After developing and launching your multifamily website comes one of many crucial steps: generating traffic to that very site. Aside from publishing a social media page and updating your Google My Business listing, one of the best ways to accomplish this initiative is by harnessing the power of on-page SEO. On-page SEO involves optimizing webpage content and its elements for search engines and their users. This stands in contrast to off-page SEO, which involves any activities driving awareness and referral traffic to your website from other sites.
Although marketing professionals often tout the importance of off-page SEO, on-page optimization is still relevant, even with Google’s current level of sophistication. In fact, an analysis of 11 million Google search results found a correlation between keyword-rich title tags and first page rankings. So, are you ready to take the next steps in applying on-page SEO to your website marketing strategy? Here is what your team should do to get started.
Invest in Keyword Research
Conducting keyword research is the first step you should take when implementing an on-page SEO strategy. You want your site to use keywords in deliberate ways, so that Google will deem the website relevant when a user searches for those terms. There are many keyword research tools on the market to achieve this goal, whether you choose to invest in a paid platform, such as Ahrefs or SEMRush, utilize a free tool, like Google’s Keyword Planner, or even hire a team of multifamily marketing experts to handle the workload for you.
When conducting your research, start by experimenting with the search terms that people might use when looking for an apartment. Remember, common sense is your best friend. Your tool of choice will return suggested keywords similar to what you entered, showing each term’s search volume and competitiveness, or keyword difficulty. To gain organic traction quickly, you’ll want to target the least competitive keywords with the highest search volume.
Place Keywords Where They Matter
Whether Google admits it or not, keyword placement matters. Despite the increasing finesse of search engine marketing practices, certain old-school SEO tactics remain prevalent today. These include optimizing target keywords within the first 100-150 words of your meta description and avoiding keyword stuffing, which typically involves cramming as many keywords as possible into a single stretch of content. If you participate in this type of practice, expect your website to be flagged for suspicious behavior.
In terms of structuring your site content, you obviously have to think beyond the first 100-150 words. Be sure to naturally incorporate keywords into your content, using these terms just enough to confirm your website’s focus with various search engines and visitors. Heading structure is also imperative when it comes to structuring your on-page content in an organized manner, as headings assist Google’s crawlers with the 700,000 inquiries that they receive per second. To be effective, your headings must be easy to understand and include your most important keywords.
Appeal to Nearby Searchers with Local Keywords
Did you know that 97 percent of Internet users find out more about a local company through the web? In recent years, local SEO has become an effective way for businesses to market themselves on a localized level through the power of the Internet. Referring to a collection of practices used to improve a brand’s visibility in organic local search results, local SEO is far-reaching and extends across multiple online channels, including search engine results, social media pages, and, of course, your website.
As location is one of the most important factors in a prospect’s housing decision, you should always include location-based keywords in your property’s SEO strategy. Keywords, like “apartments in [city, state],” “[name] apartments in [neighborhood] for rent,” or “pet-friendly apartments in [zip code]” are three simple, yet powerful, terms to consider. Keywords that mention a particular landmark, employment center, or school district can also earn high search traffic and are worth including, too.
Blog on a Regular Basis
Adding a blog to your apartment website is one of the easiest ways to expand your on-page SEO strategy. Not only do blogs increase the number of pages on your website, which Google and other search engines tend to favor, but they also provide marketers with more opportunities to write content with traffic-boosting keywords. Plus, blogs tend to give every party involved – users, search engines, and apartment marketers – exactly what they need out of a website experience with their informative material.
Aside from showcasing your extensive keyword research efforts and helping familiarize prospects with your community, blogging also helps multifamily marketers create an effective marketing loop. The marketing loop circulates fresh, keyword-optimized content from your marketing website to your social media channels. In utilizing this strategy, you’ll further establish brand trust with search engines, placing your website among the ranks of companies whose blogs earn them 97 percent more backlinks to their site.
Add Videos to Your Website
Google’s algorithm likes websites with high-engagement content and tends to favor those that include video as part of their user experience. Many people enjoy using videos as an educational tool, since they can communicate a lot of material in a short amount of time. 86 percent of Americans reportedly use the video sharing platform, YouTube, to learn new things. Since Google’s mission is to connect users to content that they’ll find valuable, video is a powerful answer to many consumer inquiries.
Not only does video deliver plenty of worthwhile information atop a great UX experience, but users also absolutely love it. Overall digital video penetration in the United States continues to climb steadily, reaching nearly 84 percent last year. By 2022, it is estimated that 82 percent of the global Internet traffic will come from video streaming and downloads. These numbers alone are enough to prove that video will perform well within your website’s on-page SEO plan.
Improving your visibility online has never been more important. Whether you’re new to the content marketing game or a seasoned professional, everyone can benefit from a rejuvenated approach to their digital strategy. Although these suggestions only skim the surface of a comprehensive SEO approach, they offer an excellent way to begin implementing first-rate practices to your on-page content strategy.
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AUTHOR
Kerry W. Kirby is a renowned entrepreneur, technology innovator, and philanthropist. He is the founder and CEO of 365 Connect, the leader in providing the most advanced automated marketing, leasing, and resident engagement platform for multifamily communities across the globe. Executing on a progressive vision of creating leading-edge products and services, Kerry has won more technology awards than any other company in his home state of Louisiana, as well as the industry he serves. Prior to founding 365 Connect, Kerry worked in the multifamily housing industry developing communities across the Southeastern United States. Kerry’s eye for finding buildable sites with incredible locations was his formula to creating an array of successful ventures.
Kerry W. Kirby has earned widespread recognition and numerous prestigious awards throughout his career. His accolades include the Louisiana Governor’s Technology Award and Titan Entrepreneur Award, both highlighting his outstanding contributions to the tech industry. For nine consecutive years, he has been listed on the Silicon Bayou 100 as one of Louisiana's most influential entrepreneurs. Most notably, Kerry became the first in the multifamily housing sector to receive the Bootstrapper Award, underscoring his remarkable journey of turning a scrappy startup into a leading proptech powerhouse without external funding.
Kerry W. Kirby serves on the Board of Advisors of Rainbow, a national nonprofit organization that provides service-enriched housing programs for over 32,000 affordable housing units across the country, and general-partner services to an additional 12,300 units. He is Chair of Technology Initiatives for the Multifamily Innovation Advisory Council, an executive membership level organization with over three million multifamily units represented, focused on assisting owners and operators explore innovative solutions that will drive change across the industry.
Kerry W. Kirby and his wife Melinda M. Kirby are actively involved in supporting communities and causes, with an unwavering dedication to humanitarian, educational, healthcare, and equality programs. Through the Kerry & Melinda Kirby Foundation, they provide resources to nonprofit organizations that accelerate progress by championing causes that give a voice to those that are often not heard. They have been highly recognized for their philanthropic commitment, being honored with a Communitas International Award for their significant impact in making a difference in people’s lives.