How real estate agents can use Google Alerts for SEO

Google alerts are just like the “daily email updates” your IDX system sends out to people searching for homes. Except instead of emailing new real estate listings, Google will email you the latest relevant Google search results that match your search criteria. This includes web, news, blog posts etc.

Pretty cool right? You get the latest relevant Google results on any topic, keyword phrase, a persons name, whatever your interest, automatically emailed to you, once a day, as it happens or once a week. Your choice.

Some of the Google Alerts you may want to consider setting up:

• Your name
• Your website name
• Your latest industry news
• Your competitors
• Your market area
• The keyword phrases you would expect people use to find your web site

The last item on the list is the one I most want to discuss. Most realtors I speak with want to be found this way in a Google search: city state real estate

example: westport ct real estate

Using Google Alerts will make the concept crystal clear about two things I explain to clients on an almost daily basis:

1. The old fashioned marketing strategy of static content is no longer performing for real estate web sites.
2. If you don’t have relevant content including your keyword phrases you can not expect to be found for that particular search.

Another important thing to remember, and creating Google Alerts will remind you, is this: People don’t necessarily come to your web site to read your content. Specific headlines and including your market area (city and state) and topic in your copy is essential for search engines and for understanding what your content is about outside the context of your web site.

Create a Google Alert and improve your web marketing strategy now! www.google.com/alerts