SEO: The Powerful Sales-Lead Source Most Realtors Have Yet to Tap
Toronto, Ontario (PRWEB) October 23, 2014
Theres sales-lead gold in website search-engine optimization, but most real estate agents have no effective way to mine it.
That was the most telling discovery from a recent survey that asked 342 North American real-estate agents and brokers if -- and how -- they used search engine optimization, also called SEO, to uncover sales prospects.
The survey was conducted in August by WebsiteBox, the technology firm that offers do-it-all real estate websites for a $99 one-time fee.
We already know that search is the number-one traffic driver to real-estate websites and that search is way more important than social media, said Peyman Aleagha, WebsiteBox CEO. So, if 90 percent of prospective home buyers search online, and three-quarters of those buyers never click past the first page of search results, then its crucial to make sure your website shows up at the top of those results.
Big Three: Keywords, Coding and Content
Survey respondents who were all WebsiteBox customers and real estate professionals indicated they have a basic understanding of what SEO means: encouraging search engines like Google and Bing to direct interested property buyers to their business websites and sales listings. In fact, 83 percent said they believed SEO to be the most important source of online sales-lead generation.
The WebsiteBox survey results suggested that most realtors are making an effort to comply with best SEO practices: relevant keywords, compelling content, and sound website coding. More than half of the respondents said they already use keyword research, and 35 percent said they employ website meta-tags and backlinks. A respectable 45 percent said they are blogging and posting content that buyers would find useful.
For all their effort, few respondents (4.9 percent) said they generated referrals through SEO. The problem may be that the agents are using the wrong tools. Indeed, 69 percent of the WebsiteBox survey respondents said the tools they have dont seem to get the SEO job done.
Agents Lack Time, Money, Expertise for SEO
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SEO: The Powerful Sales-Lead Source Most Realtors Have Yet to Tap