Images have a direct impact on search engine optimization (SEO)

When most real estate marketing professionals think of SEO, they think of some magical code that can only be cracked by paying someone large amounts of money for help.

We’ve got good news for you – this is simply not true!

Click here for 6 simple search engine optimization tips for real estate marketing.

Another creative (and free) way to boost the search engine rankings for your real estate site is to optimize (or SEO) your images. There are 3 easy ways to do this:

1) The often-overlooked ALT tags and Title text.
ALT tags and Title text are HTML tags that are associated with an individual image. Now don’t let the “HTML” wording intimidate you. Most content editing platforms like WordPress are set up so that you don’t have to be an HTML programmer to add ALT or Title tags (feel free to comment on this post if you’d like to learn more about where to add these).

When you see a picture of a house on a real estate website, your mind automatically knows it’s a house. The search engines don’t have this mental ability. ALT and Title tags literally tell the search engine what the picture is. That’s why it’s important to include your target keywords like “Denver Real Estate Marketing”, so that search engines can see that it reinforces your site content and can factor it into their “mysterious” algorithms.

2) Size matters.
One of the many things search engines look for when they index your site is the amount of time it takes for your site to load. One of the main reasons some pages take longer to load than others is because they contain massive images. Compressing these images and making them smaller will eliminate negative impacts to your page loading speed.

A simple Google search of “image optimizer” will yield some great free tools you can use to scale down the size of your images without sacrificing image quality.

3) Pay attention to the file name.
It is very common that people upload pictures directly onto their website without paying attention to the actual file name itself. How many images do you have on your computer that are saved as something like “image09999.jpg”?

Just like with ALT tags or Title text, rename your images directly on your computer to reflect one of your main keywords so that search engines can “read” what it’s about. Using our above example, the file name would instead look something like “denver-real-estate-marketing.jpg” (without the quotation marks of course).

As with any search engine optimization (SEO) strategy, the above tips are only one component of an overall real estate marketing plan. It is however an often-overlooked and under-utilized component, which you can easily do without breaking the bank by paying someone else.

Click here for more tips on effective search engine optimization (SEO) for real estate.

Pinterest is a fantastic Real Estate Marketing tool

Anyone who reads Real Estate Marketing blogs has most likely seen some sort of post on how to use Pinterest for Real Estate and Property Marketing.

Pinterest is a fairly new social media platform that is gaining increasing traction in the Real Estate Marketing world. It was designed as a way for people to “pin” pictures of various things they enjoy, whether it is a favorite recipe, a fantastic vacation destination, or a dream home property.it has now morphed into a great tool for both consumers and Real Estate Marketing professionals alike.

A recent webinar from Inman showcased some great ideas on how you as a Real Estate Agent can use Pinterest to gain more exposure for your property listings and increase sales.

The main points discussed in the webinar include:

• Why is Pinterest becoming so popular so quickly?
• Why is Pinterest for real estate marketing?
• How can Pinterest increase traffic to your real estate website or blog?
• Why is HGTV already one of the largest brands on Pinterest?
• What are the best real estate industry specific examples of Realtors and Brokers using Pinterest?
• How do you add a pin properly and how can you use tagging effectively in Pinterest?
• What are Pinterest Goodies?
• How can you add a Pin It button to your website and blog?
• How can you integrate Pinterest and WordPress?
• How can you integrate Pinterest and Facebook?
• How can you not waste time but still see results from using Pinterest?
• How can you add a Pinterest plugin to your browser?
• Is the iPhone app for Pinterest worth using?
• How can you integrate Instagram and Pinterest?

Click here to learn how you can incorporate Pinterest in your Real Estate Marketing strategy.

Whatever the reasons for lacking a blog, “content marketing” is essential to add to your site to set you apart from your competitors.

The following are 4 reasons you need to incorporate content marketing in your real estate marketing strategy:

1) It builds TRUST
It’s hard for potential home buyers to go an entire day without being bombarded with some type of advertisement to buy a new home. This has caused potential buyers to always have their guard up, wondering, “What’s the catch?” Providing consumers with helpful content shows that you are genuinely interested in helping them, and also allows them to find your content when THEY want it. If you write content based on what you know and what you are good at, the consumers will be able to see that you are a trusted resource instead of some greasy salesperson with malicious intentions.

2) Content Marketing is FREE
Not only is blogging a great real estate marketing technique, it also requires no monetary investment on your part. The only thing it will cost you is the time it takes you to research your desired topic and type it out. What’s better than effective marketing? FREE effective marketing.

3) Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Blogging isn’t just a platform for you to get your opinions in front of potnetial buyers, it’s a way to boost your website’s search ranking as well. If you have already begun a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) program, incorporate your target keywords into your blog posts at least a few times. Not only does this show the search engines what your article is about, it also helps you keep your content on-topic and relevant for your target market.

4) People like to share good content
By adding social media buttons to your blog posts, you allow people to share your content with their social networks as well. WordPress and many other blogging platforms automatically include these buttons in your blog posts in order to make it as easy as possible for others to share your quality content. A well written blog piece can take on a life of its own after people begin to share it!

When it all comes down to it, the best rule of thumb to remember in your new content marketing is to write about things that people want to hear, and stay focused on your target market. If you are a Real Estate Agent, writing articles on video games will likely fall on deaf ears. Keep the content interesting, unique, and beneficial, and you will see great results for your real estate marketing!

While there are a lot of great ideas in the presentation, the following points are some highlights we feel will have the biggest impact on Agents and other Real Estate marketing professionals:

1) Social media budgets will grow.
It will become even harder to compete in the social media sphere. Agents will see the benefit of a targeted social media strategy and will begin to put more time, effort, and money into their own.

2) Content Creation
In the Real Estate industry it is imperative that potential buyers see YOU as the expert. Providing online content such as blog posts and social media updates is a perfect way to share your knowledge of your target market.

3) Making websites mobile and tablet friendly
It is mind blowing how many people use their mobile device to search for information. Potential home buyers are no different. Make sure your websites are optimized to view on smart phones, tablets, and other mobile devices.

4) Facebook will surpass 1 billion users
Facebook is here to stay. If you aren’t already using it to get your name in front of potential buyers, 2012 is the perfect time to start.

Click here to view the entire slideshow.

While the success of both depends on the keywords you choose, there are some things to keep in mind when conducting your research:

Search Volume
In your SEO research, you want to target the keywords with the highest search volume.  With PPC keywords, search volume is not as important.

The reason:
You don’t have to pay each time your website appears in search results via your SEO efforts. You DO have to pay each time someone clicks on your PPC ad.  Therefore it makes sense that you don’t want it to show up in 1,000,000 searches per month. So instead of choosing a broad keyword like “real estate” which has a very high search volume, you would be better off choosing a more targeted set of keywords that have maybe the second or third most traffic.

Keyword Focus
When researching keywords for your SEO campaign, you want to find those with a broad focus, while you want to find more narrow and specific keywords for your PPC campaign.

The reason:
With your SEO efforts, you want keywords that cover many different streams of incoming traffic.  You want your website to appear in front of as many people as possible.  With PPC, you want to target specific keywords that relate to exactly what type of customer you are targeting.  For example, if you specialize in selling condos in Denver and you choose “homes for sale” for your PPC campaign keyword, you will likely end up having to pay for people searching for other types of properties in other locations around the country. Those clicks will be irrelevant because that isn’t your target market. A much more targeted keyword like “townhomes for sale in Denver” will get your name in front of a group who IS looking for your type of properties. Again, cost per click is a huge determining factor.

Motivations
People conduct searches for a whole variety of different reasons.  Your job as a real estate professional is to discover these reasons, and how you can leverage them into maximum profit for your business.  Is someone simply browsing for more information on the mortgage process, or are they looking to refinance their home?  When deciding on PPC campaign keywords, you want to focus on those that will bring in buyers, not browsers.  For example, someone searching for “mortgage” is less likely to become a customer than someone who searches for “how can I refinance my home?”.

While there are certainly many more deciding factors when it comes to keyword research, the items mentioned above are a good starting point.  In the end, it’s NOT a matter of deciding whether to pursue SEO or PPC in your real estate marketing strategy, it’s a matter of effectively using them both in tandem, to maximize your search engine traffic.

In order to help you get a leg up on your competition we have compiled the following list of 4 simple ways you can utilize video in your real estate marketing strategy.

1) Potential buyers love visual aids.

- Property Walkthroughs
Virtual slideshow tours are great and should definitely be used, but why not add a video walkthrough of your property? You can never have enough pictures or videos of the inside and outside of an available property, and potential buyers love having the ability to preview properties from the comfort of their own home. You don’t have to be Steven Spielberg to create a great video walkthrough. While recording the video, tell the viewer some important facts about the home or some interesting features. Incorporating video walkthroughs with slideshows and still pictures will give your potential buyers some great visual aids in helping them make their decision.

- Neighborhood Tours
When buyers are deciding on potential properties, there is no argument that the surrounding neighborhood is a huge determining factor. How can you leverage the neighborhood’s best qualities? That’s right, with video! Drive to some of the local hotspots and take a few shots panning the area. Think about what makes that area unique, and go out and film it. This is especially useful for out of town buyers.

2) Word-of-mouth marketing is FREE.
One of the single most effective means for marketing in real estate is word of mouth. Potential buyers obviously need to build up a level of trust in you in order to help them feel more comfortable in their home buying experience. Contact some of your previous clients and ask them if they’d be willing to record a short 30 – 60 second video on how you helped them through their purchase. Give them 2 or 3 prompted questions, or simply let them ad-lib, whichever you think will portray you the best.

3) Be the expert.
In an industry with such a high amount of competition, it is very important that people view YOU as the expert. A great way to show people that you are the “go-to guy/gal” is to record short webinars. You can talk about anything you want, from home buying tips, to industry events, to addressing common questions… Anything that you think will help potential buyers and sellers.

4) Distribution is key.
Having a wide variety of well-planned real estate videos won’t do you any good unless you can effectively get people to watch them. In a previous article we discussed 8 Quick Tips on Using YouTube to Sell Homes. YouTube is one of the best places to share your videos to potential buyers. You can set up your own YouTube channel that allows you to have all your videos hosted in one place. Be sure to link back to your videos on your other social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. You can even grab the embed code of your videos and post them directly onto your website.

The ways in which you can utilize videos in your real estate marketing strategy is really only limited to your own creativity. What are some of the most creative uses of real estate video marketing that you have seen?

The following are 3 tips to effectively optimize your page and increase your real estate marketing effectiveness:

1) Content is King
Having keyword-rich, unique content on your site is one of the most important things you can do to increase your search rankings. Google has a free tool to help you figure out specific keywords and phrases that you want to target. Incorporating these keywords into your content will not only give readers a better idea of your purpose, but it will also help Google “read” what your page is about. It is important to make sure that you don’t force the keywords into your content however. You still want to sound natural for your readers.

2) Geographical Keywords
In addition to incorporating industry keywords into your site, you also want to incorporate specific geographical keywords as well. Say you are a Real Estate Agent who serves the Denver area. Make sure you reference “Denver” throughout your content. Be sure to consider the size your target area. For instance, some geographical areas like New York City are going to have much more competition than a city like Denver. So if you are a Real Estate Agent in New York City, perhaps you should focus on using more targeted geographic modifiers such as Manhattan, Brooklyn, or similar refined areas. Again, you can use the free Google Keywords tool to find out how much search volume your keyword has.

3) Don’t Ignore HTML Title and Alt Tags
A website’s HTML serves as a sort of roadmap for search engines indexing your website. They crawl through your HTML and look for specific coding attributes. Two areas in particular to pay special attention to are your <title> and <alt> tags. Title tags are what appear in the top of the visitor’s web browser (on this site you will see “4 Simple Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Tips for Real Estate Marketing” in the top of your browser). Incorporate the same keywords you used in step #1 into your title tags. Alt tags are used in the images on your real estate website, and are visible when someone hovers their cursor over the image (images also have title tags). Again, you want to incorporate your keywords into your alt tags.

4) Link Building
Another thing that major search engines take into account when indexing your real estate website is the amount of quality incoming links your site has from external websites. A great way to add incoming links is to post your business to Google Places, Yelp, social media sites, blogs, etc. The more credibility the external site has, the higher quality the link will be in the eyes of search engines.

5) Blogs
Blogs are a great way to show potential buyers and sellers that you are the expert in your specific target market. Not only are blogs a great place to showcase your expertise, blog content is a great place to incorporate your desired keywords and also provide your site with an inbound link. Just be sure to not sound too “salesy” in your blog content. Providing your readers with useful information is the best way to keep them coming back for more.

6) Incorporate Keywords in Your URL
Many real estate professionals overlook the importance of having a well thought out URL. This is yet another area where you can incorporate your most important keyword and geographical location. For example, targetareahomesforsale.com (replace “targetarea” with your own geographic keyword) is a great way to use one of the most common phrases potential buyers use when searching for home in their area.

These are just some of the ways you can effectively optimize your website. Following these 6 simple steps will give you a very solid foundation for your real estate marketing and SEO strategy.

Please feel free to comment on how you have effectively optimized your own real estate website!

Today, things have obviously changed due to the rapid innovation of marketing strategies the Internet has provided. Consumers these days are more likely to use an Internet search instead of a newspaper to find a property, and what they find as a result of that search can make or break you in terms of sales.

The question is, what online channels should you be targeting in order to make sure consumers find YOU and not your competition? The following infographic breaks down the science of the “Social Consumer” and gives brands some insight as to how they should be targeting their potential customers.

If you have trouble viewing the below image, please click here to view the full size.

Many smart real estate professionals have realized the success that comes with effectively using YouTube as a real estate marketing tool. The following are 8 quick YouTube marketing tips that every real estate professional should keep in mind:

1. Include video tours of available properties.
While most people know the importance of including pictures on their property listings, many are still unaware of the power of video tours. They give a more in-depth view of your property, and when done right can even make your property look more attractive.

2. Include video tours of the neighborhood.
This is a highly effective way to show a potential buyer some of the local hotspots and attractions that make the neighborhood an appealing place to live.

3. Add voiceovers to the above video tours.
Adding voice to your videos will help them stand out in the mind of the viewer. They will make a stronger connection with your voice than with the pictures themselves. Your voiceover videos will appear more professional, therefore increasing your credibility as a leading real estate professional.

4. Include videos of yourself addressing common industry problems.
It’s all about positioning yourself as the expert. It also helps break down some of the “internet walls” and allows people to see you in a more personal manner.

5. Tag your videos with high traffic keywords.
Tagging your videos allows search engines to find your videos easier (also known as SEO, or search engine optimization). A good way to find out what keywords work best is to look at some of the more popular real estate specific videos on YouTube. What keywords have been effective for them? You can also use the Google Adwords Keyword Tool to discover how much traffic a specific keyword is generating.

6. Customize your channel to match branding.
YouTube offers users the ability to customize the colors and overall feel of their channels. It is a good idea to match your branding across all of your real estate marketing channels.

7. Link QR Codes to YouTube videos.
QR Codes (Quick Response Codes) are basically funny looking barcodes that you can scan on your smartphone. Upon scanning the code, it will direct you to a number of potential destinations. It might take you to a mobile website, a video, a way to sign up for more information… the destination just depends on how the QR Code was set up. Click here to read our previous article on QR Codes. I will also be covering tips on how real estate professionals can effectively incorporate QR Codes into their real estate marketing strategy in an upcoming blog post.

8. Participate!
When it really comes down to it, YouTube is a social site – meaning the more you interact with others, the more they will interact with you. Get your name out there by posting comments to other relevant videos, connect with other industry professionals, and simply let people know that your video channel exists!

At its very core, YouTube is a great avenue for real estate professionals to expand the reach of their brand. It is also a great way to give your brand some personality, and it allows for a lot of creativity which in turn will help people remember who you are.

What are some innovative ways you have seen companies using YouTube in their marketing efforts?

What happens when a friend or family member tells you that they “like” something? Does it make you want to experience the same? Referrals and social influence are some of the most powerful drivers in personal decision making. Does this same principle apply to the work of social media? Almost every platform on the web right now provides an option that allows for social “signals”. Facebook has likes, Twitter has Tweets, Google has +1s, and you can almost always count on seeing a “thumbs up/down” option available.

Do these simple buttons increase unique page views though? I came across a very interesting article that tries to answer this very intriguing question. Some important points to note before reading this article:

1) The studies involved are CORRELATIONAL and therefore cannot prove causation.
2) It is important to note that although these studies are correlational in nature we can still draw mature conclusions from the data.

What are your thoughts on social “signals”?

Link to seoMOZ Blog Article