Common blogging mistakes to avoid for real estate agents.
Are you a real estate agent looking to build your online presence? Want to get more inbound traffic seeking you? Want to take advantage of the benefits of SEO and begin building a content strategy?
Then you need a blog—or you're leaving a treasure trove of money on the table. When done right, real estate blogging can be one of the best marketing tools for your business.
When done wrong, you won't get much traction. Here's how to avoid making the most common blogging mistakes real estate agents make.
1. Inconsistent Blogging
Google and other search engines look for consistent content. That's one of the critical components search algorithms are programmed to look for when ranking websites.
When you don't post your blogs regularly and frequently, it can hurt your website ranking. You can't expect to reach page one with one post in April, zero in March, and three in May.
The best way to get SEO traction is to post blog content regularly. This way, you'll get website traffic coming to you regularly. Approach blogging with the mindset that it's a long-term commitment that produces long-term results.
2. Overselling
It's OK to write a blog post about your team and your real estate agency once in a while. But when all your blogs look like sales pitches, it turns off your readers.
Many agencies spend too much time putting out promotional content without realizing the effect it has on readers. Remember, you need to write about topics about which your potential clients are interested.
This can be anything from how to get a mortgage to how to stage their home, so it sells for a better price. By sharing information related to real estate, position yourself as an expert.
These kinds of content ideas will show your value. Remember to think about the big picture of real estate, which involves many aspects.
3. Using Excessive Real Estate Jargon in Posts
Real estate jargon might work for other real estate professionals. But using too much jargon when you're writing to buyers and sellers will make them go to the next realtor website.
Terms like contingency, LTV, and other industry jargon only generates confusion and increases your website's bounce rate. Keep in mind; you're writing to consumers unless you're writing to developers for a commercial audience.
If you do mention a professional term, make sure to clarify what it means. Using simple language works best in blog posts that should be written in a conversational tone.
4. Forgetting to Write About Hyperlocal Topics
One of the most common blogging mistakes realtors make is forgetting to write about hyperlocal content. You can find an abundance of ideas by searching Google News. Using Google News provides excellent content ideas that are hyperlocal.
Buyers want to know what's going on in the neighborhoods where they're thinking of moving. Is there a famous landmark in the geographical area where you sell homes? Then write a post on it, and you'll get many eyes on your content.
5. Overlooking Regional Topics
Many realtors avoid writing about their region. If you sell homes in a community 30 minutes from New York, your target audience is bound to head to the city for entertainment, dining, and activities.
And they likely want to know about the real estate opportunities that will enable them to gain access to this broader area. By doing a search in Google for “real estate New York metropolitan area,” you'll find content that will appeal to these prospects.
6. Skipping Popular Events in Your City
Your blog posts don't need to be limited to real estate topics. People love to read about leisurely things and events to do in their favorite neighborhoods. Why not cover exciting events taking place in your city?
Head to Google news or an online newspaper that covers your city. You'll discover many upcoming events to write about on community calendars.
Just type in “your city name + upcoming events.” You'll find an abundance of events at different times of the year, especially around the holidays. Why not write an article on ” Top 20 Festive Events in Your City for the Holidays?”
If there's one big event that takes precedence over the rest, consider writing an in-depth blog post on that event. Interview someone in your city who's organizing it.
You can find these through non-profits, your city, or organizations marketing the events in your town or city. They'll be able to give you information on upcoming events.
You can find an authority on the subject by searching your city's visitor's bureau or convention center. Or look at the end of the press release. There's usually a contact you can call or email to obtain more information.
7. Excluding Images and Alt Text
Articles with images get 650% more engagement than text-only posts. In our visual society, a person's attention span is around seven seconds.
Visual images capture people's attention. Yes, you'll show photos and virtual tours about your properties. But what about other topics?
Messages communicated with photographs can be retained more easily. This means your readers will remember the information you write about accompanied by a photo in your blog posts.
To add, visual content generates more likes and shares. Post a beautiful photograph in your blog post, and it's more likely your audience will share it with their friends and followers.
Alt Tags
But when it comes to SEO, search engine web crawlers don't index images on their own. For your image to be found, it needs a tag. This is also known as image alt tag or text.
You'll find a field to input your alt text in your imaging program. This way, you provide another option to optimize your post with text so your photos can be optimized for SEO and draw your target audience to your real estate website.
8. Not Optimizing Your Keywords for SEO
If you want your potential clients to find your blog posts, make sure to optimize your keywords for SEO. This is key to your SEO strategy. This can be achieved in a variety of ways:
- Using good keywords
- Writing about topics buyers and sellers are looking for
- Researching keyword volume
- Researching keyword difficulty
You can find profitable keywords by using a variety of keyword tools. These include Google keyword planner and Ubersuggest as well as other keyword websites. Some are free. Others require a monthly subscription.
Make sure to read the analytics on search volume. Search volume refers to how often users search for the keyword or phrase.
You can see results organized monthly searches and some up to a year. Case in point, you don't want to select a keyword for which few people search.
Search Difficulty
Another critical aspect of choosing keywords for SEO is called search difficulty. Difficulty relates to how competitive the keyword is. When your keyword or keyword phrase is competitive, this means other companies in your niche are using it as well.
Using long-tail keywords for your blog posts work best. This means you can add something to the keyword to make it more specific. This can be geographical or other words to appeal to your market.
9. SEO and Click-through Issues: Title Tags, URLs, and Meta Descriptions
Realtors often forget about tags in their blogs. Writing good title tags is critical for SEO. But know that the title tag can be different than the title of the posts on your real estate blogs. The purpose of this is to shorten your title.
An example of a title tag could be “Can Realtors Sell Without Zillow?” But an example of an article title could be “Can Realtors Sell Without Zillow, Realtor.com, and Redfin?”
In the title tag, the tag is shortened to comply with the character guidelines for the SERP page, which is the search engine results page. This way, the full title can be seen. If a title is too long, Google will cut it off, and it won't be read.
A good tip for your title tag is always to include your primary keyword. While your article will also have secondary keywords, it's crucial to include your keyword or keyword phrase in the title since that's the word or phrase for which users are searching.
Using the Wrong URL Name
One of the most common blogging mistakes is forgetting to name your URL correctly. The name is also an essential element for SEO. Your blog post will have its URL name or structure.
By using a URL that has the name of the title in it, it will be easier for your blog post to be indexed. On the other hand, when your URL doesn't use your keyword and title, it's less descriptive. This means harder to find in search engines.
A URL that reads with a descriptive title will be easier to index than a URL with many numbers. Here's an example: https://myrealestateblog.com/?p=9909. This non-descriptive URL name doesn't do much for your real estate blogs.
Lackluster Meta Descriptions
Another big mistake bloggers make is found in meta descriptions. Although they're not crucial for SEO optimization, they hold a lot of weight for click-through rates.
A captivating meta description influences your readers to click through to your site. The meta description is the description below the title. And when you don't write one, search engines will take a random description from your website.
If your title is of interest to your readers, but it has a lackluster meta description, they might decide to move on to the next website.
10. Overlooking Facebook Community Groups
Another common blogging mistake: not using Facebook Community Groups. These groups attract your target market. Do you sell homes for the Tampa, Florida community? Then join a group for Tampa real estate or Tampa in general.
This will allow you to connect with users in your area. You can begin to develop relationships with these members and find blog post ideas about which to write.
Community groups often ask each other questions. People outside the community likely have these same questions. Writing a post that addresses these questions is a great way to get more eyes on your blog and your business.
11. Boring Headlines
Your blog post headlines need to capture your readers' attention. Having a boring headline is one of the worst things you can do for your blog post. Yes, it's essential to include your keyword in the headline. That's essential.
But it's also critical to make readers want to read your blog post. Eight out of 10 people will read the headline, but only two out of 10 people will read a blog post.
So if the headline doesn't grab your visitors, they won't read the blog post no matter how much insight it provides. To make your headline effective, offer a benefit, arouse curiosity, provide a different perspective, and don't forget your keyword.
12. Not Using Search Operators
Search operators provide an effective way to filter and refine search results. These are terms in Google you can type in to narrow your search results. They include:
- site: + keyword
- intitle: + keyword
- allintitle: + keyword
- title: + keyword
- link: + keyword
My favorites are “intitle:” and “allintitle:” Just type the keywords after the colon. The search operators will enable the search engine to deliver better results.
13. Writing Long Posts That Lack Quality
If you've researched search engine ranking, you know that long-form blog posts can rank better. But not at the expense of low quality. Low quality, in a nutshell, means fluff.
It's true longer posts get more shares and backlinks. Posts with 2000+ words typically rank higher. They can provide more in-depth information. They get shared more often on social media and in community forums.
But that's only when they offer value throughout the post. Say the same thing over and over again in your post, and you've lost your readers.
13 Common Blogging Mistakes Realtors Make Reviewed
Avoid these 13 common blogging mistakes, and you'll see a significant improvement in your blog traffic and audience engagement. You'll discover your real estate blogs will generate more leads, be converted to clients, and grow your real estate business.
Need help with your real estate marketing? Contact us today to strengthen your online presence with better SEO optimization, social media engagement, and more.
Need more local marketing tips? Check out our entire Guide to Local Marketing for Real Estate Professionals
