Search engine optimization or SEO can be intimidating, especially when it’s not your day job. When used correctly, however, SEO can unlock countless doors of opportunity for you and your company.

As a relatively new marketing trend, it’s common for property management companies to not be utilizing this tool to their highest potential. No one is saying you must become an expert to succeed in property management, but learning a few SEO tips and tricks for your company can make a huge difference when it comes to driving potential customers to you.

What is Search Engine Optimization? (SEO)

Search engine optimization is a form of marketing which focuses on growing the prominence of your website in organic or non-paid search engine results.

Simply put; SEO is the art of making your website appear higher on the search engine result pages. Every search engine, Google, Yahoo, etc. will always have primary search results. The aim of SEO is to rank number one; however, anything ranking on page one is noteworthy.

These results are a product of sophisticated search algorithms that rank all the content on the internet concerning its relevance to the intended general audience. A good rank will result in more impressions hence better organic traffic, which ultimately positions your website as an industry leader at the top of the search results, making your brand become more trusted and sought after.

SEO has become such a driving force for a lot of businesses that search engines alter their algorithms to not only cope with the velocity of spam posts and people overpopulating blog posts with backlinks to rank higher but also to ensure they feature only the best websites to maximize user experience.

Keywords and Match Phrases.

When engaging in SEO Keywords and match phrases are a must. When a person is looking for a service and googles “Property inspection in New York” web pages that are relevant to Property inspectors in New York are going to appear in their search results. Web pages that are optimized for keywords such as “New York” and match phrases along the lines of “Property Inspection Company New York” will appear higher up on the search engine result page (SERP). The pages that are in the more upper portion of the SERP will get most of the traffic, while those websites that are not optimized will miss out on the potential traffic. The aim of SEO? Rank first on the first page! Ranking highly on the first SERP can be the difference between a few page visits and a few hundred thousand-page visits, giving you more of an opportunity to turn those visits into customers.

Obtain Backlinks.

To maintain their reputation as a trusted search engine, Google favor quality rich content. While your site might be up to date and filled with relevant and informing pieces, Google needs a helping hand to identify this. The number of backlinks your webpage has is one of the many ways Google ranks sites. The number of links directing to your website from other sites. Google’s current algorithm uses the logic that if other websites trust your content to link it in within their material, it must be worthwhile.

A strong, simple way you can start to gain backlinks is by trying something called “guest posting.” This is when a writer develops content for a blog that is not their own. Working as a property manager you are already an expert on managing properties, why not write a post for a property management blog, which links back to your website? This creates an opportunity to not only reach a new audience with your work but also a chance to develop new relationships with fellow bloggers and industry experts. Obviously, it takes a while to develop relationships to the point of guest posting, but it always pays off in the long-term.

Give what you get, outbound links.

Outbound links are links that direct traffic to another webpage from your site. When you link out to related sources, Google can not only better understand your target audience, and it also increases the trust and quality of your site which plays a vital role in your websites SEO journey. For example here is an outbound link to Forbes. Alongside helping google recognize your niche, outbound links are a great way to build relationships with other bloggers and businesses through linking there work on your site and vice versa.

Make it mobile!

With the steady increase of mobile phone users around the world, it’s no surprise that Google rates it highly if your site is optimized for mobile devices. Optimizing your website to be mobile friendly is one of the most important parts of SEO. Since our world is increasingly mobile orientated it has become imperative that web pages adapt to mobile users, In the past, you may have visited a site and noticed something felt different or off. Perhaps the pages didn’t load, the website was in HMTL text form, or things were just not laid out as they were on the web page. What this means is that they have not set up their website to be compatible with mobiles. Obviously, Google is huge on user experience. If one of your pages doesn’t load, for example, they will not rank you highly in the SERP. We recommend that you use a mobile responsive design. This is when your website is displayed on a mobile device, and it automatically adjusts its sizing, layout, and proportions to display them aesthetically on the device. This is usually considered the most effective design as you only have to configure and design one website, as opposed to two.

Check Out the Competition.

With Google and other search engines constantly changing their algorithms to what works and what doesn’t, studying your competition will give you a deeper understanding of SEO in your given field. Take an in-depth look at their website, pay particular attention to how their SEO activity looks, what keywords and links they are using. Be on the lookout for sudden strategy changes; if any competitors dramatically alter their SEO efforts, it’s highly likely they may have discovered a new

way to optimize their page in the search results. Google constantly changes and updates how they rank web pages, a lot of SEO success is “stumbled upon” and purely a result of people trying new things. Therefore, it’s important to keep tabs on competitor’s web pages and SEO efforts as failure to do so could result in you being left behind.

Is that all I need to do?

Short answer, no. Run a quick google search; there are unlimited classes, online courses and even entire books that teach the intricate art of SEO. There are thousands of different strategies that you can employ to get your website search engine traffic. However, this guide is for the newbies, with little to no experience or knowledge of SEO, consider this guide a starting point for your SEO journey. Most tips and hints shared above take only minutes to implement, with no frustrating learning curve. Obviously, this minimal form of SEO won’t engage you with hundreds of page views and a ton of new business, but you will make it a lot easier for people who are looking for you to find you. Remember, SEO is a slow and steady grind, often websites take months before they find what works for them. (That is if they can figure it out before googles next algorithm update!)