Search Engine's - Google, Bing & Yahoo

It's important to understand the role of search engines in the world of real estate. When people are considering buying, selling, or renting a home, they often turn to various sources for information. Some go to Realtor.ca, others to popular websites like HouseSigma, and still others turn to search engines such as Google, Bing, and Yahoo. The keywords they use can vary greatly, with thousands of different variations, including "homes for sale in [city]" or "house prices in [city]."

What's significant here is that being visible on search engines means you are exposing yourself to those people who are actively searching for information related to real estate. By appearing in search results, you have the opportunity to connect with potential clients who are in the market for buying, selling, or renting a home.

Reaching Your Target Audience through Search Engines

When it comes to getting your website in front of those searching for real estate information, there are two main options: SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and PPC (Pay Per Click).

SEO is a long-term strategy that can take months or even years to show results. While you can attempt to optimize your website yourself, there are also companies that specialize in SEO services. It's important to understand that SEO is not a guaranteed way to achieve a specific ranking on search engines. No SEO company can guarantee organic rankings, as search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo would not allow their algorithms to be manipulated in this way.

While SEO is not a bad strategy, it may not be the best option for generating immediate traffic from search engines. If you have a healthy budget for PPC and are already seeing results in terms of traffic and leads, it may make more sense to invest in SEO over time and work towards organic rankings. However, if you are just starting out and need to generate leads quickly, it may be more effective to focus on PPC.

Reaching Potential Clients through Social Media

Social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat, offer a different approach to generating leads compared to search engines. Instead of advertising to individuals who are actively searching for real estate information, you are casting a wider net and reaching a larger audience within a specific city or area. Your goal is to get them to respond to ads such as "Get a list of homes in [city]" or to view your listings and contact you.

Just like with search engines, there are two ways to approach social media advertising: organic and paid. Organic means attempting to get your posts noticed on your business page by people in your desired area without paying the social media platform. This can be a challenging approach, as social media companies prioritize their paid advertising over organic posts.

With paid advertising, you pay the social media platform on a per impression, per click, or per lead basis. This allows you to reach a larger audience and increase your visibility, leading to more leads and potentially higher conversions. Paid advertising also gives you more control over your target audience and ad placement, making it a more effective option for generating leads through social media.