Why SEO Sells

A Must-Read Look at Why SEO Sells for Real Estate Agents and any salesperson that wants to be noticed

How optimizing for SEO increases the success rate of your blog

If you’re building a business, there are a lot of things to consider, like a business plan, targeted customer pool, or how you’re going to gain clients and referrals, but sometimes people forget to do the small things that can make a huge difference, like SEO. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is what helps people find your blog on the internet.

People who are building a business might not always consider SEO for a blog. If you’re unsure what SEO can do for you, or why you need it, then this is a must-read. You can also seek out help by way of quality coaching on the improvement of your business.

Ideally, certain words that you incorporate into your articles reflect those that are the most often searched. When people plug these words into a search engine, any article or website that contains these words will pop up in the results, and how far up your site ranks depends a lot on your use of SEO.

If you actively promote your blog through various avenues such as social media, partner sites, and email, then you’re definitely still in the race when it comes to your competition, but if you neglect SEO, you’re definitely not going to edge them out. Promoting your blog is one thing, but optimizing for SEO adds a whole extra layer of visibility because online searches are responsible for 39% of global eCommerce traffic.

Ignoring SEO is like having a Grand Opening and not telling anyone about it

Think of it this way:  If you opened a brick-and-mortar store, you’d probably create fliers, get a TV or radio ad, and you’d probably have a big event on the Grand Opening day with lots of signs and balloons (similar to what you might do for an Open House).  You wouldn’t open the store but not tell anyone about it, yet that’s exactly what you’re doing if you build a website and neglect to factor in SEO.

That’s where SEO comes into play. When people are looking for a specific item, say a special key chain that beeps so you never lose your keys, they do an online search to find suggestions. They might type in “device to help find keys,” or “help me find keys” in their search engine. In fact, 50% of search terms are at least 4 words. This is because people are looking for something specific when they search online.

If your business is selling these gadgets, then you should make sure that your headings, subheadings, web pages and blog articles include this phrase to help your site pop up near the top of the search results. If you only use phrases like “beeping key ring” or “lost keys,” you most likely will rank further down and go unseen by most.  If you use industry-specific jargon you’ll probably only be seen by people in your industry– who probably don’t want to buy your product.

Research keywords that people are using in their online searches

Do your homework and know which words people are using in their online searches; then design your blog accordingly to answer their direct questions. You need to ensure that SEO is a part of your master plan when it comes to your blog. If you don’t, you’re leaving a lot to chance in terms of potential clients.

Show people that your content has the answers to their questions

SEO is all about showing people that your content has the answers to the questions they are asking. If you decide to not take the time to include it in your marketing strategy, it’s almost like ignoring someone’s question. Or even worse, hearing their question but not bothering to answer it clearly.

If your head is swimming a bit because you already have so many other tasks on your plate, then you might want to consider outsourcing. If you have others writing your blog content, part of their job can be to optimize your blog for SEO. Outsourcing your SEO to someone with knowledge can be a cost-efficient alternative that delivers quality results.

Remember, blogs are a wonderful way for a Real Estate Agents to be a resource to their database and gain popularity over the internet. Whether you post using a blog,  add an article on LinkedIn, or use the material as a Special Report or handout, you will get noticed as a valuable resource.

Cindy Bishop is the Managing Director of Cindy Bishop Worldwide a Real Estate Agent Education Company. You can reach her through cindybishoptraining.com.