What is Off-Page SEO and Why Should Home Builders Care?

Off-page search engine optimization (SEO) includes all the SEO tactics that don’t involve your website or its content. Off-page SEO is anything that influences the search engines that helps your home building or development website to rank higher. When off-page SEO is performed at a high level, it builds domain authority. And domains with authority tend to rank higher than those without authority or with little authority. Think of domain authority as credibility for your website.

Most home builders and developers get offers from SEO companies daily. But despite these offers of better rankings in 30 or 60 days, there aren’t any shortcuts to SEO; it takes time. Expect a newly implemented SEO strategy to take 90 days to six months before you see results and understand that it takes time. SEO is not a tactic you employ once and then walk away from; it requires consistency.

In this second part of our SEO series, we uncover some of the top ways to influence the search engines and get your home builder website to rank higher:

Link Building and Backlinks

Quality links from other websites tell the search engines that your site is relevant and an authority. These are often called backlinks. And the key here is to build links from credible sites that are somehow related to your website in terms of content or industry. Links need to be natural and make sense within the context of the site where they are placed. You don’t want spammy links from poor-quality sites. Digital public relations is an excellent source of backlinks. In fact, SEM Rush says it is the perfect way to earn authority links at scale.

Brand Building

Another great way to show the search engines that your home builder or developer website has authority is for consumers to search for you by name. Traditional advertising utilizing billboards, radio or print media is a great way to create a brand and inspire consumers to search or Google your name. They may even type your URL directly into the search engine!

Local SEO: Location, Location, Location

Marketing homes and communities are all about location, location, location. Everything is local. For new home buyers searching for their next home, local SEO helps them discover which homes are in their preferred locale. Local SEO has two main components – a Google Business Profile and citations.

Google Business Profiles are free, and as a home builder, you can set one up for your main corporate office and include all of your communities within that same profile. This is one of the top ways folks search online to discover communities and home builders. A well-built Google Business profile is an online storefront with your website, hours, address, phone number, map location, recent updates, photos and more. This tool is free from Google.

A citation is a listing or reference to a business that includes its NAP – name, address and phone number. Anyone can create local citations, so they probably exist even if you have never created one for your company. Just Google your company name to find and claim directory listings. You want to claim and make as many of these as possible as the search engines use them to cross-check your business information and determine its relevancy. Some important places to start building citations include your Google Business profile, Bing Maps, Yelp, Angie’s List and your own Facebook page!

Content Marketing

Content marketing isn’t always an on-page tactic; it can also be used off-page. For instance, guest posts, infographics, surveys, videos, whitepapers and case studies are all tools that help off-page SEO gain propulsion. Content marketing seeks to create interest in products or services. This content is most valuable in converting consumers’ attention if it is relevant and valuable. A strong strategy establishes expertise and creates top-of-mind awareness.

Social Media

There are lots of reasons that home builders and developers should invest in creating robust social media platforms. Your prospective buyers are on these channels. And they also impact SEO indirectly. Social sites are a superb way to share website content and reach a vast audience. Social media is a giant syndication machine that can reach a vast audience and provide websites with additional backlinks.

Podcasts

Are you looking for a competitive advantage? Think about starting a podcast. Not only are they prevalent, but home builders and developers have not embraced them as a strategy, and consumers have! A niche podcast is a brilliant way to create a following and improve branding and backlinks.

Reviews

The more reviews, the merrier. Google likes reviews, and companies with lots of reviews tend to rank higher in the search engine results pages. As a home builder or developer, it’s essential to have a system for collecting reviews so that it doesn’t spoil the rest of your stellar reviews when that lousy apple comes along. Remember that Google includes reviews on your Google Business profile, so systemize the process and collect more of them!

Many off-page SEO tactics are available, including guest posting, content syndication, influencer marketing, forums, events, and more. Remember to read Why Should Home Builders Care about On-Page SEO, where we reveal the must-dos for a successful organic search strategy.

SEO is a must-have strategy. Milesbrand is prepared to help you create an effective home builder digital marketing strategy! Reach out to our team to learn more about how we can develop robust marketing strategies and set your real estate brand up for success.