Your real estate website is often the first contact point potential clients have with your business. Whether you direct them to your website or they stumble upon it, clients will make quick judgments about you and your business based on your website. It should look professional, be easy to navigate, and include features that buyers and sellers are looking for. It should also, most definitely, have a blog.

If the idea of writing (and maintaining) a consistent blog on your website seems overwhelming, you are not alone. Many agents and brokers are so busy closing deals, scheduling showings, and handling the behind-the-scenes aspects of real estate that putting together a blog gets put on the back burner. 

And while this is understandable, here are five reasons why a blog is a critical part of your business plan:

SEO

One of the most important, and often overlooked, reasons your real estate business website needs a blog is Search Engine Optimization (SEO). This refers to the way the content of your page “appeals” to search engines. The more your website focuses on SEO, the higher you will rank in search engines like Google. The higher you rank, the more people see your website, and the more traffic you generate. A blog helps increase SEO by adding keywords and phrases to your website for Google to find and read. 

A blog helps keep your website up-to-date and shows visitors to your site that you are constantly working on and improving your online presence. 

Establish Yourself As An Expert

A blog is a great way to establish yourself as an real estate expert. Through your blogs, you can help buyers understand complicated aspects of the market and demonstrate your knowledge and experience in the industry. You can create detailed neighborhood guides, create home buying and selling checklists, and break down complicated parts of the real estate process. All of this will show those who read it that you know your stuff, and prove that they can trust you when it comes to helping navigate the local market. 

Generate Leads

With a few simple features, you can take an ordinary blog and turn it into to a lead generating machine. It is all about the wording and layout of the blog, and the different ways you can offer unique content to your audience. To use your blog to capture more leads, try:

  • Installing margin banners that catch reader attention and encourage them to download exclusive content, like a local neighborhood guide or recent white paper.
  • Partnering with influencers and other bloggers. The different voices on your page will attract different kinds of attention and increase the chances that your blog gets seen. 
  • Using the comment section of your blog to engage with your readers, answer questions, and ideally, generate more leads
  • Installing pop-up software. While too many pop-up ads can be annoying, ads in your blog that are properly placed (and timed) can help keep readers on your site for longer and direct them further into your website. 

Portray A More Personal Side

While establishing yourself as an expert is important, so is showcasing your personal side. Real estate is a people-centered business, and potential clients want to see your human side. A blog allows you to share your voice and let people get to know you. People want to work with a broker or agent that they can relate to and trust. They want someone who shares their values and will make them feel like more than a number. An effective blog can help them see this side of you. 

One way to add more personality to your blog is by posting “vlogs” or video blogs. These modern blog posts give clients a deeper look into who you are and give them a chance to really hear you. A combination of written blogs and vlogs on your website will help establish your credibility but also showcase your authentic, human side. 

Create A Place For Conversation

If your website doesn’t have a blog, the only place for communication between you and a potential client is through a small “contact us” box somewhere on the page. If this is hard to find, you could lose their interest and in turn, lose the lead. A blog opens up dialogue. It opens up a dialogue between those in the community, and also gives you a platform for engaging and constructive conversation. 

The blog can be shared on social media, which is another way to start a discussion. Having a blog isn’t just about the content it provides, it is about having another way to engage with your audience. 

Final Thoughts

Having a blog on your website is just the first step. Your blog needs to be relevant and updated regularly. If a potential client checks out your blog and sees the last time it was updated was 2016, they may assume you don’t put a lot of time or effort into your website. And if you don’t put a lot of time and effort into your most important real estate digital marketing tool, how can they be sure you’ll put time and effort into them?

If your website doesn’t have a blog, it’s time to change that. Brainstorm some ideas, create a schedule, and slowly start growing your blog. It’s a small improvement to your website that can reap big rewards.