If I hear the phrase “Content is King” one more time, I think I’ll scream.  Of course, it’s true – but that phrase is just so highly overused!

Why Is Content Critical?

There are really two reasons.  First, search engines are looking for content-rich websites.  The engines are trying to find the best information for their customers, the people doing the search.   Therefore, sites that have lots of content related to a particular keyword phrase get high marks.

Just to be clear – content is not the only requirement to get ranked well in the search engines.  But, quality content is a critical part of the equation.

The second reason for adding quality content to your website is that your visitors like it, too.  You’ve probably heard about making your website “sticky”.   A sticky website encourages visitors to stay on, and return to, the site.  And, of course, the more time a visitor spends on your real estate website, the more likely it is that the person will turn into a lead.

What Is Good Content?

1.  It’s Original – The most critical requirement for website content is that it must be “original”.  Content is original when it can’t be found anywhere else on the Internet.  So, that means that copying a few paragraphs from the Wikipedia doesn’t count.  In addition, linking to other websites that have original content about your communities, for example, doesn’t count either.

2.  There’s a Sufficient Amount of Content – The figure that is most often quoted is this:  Search engines consider a page of at least 250 words to be significant enough to take a good look at.  So, you need at least that amount of content on a page to satisfy the search engines.  To satisfy your visitors, you may well need more.

3.  It Answers a Visitor’s Questions – When you’re planning a real estate website, you should be putting yourself in your visitor’s shoes, and asking yourself the question: “What would I want to know to help me make an informed real estate decision?”  If you identify what those things are and add them to your site, you’re definitely headed in the right direction.

What Does Killer Content Look Like?

For a great example, I refer you to one of our client’s website, www.DecaturGARealty.com.  Randy Chavers has been a client for a while now.  We started our work together turning his logo concept into reality.  Then, we established a Point2 Agent website for him, adding custom design elements, menu and marketing message.  We just recently completed the next phase of his website development: community pages.

First, we created a map that would orient visitors to Randy’s metro Decatur real estate market area, and send them to the community page of their choice.

The community pages themselves are rich with information.  Not all of the information is food for the search engines, but it’s great information for visitors.  All of the 15 community pages are set up the same way, but take a look at the Avondale Estates real estate community page, for example.  Here are the information elements on the community pages:

• Community Profile – This is original content that provides an overview of the community.
• Search for Homes – Randy is using a pre-defined map search we created on his full-featured IDX MLS search from Wolfnet.  Visitors are taken directly to the Avondale Estates location on the map to see what homes are available.
• Schools - This is a widget from Education.com.  There’s an earlier post on this blog about using that widget.
• Market Conditions – Randy is using Altos Research to obtain up to the minute market stats.  The community page contains two overview charts and a call to action to receive reports on a weekly basis.
• Walk Score/What’s Nearby – Walkscore.com provides the engine for this widget.  Randy’s market is in a “small town” area just outside the city of Atlanta, so the Walk Score information makes a lot of sense for his visitors.
• Favorite Places – Randy wrote brief reviews of a couple of his favorite places in each community, and can always add more as time permits.  This gives a visitor more information about the character of a community.  And, it gives Randy a chance to show more of his personality, too.
• Learn More About… – This is a call to action to contact Randy for more details about any of the neighborhoods. 

Each community page has three opportunities for Randy to connect directly with his visitors:  1.  The Altos Research marketing stats sign up, 2.  The “learn more” call to action, and 3.  the full-featured IDX MLS search which allows visitors to create an account for ease of use.

We also set up the navigation of the site so that the visitor isn’t overwhelmed, and can easily navigate to each community page and within each of those pages.

You’ll find posts on this blog, in the Real Estate Website Content category, about each of the information tools Randy is using and more.  I hope this post is a helpful opportunity to see how they can all work together.

So, what are you waiting for.  . . how content rich is your website?