DIY SEO

For apartment marketing

By Geneva Ives on Nov 3, 2021 in Marketing

Search engine optimization: You know you should be doing it, but are you taking proactive steps to optimize your apartment marketing website?

By now, the benefits of SEO for apartment marketing are clear. By optimizing your site, you make it more attractive in search, both to search engines and potential customers. When search engines like your website, they think it is trustworthy and answers relevant search terms. When customers like your website, they engage with it by visiting multiple pages and clicking buttons.

Relevance and engagement cause your site to rise higher in search results, helping you build authority, reach more potential renters and fill more vacancies.

Property management SEO may seem like an overwhelming responsibility. After all, every time there’s a significant algorithm change, new articles come out with tips and tricks designed to adapt to the changes. But what you might not realize is that SEO is intended to be more or less straightforward. If your website creates a good user experience by functioning well for all visitors and providing valuable information for your target audience, it should appear in search results. And for apartment marketers, the search results that matter are typically local ones e.g., “one-bedrooms in <city>” and “<neighborhood> apartments for rent.”

With that in mind, here are a few DIY SEO tips for apartment marketing. Start making these updates today to see positive results in the long term.

Optimize the metadata for every page

Every page of your website should have an optimized title tag and a metadata snippet. This is what will show in search results. Google measure title lengths in pixels, not characters, but per Moz, it’s a good idea to keep your title between 50-60 characters. Meta descriptions can be any length, but Google generally truncates snippets to ~155 characters.

Every page on your website should be optimized for different keywords. While using keywords in your page title does have a direct impact on search engine ranking, keywords in meta descriptions do not. Instead, good meta descriptions encourage users to click through, increasing your ranking by increasing your click through rate.

Meta descriptions can also appear on social media when someone shares a link to one of your pages, so it’s a good idea to take control of the copy to make sure your brand is presented in the most professional light.

Add logical alt text to every image

Alt text is the text used to describe photos on your website. Alt text appears when an image doesn’t load. It is also accessed by screen readers to describe photos to users with visual impairments. Search engines read alt text to get an idea of what images are about and how they might be relevant to search inquiries.

If you haven’t paid attention to your alt text in the past, there’s a good chance it doesn’t say anything helpful. It might look something like “IMG_2079” or “Apartment1.” This doesn’t add any value to your website. This is how Google says you should write alt text:

When choosing alt text, focus on creating useful, information-rich content that uses keywords appropriately and is in context of the content of the page. Avoid filling alt attributes with keywords (keyword stuffing) as it results in a negative user experience and may cause your site to be seen as spam.

So you might want to try something like “One-bedroom floor plan for Dreamscape Apartments in Greenville, SC” — just make sure you’re providing useful information instead of keyword soup.

Create more local content

Good property management SEO usually targets a specific location: the place your apartments are located. If you want to get the attention of renters ready to make a move in your area, your website should have plenty of information about your location and what makes it a great place to live.

You may want to start by creating a page about your city or neighborhood. You should describe what makes it a great place for renters, include local photos and link out to popular local businesses.

If you have a blog on your property website, schedule regular local posts that target different interests. Post topics might include live music in your area, neighborhood dog parks and family fun events.

Whatever local content you create, be sure you optimize the title, description and alt text so you have a better chance of appearing higher in search results.

Claim your Google My Business listing

Claiming your Google My Business page is one of the simplest and most effective ways to improve your local SEO. It’s free and easy to do.  A Google My Business account ensures that when a prospect looks for your company on Google Search and Google Maps, they find it. Once they do, your listing shows searchers where and how to visit you, whether via your website or physical address. You also get data that shows you how people are engaging with your profile, so you can see how many clicks and calls you get from it.

After making sure your business information is accurate, you should add photos of your property, your smiling team and even some happy residents (provided you get their permission first). This gives searchers even more of the information they need to make an informed decision and take the next step in contacting you.

Read more: 4 Free Ways Google My Business Boosts Property Visibility

Get more reviews

According to Google, reviews improve your visibility in local search: “Google review count and review score factor into local search ranking. More reviews and positive ratings can improve your business’ local ranking.”

While Google seems to favor reviews that appear on Google My Business, reviews on other apartment search site should be considered too, since those websites often appear in search results. If your property doesn’t have many reviews yet, it’s time to reach out to a few happy residents and ask for some. It could be just the SEO boost you need to outrank your closest competition.

Take it to the next level with expert property management SEO help

Ready to go beyond the basics? Let our REACH by RentCafe digital marketing agency help you:

• Increase site speed and accessibility: Both speed and accessibility send strong SEO signals. We can make sure your website meets Google’s high performance standards.
• Fine tune on-page optimization: There’s more to on-page optimization than keyword utilization. Let us manage the finer points so that you will appear in more targeted searches in your area.
• Establish a consistent NAP across the web: We use Yext technology to make sure your name, address and phone number citations are consistent across online directories and review sites.
• Maintain an active social presence: We consistently post local content on your social media channels as well as links back to your website, taking the stress out of social for you. Social posts send engagement signals and frequently appear in search results.
• Manage your reputation on multiple platforms: Review sites often dominate apartment search results, so it’s a good idea to actively respond to reviews. We can do that for you or you can manage it yourself from a self-service dashboard that lets you see everything you need in one place.

Leverage our team of search marketing experts with advanced training who stay up to date with algorithm updates, search behavior shifts and more. See what’s possible with REACH by RentCafe SEO.