. For example, if you post blog posts to your website, you can share these alongside company announcements.
Tip: Social media is an excellent way to network with relevant news sites and other organizations. This can be extremely helpful when you want to build backlinks later on, as you already know the websites.
Also, referral traffic from social media will help your site rank higher, so it’s got a nice variety of benefits.
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Refer customers to leave reviews and check-in
Customers leaving reviews is a significant signal for your GMB too. So what we recommend is that you create an automated system that refers your customer to leave a review.
For example, if you have an email or SMS responder, you could send an automated email after you’ve helped them, so they leave a review.
Or, if you use something like ManyChat for your messenger chatbot, you can do this too.
Besides asking customers to leave a review, you can also ask them to check-in, which are positive signals as well.
All of these are user behavioral metrics that signal that your business is popular, trusted, and legitimate.
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You are adding your website to directories
If you add your website to directories, it will help your overall link profile. Besides, as it includes your NAP, it’s a citation too.
You can add your website to national real estate directories for this. Most of them are free, but it may be worth outsourcing this to a virtual assistant or someone else to do this for you.
Some of the top national, local directories include:
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Ensure Your Website Is Mobile-friendly
When it comes to local SEO, most of the searches are performed on mobile. This means if your real estate website is not optimized for local, you’ll run into some serious conversion issues.
So… Test your website on several devices, including different apps, operating systems, and devices (Ipads, laptops, phones, etc.)
If you find that there are formatting issues, then contact your web designer to let them know.
Or, if you build your pages yourself, you can try to fix it as well.
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Backlinks
As we saw in the beginning, backlinks are one of the most crucial ranking factors there is.
While you can’t go and build these all yourself, there are a few things you can do to help generate backlinks:
- Network with news sites and blogs via social media
- Reach out and create the occasional guest posts
- Create exciting blog posts and resource pages that sites want to link to
Or, you can also consider working with a real estate SEO company. We take over this process entirely for our clients so they can focus on their business instead of building backlinks.
If you are interested in learning about our SEO services, feel free to check out our services page.
Don’t Forget To Track Results!
Many local businesses, including real estate companies, make is not tracking results; they go through this checklist once and then leave it there.
Here’s what you should do instead: Track your results using a rank tracker, Google analytics, and Google search console – and then start tracking your ranks.
Google analytics and search console are free and straightforward to set up. To track your ranks, you can either use an SEO tool of your choice, or your SEO agency should give you some reports too.
If you
Final Thoughts
We hope you have enjoyed this guide on our local SEO checklist for real estate webisites. If you did, make sure to check some of the related articles out below to learn more.
If you are interested in working with us, you can also get in touch here.