If you’re wondering exactly what a Long Tail search is, and how it could possibly relate to selling homes…you’re not alone. This is one of those areas where a little bit of knowledge can actually go a long way to helping you to conquer the internet and increase the amount of business you generate online. But what is a Long Tail Search, and how can it help you sell homes?
A Long Tail search is a fairly specific phrase that web users will type into their search engine (Google) in order to get results. A good example is the title to this blog post. It is a fairly specific question that a user may ask as opposed to something more general, such as “Long Tail Searches”. That would be, ironically, a Short Tail search. Think of the “tail” as being the length of the question that is being asked.
Pretty simple, right? Imagine that…and you didn’t even have to learn how to write any code either.
So, back to the subject at hand. How can Long Tail searches help you sell homes? Here’s the top 6 Reasons Why:
- Long Tail Searches Rank…really well. Let’s just do a little test to show you what I mean by this. Go ahead and copy the following text and then search for it in Google:6 Reasons Why Lightroom Makes Better Real Estate PhotosWhat was the first item in Google’s search results? My blog post about Adobe Lightroom? That seems almost too easy, right? Here’s the reason why they rank so well…
- Long Tail Searches Have Less Competition. You may have struggled to get your website to rank higher and higher on Google, and that’s tough. There are so many different websites out there competing for web ranking that it is really hard for an individual agent to break onto that top page. This is because there’s so much competition for generic terms such as “New York City Real Estate”. But, as you can see, there’s much less competition for Long Tail search terms…which means they rank.
- Write About Specific Search Terms. If you want to be found online, stop writing blogs about general terms and start writing about specific terms. Instead of “homes in Colorado Springs” (a Short Tail term), write about “4 Bedroom Homes in Briargate Under $350,000” (that’s a neighborhood in North Colorado Springs). That way, if a buyer is searching for that specific thing, they will see your blog post…which hopefully is also on your website. Try that one out in Google too…you should see my Blog Post about that subject ranking #1.
- Write Often. I keep a spreadsheet where I track all the different types of Long Tail search terms I’ve blogged about. Neighborhoods down the left side, criteria along the top. When I write a blog post that matches those things, I check it off my list. Hopefully, after a while, you will have cornered the market on Long Tail search terms in your farm area.
- It’s Almost Mindless. You may say to yourself “I’m not a very good writer…I don’t blog”, but this type of blogging is really quite simple. A lot of the content is already written for you if you do it right. You can write a paragraph or two about a particular area to show that you are an expert there, then just add a couple of listings that match the search term you’re blogging about. “Here’s a couple of 4 Bedroom Homes in Briargate Under $350,000 that may interest you”…toss in a photo, the property description and a link to the property page (on your website, of course), and you’re done.
- It Establishes You As The Subject Matter Expert. The home buying public doesn’t need to know how easy it was for you to write that blog post, or even how easy it was for you to get it to rank at the top of the page in Google. All they will do is click it (it is first on the list, after all…that’s what people do) and get sent to your website. Suddenly, you’re the person who knows all about 4 Bedroom Homes in Briargate Under $350,000 (or whatever…).
Give it a try…you’ll be pleasantly surprised how easy it is to get content on your website to rank very high on Google. Feel free to send me a referral check for all the extra business you’ll be getting…
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