Introduction: The Importance of Multifamily SEO
Did you know that 93% of renters start their search online when looking for a new apartment.
Keeping your apartment complex filled with tenants can be a difficult challenge. Especially when you are struggling to be found by potential renters because you rank low on the search engine.
This is where things such as multifamily apartment SEO come into play. This article will teach you about reasons why you should invest in your search engine optimization and how it can benefit you in the long run by keeping your complex filled with tenants.
What Is SEO and Why Should You Care?
If this is your first time hearing about SEO it stands for search engine optimization. SEO is a powerful digital marketing tool that is used to help rank keywords on a search engine. A search engine rankings are determined by how good your SEO is.
Keywords are how a website gets found online without them nothing works.
SEO’s job is to improve ranking for words (also known as search terms) that are important to your business. So, in the context of multifamily SEO – getting your apartment complex seen by the people who are searching for an apartment near them.
Benefits of Apartment SEO
- Increased organic traffic
- Higher quality leads
- Improved return on marketing investments
SEO vs. Paid Advertising
Both strategies are useful for marketing an apartment complex. There are some key differences between the two. The main one being the speed of results. If you are looking to bring in new tenants as fast as possible you should opt for PPC advertising. However, if you do not mind waiting, SEO is a good option for sustained long term growth. Given that both strategies share the same goals it is highly recommended that you combine both apartment SEO and PPC together to see the best benefit.
Optimizing Your Website for SEO
There are a few key steps you need to take to ensure that your online presence and SEO efforts pay off. Specifically ,you will need to take into consideration 8 different tactics.
- Mobile Friendly Design
- Loading Speed
- Navigation
- Avoiding common pitfalls
- Descriptive listings
- High quality visuals
- Virtual tours
Mobile-Friendly Design
More people now than ever use their mobile phone to visit websites. Did you know about 63% of global website traffic originates from mobile devices. If your apartment complex website is not optimized for mobile you are missing out on a massive traffic source and opportunity to attract new renters.
Fast Loading Speed
Websites that load faster perform better than those that do not. If you have a slow website people are more likely to leave in search of another complex. Page speed is a known Google ranking factor and a slow load time will cause you to appear under another apartment website.
Clear Navigation
Visitors need to find the information they are looking for as fast as possible. The best way to do this is to have clear and easy to use navigation. Ensure that all important areas of your website are able to be found, A potential tenant should be able to find: available units, amenities and contact details as quickly as possible.
Avoiding Common Pitfalls
You will also want to stay away from common pitfalls that hold back the success of the SEO for your apartment complex. What are these pitfalls? Well they mainly relate to website speed. One of the biggest impacts to speed is how images are displayed on your website. Many people love the image slider also known as a carousel. These should be used as little as possible to minimize the page speed impact and reduction of user engagement.
Enhancing Website Content
Enhancing your website content is important to attracting the right audience and making sure that you rank highly for your desired keywords. Without extra enhancements you may find it difficult to reach the top of Google.
To make your website performance better than your competitors you also need to have:
- Descriptive Listings
- High Quality Visuals
- Ability for Virtual Tours
- Neighborhood Guides
Descriptive Listings
You want people to find what they are looking for. This can be done by enhancing your available listings for each of your units with information about each apartment type, the size and pricing.
High-Quality Visuals
Clear, well-lit photos and videos are highly important to showcase your units and common area. This will allow potential renters to get a feel for the property before scheduling a tour.
Virtual Tours
Speaking of tours, for people who are unable to visit your property a virtual tour can also help tenants get a feel for the space before they schedule a tour in real life with a leasing agent.
Neighborhood Guides
Real estate is all about location, create a neighborhood guide that helps to highlight local attractions, schools, and amenities to attract renters searching for specific attributes and to help people make informed decisions about where they would like to live.
Local SEO: Targeting Renters in Your Area
Local SEO will play a significant role in attracting renters to your property. It will also be the main drive behind a quality SEO strategy. This will help ensure that you reach the right people at the right time. A number of factors go into local SEO with the main being:
- Google Business Profile
- NAP Info
- Local Keywords
- Reviews
- Response Rates and times
Google Business Profile
Your Google business profile has a profound impact on your apartment complex’s SEO. You should ensure that you have claimed and optimized your profile with accurate information. Including your address, phone number and business hours.
Consistent NAP Information
In the local SEO community NAP data stands for: name, address, and phone number. To maximize the results of your multifamily SEO ensure that your information is consistent across all platforms to improve local search rankings.
Local Keywords
Attracting tenants comes down to showing up for keywords such as “apartments in [Your City]” or “pet-friendly apartment near [Landmark]”
If you cannot get your website to show up for terms like this you will have zero chance to not only rank well on Google but also to attract new tenants.
Encourage Reviews
People buy from those they know, like and trust. Online reviews are a great way to build that trust. Gaining reviews on platforms such as Google and Yelp can improve your local search rankings and build trust with potential tenants.
Conclusion
Getting your apartment complex to the first page of Google is critically important to gaining new tenants from SEO. Optimizing your apartment website is a difficult and time consuming process. We would recommend that you use an apartment SEO service to see the best results and to minimize any risk of harming your website.
Get started with Cindtoro’s multifamily SEO management and reach the top of Google today!
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