Author: migrate

  • [Data] Carrot Websites Now 69.8% Faster Than Custom Websites on Mobile

    [Data] Carrot Websites Now 69.8% Faster Than Custom Websites on Mobile

    Back in June, we introduced you to the latest big update to Google’s ranking algorithm – Core Web Vitals – and promised we’d be back with more information about how our team here at Carrot has responded to make sure your site speed and performance are up-to-par when it comes to this latest update.

    Today, we’re back to let you know that not only have your Carrot websites just become 50% faster thanks to the upgrades from our Engineering team, but your competitive advantage in site speed and performance against your non-Carrot competitors has grown!

    Don’t Miss Our Core Web Vitals Dos and Don’ts Guide

    Recap of Core Web Vitals

    Core Web Vitals are the latest elements to be introduced to Google’s search ranking algorithm. They were partially introduced to the algorithm in June and, as of the end of August, play a full role in Google’s ranking mix.

    It’s been proven that page speed impacts the conversion rate of visitors to leads on websites, and Google has taken steps to make page speed more of a ranking factor (while still a very low factor when compared to quality content, quality backlinks, etc.).

    While there are various things that go into determining overall page experience in Google’s eyes, Core Web Vitals generally apply to how quickly a site loads, how quickly it becomes interactive for a user, and how visually stable it is while it’s loading.

    The actual Core Web Vitals themselves are comprised of Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), First Input Delay (FID), and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS). In plain English, the way your website code is structured and how clean it is, matters to page speed. Below the surface, there is a multitude of related metrics that can be used to determine how well you are doing at meeting benchmarks for those big three.

    How Fast Are Carrot Websites Already vs. The Big Tech Players

    As we’ve reported in the past, Carrot sites are known for being among the fastest in the world on desktop. A study of over 150,000 websites (real estate and non-real estate) showed that Carrot sites were faster than every other website builder they tested… except for one. We nearly tied with Google’s own, very simple, Google My Business websites.

    We’ve continued to keep this page speed edge for our clients (all included in every Carrot plan) on desktop.

    Now Onto Mobile Page Speed

    If you’ve run a report using Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool, you’ve probably noticed that mobile scores tend to be lower than desktop. There are a few reasons for that. The first reason is that, although technology has come a long way, phones simply aren’t as powerful as desktop computers. That’s obvious. The other is how mobile speed scores are tested – by using an older generation phone with a 3G connection as the testing “device.” That’s why we caution against reading too much into the baseline mobile scores you see when you run some of these tools.

    For example, this is from Google’s own Pagespeed Insights tool on Google.com itself. Google itself scores a 71 out of 100 on mobile speed and a 99 out of 100 on desktop (our Carrot templates score a 98-99 out of 100 upon launch on desktop as well).

    Google’s Mobile Pagespeed Score On Their Own Website

    Amazon.com’s Mobile Pagespeed Score

    Zillow’s Mobile Pagespeed Score

    All 3 of these websites above are known as some of the best-ranking websites in the world, despite the low mobile page speed score you may see in Google’s Pagespeed Insights tool.

    Why do we show you the 3 sites above? To show that Google isn’t weighing page speed in Google rankings as a primary ranking factor yet, but also to show you how Carrot sites compare to some of the largest and most valuable websites in the world when running these baseline tests.

    So as Google works page speed more and more into its ranking factors, Carrot members are already ahead of the game.

    [Data] Carrot Sites Now 69.8% Faster than Custom WordPress Websites

    [Data] Carrot Sites Now 69.8% Faster than Custom WordPress Websites

    What We Did to Improve Core Web Vitals and Site Speed On All Carrot Websites

    We already knew that Carrot sites were fast, but Google’s update led us to set out to make them even faster.

    Over the last few months, our team has been working to audit, identify, and optimize several facets of our sites and network with Core Web Vitals and site speed in mind.  Through the use of a new, robust tracking system, we’ve been able to highlight key areas that impact every single site on our network.

    These include:

    • Font-related improvements
    • Image-related improvements
    • Javascript/CSS-related improvements
    • Template-level improvements

    By breaking this overarching site speed and performance theme into several smaller buckets, our Engineering team was able to directly address any snags in site performance and go to work fixing them. 

    While the concept of Core Web Vitals and site speed is certainly not new to us at Carrot, the introduction of them into Google’s ranking algorithm meant that we had to double down on this work over the course of the past several months.

    We won’t bore you with the super technical details, but here are a few things our great team of Engineers did to help your site – and every site on our network – become faster and up-to-par with the Core Web Vitals update:

    • Revisited several code packages and determined whether or not we still need them, and if we do, looked at how we can better optimize when it comes time for a site to load
    • Tested and optimized how and when we load webfonts on a page
    • Ensured images are being properly deferred off-screen where applicable and reduced the number of resources needed to load them
    • Conducted a deep dive into our Javascript packages and unbundled them where it made sense to do so, lending a great improvement to site speed and loading

    Enough Of The Technical Stuff … How Much Faster Did Carrot Websites Get?

    Across the handful of templates and sites we tracked before, during, and after this Engineering work, Mobile Performance Scores increased significantly – by anywhere from 25 to 50%!

    ** Note – When we reference scores in this article, we are referencing absolute baseline scores using Google’s Lighthouse Tool. Make sure to read up on our guidance on testing tools and their associated caveats in the Dos and Don’ts Guide **

    Across the handful of templates and sites we tracked before, during and after this Engineering work, Mobile Performance Scores increased significantly – by anywhere from 25% to 50!

    Beneath the surface of the top-line Performance Score, we identified several important metrics that we knew we could target for improvement.

    Among these were:

    • Largest Contentful Paint (one of the primary CWV metrics)
    • Time To Interactive and Total Blocking Time as measurements of input delay
    • and Cumulative Layout Shift (another primary metric)

    The end result? Sites that load faster, require fewer resource-heavy elements and maintain visual stability.

    These three metrics (combined with Cumulative Layout Shift) directly impact all three areas of Core Web Vitals and – as a result – your overall Performance Score.

    It’s important to note – every single one of these improvements is sourced from the mobile version of our sites.

    Because the desktop versions of our sites were already lightning-fast (meeting or exceeding CWV benchmarks for every category), we were able to focus our attention on anything impacting mobile scores specifically.

    This is great because Google has signaled that only mobile search is impacted by this latest algorithm update… yet another way Carrot is staying ahead of the game and delivering high-impact improvements for our members.

    So How Do We Stack Up To The Competition?

    After seeing such significant improvements to site speed and performance, we wanted to know: How do we stack up to the competition now? We set out to collect a sample of CWV and site speed scores for a myriad of non-Carrot sites in large real estate markets.

    These included custom WordPress sites, other site builders (Weebly, Squarespace, etc.), other site builders that cater to the real estate industry, and custom sites that aren’t built on the WordPress engine.

    We matched our most popular template up against them and were blown away by the results!

    Carrot sites beat 92.5% of competitor sites in terms of Mobile Performance Score!

    Better yet, we outperformed 75.9% of sites in Largest Contentful Paint, 88.8% of sites in Total Blocking Time, and 79.6% of sites in Cumulative Layout Shift!

    Check out how we performed against each category below:

    (Reminder: LCP and TBT are measured in seconds so lower scores are better; a lower score is better for CLS as well!)

    Here’s the full breakdown…

    CategoryMobile Performance ScoreLCP (sec.)TBT (ms.)CLS
    Carrot Site734.81100.000
    Custom WordPress4311.171,9470.173
    Custom Not WP537.95800.111
    Site Builders3610.01,9180.028
    RE Site Builders389.291,2470.092

    We always knew that Carrot sites outperform the competition in terms of SEO and conversion, and now we know that the man-hours and effort we’ve devoted to site speed and performance over the past several months has increased our competitive advantage even more!

    What’s Next For Core Web Vitals and Site Speed At Carrot?

    Just because Google has now fully introduced Core Web Vitals and site speed metrics to their ranking algorithm doesn’t mean our work is done. We still have a healthy backlog of ideas to improve site speed and performance on our network that we’ll keep hammering away at over the next weeks and months.

    We’re also going to be expanding and improving the system and process we use to track Core Web Vitals scores here at Carrot.

    We not only want to be able to see measurable, quantifiable gains in these scores as we continue our work over time, but we also want to catch (and fix!) anything that may negatively affect site speed scores on Carrot sites before that impact is actually seen.

    We’re also going to be developing some ways to analyze aggregate organic traffic across our network leading up to and following Google’s announced roll-out of this update. There are still open questions across the industry about when, where, and how much we will see this impact on rankings and inbound organic traffic.

    As one of the largest network of real estate sites on the Internet, we hope to help answer some of these questions and bring you the insights you need to know.

    Core Web Vitals – and Google’s definition of “page experience” in general – is still a relatively new concept, and it’s sure to evolve in the coming months and years. Google itself has signaled that this is the case…

    “Because we continue to work on identifying and measuring aspects of page experience, we plan to incorporate more page experience signals on a yearly basis to both further align with evolving user expectations and increase the aspects of user experience that we can measure.”

    Evaluating page experience for a better web – Google – May 28, 2020

    As the discussion of Core Web Vitals continues to evolve and we learn more from Google, we’ll be sure to bring you those updates and any guidance or improvements for your sites. In the meantime, enjoy your better, faster Carrot site without needing to spend thousands of dollars on web development contractors to keep your site fast.

    Not a Carrot member and tired of hassling with the tech when it comes to keeping your site fast and ahead of the curve?

    Now is the perfect time to switch from a clunky, custom site to a Carrot site that’s been engineered for optimal performance in page speed, conversion rate, SEO, and everything else you need to dominate your market.

  • Guide to Negative Keywords for Real Estate PPC Plus Free Negative Keyword List for Motivated Sellers

    Guide to Negative Keywords for Real Estate PPC Plus Free Negative Keyword List for Motivated Sellers

    No one likes to waste money! Negative keywords are one of the most underutilized tools PPC advertisers have at their fingertips. They can help you save a budget for the best quality searches when used correctly.

    We want you to hit the ground running with your campaign quality, so we’ve added 100 negative keywords you can include in your PPC accounts. It will keep your keep ads from showing for words such as “gta” and “paint,” which are sure to accompany some keywords you’re bidding on.

    ⬇️ Grab a FREE Negative Keyword List for Motivated Sellers ⬇️

    Let’s say you’re an investor who’s creating your first Google Ads campaign. You’d like to show up on searches to sell a house. Although, it can be a mistake to advertise for a broad term. Here’s what can happen:

    Advertiser bids on “sell home” and a searcher comes along and types in “sell home furniture,” looking at the many options to sell their home furniture.

    Your ad featuring an option to sell their home fast for cash shows.

    The searcher accidentally clicks your ad, driving up your bill, without any intention of selling you their house.

    This is a fairly common example. As you’ll discover, from video games to furniture to spiritual statues, lots of search terms represent something that has nothing to do with selling a house fast.

    What Are Negative Keywords for Real Estate & How Do They Appear In Google Ads?

    Negative keywords give you an opportunity to block search terms that you don’t want your ad to be shown for. Let’s take a look at the common types of negative keywords that can be added:

    • no notation at all indicates a broad match
    • [brackets] represent a keyword in exact match
    • “quotations” represent a keyword in phrase match

    You can add these negative keywords at the campaign level & ad group level. Campaign level negatives mean those will not appear within an ad group for any keyword. Ad group level means you can set a particular negative keyword for a singular ad group. For the real estate industry, it’s best practice to add negative keywords at the campaign level.

    Let’s take a look at how negative keywords are often used.

    More of the traditional use of negative keywords works well for the real estate industry.

    For example, if you’re looking to capture leads where people are searching looking to sell their house fast without an agent; then you’ll want to block searches for “sell a house with an agent” and “find an agent to sell my house” by adding “agent” to your negative keyword list.

    *Tip*  You should use Google’s search terms report to find new negative keywords. But, do beware that if you add keywords using this method, Google defaults them as an exact match.

    How to Build a Strong Negative Keyword List

    First, if you have a Google or Bing rep, they should be able to help you build lists of negative keywords they use for similar accounts. But you’ll need to ensure these Google or Bing created lists aren’t taking away from your important search phrases.

    Remember, reps know their products but probably don’t know the industry.

    The same might be true if you’re having someone manage your account.

    Next, as with planning any keyword list, you can explore Google Ads Keyword Planner and/or use the Google Suggestion method to see related terms and understand what you might want to weed out.

    You’ll need to have a Google Ads account to use their tool. For Google Suggestions, search and look at the suggestions below the organic rankings. Here’s an example,

    Another tool that we use for keyword suggestions is Ubersuggest. This tool is similar to the Google Ads tool, but you don’t need to be logged into your AdWords account to use it. It’s a good tool because it lets you type in a keyword phrase and then groups variations on that keyword into organized segments, like this:

    Sell house

    finding negative keywords for real estate with ubersuggest

    As you can see, I’ve highlighted in orange some potential negative keywords for a business looking for motivated sellers.

    Without using this tool, you might have known that “sell house tax” is a popular search. Now you can turn “tax” into a negative keyword to block any searches with the term “tax” within it.

    Lastly, you should also use Google’s “related search” to id new negative keywords. This very effective method allows you to see what related search terms Google sees as popular. Then, you can remove the unrelated Here’s how it would look when performing a search for “sell my house fast”:

    find negative keywords using google suggest

    As you can see, you can add “market value” to your negative keyword list.

    Using Negative Keywords With Microsoft (Bing) Ads

    Bing Ads is a platform that we shouldn’t forget. We’ve researched to back up the effect that Bing can be a viable option for generating leads via PPC. So, negative keyword best practices should be included there too.

    One difference between Microsoft (Bing) Ads and Google Ads is that you can only add phrase and exact match types for negative keywords.

    If you’re importing a Google Ads account into Bing, just be aware that your broad match terms will be converted into phrase match.

    As with Google Ads, you can add campaign and ad group level negative keywords. If you need further help, use Bing’s instructions on setting up negative keywords.

    How to Add Negative Keywords

    Add individual negative keywords to ad groups or campaigns

    Step 1: Select Keywords and Targeting > Keywords, Negative.

    Step 2: Click add negative keywords and select Ad group negative or Campaign negative keywords.

    adding negative keywords to google ads

    Step 3: If prompted, select the destination for the new negative keyword and click OK.

    Step 4: Enter the negative keyword in the edit panel.

    Add multiple negative keywords

    It isn’t possible to add campaign and ad group negative keywords at the same time with the Make multiple changes tool. Choose to add either negative keywords or campaign negative keywords.

    1. Select Keywords and Targeting > Keywords, Negative.
    2. Click Make multiple changes.
    3. Select My data includes columns for campaigns and/or ad groups or Use selected destinations.
      – If you select Use selected destinations, select Add as campaign-level negative keywords or Add as ad group-level negative keywords.
    4. Type or paste your negative keywords in the grid.
    5. Click Process.
    6. The Make multiple changes tool will display the number of changes made. Click Finish and review changes.
    7. Review your pending changes. To add the pending changes to your account, click Keep. To undo your changes, click Reject.

    Conclusion

    Bidding on the highest-converting keywords in your market is only part of the battle. A solid set of negative keywords you’re continuously expanding upon helps tally victories. Google does a pretty good job filing through millions of ads to serve the right one to the right searcher at the right time. But there is still plenty of room for mistakes, so keep up on your negative keywords!

    If you don’t like wasting your hard-earned money, negative keywords are one of the best ways to ensure you spend money on the right searches.

    Starter Negative Keywords for Real Estate List – 100 Words to Get You Started

  • Real Estate Testimonial Tips & Examples

    Real Estate Testimonial Tips & Examples

    “The only way to build authority is through content.”

    If you’re serious about generating leads, real estate testimonials can be a key content element because they are unbiased comments that prompt visitors to give you their contact information.

    Key Takeaways

    • Quality testimonials establish trust and authority when formatted correctly with real names, photos, and specific details rather than vague statements or just initials.
    • Video testimonials represent the highest level of effectiveness as they capture nonverbal communication and emotions that text alone cannot convey.
    • Ask strategic questions like “What problem did you need to solve?”, “Why did you choose us?”, and “What surprised you?” to gather compelling testimonial content that addresses prospect concerns.

    Even a slight increase in conversion rates through properly formatted testimonials could mean thousands of additional dollars in monthly revenue for your real estate business.

    Table of Contents

    1. What is a Real Estate Testimonial?
    2. Why are high-quality testimonials such a big deal?
    3. You Might Be Doing It Wrong
    4. Written Real Estate Testimonial Examples
    5. You Need to Ask Good Questions
    6. Elements of an Effective Real Estate Testimonial
    7. Where to Place Testimonials on Your Website
    8. Ultimately, Work With What You Have
    Carrot icon
    Lead generation, at its best
    Attract, convert & close more motivated leads
    Try Carrot Today

    A QUICK STUDY ON THE POWER OF PERSONALIZATION

    Key takeaway: 123% increase in leads for sites with personalization.

    We compared a batch of our CSU member’s motivated seller sites over 6 months to see the difference in the lead count.

    Now, there are, of course, other factors that play into site conversion. It’s also a great reminder that great-looking sites still need the personalization element to round out.

    We compared member sites WITHOUT personalization on the homepage (no testimonials, photos of the member, etc.) and homepages CONTAINING testimonials (1-3) and a personal photo in the about section.

    The result? 

    PROOF: 123% increase in leads for sites with personalization!

    Our most engaged members create the most content and get the most leads.

    Using real estate testimonials on your site in text or video, you introduce content that will authoritatively promote your business.

    Real Estate Testimonials: A Guide to Building Trust and Landing New Clients

    You should be using real estate testimonials to help establish credibility and authority. Quality testimonials increase conversions because they aren’t looked upon as sales pitches. If they come across in an unbiased voice, they will build trust. You’re using real people to show success in your service.

    In the end, your testimonials will convert more visitors into buyers and sellers if you use them correctly.

    According to a study… “Testimonials and case studies are considered the most effective content marketing tactics.” In short, in a crowded market like today, great testimonials for real estate agents and investors formatted correctly can boost your leads and deals. They help add credibility to an untrusting world.

    Additionally, as those values go vertical, many aspiring wholesalers start flipping houses, making for increasingly saturated online spaces.

    But before panic sets in, breathe. It’s not as bad as it sounds… well, but it’s also an opportunity. It’s a chance to flex your real estate muscles, to stand head and shoulders above that semi-debilitating clutter, to be the solution rather than contribute to the problem.

    What I will teach you will apply whether you’re an investor, buyer, seller, or agent.

    I will teach you how to build credibility by leveraging testimonials that shine.

    Let’s dive in!

    What is a Real Estate Testimonial?

    A real estate testimonial relays a story from a current to a potential client. The shorter, the better (unless you sacrifice quality). You don’t want an hour-long testimonial.

    When a client has a great experience, let them share it. Get real testimonials. Potential clients experience shopping anxiety — you know, that feeling before buying something that says, “It costs too much. It’s not good enough. How do you know it’s what you want?” — and testimonials are one way of shooting down this discouraging devil.

    The testimonial says, “Other people have worked with this company and had a good experience. I probably will, too.”

    Here are some examples from one of our member sites:

    real estate testimonial examples
    Example Real Estate Testimonials

    Why are high-quality testimonials such a big deal?

    If used correctly, testimonials for real estate agents and investors are important for website visitors (and your conversion rate).

    They can…

    1. Completely eradicate concerns that prospects had about working with your business.
    2. Build immediate trust for who you are and what you do.
    3. Convince prospects to give you their information via an opt-in form or call you on the phone directly).

    Consider that 88% of consumers claim that they read at least 10 reviews before deciding whether they can trust a company or not (and they have to trust you if they’re going to work with you) or that 88% of people trust online testimonials just as much as personal recommendations from a friend.

    To prove just how powerful testimonials can be (at least the conversion rate side of things), Unbounce reported on an A/B test. Ideal for testing, Version A and Version B are identical save for one difference: Version B includes a testimonial above the website’s opt-in form.

    testimonials increased conversions by 34%

    In the end, Version B increased the conversion rate by 34%.

    Let’s put that in perspective for a wholesaler’s website.

    Imagine you drive 1,000 website visits every month, generating 100 leads per month on your website (a 10% conversion rate — typical for Carrot websites), and you close 1 in 25 leads. That means you’re doing about 4 deals per month at, let’s assume, $10,000 profit per deal.

    Boom — you add a glowing testimonial to your website and increase your conversion rate by 34%, from 10% to 13.4%.

    Now, you will get more than 130 leads per month with the same amount of traffic (1,000 website visits). And since you close 1 in 15 to 25 leads, you’ll now do more than 5 deals monthly with the same amount of website traffic.

    By putting a testimonial on your website, you added $10,000 in monthly wholesale fees (from $40,000 to $50,000 per month).

    And the same goes for real estate agents. You can increase your conversion rate and monthly income by adding excellent real estate testimonials to your website.

    example testimonial for real estate agents

    Of course, I’m not promising that you’ll get exactly those results. I’m just trying to illustrate how powerful a slight boost in your website’s conversion rate can be on your business revenue (at Carrot, we provide high-converting websites out-of-the-box for our members)… and that testimonials can help you achieve that slight, powerful boost.

    But… all of this depends on using high-quality testimonials.

    You Might Be Doing It Wrong

    Most people have testimonials helpful in taking up website canvas, but little else.

    To avoid spitting lousy devil killers, I will walk you through the four levels of a quality real estate testimonial. Unfortunately, most people are stuck in levels one and two.

    Level 1: The Basic Real Estate Testimonial

    creating effective real estate testimonials

    The first level is your most basic testimonial:

    “Hey, Mark was great to work with. – J.K.”

    If a level one testimonial is on your website, it’s best to take it down. It’s not helping. There are no specifics. It doesn’t say what Mark did for you that was so great. It doesn’t say how Mark did it.

    It doesn’t end there if this lack of context isn’t enough. The signature says, “J.K.,” the client’s initials. Although the testimonial is made a joke by the initials J.K. (if someone has these initials, don’t even get their testimonial…), initials, even without such inconvenient letters, are impersonal and potentially create distrust in the viewer.

    A testimonial doesn’t always help your reputation. Level one testimonials, particularly, can damage it.

    Level 2: Be Specific

    convincing real estate testimonials

    Level two is better, but still in the sad zone 😢

    Do not use painfully vague real estate testimonials.

    “Mark did what he said he’d do, closed on time, and I refer him to friends. – John Kennedy”

    It says Mark is reliable, timely, and good enough to get a referral. Level two is getting more specific.

    When a testimonial is ambiguous, it can work against building trust for your business and create unease in the prospect’s mind. If this testimonial is real, why isn’t it more specific?

    Notice, also, that the testimonial used the person’s name, John Kennedy, not his initials. However, skeptics abound even with a real name and an honest, mildly-specific testimonial. The more specific, the better… and fewer critics.

    Here’s a sample of a good review for a real estate investor:

    “Best Decision I’ve Ever Made!!! I was in a situation where I needed to get out of my house ASAP and Colby came through for Me!!! Nobody else will ever beat his services and I’m relieved I don’t have the financial stress any longer!!! I will forever be grateful for what he did for me!!!”

    But specificity isn’t all that counts toward your level. Even if your testimonial is true, you must convince people it’s true. It’s all thanks to that crowded real estate space with no shortage of lies and deceit.

    Level 3: Be Real

    using visual content for real estate testimonials

    Unfortunately, being authentic isn’t enough in our world of “alternative facts” and reality television.

    It’s tempting just to write your real estate testimonial under an alias name and throw it on your website to increase the conversion rate. It sure would take a lot less time, and it might even boost your conversion rate if you’re a great writer.

    But chances are, the testimonial you’ll receive from someone who authentically loves your service will be far more powerful (and conversion-boosting) than something you throw together yourself. Plus, people can usually tell when a testimonial is fake.

    You have to convince people you’re authentic.

    How?

    Well, levels three and level four testimonials seem more believable simply because they include a visual and they’re a bit more specific:

    “I inherited a house and couldn’t sell it, but found Mark online. I was skeptical, but their offer was fair, we closed on time, and I’d work with him again. – John Kennedy – Tampa Seller”

    Viewers will look at an image or video, and immediately, the dud of a testimonial becomes impactful.

    The image could be a picture of you and the prospect at the closing table or their face. It could be you shaking their hand or a short video of them discussing the process.

    Your only goal is to make it real, to make it believable. Don’t forget to include a short bio for the testimonial giver; tell the viewer who’s recommending you. Even something as short as “John Kennedy, Tampa seller.”

    Here is an example of a good testimonial with an image of the client and the investor:

    “Thank you for all your help and walking me through the mess I got stuck with. You explained everything and went over the contract step by step; never once did your answers change. You gave us all the information we needed and we could see you were serious about what you do. If someone asks if I know who could help them, I would not hesitate to name you as a reference as you are an honest person. Once again, thank you so much.”  – Louise R. Friel

    Level 4: Record Video Real Estate Testimonials

    using videos for real estate testimonials

    If you want to climb to the testimonial pinnacle, make a video. Record a video of the whole process of your client, recommending you, emotions, and all.

    Video captures something text cannot: the human ability to communicate nonverbally. And that’s a powerful prospect.

    Plus, when website visitors watch your videos, they have a higher chance of converting to a lead.

    Using videos on your website can boost conversions by up to 56%

    Written Real Estate Testimonial Examples

    Here are a few examples of good “real” written testimonials:

    2nd Chance Investment Group

    “Like many others in this unstable economy, and after looking into other organizations, such as Keep Your Home California, I exercised my options by contacting Second Chance Investment Group in Chino Hills, CA. It was the best phone call I could have made. Now I am doing better than ever – free of debt. And moving forward with a clear mind. Thanks, Ray Foster and Second Chance. Keep up the good work.” – Sheryl Brown-Pearce

    Townsend Realty Group

    “Townsend Realty Group has been the finest company to work with as we sell our home in Canton. We have sold several homes and have never had such a professional and compassionate company guide us through the process. Their realtors are always a phone call away and are readily available to help in any way. Their team made some great recommendations for selling our home, and they also helped us avoid pouring lots of money into getting the home ready for the market!” – Ray and Patricia Massengale

    Florida Cash Home Buyers

    “Thanks to all the fine people I have dealt with in the past 2 to 3 weeks. I especially like to thank Annette with the law firm. She was very helpful in processing the closing paperwork. Alejandro kept me aware of my need to show the property to various people. Thanks again to all that helped with the sale and closing.” – Glenda Skaggs

    Video Real Estate Testimonial Examples

    Here are a few examples of good “real” video testimonials:

    We Buy Houses Jacksonville FL | Sell House Fast Testimonial
    Happy seller
    Sell My House Fast Compton, CA | Feliciane's Inherited Property Sale - John Medina Buys Houses

    Let me end with one final tip…

    You Need to Ask Good Questions

    Don’t forget to set yourself up for success at the gate. You must ask the right questions to get a high-quality real estate testimonial.

    Here are some questions to ask to get POWERFUL testimonials:

    • What problem did you need to solve, and did we solve it as you expected? — You want to pull out the pain they were experiencing before working with you. What were they going through? Could they even sleep at night? What was the emotional pain like? How stressful was the situation?
    • Why did you choose to work with us? — You want to understand better what made them decide to solve their stressful situation by working with you. What was going through their head? What was the final straw that made them give you a call?
    • Why did you choose us instead of some other company? — Why not somebody else? This question will help illustrate your USP and what sets you apart from competitors in your market.
    • What was your favorite part about working with us? — Being on the other side of that stressful situation, what was the client most enjoyed most during the time they worked with you? It could be how fast you closed or how easy it was.
    • What surprised you about working with us? — Asking this question can get the client talking about the thing they loved about working with you that was the most unexpected (i.e., how you went above and beyond for them).

    Elements of an Effective Real Estate Testimonial

    To recap, these are the elements necessary for a killer testimonial. Check these off your list before posting.

    • Be specific
    • Be authentic
    • Be thorough
    • Emphasize benefits
    • Include a picture of a face, or better yet, record a short video
    • Short bio
    • Ask good questions

    Where to Place Testimonials on Your Website

    There are several options for placing testimonials on your website. Some investors dedicate an entire page to reviews or testimonials, while others prefer to sprinkle one or two on their homepage and other landing pages. However, it’s important to remember that buyers and sellers researching and wanting to know you better are more likely to visit your reviews page, “How it works” page, or “Our company” page.

    Placing testimonials on your reviews page can be especially powerful, as this is where potential customers will go to read about the experiences of others who have used your products or services. You may also want to consider creating YouTube videos showcasing your business on your homepage and city landing pages, as this has been shown to increase search engine rankings correctly.

    While you may not see many people watching these videos on your landing pages, once they are shared on your reviews page and other platforms, they can be highly effective in building trust and credibility with potential customers.

    Here are a couple of examples of how Carrot members use testimonials:

    Kind House Buyers – Reviews Page (scroll on the image to see the full page)

    kind house buyers reviews page

    Simply Sold Testimonials Page (scroll on the image to see the full page)

    kind house buyers reviews page

    Discover the power of testimonials in boosting your credibility and conversions as two leading investors share their insights in this must-listen CarrotCast episode: “Unlocking the Practical Guide to Building Trust and Driving Conversions.”

    Ultimately, Work With What You Have

    Remember that threatening clutter?

    Not so threatening.

    Suppose you’re uncomfortable on video, email past clients the questions above and ask for their answers. Call a friend and ask them to vouch for your character if you can’t think of any clients who’d give you a testimonial.

    As your business grows, you’ll get better real estate testimonials, improving your conversion rate even further. But it’s a process.

    Testimonials can increase conversion rates if you use them correctly, and there are very few instances where a testimonial would hurt your conversion rate.

    So work with what you have.

    So embrace it; get some testimonials and add them to your website. Remember, a slight increase in conversion could mean thousands of dollars per month for your business.

    Speaking of which, don’t forget to optimize your Real Estate Bio using one our templates! For more resources and real estate marketing materials, click on the link!

  • [Heat Map Results] Where Are Buyers and Sellers Clicking On Your Real Estate Website

    [Heat Map Results] Where Are Buyers and Sellers Clicking On Your Real Estate Website

    Imagine you build a marketing site to pull in buyers, sellers, or investors. Is your website really amazing? Or is it coming up short when the time comes for closing deals and moving people from browsing to clicking to filling out a contact form?

    Ever heard of a heat map? We’ll show you how motivated sellers and buyers interact with your website and how to make sure that more visitors are converted into leads while they’re browsing around.

    There are two main problems that we often see on real estate websites:

    1)   The website is a ghost town…getting no visitors, and

    2)   The website’s visitors aren’t submitting their information.

    The first problem is usually solved with SEO content when:

    1)   The website doesn’t have good, user-friendly content,

    2)   The content is not optimized to reach the search terms that people in the local market are actually using, or

    3)   The site’s competitors are ranking higher in a search.

    We have many articles and resources that focus on increasing your site traffic by using SEO, social media, and paid ads. But today is all about the second main problem we see.

    What are people doing on your real estate website?

    You only get one shot to make a first impression, and your website is that opportunity. In fact, it takes about 50 milliseconds (that’s 0.05 seconds) for searchers to form an opinion about your website that determines whether they’ll stay or leave.

    Conversions are often overlooked when average people create their websites. Too often they hire designers who focus more on aesthetics than results… those folks need to quit calling themselves marketing experts because they’re artists (most art doesn’t sell).

    The following key points can help optimize conversions by positioning your services in clear view so buyers and sellers know what’s available… including credibility that builds trust with potential buyers and sellers… and the rest of the content that can help eliminate fears or uncertainty.

    Are you trying to create art or are you trying to get leads?

    When you’re setting up your real estate site, it’s not how it looks… but how productive and successful the design is.

    Listen, I get in this argument with designers a lot – so please don’t send me a bunch of angry emails about how design matters…I know it’s really important. But honestly? It doesn’t matter if something is “pretty” it doesn’t convert visitors into leads.

    One of the many tools that Carrot uses to test out its theories about web design is heat maps. Heatmaps are useful because they allow us at Carrot, and more importantly you as a business owner who has entrusted your hard-earned cash with our system, to measure how successful something on the page will be before we commit any resources towards it. We want to know for sure whether or not what works in theory also translates into reality!

    So what’s a heat map anyway, and how can agents and investors use it to generate more leads online? 

    Back to the point, thanks… in this context, a heat map is a generated picture of where visitors to the website move their mouse and where they click on the page.

    Below I’m gonna put a few examples of a heat map that we generated for a user’s site, and give you a few key points on what works so well on this design.

    Brittany (the owner of http://sellmybaltimorehousefast.com) sent us a quick email after watching one of our webinars, asking for help getting more leads… we were able to increase the conversion rate by 80+% with just a couple of simple changes.

    Check out these heat maps (the site is greyed out, with little points of light showing where people have lingered with their mouse or clicked – the “hotter” the click spot, the more often it’s clicked).

    What did you notice on that heatmap?

    See all of the bright spots? The green and blue spots are where a lot of people click… indicating things that the motivated sellers felt were really important.

    First off, 94% of clicks happen on the top of the page.  The vast majority of web visitors to any given site don’t bother to scroll down.

    Side note: That statistic is valid across websites in general – on our investment sites, we tend to get about 8 seconds per page on average – 4 times more engagement than average, but still a lightning-fast choice to stay or go. You only have microseconds to reach your target audience – just another reason that your content and design matter so much.

    There are a few great lessons to learn right away from this click map…. 

    1)   People are clicking in many spots across the homepage. The clicks aren’t just happening in one spot, and visitors to this real estate investing website are finding what they need when they click through for more information. This site is designed specifically with sellers of properties as its audience, so it’s a relief that different types of people – those looking for answers about how they can sell their home, found exactly what they’re looking for on the site!

    2)   Titles matter. The title of a menu is designed to appeal directly to people who need to sell their house, and this top one has some great ones: “We Buy Houses in Louisville, KY”, “How It Works” and a contact form right on the front page that asks people to put in their address, phone, and email first thing.

    3)   Visitors want to know about your home buying process before they submit their info. Having a solid “how it works” page can be an integral part of your lead generation strategy.

    Have a truly excellent “how it works” page that includes:

    • A breakdown of your service in a series of simple bullet point steps
    • Include an informative, personal video
    • Include testimonials to build credibility and trust
    • Communicate the benefits they gain by working with you
    real estate website how it works page

    Here’s an example of a well-thought-out “how it works” page

    Where is your credibility on your own real estate websites?

    It’s a really common problem that hurts a ton of great real estate agents and investors… when people get to the site they need to have a compelling reason to give over their personal information. Think about it… real estate is the largest investment most people ever make in their lives. There’s no piece of real estate more intimate than someone’s home.

    And yet…

    So many real estate sites don’t build trust or credibility.

    In fact, there are 3 key factors that I wanna mention that are critical to successfully designing a site that converts – and I’ll tell you how we’ve used them to design the Carrot sites like this example that are generating great leads.

    Credibility, Content, and Contact

    Check out this graphic – I’ve broken down the links on the page into numbers so you can see the percentage of page visitors that clicked on each link type.

    Even more great lessons for real estate here… 

    As you can see, 12% of the clicks are for Credibility, 42% is on the Content (which is written to develop trust and credibility while reducing the fear and anxiety that most people buying or selling a home are feeling), and 46% of the clicks on the home page are actually converting – they’re contacting members using the forms.

    Keep in mind that the percentages are recording just clicks on the home page – a lot of other conversions happen on the lead pages that we’ve optimized for the local market.  That means that people are most often giving their information over to get a free report, such as a home valuation report, or another valuable tool. 46% of the clicks on the home page aren’t always the main source of leads. It just depends on how the site is being promoted, and where the majority of traffic is directed.

    The mix of these 3 factors is critical to a successful lead generation site.

    Content is a powerful tool to get your message out, but it needs credibility once people arrive or they won’t contact you.

    Content has long been seen as the lifeblood of search engine traffic and so much more for businesses looking to stand out online. However, even though content is king, you must know what happens when someone arrives at their site. What can be done after visitors land on your site in order to make them want to work with you?

    BONUS: One Tweak That Could Double Your Conversion Rate

    One more thing… this one simple tweak that we did on hero sections doubled conversions… it’s so crazy simple that we were totally surprised that it worked so well.

    We actually removed content from the hero sections to move the form up on mobile devices.

    Yup, that’s it.

    Even after doing this stuff for many years, it’s crazy to see what a big difference such a small change can make.

    That’s why we’re constantly testing different sites.

    We create websites that give your business the edge with a no-nonsense approach.

    We’re all about giving clients an advantage, so we design effective and user-friendly sites to stand out from the competition. We want our work to be as engaging for visitors on desktop or mobile devices alike; you never know what device they may use in order to find your site! In fact, over 60% of Carrot member leads come from mobile.

    This Is All Built Into Your Carrot Websites Already!

    The best thing about using Carrot is that you don’t have to worry about managing any of the technical aspects. We’re constantly running tests with our members and making tweaks in order to make sure your experience on this platform goes smoothly.

    We believe in results over anything else and are continually improving our system to help you get better results.

    We’re constantly posting tips, tricks, and techniques we use to improve SEO, conversions and get great results for Carrot members. So if you’re not already getting our weekly blog emails, make sure you sign up now! And if you want a website that truly generates leads for your business, go check out our plans to join Carrot and leverage our marketing knowledge and testing to generate more leads for your own real estate company. 

    Not An Carrot Member? Take A Tour Of Our System

  • [Behind the Data] 50% Increase in Motivated Seller Leads from One Simple Test

    [Behind the Data] 50% Increase in Motivated Seller Leads from One Simple Test

    The hero section… that all-important sliver of real estate at the very top of your website. 

    It’s a visitor’s first impression of your site and your company, but it plays a different – more important – role as well: it’s your first opportunity to convert those visitors into leads.  As more and more web traffic is taking place on mobile devices, that sliver of website real estate in the hero section is shrinking, and you have to approach it with those (often) competing needs in mind.

    How much content is too much?  Is it more important to highlight the form that’s actually generating leads?  How does this change based on whether a visitor is on desktop or mobile?

    At Carrot, our Innovation Lab is constantly pondering questions like these – AND launching tests to answer them. 

    In this post, we’ll outline a series of tests we ran on hero sections that increased conversion rates by anywhere from 25 to 55%, plus we’ll point you in the right direction when it comes to how you should approach the prime real estate (the hero section) on your own site.

    hero section test results

    Example: Hero Section Test Results

    What Did We Test?

    Our CTA Hero tests spawned from a very simple realization… the vast majority of conversions across our network of member sites occur exactly where we would expect them to: in the forms found in the hero section.  

    So we dug in to find out how our members are approaching those hero sections.  It turns out that the answer to that was quite varied.  Some members are stuffing as much content as possible.  Some are reducing the amount of content.  Others include videos, pictures, etc.

    So we designed a very simple test… one that pitted what we considered a “traditional” hero section against one that had significantly reduced amounts of content both surrounding the form and in the form itself. 

    (Traditional Hero Section with several lines of contextual content + a form description)

    Slimmed version of the hero

    (Slimmed version of the hero with some contextual content + the form description removed)

    A few things immediately stand out with the “slimmed down” version.

    1. The form itself appears more prominent when you remove the form description.  It guides the eye more specifically to the input fields and the final CTA button rather than the text above it.
    2. By matching the content reduction on the contextual blocks (in this case, the information to the left), it decreases the overall footprint of the hero section and begins to “raise” the content immediately below it.

    Point #2 is especially important when considering mobile traffic.  At Carrot, we generally see that mobile visitors account for 57% of all traffic and 61% of all conversions across our network.  Our own design principles have been morphed to take a mobile-first approach accordingly, and that is where our primary hypothesis for this test originated from: that by reducing the content in the hero section, it would make the form itself more prominent and appear “above the fold” on mobile, thereby increasing user engagement and ultimately conversions.

    hero section test on mobile

    And The Results….

    We launched this test across a myriad of site types, categories, layouts and environments – and the results were quite amazing.

    On every individual site where there was enough traffic and conversions over the lifespan of the test to register a statistically significant outcome, the slimmed down version of the hero won (and by large margins!).

    • Test Site #1 – Land Seller Site
      • Conversion uplift of 45.87% – 398 conversions in the slimmed down version versus 259 in the traditional version
    • Test Site #2 – Motivated Seller Site
      • Conversion uplift of 22.35% – 163 conversions versus 137
    • Test Site #3 – Motivated Seller Site
      • Conversion uplift of 46.86% – 102 conversions versus 71

    Furthermore, our measurements of user engagement (which include scroll depth, time on page, bounce rate, etc) were significantly improved (by anywhere from 15-25%) on sites with the slimmed down version of the hero.

    A few other findings/caveats in our testing design…

    • We wanted to ensure that these changes in the hero section did not improve conversion for mobile versions while harming desktop versions/visitors, so we split up tests accordingly to isolate these visitors.  There were zero cases in which conversion rates increased on mobile and decreased on desktop.
    • Similarly, we wanted to ensure that these changes in the hero section did not negatively impact conversion on forms that may appear lower on the page.  There were zero cases in which lower-ordered forms experienced a drop in conversions that outweighed improvement to the hero section form, and in many cases, those lower forms improved as well (indicative of our increase in user engagement metrics).

    In total, this test was a resounding success – the slimmed down version of the hero section performed significantly better on all site types, categories, and versions.

    So what does this mean for your site?

    It means, generally speaking, that when it comes to your hero section, you should take a “less is more” approach!  Instead of packing that incredibly important part of your website with a wall of text, graphics, videos, etc, minimize it.  

    Some best practices we recommend from our testing results:

    • Focus on highlighting the form you ultimately want visitors to engage with by removing form descriptions and content surrounding it (as shown in the pictures above).
    • Load your site on your mobile device and see where that form appears.  Does it entirely fit within that initial “above the fold” view?  If not, can you reduce the amount of text that appears above it so that even 50% of the entire form appears in that view?  Our testing indicates that the more a form can appear in that initial view, the better.
    • Avoid placing graphics, images, videos or long-form content in the hero section.  There are so many better places to include that information and content lower on the page! 

    As we’ve said, that hero section is your website’s prime real estate.  It’s your opportunity to make an impression, sure, but it’s also your first opportunity to convert a visitor into a lead.  We hope that by bringing you these results from our Innovation Lab, it helps you take a closer look at this section on your site and how it could be helping (or harming) your conversion rates. 

  • 4 Real Estate Website Pitfalls That Can Kill Lead Generation

    4 Real Estate Website Pitfalls That Can Kill Lead Generation

    What if you lost one lead this year because your website wasn’t optimized for conversion?

    No biggie, right?

    Well, no biggie so long as that lead wasn’t going to turn into a deal… if it was, then that’s $10,000, $20,000, or even $30,000 straight down the drain.

    And, as my real estate agent says, “It only takes one – the right one.”

    Sadly, for most unoptimized websites, the truth is much more depressing than a single lost lead per year. A website that loses one lead from your target market, after all, is going to lose all similar leads.

    This is why preparing your real estate website to convert its visitors is absolutely vital… before you drive traffic to it (paid and organic). How, though, do you know if your website is or isn’t optimized for conversion?

    Well, at Carrot, we’ve generated millions of real estate leads for our thousands of members, and these are four tell-tale signs that your website is losing you money.

    4 Signs that your website isn’t generating the online real estate leads as it should

    1. Your Website Isn’t Mobile-friendly

    For our thousands of Carrot members, 64% of all leads come through a mobile device. Not through a desktop or laptop, but through a thumb-clicking phone.

    And that’s happening all over the online world, not just at Carrot. 52% of all global online traffic is generated from smartphones, according to Shane Barker.

    This means, if you’re going to convert over half of your website visitors, you can’t create a bad mobile experience. Google is taking this so seriously that they recently rolled out mobile-first indexing – which basically means that they prioritize the performance of the mobile version of your website over the desktop version. And they’re not the only ones who take mobile website performance seriously…

    So do your website visitors.

    In fact, 61% of buyers form more positive opinions about brands that offer a remarkable mobile experience, according to Crazyegg.

    That’s why, at Carrot, every single one of our website designs is crafted to convert visitors regardless of the device they’re using to browse.

    Carrot real estate websites for high lead generation

    Here are some signs that your website isn’t mobile friendly…

    1. You can scroll side-to-side and the screen doesn’t adjust to the size of the device.
    2. The words become so small they’re unreadable on a mobile device.
    3. The buttons are difficult to click with a normal-sized thumb on mobile.

    If any of those are true of your website, then you’re definitely losing mobile phone leads – and switching to a mobile-friendly real estate website design like Carrot could outright double your lead generation.

    2. You’re Not Making It Easy For Visitors To Give You Their Information

    Still today, most homepages look like this…

    real estate website without lead form

    (Image Source)

    At the top, there’s a title, then there’s a menu and heading. And there’s maybe some sort of vague CTA – in this case, the “Learn More” button.

    As you scroll down, you’ll see pictures of the real estate agent (or investor), maybe some testimonials, some notes about their services, and then finally a decent CTA.

    real estate website lack of lead form
    This is at the very bottom of their website.

    Now, that probably doesn’t seem like a big deal…

    Do people really care all that much if they have to scroll to find your CTA?

    To answer that question, let’s look at a quick study done by Bryan Harris – an email list building guru. He took his “right-side up” homepage and flipped it so that the CTA was front-and-center when someone arrived on his website.

    Immediately, he saw a 35% increase in his number of subscribers.

    new homepage design

    (Image Source)

    Remember, people who’re looking to buy or sell their home are looking for a solution to their problem. The faster you solve that with a relevant CTA, the more likely they are to opt-in.

    But you might be wondering what an upside-down homepage actually looks like.

    At Carrot, we exclusively use the high-converting upside-down homepage model – putting the contact form and phone number right at the top of your website (on mobile and desktop) to guarantee that visitors to your website aren’t lost because they have to scroll more than they’d like.

    Here’s a quick testimonial from a Carrot member, Adam Mitchell, who spent $1000s on the wrong marketing and an under-performing website. He now does multiple deals per month in a competitive market.

    How Investor Adam Mitchell Blew $40k On Marketing

    3. The Sales Copy Isn’t Scientific

    What do I mean when I say that your homepage copy should be scientific?

    I mean that there should be a clear and obvious reason that each phrase and word is in its place. And if you’re wondering whether you wrote your homepage scientifically or not – with the psychology of your visitor’s in mind – then you definitely didn’t.

    Because scientific sales copy has to be intentional from the very beginning.

    Here’s a typical example of sales copy that misses the scientific mark.

    website sales copy

    (Image Source)

    A lot of people try to make their sales copy creative and cute…

    But that isn’t what you need. What you need is sales copy that appeals to people’s problems and then promises a remarkable solution.

    And the headline is the most important element, with 80% of people only reading the headline and 20% reading the rest. In other words, you need to strike the right chords in the right order, quickly.

    You need to be scientific.

    Here are a few examples of psychological rules in sales copy.

    The word “because” with a reason after increases conversion by 60% to 94% – it doesn’t even matter what the reason is, it just matters that you have a reason for what you’re selling, how much it costs, and why you’re the one selling it.

    Similarly, social proof – such as testimonials and credibility bars – can significantly increase the conversion rate of your website. For one website, social proof increased the conversion rate by 20%.

    But, those are just a few examples.

    For your formulaic sales copy pattern, follow these three steps, in this order:

    1. Empathetic description of pain – First and foremost, your prospect needs to know that you know exactly what they’re going through. After all, how could you possibly help them if you don’t understand their current position?
    2. Agitate that pain – Then, the prospects needs to be reminded of how terrible of a situation they are really in. Your goal is to empathetically remind them of how difficult their predicament is so that they’re ready to get out of it.
    3. Promise a solution that’ll take that pain away – Finally, in swoops Super Man. Your solution. Guarantee them with all the tools you have in your arsenal that your service (whether agent or investor) is going to remove their pain, then tell them how it’s going to do that.

    Consider our very own sales copy as an example of this. It’s only a few sentences, but it hits every note.

    Carrot homepage 2021

    4. Your Website Has Slow Load Times

    The slower your website loads, the more people who won’t stick around to see what you have to offer.

    Higher bounce rate. Fewer conversions.

    Period.

    As Neil Patel explains on his blog, for instance, 53% of people will leave a mobile site if it takes more than three seconds to load. And 47% of online users expect a website to load in just two seconds or less.

    As the nail strikes the coffin, a one-second delay in page response time often results in a 7% reduction in conversions.

    And most websites aren’t keeping up.

    slow website load times

    (Image Source)

    If you have a slow website, how many thousands of dollars might you be losing for each second? Here’s some quick math.

    Imagine that you get 2,000 visits to your website every month at a 10% conversion rate. That’s 200 conversions. Then imagine that you close 1 in 20 of those. That’s 10 deals per month.

    Now let’s assume that you make $10,000 per deal.

    At a 7% reduction in conversion rate for every one-second loss of load speed, just a two-second delay would lose you upwards of $10,000 or more every single month.

    This is why, at Carrot, we don’t mess around with slow load speeds. In this tech-stack study of 150,000 websites, Carrot outperformed Wix, Squarespace, and WordPress. In fact, Carrot was second to Google’s own website.

    real-estate-website-page-speed

    Conclusion

    Maybe in the 90’s, just having a website was enough. Just having a place where people could go online and learn about your business would do the lead-generation trick. But now we’re down the road…

    And we know what converts visitors… and what doesn’t.

    Still, many websites haven’t caught up with the times and optimized their websites for conversion. This is unfortunate, considering the significant impact that conversion optimization can have on business success.

    So, a quick recap.

    Avoid these four real estate website pitfalls that can kill your lead generation…

    1. It’s not mobile-friendly.
    2. The homepage isn’t easy asking for their information.
    3. The sales copy isn’t scientific.
    4. It has slow load times.
  • Here’s What You Should Do If Your Real Estate SEO Rankings Drop: Recovery Guide

    Here’s What You Should Do If Your Real Estate SEO Rankings Drop: Recovery Guide

    It can be a nightmare…

    One day, you’re on page one of Google for your target keyword phrases, and then, one day, you’re not. Maybe it starts by noticing that you’re not getting as many leads as usual. When you check to see what’s going on, you find that a few of your primary real estate SEO rankings are suffering — the ones that drive passive organic traffic to your real estate website.

    No SEO or content marketer can accurately predict what any future Google algorithm update will look like.

    But it would help if you thought about it like this: Search engines are built with the intention to serve people.

    “Core” algorithm updates typically happen a few times a year, as Google tries to continuously to improve the quality of its search results.

    The latest core update started rolling out on August 15, 2024:

    Google Core Algorithm Update | August '24

    Google likes to reiterate that there is often nothing to fix on your site after core updates…

    “We know those with sites that experience drops will be looking for a fix, and we want to ensure they don’t try to fix the wrong things. Moreover, there might not be anything to fix at all.” … “There’s nothing wrong with pages that may perform less well in a core update.”

    Although, smaller core updates tend to happen every few months. Google has said:

    “We’re constantly making updates to our search algorithms, including smaller core updates.”

    So Google may have made updates to previous core updates, but they’ve also said:

    “We don’t announce all of these because they’re generally not widely noticeable.”

    But Google has acknowledged, when released, they can cause content to recover if improvements warrant.”

    Don’t get stuck thinking… “What can I do?” There are plenty of best practices you can optimize for. Focus on offering the best content you can. Algorithms seek to reward informative content.

    Here is a list of “high-level” questions to consider while creating unique content:

    • Does your content provide original information, reporting, or research?
    • Does your content provide a complete or comprehensive description of the topic?
    • Does your content provide insightful analysis or interesting information that is beyond obvious?
    • Does your provide substantial value and originality?
    • Is your headline and/or page title descriptive, and does it provide a helpful content summary?
    • Is your content worthy of sharing or being recommended?
    • Does your content show expertise?
    • Is your content trustworthy and shows that you are the authority on the subject?
    • Does your content showcase the author’s expertise or have links to an “About” page?
    • Is your content free of factual errors and spelling or stylistic issues?
    • Does your content display well on mobile devices?
    • Is your content genuine, or was it created for the sole purpose of rankings?

    Over the past few years, E-E-A-T, or Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness, has been considered a strong SEO guideline. Check out Google’s own guidance on creating helpful, reliable, people-first content to learn more about E-E-A-T and the impact it can make on your rankings.

    Now you have some information that you can point to from Google about how to move forward if your website was impacted negatively after a Google core update.

    Maybe you’ve been tracking your keyword rankings using Carrot’s Keyword Rank Tracker, and you’ve noticed some keyword phrases just starting to dip (going from position 1 or 2 to position 7 or 8), or maybe you’ve fallen back to Page 2 of the search results.

    Let’s dive in a little deeper and show you what we tell our members…

    Why are your real estate SEO rankings suffering, and what can you do to fix it?

    It all starts with determining why your SEO rankings are slipping.

    Step 1. Determine Why Your Real Estate SEO Rankings Are Slipping

    Before you try to fix suffering rankings, we need to determine why your rankings are slipping in the first place.

    You can start by digging into the data about your website, using tools like Carrot’s built-in Analytics dashboard and our Domain Overview tool to get insights about:

    • Which of your posts or pages are getting the most traffic
    • Where your visitors are coming from
    • What pages are converting your visitors into leads
    • How many other websites are linking back to yours

    You’ll want to analyze your website data and try to determine if the drop in traffic or rankings actually has anything to do with a Google algorithm update, or maybe it’s due to other factors entirely.

    For example, many businesses experience seasonal dips or spikes in traffic during certain times of year, like summer or the December holidays.

    There are quite a few other possibilities. Among the most common reasons are…

    • Is a Competitor is Beating You? — This is the most common reason that a ranking will start to dip. If you’ve only gone down the search results page a few spots, then it’s likely that Google is trying to make space for a competitor who it perceives as having rank-worthy content for the specified keyword phrase. Check out Step 2 to figure out how to address this problem.
    • Has Google Penalized Your Site? — In rare cases, it’s possible that Google has penalized your site for one reason or another. If you’ve been paying for backlinks, using PBNs, or using other black-hat SEO tactics, it’s possible that Google has penalized your site. If this is the case, then your site will probably have completely disappeared, not just have dipped a bit. Check out Step 10 to learn more about how to fix this.
    • Did You Publish Lots of Templated Content Without Making It Unique? — Tools like Carrot’s Automated Content Library and Niche Authority Builder provide pre-written blog posts and pages to make content creation quicker, but you’ll always want to add your own insights and expertise to each post to make them your own. We suggest adding at least 30-50% of your own unique content in order to stand out among competitor sites and keep Google from viewing your content as duplicate.
    • Did You Trim Your Content On Your Home Page Or City Pages? — If you’ve recently made changes to your content, those changes might take time to bounce back in the rankings.
    • Are You Even Tracking Your Rankings? — You can’t fix an issue without data. Carrot’s Keyword Rank Tracker lets you easily grab back data to see what day things might have changed.
    • Is Your Page Load Speed is Too Slow? — Google has explicitly said, over and over again, that how fast your website loads (or even a specific page) is a direct indicator of how well you rank. The faster it loads, the better. Carrot prides ourselves on incredibly fast loading websites (they load nearly 70% faster than standard WordPress websites), but if you don’t have a Carrot site, check out Step 6 for ways to fix this.
    • Is Your Website is NOT Mobile Optimized? — Carrot websites are optimized for all viewing devices (including desktop, smartphone and tablets), but if your non-Carrot website isn’t optimized for mobile, then you’ll have trouble ranking for any keyword phrase. Google prioritizes the mobile version of your website over the desktop version, so this is an absolute must. Check out Step 8 to learn more about this.

    Once you know what the problem is, you should have a much easier time fixing the problem with the below steps. If your page completely disappeared, then you probably got penalized by Google.

    If your page slipped just a few positions, then a competitor is probably beating you (the most likely reason). And if you slipped big — say, to page 5 — then it may be because Google updated its algorithm and your page no longer fits the bill.

    Whatever the case, you can use the below steps to fix your problem and then measure progress toward improving your SEO rankings.

    Remember: SEO and evergreen marketing is an ongoing process. We recommend looking at trends over longer time periods, like month over month and quarter over quarter, rather than focusing on changes in traffic or keyword rankings on a daily or weekly basis.

    Step 2. Update & Enhance Your Content

    Assuming that your page hasn’t been penalized by Google and that you only slipped a few positions, this is the very first thing you should think to do.

    Because a lot of times, your real estate SEO rankings slip simply because someone else (a competitor, usually) created a better page than you and Google is trying to make space for them. This is an opportunity for you to pull out the big guns and beat them at their own game.

    When a page starts to slip by a few positions, here’s what you should do…

    1. Look At What The Other Page-One Rankings Are Doing — The first thing you should do is examine what other pages are ranking on the first page for the given keyword and make some guesses as to why those pages are beating you. What are they doing that you’re not doing? How can you do something better than them? Could you write a longer piece of content or create a video to enhance the post? Answer questions that people are asking about the topic? Could you offer your audience more details?
    2. Write Additional Unique Content — If possible, add a couple of hundred extra words to the page. Not just babble, of course, but valuable content. Ensure you include your target keyword phrase a few times within this extra content. Learn more about writing unique content and see examples of a “Good/Better/Best” blog post.
    3. Add Some Images & Alt Text — Google loves images just as much as readers. It breaks up the content and makes the page easier to digest. So add a few relevant images to the page. If you do, make sure also to add relevant alt text to describe what is seen in the image. Learn more about optimizing images.
    4. Create A Video To Enhance The Post — Leveraging video can be a great way to enhance the trust and credibility for your business along with boosting your traffic. Creating video posts is highly beneficial for website SEO because they can engage visitors more effectively than static written content, keeping them on the page longer, which signals to search engines that your website’s content is valuable. If you have a post or page with helpful content, consider creating a YouTube video about the same topic and embedding it into your page.

    If you have old blog posts or pages that haven’t been properly personalized AND those posts or pages receive very little or no traffic, you may want to simply remove those pages. This is especially true if the topics of those pages aren’t particularly important to your business objectives.

    With more and more content being published every day, Google simply doesn’t have the resources to index everything that’s published on the Internet. So it’s important to focus on quality and relevance to your ideal customer or client rather than just pumping out a ton of content.

    Step 3. Fix Broken Links & Look For Internal Linking Opportunities

    Google doesn’t like broken links — that is, links from your page that go to a page that no longer exists.

    If links on your page have gone bad (maybe because the place you were linking deleted their page), remove them and/or consider linking elsewhere. Just test out each link on your page to make sure it’s working correctly.

    Too many broken links tell Google that you’re not paying much attention to updating your content consistently, and the almighty algorithm doesn’t like that.

    Quick Methods to Find Broken Links using Online Checkers
    Here are some quick and easy tools you can use to find broken links. All you need to do is enter your URL into the search boxes, and they will provide you with a list of broken links:

    How to Fix Broken Links
    Once you’ve found the links that are broken, your next step is to fix them. You want to make your content easy for the user to read and navigate.

    You have two options when it comes to fixing broken links. You can update the link to point to a different page, or create a 301 redirect to have the old link forwarded to a related or relevant page.

    Look For Internal Linking Opportunities

    As you review the content on your website, look for opportunities to link up related posts or pages within your site. Internal links between related pages and posts on your own website helps Google crawl your website more easily.

    Linking internally also helps Google understand what content is related to other content on your site, and it’s a big part of our recommended blog content SEO strategy. (It’s also built right into our Carrot’s Niche Authority Builder!)

    Which brings us to…

    Step 4. Organize Your Content

    Many people don’t realize that it’s possible to have too much SEO-based content or at least too much disorganized content.

    Keyword cannibalization, for example, is when you destroy (or cannibalize) your rankings because you have too many pages that are targeting the same keyword phrase or very similar phrases.

    Google likes it most when you have one page per specific topic or keyword phrase — that is, each page on your website only targets one keyword phrase, and there’s no overlap.

    If you created several other pages targeting a similar phrase to the page you’re watching suffer, then it’s probably because you have too much-disorganized content for Google’s liking. Keep it simple and go back to having only one page per keyword phrase.

    Here’s a summary of our recommended blog content SEO strategy:

    • Write a main “niche topic page” for a broad core topic keyword relevant to your business. For example: “how to sell your house”
    • Then write a handful of other shorter supporting blog posts that are related to the main topic but dive deeper into sub-topics
    • Finally, create internal links between your niche topic page and the supporting blog posts to create a “topic cluster”:
    How to organize your content

    You can follow this process manually, or you can also use our Niche Authority Builder tool to execute this blog content strategy more quickly.

    Step 5. Get Your Citations in Order

    You’ve probably heard that building backlinks are one of the best ways to improve your SEO rankings. And that’s true — but it’s also pretty difficult to consistently build high-quality backlinks.

    Fortunately, getting your citations in order can have a similar impact.

    What are citations?

    Typically, they are third-party listing websites (like your Google Business Profile) that have your business info and a link back to your website. There are a few things you want to do with these citations.

    First, make sure that you have at least 50 or 60 citations on different websites — that will help your rankings quite a lot.

    Second, make sure that the information on all of those citations is the same across the board and up-to-date.

    It’s just a matter of adding your listing to these various sites — which can be tedious but is great for your rankings. If you don’t know how to do this or would rather have someone else do it for you, we have a citation building service. Check it out, and let us know if you need help!

    Or, if you want to build citations on your own, learn more:

    Step 6. Improve Your Page Speed

    The faster your website loads, the better. Regarding Google rankings, there’s no such thing as too fast.

    Not only is page speed an important factor within Google’s ranking algorithm, but it also decreases the bounce rate, increases the time-on-page, and even helps your conversion rate.

    That’s why, at Carrot, we take website load speed so darn seriously. We’re constantly making optimizations to keep our member’s sites moving wicked-fast. During one of our most recent tests, our sites received a 94/100 on their speed.

    page speed for good seo

    You can test your website’s speed over here to see how it’s performing.

    If you have a Carrot site, you shouldn’t need to worry about this, as our high-performing websites are built with speed in mind. (But feel free to reach out to our team if your website isn’t loading as you expect it to.)

    If you don’t have a Carrot site, you’ll want to do the following…

    • Compress Image Files — This is one of the primary ways to improve your website load speed. If you have a lot of high-quality images on your page, then that can hurt your page’s agility. By compressing those images, you make the files smaller and easier to load (which means faster).
    • Optimize CSS, JavaScript, & HTML — Clunky code is bad for load speed. Make sure that your CSS, JavaScript, & HTML is optimized to load quickly and that you don’t have any unused scripts running.
    • Reduce Redirects — The more times that a page has to redirect, the longer it’s going to take to load. Consider removing redirects entirely for the page you’re trying to fix.

    Carrot websites have image compression and page speed performance already built-in. So if this all seems too complicated, you can get yourself a high-speed Carrot site and never have to worry about this again. ;-)

    Step 7. Get SSL Certification

    Within the last few years, Google has strengthed the authority of websites that have SSL and weakened those that don’t. SSL certification is a basic way to secure your website from prying eyes. You can tell whether you have SSL certification or not by going to your website and checking to see if your URL is “HTTP” or “HTTPS” — if it’s “HTTPS”, then it has SSL certification already.

    With Carrot, all of our websites automatically include SSL for FREE.

    SSL SEO Rankings

    If you don’t have a Carrot website, you’ll have to do the process manually and pay about $50.

    This isn’t a total game-changer for your rankings, but it might be just the boost you need to beat pesky competitors.

    Step 8. Optimize Your Real Estate Website for Mobile

    If your website isn’t mobile-optimized, you should look into getting a different website builder that automatically adjusts for different devices. (Carrot websites are optimized for all viewing devices, including mobile.)

    mobile friendly websites

    If your website isn’t mobile-friendly, then it’s unlikely you’ll get many rankings at all — Google now prioritizes indexing the mobile version of sites over the desktop version, so this is an absolute must if you’re serious about ranking in search engines.

    You can test your site to see if it’s mobile-friendly using our mobile-friendly tool.

    Here are 7 tips to ensure you have a mobile-friendly real estate website:

    1. Get a Real Estate website that is “mobile-friendly” + responsive.

    mobile friendly real estate website

    2. Design for the touch, not the click
    Notice The Important “tap” Elements On This Carrot Site In The Green Zone

    effective mobile website design

    3. Make it easy for visitors to engage with you (both opt-in and phone)
    4. Get to the call to action quickly

    Mobile Optimized Website CTA

    5. Don’t use too many form fields.

    lead form entry questions

    6. Sandwich your call to action areas. One on top and one on the bottom.
    Optimize your page by adding a phone number and a second form to the bottom of the page.

    Mobile Optimized Secondary Forms

    7. Don’t rely on video as the primary call to action.

    Step 9. Improve Your Keyword Density

    People who are new to SEO make a few common mistakes when it comes to keyword density. Either they don’t include their keyword phrase in the copy, they include it way too much (which Google counts as spammy), or they try to rank for 10 different keyword phrases with a single page.

    So… if any of those sound like you… here are a few guidelines to stick to…

    • Aim For 1 Keyword Phrase Per Page — No more. No less. And if some keyword phrases are super similar, then put those on there as well. Just don’t try to rank for totally different keyword phrases on the same page… you’ll probably end up ranking for nothing.
    • Aim For 1% Keyword Density — As for the exact match of your keyword phrase, try for 1% keyword density. This means that for every 100 words, your keyword should be mentioned once. Less than this and Google might not know what your page is about, but more than this and Google might count it as keyword stuffing (which is a bad thing).

    Need help finding the right keywords? Carrot’s Keyword Explorer lets you spy on competitor’s rankings and find new keyword ideas for your content marketing strategy.

    Step 10. Avoid Black-Hat SEO

    Google isn’t afraid to penalize websites that’ve been using shady tactics to help their rankings. So we recommend avoiding black-hat SEO tactics, such as paying for backlinks or using Private Blog Networks (PBN’s).

    If you don’t know what that means, good, you’re probably not doing it. But if you have used those tactics and you think Google might be penalizing you, then you can check to see over on Google Search Console.

    To fix a penalty, stop any black-hat SEO tactics, produce high-quality content, and keep working on your SEO efforts. Over time, Google will learn to trust you again.

    Conclusion

    There you have it! Now you know what to do if your real estate SEO rankings are slipping.

    If you have further questions, be sure to check out our Help Center for tutorials on how to use our built-in tools, and hit us up in Carrot’s official Evergreen Marketing community to join the conversation & stay informed.

  • Advanced Real Estate Marketing Funnel: How Big Ones Do It

    Advanced Real Estate Marketing Funnel: How Big Ones Do It

    A real estate marketing funnel is the system that guides visitors through your website or to your landing page. It turns visitors into leads, helps you nurture them into legitimate prospects, and eventually turns them into clients.

    This real estate marketing funnel post covers the basics of how to set up a marketing funnel, but the post you’re currently reading is for the advanced agent or investor who already has a business that’s growing. If you’re already generating consistent leads, closing consistent deals, how do you add that lever in your marketing, and take it up the next level?

    Because that’s where it gets exciting. You start to add magnitudes of results to your business by making some simple switches in your marketing.

    And the reason I’m saying this is because in a competitive market, like the time I’m recording this video right now, your sellers, your buyers, they have lots of options.

    So, if anyone is kidding themselves to think that you are the only option for your prospect net market, it’s not true.

    Advanced Real Estate Marketing Funnel

    How A House Seller Decides…

    The 5 stage process that all house sellers ponder as they sell their house. Does your marketing meet them at each stage and advance them to the next step… or does it leave them hanging?

    advanced real estate marketing funnel

    How do you make sure that you’re delivering the message that’s going to crack through all that marketing clutter out there? That delivers that message.

    It’s going to crack through that prospect so that they choose you versus the dozens of other competitors that you’re working around. How do you do that? Well, it’s by tapping into what’s already going on in your prospect’s brain.

    “Evergreen” Marketing

    One of the biggest real estate marketing resources that we oftentimes don’t use is the conversations that are going on in your prospect’s brain before they ever reach to you.

    This is “Evergreen” marketing approach helps control the conversation. The first thing I’d really encourage you to do is get to learn your prospect inside and out. Better than they know themselves.

    How do you do this?

    When you’re on the phone with your sellers or your buyers, ask them questions. “Hey, how did you get to my website? Where did you find out about me? Man, so why did you give me a call versus all those other direct mail … those postcards on there? What was it about me that stood out?”

    After you close those deals, ask them those questions and get those testimonials. But ask them the questions, not just so you get the testimonials, so you can get the data and information on how your prospects think, and I’m going to show you how to use it in your marketing.

    Here Are A Few Examples Of Brands Or Companies When I Google Their Name…

    conversation marketing for brands

    Show Them You’re the Best Solution

    So, once again, you close the deal.

    “Hey, awesome. So, how did you find out about us? What was it about us versus the other agents or investors you were working with that kind of tipped you over the edge to have you work with us?”

    They’re going to say specific things, and those specific things are giving you a direct line into their brain and the way that they think. And now we can start to use those words, use those conversations, to connect with them better, to show them how you are the best solution.

    To make sure you’re crafting your marketing, so you’re the clear best solution. Not just the one that offered them the most money. If you do this right, you can offer them less money than your competition and you can still close the deals. All right. I’m going to show you how.

    Understand Your Prospect

    How do the big boys do market … big boys and girls … do marketing in a big way? The first thing is, once again, you have to understand your prospect. You can’t do amazing marketing without understanding your prospects.

    Many real estate agents and investors do marketing only at this first level and second level. That’s it. Most investors are stuck in problem aware and solution aware, and then they say,

    “Hey, here’s how we’re going to be able to offer you a price for your house.”

    Or,

    “Here’s how you buy a property from us or rent a property from us.”

    But where the meat is, where so much leverage is right now that investors and agents aren’t focusing on is this stuff in the middle.

    It’s this stuff in the middle. It’s dragging them, pulling them, guiding them from problem aware to solution aware to verifying to making a decision and then referring out.

    And one thing that’s a big, big, big myth and a big, big, big issue with real estate … not as many agents. Agents get this. You guys get this part. But real estate investors don’t, in general. That you work the deal thinking it’s a one-off transaction. That you’re never going to work with that seller or buyer again, especially sellers.

    People are treating it this way.

    But if you do this right, your sellers are going to refer you over to other people that you can work. So, you’ve gotta do all this. This one deal can turn into two, three, four, five deals for you if you work it right.

    Your Strategy

    Here’s what we’re going to do. So, the first thing in problem aware is the very first stage that your sellers or buyers or anyone is going through before they ever even see your message. This is where they just inherited the house. This is where they’re going through that divorce. This is where they just need to sell the house.

    They’re moving.

    And whatever that situation is… their listing expired with an agent and they don’t want to relist it… they now have a problem, and they’re aware of that problem. Before that problem exists in their life, they’re not going to notice your bandit signs. They’re not going to see your direct mail pieces and think twice about them. They’re not making the searches on Google to find you.

    So, one key is knowing that they’re problem aware.

    • What are those problems they’re having?
    • How are they feeling?
    • What things are they searching?

    As soon as you know that, put those messages into your direct mail. Put those messages in your bandit signs on your websites. At this stage, they’re going to notice that bandit sign, and call you up.

    They’re going to see the direct mail and go, “Man, are these people going to be able to solve this problem.” So, that’s why the direct mail piece and your website copy and ads need to be direct to that point. “Hey, do you have this problem? Sweet, we can solve it.” That sounded like a Vanilla Ice song for a second.

    Real Estate Marketing Funnel: The Solution Aware Stage

    Real Estate Investing Marketing Funnel solution aware stage

    So, right here, then they’re solution aware. As soon as they see you’re advertising somewhere and your competitor’s advertising, now they know there are solutions out there to their problem.

    Now they know, “Okay, well, I can list this house. I don’t really know what that looks like. There are also these things called house buyers out there, or I can buy investment properties from these entities or there are places to rent-to-own.” And then they know that it exists.

    But, how do we then make sure that your solution is the one that stands out in their mind? Well, over here on your website, in your marketing, in your ads, things like that when you’re talking to them, at this point, they’re wanting to compare things. How does X’s service compare to Y’s service? How does your service compare to other real estate investors?

    That’s where you’ve gotta have your unique selling proposition. Check out our USP Whiteboard Video, and our USP CarrotCast.

    You’ve gotta have a clear, clear value on why you are different than the others, and also compare you as a real estate agent versus a for sale by owner. Or you as a real estate investor versus listing with an agent. Compare those with the content on your website and in your advertising.

    Build Credibility in Your Process

    Next, you need to build credibility in your process. Because people want the process to be transparent. They want to know going into it that they’re pretty clear how the process is going to go down and this is one of the biggest things.

    I want to challenge you guys as real estate agents and investors… for some reason, there’s something in the psyche of a real estate investor, a house flipper, and a wholesaler, that makes you believe that you cannot be completely transparent with the way you’re developing your offers.

    If that mindset stays in your brain over the long-term, you’re going to lose deals versus the investors who grasp that,

    “Hey, you know what? Our prospect really cares.”

    They really want to know how this works, and if I can add transparency to the process if I can gain trust and credibility … if I can show them exactly how I’m coming up with that offer, and not think that by doing that it’s going to put me at a disadvantage,” you’re going to win.

    How is Opendoor, a company that’s valued at over a billion dollars just in three to four years … how is Opendoor winning the game in the markets that they’re going after?

    It’s not because their marketing is that much better. It’s because they have a very clear value proposition and people know exactly how their offer is going to be calculated.

    Exactly.

    And then the process is transparent throughout the whole thing.

    Strengthening Your Position

    So, next what we need to do is if we’ve done the comparisons with content … we have ads that pop up on Facebook that say, “Selling a house to an investor versus an agent,” or an ad that says something to the effect of … Brad Chandler of Express Homebuyers, had a great ad that says, “Don’t work with those fly-by-night investors. Here’s why.”

    Then it serves up a testimonial that has a seller that talks about working with two of those fly-by-night investors that didn’t fulfill on their promise of their offer, and how Brad did. So, that’s comparing.

    That’s planting seeds of doubt in that prospect about the other people and strengthening your position.

    Real Estate Marketing Funnel: Vetting and Verifying

    Real Estate Investing Marketing Funnel Vetting and Verifying Stage

    Next, once they understand there are options out there and how they differ, now they’re going to go, “Man, so, there’s four options, or three options, or two that I really think are pretty good. Which ones should I work with?” So, they’re going to go in the vetting and verifying phase.

    They’re going to be Googling your company name. Your company name plus reviews.

    They’re going to be looking for Better Business Bureau. Not just that you have a BBB profile, but you have a positive review profile. You’ve got a dozen or two dozen reviews that are four out of five or five out of five.

    On the agent side, they’re going to be looking for credentials and work history.

    real estate agent website credibility

    This is where you start getting testimonials and video testimonials of your prospects and clients talking about the experience of working with you. Talking about your character. That you follow through and close your deals. That you fulfill the promises you make.

    That you don’t weasel out of your contracts because you can. And this part is huge, because if there are four or five options they’re looking at, and they Google you and they don’t find anything that gives them that warm and fuzzy, that they really want to work with you but they do with someone else, they’re going to win the deal.

    I have a question for you. Who has ever purchased a product or decided to not purchase a product, any product, because of one review that you saw? Just one. That happens all the time. You’re on Amazon and you’re looking at it, and there’s one review that’s like, “Ah … man. I’m not going to get it. Because if that person experienced it, there’s a chance that I might as well.”

    So, if we’re not thinking that same way in our businesses … that one review, that one testimonial, that one bit of credibility can completely tip the scales from someone working with you to someone working with someone else, then we’re kidding ourselves. So, in this phase in the competitive market, the vetting and verifying market, is big.

    How do you do that with your ads?

    using testimonials in your fb ads

    Make sure you’re putting great case studies and testimonials in your Facebook ads, in your Google ads. Make sure you’re putting great case studies and testimonials in your credibility kit when you’re meeting with your sellers or with your buyers.

    They need to know that you’re a great company to work with, and there needs to be overwhelming proof that you’re a legit person. You’re honest, trustworthy, and you will fulfill your promise. All right?

    Last right here, decision. How do you pull them to a decision? First of all, you’ve gotta have a really clear call to action. Say, “Here’s what you do next.” Present them a real offer. Follow up on that offer. Don’t assume that they’re going to contact you if that offer is good. Follow up, be courteous, but follow up.

    Timing is a big thing there.

    follow up with your motivated seller prospects

    Real Estate Marketing Funnel: Transparency

    Transparency, once again. Add as much transparency to the entire process as possible. Someone opts in on your website, don’t just kick them out a generic email and then just land on their doorstep in two doors.

    Send them an email or pick up the phone and say,

    “Drew is actually going to be at your door at four o’clock tomorrow. Drew’s been with us for two years, or five years.”

    Or,

    “It’s actually going to be me. I’m going to be pulling up in my truck that has XYZ on it, so expect that. And here’s a few things I’m going to be walking through when we get there, and then we kinda talk about what we find and we can talk about the value of the home, and kinda work out a fair offer there for you. Does that work?”

    So, then they know exactly how the process is going to work, and then you can walk them through it too. “Once we make the offer, here’s how that works. We can close within seven days, or whatever that is.”

    Be crazy transparent during this process because the more transparent you can be at their point of decision, the more that they’re going to want to work with you and it adds credibility to that vetting and verifying phase.

    Sharing the Love

    Last, don’t stop loving on them. Once again, so many real estate investors … the agents are better … but so many real estate investors are not in the relationship business when you should be. You’re in the transaction business.

    “I closed 14 deals this month.” or, “I closed two deals this month.”

    How many of those deals did you send a thank you card 30 days after you closed it? Probably none of them.

    How many of those deals did you give them a care package at the closing table? Probably very few. How many of those deals did you follow up six months later and see how they’re doing after the move or after the sale, and find out if there’s anything else you can help them with?

    Or if there are any other people that they know that you can help? Probably very few of you, because you’re thinking so short term.

    And short term is not a fun way to build a business, and it’s not a profitable way to build a business over the long term. And you’re not going to build a great business. You’re probably going to be out of business within two to three years if that’s all that you’re doing. So, make sure you’re building all this up so referrals happen, and start loving on them.

    Business is way more fun when you love on your clients and client’s love on you.

    I’ll Finish This Advanced Real Estate Marketing Funnel Post With This…

    I’m going to finish it with this. I’ve been to masterminds with the largest house flippers and wholesalers in the country. I asked them this question once … there were 50 people in the room … I said, “Raise your hands, anyone in this room who would love to have a beer, have a drink with your clients?” 2 people raised their hand out of 50 people.

    And I’m saying this because this isn’t about marketing. This is about building a business you love. About building a business you love, and you can only do that if you love your clients. And loving on your clients does all this way better.

    It’s going to make your marketing really powerful. That’s how we’ve grown so much. Thousands of members because we love on our clients.

    We’ve realized that you are human beings that have real needs, real desires, real hopes, real fears, and we’re going to help you through that stuff.

    Do the same thing for your customers.

    For more resources and real estate marketing materials, click on the link!

    Watch The Video of This Post…

    Real Estate Investor Marketing | Advanced Marketing Funnel | How Big Ones Do It
  • 7 Tips To Master Local SEO for Real Estate Investors | Skyrocket To The Top of Search Engine Results

    7 Tips To Master Local SEO for Real Estate Investors | Skyrocket To The Top of Search Engine Results

    Competition in the real estate market will always be fierce. But what if you could attract a steady stream of qualified leads without the constant hustle? The answer lies in local SEO for real estate.

    Imagine this: a potential seller in your market searches for an investor specializing in fixer-upper properties. Through the power of local SEO, your website appears at the top of their search results, showcasing your expertise in local market trends and flipping potential. This is the magic of a well-optimized local SEO for real estate strategy – attracting motivated sellers and generating deals on autopilot.

    This guide is designed for real estate investors like you. By following our 7 simple tips to master local SEO for real estate, you’ll be well on your way to ranking higher in local search results, attracting high-quality leads, and ultimately skyrocketing your real estate business.

    The Power of Local SEO for Real Estate Investors: Attract Local Leads & Dominate Your Market

    Local SEO focuses on optimizing your online presence to rank higher in search results for local searches related to real estate investing in your target market. With a strong local SEO strategy, your website could be the first they see, positioning you as the go-to expert.

    The benefits of local SEO for real estate investors are undeniable:

    • Attract a Steady Stream of Local Leads: By ranking higher for relevant searches, you’ll naturally attract motivated sellers in your area, saving you time and resources on lead generation.
    • Target High-Quality Leads: Local SEO prioritizes location, ensuring you connect with sellers searching for someone to buy their house quickly.
    • Boost Brand Awareness and Credibility: High local search rankings project an image of authority and expertise, making you the trusted choice for local sellers.
    • Cost-Effective Marketing Strategy: Compared to traditional advertising, local SEO offers a long-term, sustainable approach to lead generation without breaking the bank. This is what we call Evergreen Marketing.

    By mastering local SEO for real estate, you’re not just optimizing your website – you’re setting yourself up as a dominant player in your local market, attracting a constant flow of qualified leads ready to do business.

    7 Simple Tips to Master Local SEO for Real Estate and Skyrocket Your Lead Generation

    Now that you understand the power of local SEO for real estate let’s dive into practical steps to implement it. Here are 7 easy-to-follow tips for mastering local SEO for real estate and attracting qualified leads in your target market:

    Tip 1: Claim and Optimize Your Google My Business Profile

    Think of your Google My Business (GMB) profile as your online storefront for local searches. Claiming and optimizing your GMB profile is crucial for local SEO for real estate. Here’s what to do:

    • Claim your GMB profile: Search for “Google My Business” and follow the steps to claim your business listing.
    • Optimize your profile: Fill out all information accurately, including your business address, phone number, website URL, and service categories relevant to real estate investors (e.g., “cash home buyer,” “ real estate investor”).
    • Add high-quality photos: Showcase your professionalism with clear images of yourself, your team (if applicable), and properties you’ve invested in.
    • Encourage customer reviews: Positive reviews build trust and improve your local search ranking. Provide exceptional service and politely request satisfied clients to leave a review on your GMB profile.

    Tip 2: Target Relevant Local Keywords

    The key to attracting local leads lies in using the right SEO keywords. Conduct keyword research to identify search terms potential sellers in your area use. Here’s the trick:

    • Focus on local intent: Instead of just “real estate investor,” target long-tail keywords with location qualifiers, like “ cash home buyer” or “ investor for distressed properties.”
    • Use keyword research tools: Free and paid tools like Carrot’s SEO Keyword Bible or SEMrush can help you uncover high-volume, low-competition keywords relevant to your target market. You can use our Keyword Explorer Tool if you are a Carrot member.

    Tip 3: Create High-Quality, Local Content

    Content is king, and local SEO is no exception. Establish yourself as a local expert by creating informative content that caters to your target audience’s needs. Here are some ideas:

    • Blog posts: Create informative blog posts on topics like “ real estate market trends,” “ home buying guide for sellers,” or “[type of property] investment strategies in .” Here are 101 blog post topics to get you started.
    • Local case studies: Showcase your expertise by sharing success stories of past deals you’ve closed.
    • Local real estate guides: Create downloadable guides offering valuable insights into the local market, attracting leads, and establishing your authority.

    Tip 4: Build Local Citations

    Citations are essentially online mentions of your business name, address, and phone number (NAP) across various directories and websites. Building strong local citations is a key element of local SEO for real estate. Here’s how to get started:

    • Claim listings on local directories: Search for relevant online directories in your city/region and claim your business listings, ensuring your NAP information is consistent across all platforms.
    • Partner with local businesses: Network with other local businesses and explore opportunities for guest blogging or backlinks on their websites.
    • Industry associations: Join relevant real estate investor associations and get listed on their online directories.

    Tip 5: Encourage Positive Online Reviews

    Positive online reviews are gold for local SEO for real estate. They build trust with potential sellers and signal expertise to search engines. Here are some ways to encourage reviews:

    • Provide exceptional service: Happy clients are more likely to leave positive reviews.
    • Request reviews politely: After a successful transaction, ask your client to leave a review on Google My Business and other platforms. Provide direct links to make it easy for them.
    • Respond to all reviews: Thank happy customers for their positive feedback and address any negative reviews professionally.

    Tip 6: Engage with Local Online Communities

    Don’t underestimate the power of local online communities. Actively participating in relevant online forums, Facebook groups, and platforms like Nextdoor can boost brand awareness and establish you as a local expert. Here’s how:

    • Join local real estate investor groups: Share your knowledge, answer questions, and build relationships with other investors and potential clients in your area.
    • Engage in discussions: Provide valuable insights on local market trends and demonstrate your expertise in a casual setting.
    • Offer free consultations: Showcase your expertise by offering free consultations to potential sellers through online communities, building trust and generating leads.

    Tip 7: Track Your Results and Adapt

    Local SEO for real estate is an ongoing process. It’s crucial to monitor your progress and adapt your strategy accordingly. Here’s what to track:

    Get Started Now To Master Local SEO On Your Real Estate Investing Website

    As an investor working within today’s web environment, your best strategy to gain the attention of prospective clients in your market is to use local SEO.

    The Carrot platform is built to make it crazy easy to leverage local SEO and outrank your competition. So, take a demo of Carrot and see if it’s a fit.