Over 90% of today’s homebuyers search online at some point in the process, and almost half start online. After scouting the market on aggregate MLS sites like Zillow or Trulia, the next step buyers take is searching for a real estate agent. Do you know how they are going to find you?

Hint: “City” + “real estate agent.” Go ahead. Google yourself this way. Does your name pop up in the top three? In the suggested ads? How about on the first page of search results?

Not everyone has the budget or patience to pay for Google Ads. That’s okay. Use content marketing to cheat the system and drive free, organic traffic to your real estate domain. Did you know websites with a blog drive more traffic than those without? Here’s why:

Blog for Search Engine Optimization

Search engines are indexing your site assess how often it is updated, what keywords appear most frequently, and how many pages the site has. Blogging delivers on all these fronts: the strategy builds quality content, uses keywords organically, and increases the number of pages.

Showcase Your Real Estate Expertise

An online profile on social and about pages reads like a resume. Sure, it’s great to list personal accomplishments, your alma mater, and award. But buyers and sellers are more skeptical of what those special awards mean. Anyone can fake a social profile, and more bios are full of meaningless accolades. Top-seller in 2015? Top agent for your agency? What does that really mean?

A blog allows real estate agents to highlight their deep knowledge. Impress potential homebuyers with your understanding of local neighborhoods. Woo home sellers with your expertise in marketing tactics. A regularly updated blog is your second-best marketing tool, right after word-of-mouth referrals.

Increase Web Traffic Organically

Grow your web traffic using a blog. For this to work effectively, real estate agents must have a short-term and long-term strategy to maximize the blog’s effectiveness. Short-term includes sharing the latest post with email subscribers and across your social media platforms. Long-term means writing quality content with attractive titles that search engines will index. It means consistently digging out your best-performing stuff and re-promoting it on social. Given enough time, a blog about the “Top 7 Pocket Neighborhoods” could be a top producer of organic traffic to your website.

Ready to start a real estate blog? This type of content requires time and commitment. Publishing consistent quality blogs over the long haul will deliver benefits like lead generation and brand awareness.

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I help real estate agents plan, write, and publish their blogs. Ask me how!