Published 6/12/2020. Updated July 5, 2023.
Marketing for property managers has changed.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is still an integral part of reaching your customers, but your customers will look elsewhere if you don't produce high-quality, helpful content that meets their expectations.
Consumers expect to find answers on the internet. As a tool, it has all but completely erased the encyclopedia, dictionary, most magazines, and periodicals.
Yes, keywords matter, but if your content focuses too strongly on keywords instead of helpful information, your customers will consume content from a site that doesn't appeal more to search engines than it does to them.
However, producing meaningful and helpful content while boosting SEO isn't as challenging as you might expect. Content should engage consumers while still fitting into your existing SEO strategy. The best way to do this is to consider SEO from all levels and conduct keyword research before creating content.
So, here are some of our best tips for better property management marketing through SEO-driven content!
Content Boosts SEO
Google frequently makes changes to its algorithm to ensure they show the user relevant content that answers their questions.
One critical aspect of the algorithm punishes sites that engage in "keyword stuffing," which is forcing keywords into your content where they don't belong to create an increase in ranking.
Having unique keywords relating to your business can help boost SEO for those keywords without having to force them in. So, if you follow inbound best practices and write about your property management business, SEO will naturally follow.
Here's an example: If you regularly use the phrase "property management" in a blog, being mindful of changing the term to "Dallas property management" will help you rank for "Dallas property management" over time. However, you wouldn't want to add "Dallas" in every time, usually around once per every three paragraphs is sufficient to signal the keyword without it being considered "stuffing."
Always be mindful of context as well. If you find and replace all mentions of "property management" with "Dallas property management," you could significantly mess up your content in terms of Google's SEO ranking factors.
Good Content Leads to Social Sharing
Creating consistently helpful content isn't only about the content itself. Reaching your target audience with content they are willing to share can also help boost your SERP (search engine results pages) rankings.
When optimizing content, keep a few things in mind:
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Getting "earned" results is the goal of SEO, but the purpose of any business is to convert that engagement into a sale.
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The quality of your content can determine whether or not that conversion happens.
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If you produce meaningful content, consumers will share it on social media — and that recommendation goes a long way.
According to Nielsen's Global Trust in Advertising report, "88% of global respondents trust recommendations from people they know more than any other channel."
While it might not seem pressing now, search engines like Google and Bing are already looking at prioritizing results that have engagements with your social media contacts (provided you're logged in, and your accounts are connected).
Looks Matter
When you're ready to start producing content, you should already have a plan for SEO at all levels of your property management marketing plans.
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Use that plan to create a framework to keep your content on message. The outline can include where to insert links and keywords.
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Before you publish, thoroughly edit your content: no one shares content that looks unprofessional, is full of typos, and can't carry a coherent thought through to the end!
At best, your content will get ignored. At worst, you'll attract the wrong kind of social media buzz.
Having great content also only matters if your customers can read it. Here are some pointers to increase readability for your property management blog efforts:
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Use shorter paragraphs
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Don't use filler words
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Break up text with bullet points and images
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Use headings appropriately
It's also crucial to consider how your customers view your content. According to Google, most people are searching on a mobile device, so Google boosts sites that are optimized for mobile and therefore reduces the ranking of unoptimized sites.
Use Content to Be Helpful
It can be harder to encourage mass sharing of property management blogs — after all, your audience is pretty niche. So, consider bringing your content to places where it will be helpful and improve your SEO while doing so.
Being helpful can include:
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Offering to provide guest posts on partner sites and including one link back to your site.
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Looking for property owners asking questions on forums and responding with a blog article that is relevant to their inquiry.
Most big forums will automatically place a "no-follow" tag on your link, but you'll bring qualified traffic to your site that will click through multiple pages, spend time on your site, and help naturally increase your relevance that way.
Content Marketing for Property Managers Must Continually Adapt
As search engines adapt to users, SEO strategies for property management marketing must also change. The previous method of applying plenty of keywords and external links is still relevant to a point, but having helpful content that engages your customers in a meaningful way can be a better boost to your SEO.
Remember to keep your content relevant, expert-level, and helpful. Use it in ways that bring that helpfulness to the user without trying to sell them, and let your leads come to you through an effective inbound marketing methodology!
If you need a refresher on how to make your marketing spend work harder (and smarter) for your property management company, get in touch with the team at Geekly Media! We can show you how powerful SEO-driven, helpful content can be for your property management business.
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