Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is, in the most basic sense, how effectively your website performs on search sites like Google and Yahoo. There are thousands of guides to SEO online, but – if you’re interested in learning more about how SEO works – check out SEOmoz’s comprehensive overview.
SEO is important for your property management company in a number of ways.
First, as marketing transitions away from “traditional” paths, establishing an effective website that prospective customers can easily find is the best way to land new business and clients. Essentially, if your website isn’t performing well on the major search engines, you’re cutting yourself off from potential revenue.
Second, if you’ve built a website (or paid someone to build it for you), but haven’t paid any attention to whether or not you’re easily discoverable via Google, you’re turning a blind eye to your market. Investing time in understanding how your customers are searching for your property management company makes it easier for them to find you!
Third, paying attention to your SEO means paying attention to your market. Devoting your time and resources to understanding and cultivating your market gives you an edge over your competitors because you’re regularly plugged into what they want.
So, how do you attract visitors to your site – especially ones who are local and interested in your services? One tactic is the creation of a locally focused “SEO Dragnet” web.
You’ll need a website that allows you to create and implement new static content. For example, if your business site is built on WordPress, you will need to be able to create and publish new Pages.
Step one: Identify your geographic area.
Depending on your location, this could be centered on a city, a county, or a general region.
Step two: Identify at least 10 nearby neighborhoods, cities, or regions.
Get specific – you want to link together as many nearby communities and areas as possible.
Step three: Create a template.
Your template should include:
- Your business name
- Your business’ mission
- Your services and the list of places you offer those services identified in steps one and two
Step four: Create a static page for all 10 locations, adapting your template for each.
As you do so, link each of the pages together. This creates a web of keywords and links that can boost your SEO based specifically on the area in which you’re focusing!
Confused? Take a look at the example below. It should give you a good idea of the structure of your very own SEO Dragnet. Create a page for each of your locations, swapping out the highlighted “Baltimore” for a the next name in the list and so on until you’ve got 10 inter-linked, published pages.
Example: SEO Dragnet
Keep in mind that these are not meant to be “front-facing” pages. They exist to help boost your rankings on Google and Yahoo. In the event that someone lands on one during a search, you want it to appear professional and logical with an obvious way to navigate to your main services pages.