For any property management company, showing up on the first page of Google is the key to reaching more potential customers. While improving your Google rankings by using search engine optimization (SEO) strategies can seem overwhelming, just know that it may be easier than you think!

Keep reading to see our top tips to get your property management company ranked higher on search engines, effectively generating more traffic (and revenue) for your company!

1. Research Keywords for Property Management

You might already know that using keywords can help bring traffic directly to your business on search engines. But what exactly is keyword research?

Keyword research is the process of determining the most valuable keywords that consumers will use to try and find services like yours. The goal is to use these keywords to ensure that your business shows up on the first page of a search engine when a potential customer is searching for services.

This is important to generate traffic to your company’s website and get more eyes on your business. Every successful marketing strategy begins with effective keyword research. Luckily, for a local company, the approach is pretty straightforward. 

First, you should take the time to compile a list of search terms that people may use to find the service that your company offers. Then, you will want to check and see if consumers are actually using the keyword that you chose. 

One person pointing at a laptop screen while another person types on the keyboard

By using a tool such as the Google Adwords Keyword Planner, you can determine how often consumers search a specific keyword per month. However, simply using the most popular keywords is not enough to generate more traffic to your website.

For example, a popular keyword may have websites that are currently ranking for them that are too competitive, which will make it harder for your company to stand out. As you continue to build your company’s online presence, you will be able to strategically use more competitive keywords.

2. Competition Analysis

Now that your keywords are sorted out, you will need to start prospecting link opportunities to continue generating traffic to your website. The best way to do this is through competitor analysis. This means that you will want to analyze the success of your local competition when it comes to search engine results.

This is an incredibly useful tactic because if you can find anything missing in their marketing strategies, you can begin to work towards filling those gaps in your strategies, which will strengthen your approach and help you to beat out the competition. 

When you begin your competition analysis, be sure to look for the following link types:

  • Sponsorship links
  • Guest posts
  • Editorial mentions
  • Local directories
  • Local guest posts
  • Guest posts that are relevant to your specific niche
  • Resource pages
  • Directory submissions

Once you are able to locate these links, run them through software such as Ahrefs to determine their URL Rating (UR), and try to identify the links that have a UR of 20 or more. Repeat this process for your top 10 competitors. 

Person wearing a red sweater and glasses workingon a laptop

Your second step when it comes to analyzing your competition should be to assess their overall marketing strategy for their business. Take the time to research and answer the following questions:

  • Does the website consistently make blog posts? If so, are the posts offering high-quality content? Is it possible for your company to make even better, more valuable blog content on the same subjects?
  • Do they pay for ads? Does this strategy pay off? Do the ads show up in Google in the PPC section?
  • Do they have regularly updated social media accounts? If so, which platforms are they most active on? Which ones do they not use? Can you use these channels to reach your target audience?
  • Do they include video content in their marketing strategy? Is their company active on youtube? Are their videos high quality with interesting or valuable content? Is it possible for you to make even better video content? 

By asking these questions, you can determine which areas to focus on to help you beat out your competition. If these companies have any weak spots, you can optimize them and use it as an opportunity to stand out in a competitive market. 

3. Property Management Keywords: On-Site Optimization

On-site optimization refers to anything that relates to your company’s actual website. The goal is to optimize your website in a way that allows it to be ranked higher on search engines, generating more online traffic to your business. Regardless of the size of your company, this is a crucial step in building your online presence. 

Overhead shot of someone using thier laptop to work on their marketing strategy

First, you will want to evaluate your URL structure. Your URL should be short and to the point.

Metadata

The metadata for each page of your company’s website is also crucial to being ranked higher on search engines. The two most important aspects of metadata on your website are the meta title and the meta description.

Your meta title, also known as your page title, refers to the title of each page on your website. This should contain your main keyword. If your goal is to rank for multiple keywords on a single page of your website, then it is a good idea to include as many keywords as you can in your meta title.

Additionally, when determining your page title, keep in mind that only 55-65 characters will end up being displayed on the search engine page. Your goal should be to choose a page title that is to the point and can grab the attention of consumers. 

Your meta description affects your click-through rate (CTR) more than it will affect your ranking on search engines. However, it is just as important! This should be around 160 characters and grab the attention of potential consumers as they search for services. 

Ultimately, by using an effective meta title and description, you can drastically improve your website’s rankings and visibility. 

Person working on a laptop open to Google in a cafe

Website Architecture

Now that you have determined how to best optimize your URL and metadata, you can start creating content that is engaging, valuable, and high quality. In your content, you don’t have to worry too much about your keywords as long as you maintain a keyword density of roughly 1-3%.

There are online tools, like this one from Small SEO Tools, that make it easy to check your keyword density.

Website Speed

One of the biggest downfalls that a company’s website can have is speed. A website that is slow to load can greatly harm your traffic. If you are dealing with this issue, your first priority should be to find a solution immediately to prevent losing interest with consumers. 

Broken Links and Errors

Another pitfall that some companies’ websites can experience is broken links. Ensure that you are closely monitoring all links featured on your site and run regular audits of your website to make sure that each and every link is running smoothly. 

Mobile Friendliness

Currently, 60% of Google searches are conducted on a mobile phone. This means that search engines will never favor a website that is not mobile-friendly! Making your website accessible and effective on mobile phones is one of the best ways to ensure that your webpage remains easy to find.

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Duplicate Content

When creating content for your company’s website, it is crucial to make sure that everything is unique. If you find an issue with duplicate content, it is important to have it resolved as soon as possible. 

Google Business Profile

Your Google Business Profile should be the foundation of your SEO strategy. Ensure that all of the information on your profile is 100% accurate and that it matches up with the info provided on your company’s website. Make sure your business name, address, phone number, and URL align. Your working hours should also be the same on all platforms. 

4. Link Building

While using the above steps can help with your search engine rankings, link building is still essential to driving traffic to your company online. If you want your website to be found on the first page of a Google search, then you should try to acquire the following links:

Locally Relevant Links

These links are the most useful for local SEO strategies. Try to get your company involved in the following types of local sites and platforms:

  • Bloggers
  • Directories
  • Other businesses relevant to your industry or business

Another effective way to build your local links is by guest posting on other websites that are relevant in your industry. Reach out to local businesses similar to yours and ask if you can write a piece of content for their blog site. This article can then link readers back to your business. 

Overhead shot of a table where a group of five people are working on their laptops

Industry-Specific Links

These are links that are included on websites that are directly related to your company’s industry. This can be:

  • Property management or real estate directories
  • Property management or real estate websites
  • Property management or real estate-specific forums

Social Media Presence

Social media can be the most powerful marketing tool out there if it is used correctly! Social media profiles will have an impact on your search engine ranking, so building your business’ presence on Instagram and other platforms can impact your visibility greatly. 

Bottom Line 

Now that you have the basic information needed to improve your company’s rankings on Google, you can start increasing your website’s traffic and effectively reaching new customers. SEO is one of the strongest marketing tools available to businesses today, so learning to use it can be extremely beneficial to becoming a successful property manager.