Can you advance your real estate career when you can’t get out and about? Sure you can.
You may or may not be stuck in the house – different rules are in place in different communities. Regardless, your activities have slowed down as you, your clients, and your prospects try to observe social distancing.
For the next few weeks I’ll be bringing you ideas to make good use of the extra time you have on your hands.
Advance your real estate career while staying at home.
There are many things to do – this week we’ll focus on your website.
- Check your home page
- Check your agent bio
- Check your links
- Check your SEO
- Add more content
- Proofread everything!
First, read your home page.
Does it reveal who you are and where you are? I’ve often been amazed to visit agent sites that don’t reveal that important information.
Does it show your smiling face? I believe it should, because people want to deal with individuals, not companies.
Next check your agent bio.
Is your agent bio interesting? Is it up to date? Is it uniquely yours, or does it offer the same tired “I’m the local expert and I have integrity” narrative?
If it needs to be revised or if it doesn’t even exist, either get busy writing or get in touch with me. Your bio is important because people want to know who you are before they decide to do business with you.
Now go through every page and blog post and click on every link.
Do the links go where you want them to go? Are any of them broken? If you find a problem, fix it. I’ve learned that some links I’ve used on blog posts lose their destinations over time. These are generally links to news articles. Some have been links to businesses that have either disappeared or changed websites.
When that’s done, examine your pages and posts for search engine optimization.
While it’s true that some pages are designed to be found only by the people you send there, others should be drawing search engine traffic.
Remember, you can’t compete with the big guys for terms such as “homrs in Mytown,” but you CAN compete with them with terms like “the 5 best summer celebrations in Mytown,” “Animal rescue non-profits in Mytown,” or “Penthouse condos on the waterfront in Mytown.”
Optimize those posts so the search engines will find them. I use YOAST to help keep me on track, but I’m sure there are other choices.
Remember to link back and forth between related posts. You’ll keep interested visitors on your site longer – and give them more time to decide that YOU are the agent they need because YOU are the one who is in the know.
Advance your real estate career by expanding your website.
Once your existing content is under control, add more!
If you aren’t offering links to community sites, start there.
Think about what people who are new to your community will want to know and who they will want or need to reach. Separate your links into categories like city services, schools, recreational venues, non-profit organizations, etc.
Do take time to make sure those links open in new windows! You’re offering a service, and don’t want your visitors to go away and forget to come back.
Now think about your niche.
Advance your real estate career by providing information of value or interest to people in that niche.
For instance:
- If you sell historic homes, write posts about how to restore old wood floors or where to find authentic
replacements for broken lead windows. Talk about wallpaper and paint colors that were most popular a century ago. Discuss how to refinish an antique sideboard. Yes, you might have to do some research, but right now you have time. - If you sell waterfront lots or homes, you could post the regulations regarding setbacks, septic systems, docks, etc. How about writing a post on different kinds of materials used in docks? If your water levels are moved up and down throughout the year by regulatory agencies, learn the dates and provide that information.
- If probate is your niche, write about the rules to follow and the pitfalls to avoid when handling estate property. My probate advice set would give you a good base for a series of blog posts.
Every real estate niche offers opportunities for you to outshine your competition by knowing more and providing more information to your prospects.
If you haven’t chosen your niche yet, read this post for suggestions on how to make the choice.
Community pages offer another opportunity to advance your real estate career.
If you serve a small town, write about that town and a few of the closest communities – where you just might sell a house or two. If you serve a portion of a large city, write a general piece about the city, then add pages about different neighborhoods or subdivisions.
When you show that you really know the territory, you’ll advance your real estate career.
If you’re not sure what to say about the communities, check out the suggestions on my website. If you don’t want to write your own, get in touch. I enjoy writing them.
And while you’re at home…
Do take time to really enjoy your loved ones. Having a happy attitude will also help to advance your career!
Top man Image courtesy of supakitmod at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
niche and act now graphics courtesy of STuart Miles @ freedigitalphotos.net
