If you represent a property management company, you have probably already looked at how you can optimize your website for local search. Optimizing content for specific geographic locations is essential to online success. Searches are becoming more and more specific, and those who master the strategy are the clear winners. You are not alone in this effort. Some essential steps will help your website turn itself around if you have been suffering from low traffic and visibility.
Don’t Forget to NAP (Name, Address, and Phone)
NAP is critical if you are optimizing for local search. Your website has to display your name, telephone number, and address. Display these details on every page of your existing site. The text should be organized, and there should also be consistency in the text too. The footer is an excellent place to display these details as these are recurring. People are always looking for the contact information of businesses they approach.
Get Those Positive Reviews
Positive reviews do impact businesses online. Google reviews are one thing but don’t forget to ask or collect reviews from other websites. Business directories and websites like Yelp are useful for embedding genuine and helpful reviews that directly boost your business online.
Should you prioritize Google? You can, but there is no need to limit your business to Google’s review system for local businesses. People are more likely to click and explore a new business with higher ratings as those with lower ratings are also displayed less prominently. While the geographic location is essential, people are more likely to click on businesses with positive reviews.
How do you obtain great reviews? The simplest method is to approach your current renters and ask them to review your properties or business for you. It would be ideal if you can approach renters that you know are happy with the rental experience they are getting in the first place. To move things along, provide incentives to show how much you appreciate your renters. Also, tell them that reviews are vital to improving the business and that positive reviews directly impact the how properties will do in the long term.
If negative or less than stellar reviews come, there’s no need to panic. However, it is useful if you are on the lookout for these reviews as you have to take care of your business’ reputation, too. We love the concept of handling negative reviews and eventually turning them into supporters. Reputation management is just as crucial for property management websites as it is for any other kind of digital presence.
Optimize and Upgrade Your Site for Local Search
This is such a huge step that it deserves a lot of time and effort from you. On-site upgrades are crucial to success in the long term. Off-page optimizations contribute to the bigger picture, but we have to remember that most of the action occurs on-site. There should be links to different review sites, including but not limited to Google. Local business directories are imperative because people look for local when searching for places to rent.
There should also be excellent photography of the different properties being managed, including photos and bios of your staff. Don’t forget to add these essential details to every page on your site, as we have previously discussed. Social validation is essential because people go by what other people say about a business.
Social validation facilitates people’s searches because they trust genuine feedback and reviews (especially testimonials) when they see those on your website. Don’t forget to embed Google Maps on your site to make things easier for people interested in physical visits.
This is standard for many businesses nowadays, and it is essential for property management websites for obvious reasons. Finally, don’t forget that trust icons are vital to get people to warm up to your brand immediately. Mention any awards and recognitions that you may have had in the past, too. Your site is no place to be humble – pull out all the stops and let your brand shine!
Balance the Optimization
Sometimes, when the optimization becomes overly local, some people from nearby cities or areas may not find you. The right keyword research should fix this. Contextualizing content so that nearby area is also given the right attention is crucial. While local search is essential, we also have to market your properties to people from beyond your town or city’s immediate borders.
We call this process casting the net, where your ‘net’ or marketing approach is broad enough and specific enough to attain your goals. Look at the problem from the perspective of potential tenants who might be willing to travel to the next city to see some excellent rental properties. This also benefits all the owners and renters that you currently work with.
Update Your Site Regularly
There is no shortcut to getting a highly rated site. For one, Google has a vast preference for sites that are maintained well and updated regularly. There should be a regularly updated blog, and you should also invite people to comment to keep those blog posts lively and recent.
Stagnation in any website can impact your Google ranking and the impression that people get from your website. They might think that the site owner is ignoring the website; they might even think it’s a dead site. Frequent updates show people that you are on top of your game, and you are alive to receive queries and online applications.
Remember that the first impression is likely the sole basis of people in the first interaction, so be sure to make it count.
