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.
Here are some signs that your website isn’t mobile friendly…
You can scroll side-to-side and the screen doesn’t adjust to the size of the device.
The words become so small they’re unreadable on a mobile device.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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…
It’s not mobile-friendly.
The homepage isn’t easy asking for their information.
In 2022, Google announced that it would simplify Google Ads match types. This post explains what this means and what you’ll need to do to your Google Ads accounts.
Google recently made improvements to keyword matching technology and rules on how it selects keywords in your account.
Reduce account complexity by giving more control over traffic without managing multiple match types.
Allow you to attract more qualified and high-performing traffic using fewer keywords easily.
Here’s what Google’s announcement means.
Change: The BERT algorithm has improved keyword matching precision
BERT algorithm technology interprets language, queries, and search intent. This applies to keyword match type behavior. This makes keywords, particularly broad match type, more predictable and aligned with the search intent.
Change: Exact match type data also applies to broad and phrase match types
To understand this change, we need to refresh our memory about some big changes in early 2022. Google retired modified broad match keywords and announced it will prefer exact match keywords that are identical to the search query.
Now the same logic that applies to exact match keywords will apply to broad and phrase match. If your ad group doesn’t have an exact match keyword that is the same as the search query but has broad or phrase match keywords identical to the query, Google will prioritize the broad and phrase keywords that exactly match the search query.
Here’s an example:
If someone searches for house buyers near me and you’re targeting broad match house buyers and broad match house buyers near me, the identically matching broad match keyword house buyers near me will be preferred unless you’re targeting exact match house buyers near me, in which case the exact match will be served.
Change: If you have multiple keywords and match types that are relevant, but not identical, to the search query, Ad Rank will not be the only deciding factor
If keywords are relevant to a search query, but none are identical to it, Google will not just use Ad Rank, but Ad Rank plus other relevance signals to determine the keyword it serves. “Other relevance signals” include the meaning and intent of the search term and the meaning of your targeted keywords based on their associated landing pages.
Here’s an example:
If someone searches “fast house buyers near me” and you are targeting the phrase match fast house buyer and the broad match house buyer, Google will select the phrase match keyword because it’s more relevant, even if it has lower Ad Rank than the broad match keyword.
Google states, “These rules ensure that the most relevant keyword will always be prioritized, so you can more easily use broad match and still maintain control.” Google provided the chart below to illustrate this logic.
Additional Points
Previously, we’ve directed members about using the same keywords with multiple match types to identify the highest-performing keywords. Google is saying this is not necessary any longer.
You can get more “qualified” traffic using fewer keywords
This is only what Google is saying. With these improvements, it’s possible to maintain better control over which keywords match a query. This is especially true with broad match keywords. This should “reduce account complexity” and eliminate the “extra work” of using multiple match types to control where traffic goes in your account.
You should create “thematically” consistent ad groups
Google suggests to “group keywords into thematically consistent ad groups so your ads will serve from the ad group you expect them to.”
A basic example can be, if you’re an investor and inherited and cash are your most popular searches, you would create two ad groups:
One ad group with creatives for selling an inherited house.
A second ad group with creatives for selling for cash.
If you’re pairing broad match keywords with a Smart Bidding strategy, there’s no longer a benefit to using multiple match types
What this means is that since broad match keywords are now more precise and predictable, plus they now follow the same logic as an exact match, you can target the appropriate broad match keywords and get the same results as you would if you targeted the phrase and exact match version of that keywords.
Google says… “Also note that when you use broad match with Smart Bidding, there’s no benefit to using the same keywords in multiple match types. Broad match already covers the same queries and improves performance with real-time bid optimization.”
What Does This Mean for Real Estate Agents and Investors?
Test different match types. Even going as far as creating broad match experiments.
We’ve always recommended taking Google’s messaging seriously but also with caution. Historically, broad match keywords have caused more wasted spending in real estate campaigns than they have lead generation.
If what Google is promising, broad match keywords might be the future. Just monitor your account and make adjustments to keep quality searches high.
Changes to Consider Making Now
To help you get the most out of these upcoming changes, we suggest the following best practices:
Monitor performance and shift budgets where necessary: Traffic may fluctuate due to these changes, so make adjustments as needed.
Regularly check your “Recommendations”: Check the “Add new keywords” to maintain keyword coverage and “Remove redundant keywords,” which helps you consolidate duplicate keywords.
Continue to use negative keywords: Exclude matches you don’t want with negative keywords.
Moving Forward
We’ll monitor these new policies and send updates as they become available.
For now, it’s important to be aware of these changes. This at least gives you an idea of what some recent changes mean.
There are thousands of deals happening in these larger markets. It’s an abundance mentality – there’s enough for everyone. There’s more to gain by working together than working apart.
– Adam Mitchell
From a $40k loss to $500k Profit – How the Home Buying Guys Pivoted Their Strategy to Win Their Competitive Real Estate Market w/ Adam Mitchell & Lance Doty
Adam Mitchell and Lance Doty are two amazing dudes and I was super pumped to have them on our first ever LIVE edition of the Carrotcast. They are the perfect example of a business following the plan, following through, and reaping the rewards. However, this wasn’t always the case.
Just a couple of years ago, Lance and Adam lost over $40k, but they stayed the course, pivoted their strategy, and are now seeing profits well over 6 figures. This is how they did it.
Read the Full Show Notes Below…
Everyone has a different path to success. At some point along the way, you will likely hit a setback that will cost you time, money, and most likely, both. However, if you’re smart, you’ll learn something that will help you completely change your strategy.
This is exactly what Lance and Adam did when they spent the whole year working for 1 deal, only to find themselves out $40k which they had spent on marketing that didn’t work.
They paused, hit the reset button, and have come out stronger than ever before.
Finding the Ying to Your Yang
Adam isn’t new to real estate. He has been flipping homes for about 15 years but took a bit of a hiatus when he got married and started his family. A few years back, e partnered up with his best friend Lance and decided to get back in the game. Adam quickly discovered that the market had changed and the deals weren’t as easy to find. He focused on bringing in the leads, while Lance focused on closing the deals.
What’s really awesome about Adam and Lance is their partnership. They are complete opposites, who are able to complement each other in every way. Where one may have a weakness, the other shines. This incredible partnership has helped them to both grow and get out of their comfort zones.
Today, the business has become a family affair as both Adam and Lance’s wives, Rachel and Denise, have left their full-time jobs to help run the real estate business full-time.
Making the Shift
After spending all their money, borrowing from their 401k, and spinning their wheels on marketing that wasn’t working, they realized, it was all or nothing.
Instead of putting their efforts into five different kinds of hamster wheel marketing, they shifted their focus to SEO and PPC.
They launched a brand new Carrot site, changed their business name, and rebranded themselves as the nice guys in real estate… something they truly are. Instead of spending all of their time and money looking for houses to flip, they began wholesaling.
Shifting gears was a bit daunting at first but they asked themselves…
Has anyone done this before?
What are the steps to make it happen?
What are we willing to put in?
Once they realized it had been done before, they knew they would be able to do it too. They buckled down and got that first deal.
After they received that first commission check, they knew that this was a real thing, and if they were able to repeat the process, they would be successful.
Staying the Course
One thing I really admire about Lance and Adam is that they didn’t let the initial set back deter them from the vision. They kept pressing forward, following proven strategies used by many successful investors before them.
I often remind myself that if something has been done before, then it does work. Direct mail works. Cold calling works. SEO works. When you are able to master one marketing channel, you can then stack on other lead gen sources to even further increase your volume.
Not Worrying About the Competition
Adam and Lance are in a competitive real estate market. The challenge to compete with the other buyers out there seemed a bit intimidating at first. What Adam and Lance have done is learn to embrace the competition instead of casting them aside.
They have successfully built relationships with other investors, showing that they value relationships over dollar signs. This, combined with their strong SEO game, has allowed them to generate new leads every day.
Because of their great partnerships, and the ability to serve clients on the retail side as well, they are building a strong business that will be able to scale and grow in the future.
A Beginner’s Guide to SEO for Real Estate Investor Websites
If you’re a real estate agent or investor looking to work with more clients, it’s time to start investing in SEO for real estate. By optimizing your website and content for search engines, you can attract more qualified leads, improve your online visibility, and ultimately grow your business.
SEO for real estate ensures that your website ranks higher when potential clients search for homes or investment properties, giving you an edge over the competition and helping you connect with more motivated buyers and sellers.
According to Google’s Keyword Planner, there were 12,000 monthly searches for “sell my house fast,” 1,900 for “realtors in my area,” and 27,100 for “how to buy a house.” That’s a lot of potential clients searching for solutions to their problems.
By spending a little time per week creating and optimizing content and using keywords wisely, real estate professionals can rank themselves highly enough without additional paid marketing efforts!
That means they’ll be able to do 2-3 deals MORE deals per month while, eventually, only doing half as much work.
How much additional revenue would that mean for your business?
If you average $5,000 to $10,000 per deal, 2-3 extra deals mean $10,000 and $30,000 monthly!
SEO has a 6% conversion rate and drives over 13,000 leads monthly…
Real estate SEO is perhaps the most powerful (and underrated) marketing strategy to drive traffic to your real estate website. Thousands of Carrot members use Search Engine Optimization to generate passive traffic to their websites (i.e., free traffic) — and not just any traffic. SEO traffic is almost always higher quality than paid traffic.
We believe every real estate website needs SEO to maximize success.
Tyler Ford — a real estate investor and agent in Tucson, Arizona — made $200,000 just four months after joining Carrot, focusing on SEO (before that, his business was $20,000 in the hole).
Talking about the quality of leads from organic search traffic, he told us:
“For the most part, they’re all motivated. 80% of the leads that come in are motivated sellers. You send out direct mail, and you’re dealing with 90% of those who are unmotivated. SEO is the exact opposite. They’re chasing you; you’re not chasing them.”
And that illustrates why SEO is so powerful for real estate. It doesn’t just drive traffic to your website consistently; it drives high-quality traffic.
What is SEO & Why is it Important for Real Estate Investors?
SEO for real estate investors is the process of increasing your website rankings by improving on-page and off-page factors such as keyword content, page speed, descriptive URLs, and backlinks. SEO is inbound marketing, meaning your target market finds you rather than you finding them.
How amazing would it be if YOUR TARGET LEADS consistently visit your website, give you their contact information, and ask you to contact them? All without you spending a penny on paid ads?
Amazing, huh?
That dream is a reality for real estate investors and agents who focus on building their website’s SEO — they attract motivated leads and close more deals than their competitors.
SEO is a surefire way to beat the competition, grow your business, and create predictable income and lead generation.
SEO for real estate involves earning targeted website traffic from a search engine’s organic rankings. This involves creating high-value content, optimizing content for specific keywords, and building backlinks.
SEO is about improving your website’s rankings in the organic section of the search results.
Whether buying multi-family units or looking for traditional sellers, cash buyers, private lenders, or note sellers, you need to understand search engine optimization and how it can improve your business.
Why Is SEO Crucial for Generating Real Estate Leads?
The first 10 search engine results get the clicks. 75% of searchers never scroll past the first page!
According to recent data, 93% of home buyers use Google as their primary source of information during the home-buying process. Furthermore, a study by the National Association of Realtors (NAR) found that 44% of new home buyers begin their search online.
These statistics highlight SEO’s crucial role in generating real estate leads. By optimizing your websites for, you can increase their visibility and reach more potential buyers, leading to more successful lead generation and sales.
You lose tens of thousands of dollars if you’re not on page one.
Few people click “next page” when searching… they never even see Page 2, never mind pages 4-9.
How Search Engines Work
Search engines are like libraries. They store web pages instead of filling shelves with books.
When you type a query into a search engine, the engine looks through all the pages in its index and tries to return the most relevant results for you. To do this, they use an algorithm. Algorithms are a black box, but Google gives clues.
“These ranking systems are made up of not one, but a whole series of algorithms. To give you the most helpful information, Search algorithms look at many factors, including the words of your query, relevance, the usability of pages, sources’ expertise, and location and settings.
The weight applied to each factor varies depending on the nature of your query. For example, the freshness of the content plays a bigger role in answering queries about current news topics than it does about dictionary definitions.”
Google is the most used search engine, at least for web searches. But there are many other search engines worth pursuing, like Bing.
Don’t let that intimidate you. You don’t need to master all 200 plus to be successful. You’re better off learning the small ranking factors that impact most significantly. With just a little SEO knowledge, anyone can start building their rankings.
Of course, if you want to become a market leader, you’ll either need to learn how search engines work, and the factors they’re looking for when ranking content is critical when creating content that ranks for your real estate business or hire an expert with this knowledge.
Search engine algorithms change constantly, so there is no guarantee that what is important now will still be important in the future.
Factors like backlinks, mobile-friendliness, and matching search intent have been critical for many years, but E-E-A-T and technical SEO are becoming more important than ever.
If you want to maintain your rankings after earning them in the first place, staying up to date with the latest best practices is essential.
Chapter 2:
Choosing a Domain Name
Your domain name serves as your website’s digital address and a crucial first impression. While it can influence SEO to some extent, it’s not the sole factor. Here’s a breakdown of key considerations for choosing a domain name:
Personally Branded Site
Brand Identity: Prioritize a domain name that reflects your brand identity and resonates with your target audience. It should be memorable, easy to spell and pronounce, and ideally tell users something about your business or niche.
SEO Benefits: While exact-match keyword domains aren’t essential for high ranking anymore, consider incorporating relevant keywords strategically within your domain name. However, prioritize readability over keyword stuffing.
User Experience: Keep your domain name concise, ideally under 15 characters. Opt for clarity and avoid hyphens or underscores, which can be difficult to remember and type.
Local vs. Global Reach: Consider your target market. If you plan to operate solely within a specific location, using a location keyword in your domain name can be beneficial. However, a more generic domain name might be preferable if you have broader ambitions.
Availability and Extensions: Check for domain name availability across popular extensions like .com, .org, and potentially relevant industry-specific extensions (e.g., .realestate for real estate businesses).
Moving Beyond the “Yes or No” on Domain Names and SEO
When ranking websites, search engines consider various factors beyond exact-match keywords in domain names. High-quality content, strong backlink profile, and user experience all play a significant role.
Here are some additional SEO best practices to consider alongside your domain name selection:
Content Strategy: Focus on creating valuable, informative content that naturally addresses user search intent and incorporates relevant keywords.
Technical SEO: Ensure your website has a clean and mobile-friendly structure, focusing on fast loading times.
Backlinks: Build high-quality backlinks from reputable websites to your domain, which is a strong SEO signal.
Remember: The best domain name effectively balances brand identity, user experience, and SEO considerations. By following these guidelines, you can choose a domain name that serves you well in the long run.
When we talk about SEO, we’ll often mention “real estate keywords” a lot. You can’t talk about SEO without mentioning keywords.
Keywords are a fundamental part of your SEO strategy. If you don’t target a specific keyword phrase with each page you want to rank in Google, you’re probably not going to rank.
The fact is, you have to tell Google what keyword phrase you’re trying to rank for. The clearer you are about it, the better your chance of reaching page one.
But what exactly is a keyword? And why are they essential for optimizing your website for search engines, driving passive traffic, and generating high-quality leads?
Let’s talk.
What Are Keywords?
Simply put, a keyword is a word or phrase that defines the content on your page or post best. It’s the search term you want to rank for with that specific content.
In SEO, keywords are “keyword phrases” or “search queries.” It can be helpful to think of them this way because keywords are rarely a single word.
When people search for that keyword in Google (or other search engines), they should find that page on your website.
Long-tail keywords are search queries that are very specific and have a relatively low search volume. These keyword phrases usually contain 4-5 words or more.
Although fewer people are searching for long-tail keyword phrases, these keywords are often less competitive and can be easier and quicker to rank for. They tend to attract more qualified traffic that is more likely to convert into leads.
For example, an excellent keyword for real estate agents could be “best time to buy a house.”
Then, write an article with that keyword worked into the title and strategically placed spots within the content.
Why is Keyword Research Important?
Organic traffic! Keywords are essential because they are the core connection between what people are searching for and the content you provide to fill that need.
Your goal is to drive organic traffic (non-paid) to your website from the SERPs. The keywords you choose to target with your content will determine the type of traffic you get.
Keywords should be as much about your audience as your content. You might describe what you buy or sell slightly differently than a buyer or seller will ask for it. To create content that ranks high organically and drives visitors to your website, you need to understand the needs of your audience.
How do they talk? What phrases will they use, and what information will they seek? You can communicate with your customers, frequent Facebook forums, visit local community groups, and do keyword research.
How to Find Keyword Ideas for Your Real Estate Website
Keyword research is discovering words and phrases (aka “keywords”) people use in their search.
Keyword research impacts every other SEO task, including finding content topics, on-page SEO, social media, and content promotion.
That’s why keyword research is usually the first part of any SEO campaign.
Put another way, Keywords are like a compass for your SEO campaigns: they tell you where to go and whether you’re progressing.
As a bonus, researching keywords helps you better understand your target audience. That’s because keyword research gives you insight into what customers are searching for… and the exact words and phrases they use. In other words, keyword research is market research for the 21st century.
Guiding Principles
Do’s …
Look at both longtail and short keywords.
Be mindful of intent — use the same language as your leads.
Pay attention to volume and difficulty.
Be mindful of keyphrase groups.
Incorporate local keywords
Don’ts …
Simply go for the highest volume.
Spread too thin. One high-quality page for a keyphrase family is better than ten shorter pages.
Don’t go too narrow or too broad.
Mix intent – someone searching to sell for divorce is not likely looking specific to a city.
Research primary, secondary, and long-tail real estate keywords
First, you need to perform targeted keyword research. You need to look for high-intent, local keywords.
Focus on Search Intent Don’t just target keywords with high search volume. Prioritize keywords that accurately reflect the intent of your target audience. What are they searching for? What questions do they have?
Incorporate Local SEO If you have a local business, target keywords that include your location to attract nearby customers. Carrot’s Auto Location Pages makes this simple, fast and easy to maintain. You simply tell us the state, county and city pages you want to set up and we create them automagically. Each location page is connected to your home page so every time you make changes to it your location pages will reflect the same.
Don’t forget about long-tail keywords. Long-tail keywords are phrases that contain at least three words. However, we like to see four or five.
They are a great way to target your niche location rather than trying to rank for a more generic term. In other words, they are more specific and often have less competition.
Long-tail keywords will allow you to rank higher in search results for popular niche topics fairly quickly, while you might be trying to rank for harder terms, such as “we buy houses in [market city]. They tend to attract more qualified traffic that is more likely to convert into leads.
Use Google Suggest to Find Keywords
Take advantage of Google Suggestions to find quality real estate terms.
To use Google Suggest, start by typing your primary keyword into the Google search box and see what variations Google suggests:
If phrases turn up in a Google suggestion, you know it is a phrase people are searching for. Some tips might not fit your goal, but they can inspire other search terms you can use in your content.
More Tools to Find Keywords
You can use many tools to help you find the best real estate keywords for SEO. You can use these tools to gather search volume, ranking difficulty, keyword value (if you’re using the keyword for paid traffic), and competition, to name a few.
Here are some of our favorite tools to get you started.
Carrot’s Integrated Keyword Explorer lets you enter a common keyword like “sell my house fast,” then shows you related keywords, their traffic estimates, and the estimated difficulty of ranking for the keyword. This saves you time and money because it eliminates the need for multiple third-party tools.
Ubersuggest is a very easy-to-follow keyword tool. You can see suggestions, volume, estimated paid competition, and estimated competition in organic traffic.
Ahrefs is a complete platform full of keyword research, content, and SEO+PPC tools.
Google Ads Keyword Planner (you’ll need a Google Ads account) lets you gather monthly local search volumes for keywords, competition levels, and the estimated cost per click.
SEMrush provides keyword data. You can use their free tool for a trial period, but beyond, this is a paid tool with many other SEO and PPC research features.
Or, we’ve done the leg work for you. Download our free Real Estate Keyword Bibles…
On-page SEO refers to the measure taken directly within your website to improve its search engine rankings.
On-page SEO for real estate is the best starting place for a new SEO strategy. It focuses on elements you can directly control, making it faster and more effective. Optimizing on-page SEO ranking factors on your website first makes other off-page strategies worthless.
You must start by focusing on your website.
Here are the factors you should pay attention to on each page of your website that you’d like to rank in Google. This is a high-level view of each factor with some action items to wrap up each step.
Why is On-Page Important?
On-page SEO tells Google who you are and gives them the proper information to explain why you should be at the top of the SERPs when your keywords are entered.
Without on-page SEO, your website could be left out. Why leave it to chance?
Giving Google’s algorithm as much information as possible about your real estate website is critical.
However, you don’t want to focus too much on keywords, or you’ll lose some of your user experience. You must optimize your content for bots, but it must also be readable and valuable for your audience.
One way Google knows about what is on your page is by the URL of that particular page.
Guiding Principles
Do’s …
Be mindful that your page is for two audiences: Google and your site visitor. High-quality content works better than keyword stuffing.
Google is looking for the most relevant answer to the searcher’s question.
Don’ts …
Keyword stuff and not answer your site visitors’ questions.
Overlook details of meta content/image content.
Try to rank your site. Google ranks pages.
Google’s EEAT Principle For Content
You might wonder if there’s a clear-cut methodology for creating content that ranks well on Google. Well, we could give you a LOT of advice.
Here are some practical ways to improve those your EEAT qualities…
Build backlinks & citations
Keep content accurate & up-to-date
Collect reviews
Hire experts to contribute content
Share your credentials
Share your contact information
Including these components in your content means Google is more likely to rank you high because it shows authoritativeness and trustworthiness.
Having high-quality content on your site also keeps visitors around longer, which increases engagement — another high-value signal Google looks for when evaluating a site. Here’s how to create content that keeps readers (and Google) hooked:
Prioritize Quality Over Quantity: Focus on creating in-depth, informative content that provides real value to your audience.
Address User Intent: Go beyond simply including keywords. Identify your target audience’s questions and needs and craft content providing valuable answers and solutions.
Structure for Readability: Break up large blocks of text with subheadings, bullet points, and clear formatting. Use shorter paragraphs for easier skimming.
Integrate Multimedia: Strategically incorporate videos, infographics, images, and even podcasts alongside written content to cater to different learning styles and preferences.
Optimize for Mobile: Ensure your website and content render flawlessly on mobile devices, as many users access information this way.
Leverage Internal Linking: Link to relevant content within your website to keep users engaged and exploring.
Embrace Interactive Elements: Consider incorporating quizzes, polls, or interactive calculators to boost user engagement.
By implementing these tactics, you’ll create content that not only captivates readers but also sends positive signals to search engines about your website’s relevance and authority.
Remember these tips whenever you’re creating content. They’ll help you rank higher on Google and drive more traffic to your website.
Craft Compelling Title Tags for Maximum Impact
While the exact character limit can fluctuate slightly, Google generally displays around 60 characters of your title tag in search results. Here’s how to optimize your title tags for the current landscape:
Prioritize Conciseness and Clarity: Strive to keep your title tags under 60 characters while still conveying the essence of your content.
Focus on User Intent: Craft titles that accurately reflect your content’s value and entice users to click.
Include Relevant Keywords: Incorporate target keywords naturally within the title tag, but avoid keyword stuffing.
Consider Branding: Where appropriate, integrate your brand name to establish recognition.
Test and Refine: A/B testing different title tag variations can help you identify what resonates best with your audience.
We have a handy tool built into Carrot websites that helps you create your page or blog post’s title tag.
By following these guidelines, you can create compelling title tags that improve click-through rates and provide search engines with valuable context about your content.
Focus on User Intent, Not Keyword Placement
While including relevant keywords throughout your content remains important, the emphasis has shifted from strict keyword placement to user intent. Here’s what you should prioritize:
Address User Needs: The first 100 words of your content should immediately grab the reader’s attention and address their specific needs or questions.
Demonstrate Value Proposition: Communicate what your content offers and how it will benefit the reader.
Integrate Keywords Naturally: Incorporate relevant keywords within the first 100 words, but prioritize readability and avoid keyword stuffing.
By focusing on user intent and value proposition at the beginning of your content, you’ll engage readers, keep them coming back for more, and establish yourself as a credible source. Search engines will also recognize the relevance of your content to user queries.
Craft Clear and Descriptive URLs
While URL length isn’t a direct ranking factor, clear and concise URLs can enhance user experience and potentially improve SEO:
Prioritize Clarity: Strive for URLs that accurately reflect the page’s content and are easy for users to understand.
Balance Keywords and Readability: Incorporate relevant keywords naturally within the URL, but avoid keyword stuffing that can appear clunky.
Keep it Concise: Aim for shorter URLs, but prioritize clarity over extreme brevity.
Use Hyphens for Separation: Separate words within your URL using hyphens (-) to improve readability.
Remember, search engines also consider user behavior when ranking websites. Clear URLs can lead to higher click-through rates, which can indirectly signal value and relevance to search engines.
Leverage the Power of Images for SEO and Engagement
Images are no longer just visual breaks; they’re strategic SEO tools. Here’s how to optimize your website’s imagery:
Enhance User Experience: Integrate high-quality, relevant images throughout your content to improve visual appeal, break up text, and guide readers through your content.
Optimize Image File Size: Large image files can slow your website’s loading speed. Use tools to compress images without sacrificing quality.
Prioritize Image Relevance: Don’t just stuff images for the sake of it. Ensure they directly relate to your content and enhance user understanding.
Craft Compelling Captions: Include descriptive captions with relevant keywords to improve accessibility and provide context for search engines.
Alt Text Matters: Always include alt text for your images. This provides an alternative description for users with visual impairments and is crucial for search engine image indexing.
By implementing these strategies, you’ll leverage the power of images to keep users engaged and send valuable signals to search engines about your content’s relevance and value.
Anchor Text Optimization: Focus on Relevance, Not Repetition
While including relevant keywords in your anchor text can be beneficial, Google now prioritizes natural language and user intent over keyword density. Here’s what you should focus on:
Clarity and Context: Your anchor text should clearly describe the linked page’s content and entice users to click.
Natural Language: Use phrases and sentences instead of forcefully inserting keywords.
Variety: Incorporate a mix of branded anchor text (your website name), generic terms (like “click here”), and relevant keywords throughout your website.
Avoid Keyword Stuffing: Overstuffing keywords in anchor text can appear unnatural and potentially harm your SEO.
Remember, the goal is to create a user-friendly experience while providing relevant signals to search engines.
Chapter 5:
Off-Page SEO
What is Off-Page SEO?
Off-page SEO tactics are actions you can take outside your website to help you rank better in search engine results.
Although we don’t know Google’s full algorithm, off-page SEO factors like backlinks and reviews are believed to carry up to 50% of the ranking factor weight. Algorithms and ranking factors constantly change, but currently, these are significant factors.
Guiding Principles
Do’s …
Quality vs. quantity of backlinks and citations.
Create content outside of your website and link back from YouTube.
Create citations and social profiles.
Increase your brand presence.
Publish your reviews outside your website (give a link back)
Think of all media types – books, podcasts.
Test and verify efforts.
Don’ts …
Buybacklinks from unverified websites.
Spam forum or blog comment sections.
Just follow what others are doing. Make a plan and verify quality.
What Are Backlinks?
Backlinks, also known as “inbound links,” link from one website to a page on another website. Links are like votes of credibility in the digital world. Earning high-quality backlinks from reputable websites remains a cornerstone of SEO success.
Pages with high-quality backlinks tend to rank higher in organic search engine results.
Why is Backlink Building Important for Your Real Estate Website?
First, backlinks are a significant piece of the puzzle of SEO (search engine optimization).
They go together like peanut butter and jelly. You need one to make the other better.
High-level, here are four quick reasons why it’s essential to have a good backlink building strategy:
Backlinks are how Google finds your pages.
Backlinks are a way to show Google that you have a solid reputation. Trustworthy websites rank better.
Relevant backlinks can boost your authority.
Backlinks drive more traffic to your website.
Here’s an example. When someone types “sell my house in [market city]” or “real estate agent in [market city]” into Google, you want your website to come up on the first page.
If it doesn’t, you’re missing out on much website traffic, leads, and, more importantly, deals.
93% of internet experiences start with a search engine… which includes the real estate industry. When people — your target market — seek help, they go to Google.
And if you show up on the first page, that’s good for business.
Two of the most potent factors for ranking in Google are website traffic and backlink portfolio.
In other words, the more traffic and backlinks a page on your website receives, the better that page will rank for your target keyword phrases.
Here is another example of a Carrot website. This member has 272 backlinks:
Backlinks have helped it rank to #1 for the target keyword: “we buy houses in Pittsburgh.”
Unfortunately, getting traffic and backlinks are a few of the most challenging things. So here are some effective link-building strategies:
Craft High-Value Content: The foundation of any link-building strategy is creating exceptional content that people naturally want to reference and link to. Focus on in-depth, informative pieces that address your target audience’s needs and provide unique value.
Guest Blogging on Relevant Sites: Identify high-authority websites within your niche and contact their editors with guest blogging pitches. Offer to contribute valuable content that complements their existing audience.
Broken Link Building: Find broken links on relevant websites within your niche and create content that can be a better, more up-to-date replacement. Contact the website owner and suggest your content as a replacement link.
HARO (Help A Reporter Out):HARO connects journalists with sources for their stories. Sign up as a source in your area of expertise and respond to relevant queries. If your expertise is featured in an article, you’ll often earn a valuable backlink.
Testimonials and Reviews: Build relationships with businesses you use and admire. Offer to provide testimonials or reviews in exchange for a link to your website.
Unnatural Link-Building Practices? Avoid Them: Be wary of tactics like link buying or link exchanges, as search engines penalize websites that engage in manipulative link-building schemes.
We have a built-in backlinks tool that gives you detailed information about all of your backlinks, including the source of the backlink, the authority score, what type of backlink, pertinent dates, and more.
Remember: Link building is a long-term strategy. Focus on creating high-quality content, building genuine relationships within your niche, and earning backlinks organically.
Technical SEO involves optimizing your website’s technical setup to be easily crawled, indexed and understood. It’s a vital part of any SEO strategy and should be done before you start working on other aspects of SEO, such as keyword research and link building.
7 Technical SEO Optimizations To Consider
Technical SEO is vital because your other SEO efforts will be pointless without the right tech stack.
It’s the foundation.
And here are seven essential optimizations your site needs if it’s going to rank above the competition. Learn more about technical SEO for real estate websites.
1. Page Experience
Google periodically updates its page experience signals. Core Web Vitals combined with existing search signals, including mobile-friendliness, safe browsing, HTTPS security, and intrusive interstitial guidelines.
2. Load Speed
Load speed is important for SEO because if your website is slow, people will leave before they can see your content. Search engines will rank your website lower if your site loads slowly.
You can improve your website’s load speed by optimizing your images, using a caching plugin, and minifying your scripts and CSS.
3. Responsiveness
Responsiveness is important for SEO because more and more people use their mobile devices to search the web. Over 60% of all Google searches are now done on mobile devices.
You can make your website more mobile-friendly by using a responsive design, optimizing images, and suitable font size.
4. Site Security
Site security is important for SEO because it helps protect your website from hackers. If your site is hacked, it could be entirely removed from Google’s index.
The easiest ways to secure your website are getting SSL certification and using a secure web hosting service.
5. Indexability
If search engines can’t crawl your content, you won’t have any chance of ranking. If your site isn’t indexable, you cannot rank it.
You can improve your website’s indexability by using a sitemap, optimizing your robots.txt file, and using the “no index” tag where appropriate.
6. Google Search Console
Google Search Console is a free tool that allows you to see how Google sees your website. It also allows you to submit your website to Google for indexing and gives you information about any crawl errors that Google encounters when trying to index your site.
You can use Google Search Console to improve your website’s technical SEO by fixing any crawl errors and submitting your sitemap to Google.
7. Broken Links
Broken links are bad for SEO because they prevent search engines from crawling your content. If you have a lot of them on your website, it will hurt your chances of ranking.
You can fix these by deleting them or pointing them to the correct page.
How do Carrot Sites Stack Up?
That all makes sense.
But you might wonder how Carrot’s websites stack up to these requirements.
In short, it went very well.
Because we care about your site’s performance. :)
Our sites are responsive, have record-setting load speeds (see the image below), and come with SSL certification.
We’re constantly improving our website’s tech stack to give our members better results. Try us risk-free for 30 days by clicking here!
Technical SEO may seem daunting, but it’s essential for any real estate website that wants to rank well.
Chapter 7:
Video SEO – Optimizing YouTube for Real Estate
What is Video SEO?
Video SEO is… well, search engine optimization for your YouTube videos rather than written content or images.
But how do you optimize your video content, especially considering that search engine bots can’t watch your video to learn what it’s about (they can only read text)?
Why should you care about video SEO for your real estate website?
Why Should You Incorporate YouTube Videos into the Marketing Mix?
Usually, search engine optimization involves writing articles on your website’s blog that target specific keyword phrases or adjusting your homepage copy to target a specific keyword phrase.
And that illustrates the first benefit of video SEO — it takes much less time than written content.
Would you rather spend several hours trying to write the perfect blog article or record a 10-minute video on your phone? Yeah, it’s way easier.
But video SEO isn’t just more manageable. In some regards, it’s also more exciting and attractive to your target market. Consider that:
54% of consumers want more video content from the brands they love.
88% of video marketers are satisfied with their ROI on social media.
76% of marketers say that video helped them improve website traffic.
80% of marketers say that video has increased people’s time on their websites.
People love videos. It allows them to connect with your brand in a way that written content doesn’t and is easy to consume.
With video SEO, you can consistently drive traffic to your website, generate leads, do more deals, and build a more authentic relationship with your target market.
How To Optimize Your Real Estate YouTube Videos
1. Use Video Transcription
As we’ve discussed, search engine crawlers (the robots that search engines use to determine what content is about) can’t read videos.
It means that if you record and post a video without a title, description, or transcription, that video isn’t going to rank (it might not even get indexed) because there are no words for the robots to read.
That’s why transcription is an absolute must — without it, your videos have a much lower chance of ranking. With it, Google can read the words, attribute them to the video, and rank that page and/or video for your target keyword phrase.
The only problem is that you don’t want to spend several hours writing a transcription for each of your videos…
That’s why, at Carrot, we created VideoPost, which allows Carrot members to upload a video and then create a transcription with the click of a button. Here’s what that looks like…
Action Item: Add a transcription below your videos. You can do this by becoming a Carrot member and using VideoPost.
2. Create an Engaging Thumbnail
Thumbnails are one of the most important elements for getting more clicks and engagement (which, in turn, means better rankings — the more people click, the more that Google wants to show your content).
The thumbnail is the image that shows before the video is played.
When people see it, it helps them determine whether they’ll watch your video. If your thumbnail is attractive and enticing, more people will click — and when more people click, Google increases your rankings.
Here are a few examples of great video thumbnails…
Real estate expert, Max Maxwell, is particularly good at publishing eye-catching thumbnails.
Action Item: Spend a little more time on your video thumbnails. Ask yourself, “What will catch my target market’s attention and make clicking irresistible?”
3. Pay Special Attention To Your Video Title
As with all content — blog posts, podcasts, and videos — the title matters twice as much as everything else.
People might look at your thumbnail because it’s visual and exciting, but they’ll look at your title next to determine what your video is about and, more importantly, if it interests them.
So, develop a title to entice your target market to click and watch. Remember, the more engagement your video gets, the better it will rank.
Here are a few practical tips for writing enticing headlines
Be specific.
Ex: 10 Tips For Selling Your House During Probate
Focus on attracting your target market.
Ex: How to Sell Your House in Just 2 Weeks!
Don’t be afraid of a bit of controversy.
Ex:Why You Should Skip The Real Estate Agent
Create urgency.
Ex: Watch THIS Before Choosing a Real Estate Agent!
Offer a certain number of tips, tactics, or strategies.
Ex: 10 Hacks For Getting Top-Dollar On Your Home
Action Item: Create an irresistible headline using the tips above. When more people watch your video, your rankings increase.
4. Optimize Your Video’s Description
Your video description is one of the primary places that search engine bots look when determining what your video is about, so make sure to include your target keyword phrase a couple of times.
If you created a video titled “Sell My House Fast Pittsburgh PA,” you might have a video description that looks like this (notice that I include the target keyword phrase near the beginning of the description.
“Wondering “how to sell my house fast for cash?” We are local HOME BUYERS with cash in Pittsburgh.”
Action Item: Include your target keyword phrase within your video description at least once and no more than twice.
5. Optimize Alt Text On Images
When you transcribe your video into a long-form blog post, you might want to space that content with images or screenshots from your video.
We do this in a lot of our whiteboard video posts!
Action Item: Add alt text to your images and use your target keyword phrase within that alt-text when possible!
Chapter 8:
SEO Keyword Tracking Tools: Optimize Your Real Estate Website Rankings
There’s no point in producing content and hoping that it works. You need data to give you feedback and help you improve over time.
You can make more educated decisions about your SEO campaign by tracking your keywords and making strategic changes to your content based on the data you receive from keyword ranking tools.
Carrot Member Keyword Rank Tracker Dashboard
What is Rank Tracking?
Keyword trackers check the rank positions of your content in Google’s SERPs. These keywords include the following types:
Keywords that are used on your website.
Other keyword terms you haven’t optimized.
Keywords that your competition ranks for.
Keyword tracking is about analyzing the organic positions of keywords over time. It’s based on current rankings and historical data so that you can analyze your organic traffic’s progress and impact.
The Importance of Tracking Your Keyword Rankings
Keyword tracking is an essential part of the real estate SEO workflow. Tracking will give you information to take actionable steps to improve your website traffic and increase lead generation. Keyword rankings remain one of the most important KPIs in SEO.
But don’t focus only on the positions. You must understand how the keyword positions influence your overall organic traffic potential. Not all keywords have the same traffic volume. It’s a good idea to include long-tail keywords and try to rank for more competitive terms.
You can also find “low hanging fruit”:
Keywords ranking on page two
Competition keywords
Keywords ranking 4-10
Look to see if you’re ranking on page two for any keywords. Then, add some content, internal linking, and optimize the existing content to boost page one.
Also, track your competition. Keep an eye on the keywords your competition is using when you’re tracking keywords. Stay ahead of them by producing strong content that sets yours apart from theirs.
Your keyword ranking answers will lie using some of the tools mentioned below. They can make keyword tracking dead simple.
So here are four SEO keyword ranking tools you will want to use.
Tools to Check Your Keyword Rankings
1) SEMrush (Limited Free Plan. Paid for Full Service)
SEMRush calls its keyword tracking “Position Tracking.” Their tool allows you to track your website’s ranking for target keywords in Google’s top 100 organic and paid results. You can receive daily updated data showing how your optimization efforts help your keyword rankings progress over time.
You can also track your competitors’ keyword rankings using a side-by-side comparison of your rankings versus others and highlighting the keywords you need to focus on.
Ahrefs is more than just a keyword ranking tool. But, if that’s all you need, its keyword rank checker tool allows you to see your keyword rankings and any website of your competitors. They also break down desktop and mobile rankings for your target keywords.
If you’re looking for a “simple” way to track your real estate keyword rankings, SmallSEOTools rank checker might be for you. As you can see from the image above, you can check your rankings based on the keywords of your choice. You can toggle between desktop, tablet, and mobile devices and download your rankings in spreadsheet format.
Imagine that you’re writing content every week, publishing it, and optimizing it to rank for some seriously high-value keyword phrases.
Then imagine you start seeing organic traffic to your website — Woo-hoo!
But imagine that you don’t know where that traffic is coming from because you cannot track your rankings. You don’t know which pages are ranking or what phrases they’re ranking for, and because of that, you can’t replicate your results.
It would be self-defeating, huh?
That’s why we created the SEO keyword ranking tracker at Carrot. All you have to do is enter the keyword phrases you’re trying to rank for, and we’ll automatically track your results for you; check your dashboard when you’re wondering how your SEO for real estate efforts are paying off.
Keyword Tracking Best Practices
To get the most out of keyword rankings, you must understand that ranking #1 for each keyword should not be your only priority.
If you obsessively track your keyword rankings, you’ll lose time that can be invested in actually improving your positions.
Keyword tracking aims to check the overall progress of keyword positions and their impact on your organic traffic.
Sometimes, your keywords ranking in the highest positions will bring less quality organic traffic than the other five keywords for which the website ranks towards the middle of the first page. Conversely, a drop in one of your most important keywords can be more critical than a significant increase in other keywords.
To know this, you must keep records of your changes and picture the potential traffic. Using one of the tools above allows you to keep clear records. Or, create your spreadsheet and keep track of your movements.
Chapter 9:
High-Level SEO Strategy for Real Estate Websites
You’ve made it this far, so let’s recap. But before we dive in… Here’s a quick example of the results you can achieve by having a solid SEO for a real estate strategy…
This Carrot member has followed the plan.
They’ve risen through the SEO ranking and now rank #2 (at times #1) for two competitive search terms
And therefore, they have 1000’s organic leads in their Carrot dashboard
When SEO is taken seriously, you can see that you can be successful with a good plan!
1. Choose a Website Builder That’ll Get The Tech Stack Right
The first thing you need is a real estate website builder that isn’t going to sabotage your SEO efforts down the road. If you use a website builder (or website hosting, for that matter) that has slow load times, a clunky experience, or isn’t mobile-friendly, that choice can hurt your rankings.
Regardless of how hard you work to rank for keyword phrases, you need a website that supports you.
These are important for Google, which means they are important for your SEO rankings.
Our websites are fast. In a study of 150,000 websites, Carrot’s tech stack outperformed Wix, Squarespace, WordPress, plus many others. Only Google’s platform beat us.
The website builder you choose must be ready to support your SEO efforts with speed, mobile-friendliness, and a clean user experience. Otherwise, you’ll be fighting an uphill battle.
2. Optimize For Conversions
What is the point of getting people to visit your website if you don’t generate any or very few leads?
That’s why, before diving too far into optimizing your website to rank for traffic-driving keyword phrases, you should make sure that your website will convert at least 5% of visitors into leads and ideally 10% or more.
But how do you know if your website converts as many leads as possible?
The long way around is creating a website, driving paid traffic, and tracking conversions. Are you getting at least 10% of people to give you their contact information?
Or (the easier method) is to get yourself a Carrot site that’s pre-tested and proven to convert higher than any other website template in the industry.
We’ve got your back with support and free content whenever you need it, and you’re guaranteed to start with a site that converts.
3. Create a Google Business Profile
Local real estate SEO is much easier to tackle than nationwide SEO.
At Carrot, for example, we must compete for really saturated keyword phrases like “real estate website builder” or “how to build a real estate website.”
Lots of software companies around the nation are trying to rank for those keywords, which makes our job even harder.
(But that’s okay — we’re up for it)
The good news is that unless you’re managing a nationwide real estate business (which you’re probably not), you don’t have to compete for those crazy keywords.
The keywords you want to compete for will be localized to your specific city or state.
Do you know the easiest and fastest way to jump to the top of the SERP for phrases like “home buyers in ” in your market?
This is free and will allow your business to be listed and found under highly relevant search phrases.
Here’s what that looks like in action…
That’s a lot of visibility!
But how do you snag a top spot with your Google Business account like that? Here are some best practices to keep in mind.
Complete Every Section
Some sections that Google wants you to fill out when listing your business might not feel important or relevant, but filling out as many as possible is essential.
Google will treat your listing better if you’re thorough.
So make sure you fill out the following:
Name
Address
Phone
Website
Hours
Category and Attributes
Products and services
From the business
Questions and answers (Owner-generated queries)
And keep these as updated and current as possible:
Posts
Reviews
Questions and answers (Consumer-generated)
Be Consistent
To ensure your business listing is legit, Google will crawl other websites to see if your information is consistent across all sources.
So make sure your name, address, phone number, and other information are identical across all the websites where your business is listed.
Optimize the “From The Business” Section
In the “From The Business” section of your Google Business listing, take the time to talk about your business and what it does.
Sell your business to readers. Use all 750 characters, repurpose some content from your About page, and use keywords your audience will use when searching in Google.
Collect Reviews
The more positive reviews you have on Google, the higher that Google will rank you.
So collect Google reviews whenever possible from friends and family, past clients, and happy clients you’re currently working with.
4. Choose 3-5 Keyword High-Value Keywords
Once you’ve got a site with an SEO-friendly tech stack and a high conversion rate, it’s time to get to work.
But don’t overwhelm yourself — start with just 3-5 keywords or phrases that are high value. If you operate in multiple markets, you could target the phrase, “Sell my house fast in [MARKET CITY],” and create a separate page for each market where you operate.
If you operate in one market, then definitely still create a page that’s gunning for “Sell my house fast in [MARKET CITY],” but you might also try to target phrases like “How to sell my house for cash in [MARKET CITY].”
If you’re a real estate agent, then consider targeting phrases like “Best real estate agent in [MARKET CITY]” or “Real estate agents in [MARKET CITY].”
Don’t choose more than 5 keywords for now, though, because you’ll have to create content for each search phrase, and you want to start simple. This is your SEO foundation.
5. Create Optimized Content For Each Of Your Chosen Keywords
It’s time to create a separate page or content for each keyword phrase you’ve chosen.
Include your target keyword phrase within your page’s title, meta description, and URL slug. You can use the Carrot’s on-page SEO analysis tool to determine whether you’ve optimized the page.
This will be the most time-consuming part of the process, but this is where the magic happens, so make sure you check off as many of the SEO to-dos as possible.
6. Monitor the Results
Once you’ve created pages for your target keyword phrases, monitoring your results is critical.
But how do you do that?
The easiest way is to sign up for our SEO and Content Tools, which will provide you with a high-converting website and the ability to track your choice of keyword phrases (plus tons of other goodies).
Just go to your dashboard, click “Rankings” on the left side of the page, and add a new keyword. We’ll automatically provide you with any updates in your website’s rankings regarding that keyword phrase.
Easy as pie.
7. Build Links If Necessary
Unless you KNOW that the keywords you’re targeting are highly competitive and you won’t be able to rank without link-building, I will wait to see how each new page performs before spending time or money to earn backlinks.
Give your new pages at least a month before building links to see where each lands in the SERP.
Are you on Page 1 already? Great! Then there’s probably no need to build backlinks (unless you want to crawl further up the page). Are you on Pages 2, 3, or 4 after a month? Then, you might want to consider building some backlinks to the page.
8. Rinse and Repeat
There’s your high-level plan!
Ultimately, the goal is to find high-value keywords, create pages or content for each phrase, watch results, and then make changes as necessary.
But remember, time is one of the most significant factors. The more time a page exists, the better its chance of ranking in Google. So be patient and give each new page at least a month to see where it settles before spending more time and money to re-work or re-optimize it.
As you invest in SEO, you’ll learn what works, what doesn’t, and what keyword phrases are the most valuable for your business.
What To Do If You’re Not Ranking Like You Thought You Would
You do the work but still can’t reach page 1, where all the traffic happens. What gives?
Here are some questions worth asking (and the actions you should take) if you’re not getting results.
Is your tech stack optimized? Typically, this means having a site that loads within 3 seconds or less and having a website with clean code. All Carrot sites are automatically optimized to rank.
Are the keywords too competitive? If your website is brand new and you’re trying to rank for high-competition keywords, you will struggle to get results. Try to focus on long-tail keyword phrases to begin with. The less competitive, the faster you will see results.
Is your content the best it could be? Are there any questions you don’t address that other page 1 results do? Is your content longer or shorter than the page 1 results? How can you make the content more helpful and unique and make Google want to rank it higher?
What other actions could you take to rank the page? If everything else is done excellently, but you’re still not getting rankings, chances are you need to earn some backlinks.
Now you know the high-level SEO for real estate process for ranking your website from A to Z. Get your website’s technical SEO dialed, choose keywords, create content, monitor results, and adapt as needed.
Then give it time!
Want To Build a Bigger, More Sustainable Real Estate Business?
You got into the real estate business so you wouldn’t have to work for “the man,” so you could work where you want, when you want, and spend more time doing the things that matter.
Building a successful long-term business without consistent and predictable lead flow and income is almost impossible. You must know you will make monthly money to support yourself and your family. You need to count on your business, not just hope that deals or transactions come in.
Real estate SEO is your ticket to building a more significant, sustainable business.
Feeling overwhelmed? Let Carrot handle your SEO for you!
Carrot offers agency-style SEO services that set you up for success following the foundations laid out in this guide, then keeps you optimized month-to-month with additional improvements.
Just like with farming, seasons matter in business.
If you own a ski resort… seasons matter big time.
If you are a landscaper… seasons matter.
If you are a real estate investor or agent… seasons matter.
And, even though it’s December, now is the time to start thinking about Spring.
We wrote a blog post about the seasonality of real estate investor leads and the volume of online searches that motivated house sellers, cash buyers, tenants, etc. make each month during the holiday months.
In that post, we laid out the data and the stats showing the common “dip” in searches in the holiday months for people looking to sell their house… and the increase in those online motivated seller leads in the spring and summer months.
Now, this doesn’t mean that there aren’t a lot of deals to be had in the winter months.
Why Now Is The Perfect Time To Ramp Up For Spring And Online Motivated Seller Leads
So, don’t look at the data and think that you can’t do deals in the holiday months. That’s not what this is about. It’s about…
Realizing There Is “Lead Gen” Seasonality In The Real Estate Flipping / Wholesaling Business and Preparing For…
… the dips and the climbs.
Take for instance the quick chart below that we pulled up.
Motivated Seller Searches: 11 Popular Highly Motivated House Seller Searches Online… The Trend
Motivated House Seller Searches: This is the average motivated house seller online searches of just 11 common highly motivated seller searches sellers make online. Notice the data… and the slight climb to a peak in summer in searches. Then another climb in fall before the holiday dip.
Now take a look at these ones below that are a bit more drilled down on specific keyword phrases that we know motivated sellers are typing into Google each month.
(at the end of this post I’ll show you something really cool that we’re seeing… and how it’s indicating that we’re heading into another GREAT year for an increase in motivated seller searches online. So read this whole article and let me know your thoughts in the comments section)
“We buy houses” Type Searches: Spring And Summer Increase
It’s December… Are you preparing right now to capture the higher motivated seller lead search volume in the spring and summer? If you don’t have a website, right now is the time to get one up and started. If you do have a website, now’s the time to get things ramped up.
“Sell house fast” Type Phrases: Spring Bump with Late Summer Increase
Getting The Picture Now? Getting your website up and rolling and optimized… or getting a real marketing plan in place and executing it RIGHT NOW is an ideal time to get rolling so you can capture the late spring and summer increase… which likely means a higher chance of more deals.
“I buy houses” Type Phrases: Seeing A Similar Spring And Summer Bump And Fall Slump
Pretty Consistent w/ a Slight Bump In Spring / Summer
“We buy houses in [location]” Type Phrases: But For Just Portland, Atlanta, Houston, and Pittsburgh
Even More Dramatic Spring / Summer Bump: When you go hyper-local… where the motivated seller includes their city in the search (which most sellers do), the increase likely coming up in spring and summer becomes even more apparent.
Last… from our own Google Analytics account.
Spring / Summer Traffic Ramp From Our Own Google Analytics Account
Further Proof… We can look at Google’s data all day long, but how about actual Google Analytics data from our own account for our Carrot members’ real state websites.
You get the idea.
Those charts above show just a few of the dozens and dozens of SEO search phrases motivated house sellers are typing in… that real estate investors should want to get in front of.
In fact, our Carrot members are generating over 60,000 opt-in leads per month(that doesn’t count the thousands of phone call leads per month to their Carrot real estate websites as well). So we’re constantly helping our customers position themselves in front of the online traffic to increase their chances of generating more motivated seller leads and more deals.
The SEO Search Data Is Great… But Why Is NOW A Great Time To Get Things Rolling?
Over the past five years, we’ve been tracking the organic search engine rankings of many of our Carrot members’ real estate websites. This goes from motivated house seller websites to cash buyer websites, to note buyer websites, rent to own websites, agent sites, etc.
This is a mix of real estate investors and agents who are both implementing our “lead generation” training… and the ones who decided to outsource their SEO or PPC for them.
Take a look at some of these charts below that show how long it *may* take in some markets to get your SEO rankings to improve enough to generate consistent leads online.
These pictures are from actual SEO ranking increases for a few of our Carrot clients in some more competitive markets.
How Long Did Their SEO Take? 4 Months To Make A Major SEO Jump In This Competitive MD Market
4 Months And 20 Deals – This InvestorCarrot client used our 3 Lead Per Day Training to get her website ranked high in Google. She’s in a more competitive market and it took about 4 months to get onto page 1… another few months to get in the top 2 results.
And another…
How Long Did Their SEO Take? About 3-5 Months In A Competitive Alabama Market
Similar To Above – This client is in a very competitive market for motivated seller searches as well. It took 3-5 months of solid SEO work to get into a top position in Google in his market. Now he’s generating a lead per day and closing deals consistently through his online marketing.
Last one…
How Long Did Their SEO Take? About 2-3 Months In A Competitive California Market
They Had A Jumpstart – This Carrot customer was already ranking near page 1 in Google for a competitive search phrase for motivated seller leads. Within 2-3 months, his ranking improved to the top of page 1 for this search phrase and he’s closed 4+ deals from his Carrot site since.
The Average Time It May Take To Rank Well In Most Markets Is About 3-5+ Months When You’re Doing SEO
SEO for real estate typically takes time. Although, I’ve seen websites rank in the top 3 spots in Google WAY faster than that in less competitive markets (within weeks)… I’ve seen some take way longer. But what we always like to say is that if you’re implementing SEO right (the way we teach) or hire someone who knows what they’re doing… in most markets you should see a dramatic improvement within 3-5 months.
From there, it may take another few months in competitive markets to get to the top of page 1… sometimes longer.
But, all this to say… if the average is 3-5 months to see an SEO boost… and it’s the beginning of December right now… that puts you into March – May/June to improve your rankings and capture that increase in online searches from motivated sellers come Springtime.
Don’t have a website right now but want to start leveraging inbound online marketing for your real estate investing business to grow your business?
Already have a website and just haven’t seen the results or haven’t put in the right online marketing strategy to get results?
We can help you.
At Carrot we focus on results as the primary driver of everything we do.
Having a great platform that makes SEO easier for you is the first step (which our system does).
Having the right training, plan, and support is the part that makes the biggest difference.
If you’re a Carrot member and want to ramp things up, here’s what you can do:
Show up to our weekly Carrot Coaching Calls – I’ll take your website and show you exactly what changes and steps you need to take right now to improve your SEO ranking and leads. This is perhaps one of the largest reasons Carrot members love Carrot and get great results. Hands-on help.
Go through our 3 Lead Per Day Training – It’ll walk you step by step through how to improve your SEO rankings using your own website and youtube videos. Get implementing! And ask us questions when you hit any roadblocks. We’re here for ya!
With our detailed training and weekly LIVE Carrot Coaching Calls, we take our members by the hand and help you get results.
So, are you going to commit to getting things started or ramped up with your online marketing right now to catch the increase in traffic that’s heading our way in a few months?
Hit me w/ your comments below and let us know if we can help you in that journey this next year.
I never negotiate over the phone. I go to their house, I sit down with them, I have a cup of coffee, and I build rapport.
– Edward Beck
What I Wish I Would’ve Done Differently in 15 Years of Wholesaling & Flipping – The Good, Bad, and the Ugly of Investing w/ Edward Beck
What I like so much about Edward Beck is that he is the kind of guy who tells it like it is. There are so many gurus out there telling people how to get rich quick while they pose in front of cars that aren’t even theirs.
Edward despises this side of the industry, and just like we’re doing at Carrot, Edward is determined to change the way real estate investors are perceived. By leading with his heart and having a true intent to help people, success will inevitably follow.
Read the Full Show Notes Below…
I love it when we have a guest on the podcast who is really out there to help people, it comes from the heart.
Edward isn’t in this to make as much money as possible, (although being so genuine helps him close more deals, rather he is out there to truly help homeowners when they need it.
20 years ago, wholesaling was a different ballgame. You could put out 100 signs and get 100 calls. Wholesales were few and far between, and people didn’t really understand what they did. Today, things are much different.
In some places, the market is saturated. You can put out 100 signs today and maybe receive 10 calls if you’re lucky. The old ways of marketing aren’t what they used to be. With so many people in the business, it is more important than ever that you provide high-quality content and truly find ways to help and connect with your audience.
Thinking He Needed To Do More
Direct mail, cold calling, PPC, SEO, text, door knocking… These are all great ways to get leads, but they aren’t right for everyone. Edward knew he didn’t want to market in this way any longer. He’s been creating great content and letting the leads come to him. He’s building a name for himself as a trusted resource, creating authority in his market.
Instead of making seven calls to a potential lead, he will meet with them directly. He never does any negotiations over the phone. He likes to sit down with people, get to know them, and have a real conversation.
He is the kind of guy that would rather be having a cup of coffee with someone than sitting behind his computer desk. He’s found out what works for him and ran with it, not giving in and doing all of the things investors assume they should be doing.
Knowing Your Audience
As an investor, you really need to know and understand your target audience. For Edward, he has an older audience. He works with many people who are downsizing or who have lived in their homes for a long time.
At the moment, a lot of them are scared to move, let alone have strangers come into their house to view it. What Edward and his team do is work to alleviate all of these fears.
His older clients aren’t always on social media. They get their news from the mainstream media and sometimes have irrational fears about selling. If they are online searching Google for help, they’re likely to click the first result, whether or not it is an ad. Edward aims to hold these top spots so he is able to help these people first.
He isn’t trying to score one big deal out of this. His goal is to do a few deals each month and make sure everyone comes out ahead. People know when you are trying to take advantage of them.
Edward can sleep well at night because he knows everything was done right. Without this purpose and mission to genuinely help people, you will burn out as an investor.
Leading From The Heart
Edward is in this business to help people. A couple of years back, he became so frustrated by what he was seeing in the industry, that he wrote a book of his own to help other investors get into the business. As he puts it, the book was written out of pure anger and resentment!
He did not like the phony side of the industry and was tired of seeing the same regurgitated material over and over again. His book is titled “Get Rich, but Not Quick,” and it keeps things real for new investors getting into the business. It is a straightforward, step-by-step guide to help you get started, even offering scripts of the exact things you should be saying to your potential clients.
Not Being Evergreen Sooner
During COVID, Edward doubled down and has been making a TON of videos. Finding content has been pretty simple. He will take a look at some of the titles from our automated articles, then make a video that dives into a topic even further.
He has also created videos around common seller questions and objections heard when speaking to homeowners about selling. Using his content, he is able to build authority, rapport, and lay any concerns to rest. Now, because of these videos, he is holding the top ranking for many of the best keywords for his market.
Looking Ahead
As demand for a fast sale goes up and down, it’s important to be prepared, making sure you are out there and in front of your potential clients when the time is right. It isn’t about the number of leads you bring in, but rather finding a way to connect with real people.
At Carrot, one of our core values is to be a beacon of positivity. One of the ways we do this is by delivering a “wow” through great service. In an industry where there is so much mistrust, I love when investors like Edward act as a force to uplevel our sphere.
How Townsend Realty Group is Predictably Growing Business with Carrot
Georgia-based Townsend Realty Group uses Carrot’s training and resources to gain clients online within their community.
Within 5 months …
190 Leads Generated
25% Conversion Rate
6 Keywords Rankings in Top 3
Snapshot:
Industry: Agent
Location: Cherokee County, GA
Clients Served: served 1,500+ clients
Year founded: 2002
All other marketing channels are just tactics, Carrot is the big chunk in the middle that was just missing.”
Tom Townsend is a real estate agent in Georgia. In 2002, he decided to pursue a career in real estate, fueled by a desire to work on his watch and spend more time with his family.
He started out flipping houses. But in 2013, he pivoted to buying and selling homes, uniquely using his expertise as a Certified General Appraiser to serve his clients. Now, he’s a Keller Williams agent with a four-person team. They aim to close 53 deals this year (they’re on track!) and, for the first time in a long time, Tom feels clarity and peace of mind about where his business is headed.
The growth is steady and predictable. But it wasn’t always that way.
“All other marketing channels are just tactics, Carrot is the big chunk in the middle that was just missing.”
– Tom Townsend
The challenge: Marketing his business was difficult and produced unpredictable results.
Before joining Carrot, Tom will be the first to admit that marketing his business was difficult and produced unpredictable results. He would cold call, send mailers, network, and do anything else that came to mind. Some of it worked. Some of it didn’t. That was the problem. Rather than planting seeds and harvesting leads, Tom hunted for his deals. And while that worked for a while, Tom realized that if he ever stopped working, his business would crumble… he hadn’t created processes to predictably generate leads and close deals.
His business was successful. But it was also exhausting, unpredictable, and dependent upon him working long hours. Tom knew he had the knowledge and the skill to be one of the best real estate agents in his market, but he struggled to consistently get his message out about his business. There was a gap.
He knew how to serve clients… but he didn’t know how to find them in a sustainable and scalable manner. His Keller Williams website wasn’t supporting his other marketing efforts like he needed it to — people might visit, but they rarely turned into leads. Even his paid Google Ads traffic was converting poorly. And SEO seemed like something he’d never be able to figure out.
That’s when he discovered the power of Carrot: search engine optimization, predictable lead flow, consistent business growth… allowing him more time for the things that matter most in life. And he decided to give it a try. That’s exactly how he uses Carrot.
The tools: Carrot features
For Tom, Carrot is the central hub that combines all his marketing efforts. He’s running PPC ads to drive traffic to his site in the short term while leveraging Carrot’s easy content marketing tools and strategy to build his SEO for long-term lead generation. And since he’s driving traffic from all of his marketing efforts to his Carrot site, he can track performance across all campaigns and channels, giving Tom the clarity and comfort he needs with his marketing strategy.
Here’s how Tom is using Carrot as the central hub to tie together all the marketing efforts they were once doing on their own to become the authority in their area:
Trainings & Resources
Tom says he’d be lost without all the content and resources we’ve created and shared to help him build his strategy as an agent.
Automated blogs & VideoPost
Carrot keeps Tom from having to outsource content marketing to become the authority in his market by making it easy to schedule and post content to his site with pre-written automated blog posts and our VideoPost feature that transcribes your video content into long-form articles.
Campaign Tracking Links & Lead Manager
Tom sends traffic from all of his marketing channels to his Carrot site and can track the performance of his marketing campaigns using campaign tracking links. Instead of guessing what he should try next, he now has the visibility to see where he should put his marketing budget for maximum ROI.
Landing pages & Location pages
Tom can niche down his marketing with hyper-targeted landing pages and location pages, allowing him to beat the competition and improve his SEO rankings for people searching for homes with specific parameters.
The results:
Tom Townsend has been a successful real estate professional for quite some time. But it wasn’t until he learned about online marketing for Real Estate Agents through Carrot that he was finally able to consistently grow his business and create predictable lead flow.
Now, he knows what the future of his business holds and he knows where he wants to take it. More importantly, he knows how to take it forward.
What about you? Are you ready for consistent and predictable growth in your business? Click below to learn more!
“Clarity is power. I know and can see where we’re going and I feel confident in where we’re going. And I finally know how my marketing is doing.”
– Tom Townsend
Ready for Predictable Growth Like Tom?
Start generating consistent leads and building your authority in your market today.
The pandemic is pushing the need to get online and understand technology like never before.
– Tom Townsend
Tired of Tire Kickers? Get This Agent’s Step-by-Step Strategy for Consistent, High Quality Leads w/ Tom Townsend
Tom is a seasoned real estate agent w/ Keller Williams, who was burnt out on cold calling and struggling to compete with the big guys when it came to SEO. By shifting his strategy, and maxing out his AgentCarrot site, he is completely confident about the next 12 months.
Today, we’re looking at what messaging is working best, how Tom is using his Carrot site to convert more leads, and we will even make some tweaks to his site right here on the podcast to make his site perform even better.
Read the Full Show Notes Below…
A month or two ago, my team hit me up and said “You need to check out Tom Townsend.” I was blown away when I saw the data for his site and how he was implementing our training into his business.
Tom hasn’t been with us for a long time. In fact, he has only been a Carrot member for a few months. But in that short amount of time, he is already holding the top 1 and 2 spots for many keywords he is creating content around.
Where He Started
Tom has been in the real estate business since 2002. He began as an investor, flipping properties and holding a few here and there. He then took his real estate skills a step further by becoming a certified appraiser.
He was always heavy on the phones, chasing down leads, and setting up meetings. A few years ago, Tom and his team began utilizing Facebook Ads, but they weren’t directing them to any particular landing page or call to action.
They built a website via Wix, but it lacked flexibility and the ability to grow as the business did. The team moved the website to another platform, but it was cumbersome and time-consuming and wasn’t manageable while they were busy running on the hamster wheel.
The Lightbulb Moment
The pandemic has forced people to improve their online presence or get online if they weren’t already. For Tom and his team, it has allowed them to spend time creating evergreen content that will get them off of the hamster wheel. They are building their brand as the local authority and having the leads search them out instead of the other way around.
COVID has made a lot of people analyze what they are doing and what is important. For Tom, it was time. He wanted more time to do the things he loves, while still building momentum and credibility within the community.
The evergreen content Tom is creating is providing consistency and predictability, giving him the freedom he is after.
His Strategy Today and Why It Works
Many of the 100+ leads Tom has received in the past few months have been through paid PPC campaigns. This is exactly how we recommend agents and investors get the ball rolling.
In fact, Tom and his team have followed our advice and recommendations to a tee, thus bringing in more and more leads, creating more conversions, and closing more deals.
Next, they began creating content, with an emphasis on VideoPosts and our VideoPosts transcription service.
They have utilized our Advanced Marketer Articles, which only require a minute or two of personalization before posting.
They have modified their Facebook and Google advertising, directing people back to their website… err authority portal.
Tom and his team have spent time niching down their content to become the local experts.
They use our Campaign Tracking Links tool to track all of their advertising – even links printed on mailers they are sending out.
The Campaign Tracking Links have become one of Tom’s most important tools. It gives him a clear and centralized place to see what’s working, what’s not working, and where he can improve.
The Power of Testimonials
Many people will seek out testimonials just because they think they have to. They don’t spend time optimizing them or using them to fight objections. My advice is to seek out 5 very specific testimonials that will fight objections and be relatable to the ideal client you are seeking out.
For example, if you are an agent, use a testimonial from someone who was friends with another agent, but chose you instead because of your experience. Or, you can find an FSBO client you were able to help by getting them more than they would have on their own.
Many people will try to avoid working with an agent in order to save money. A testimonial letting them know they will likely get more money when all is said and done is a testimonial that will actually help you to convert.
Because of COVID, so many agents and investors are working from a home office. They’re not out and about attending open houses and networking events.
Here at Carrot, we have seen many people using this time to amp up their websites. To change them from glorified business cards, and instead, turning them to authority hubs.
Go to Carrot.com to see what we are doing to help agents ramp up even more as we close out the year strong.
Let me start with a hard question: “Are you a realreal estate investor or a fake?”
Wait. Don’t answer that. The truth is… time will tell.
Unfortunately, time — as it relates to real estate investing — is pretty harsh. Most real estate investors get chewed up and spit out before they even know what hit ‘em. Upwards of 87% according to some estimates.
But it’s not just real estate wholesalers and flippers.
It’s been published that 96% of businesses go out of business within the first 10 years, and over half fold up their tent by the end of the first year.
But that number is even high for real estate wholesalers and flippers…
… because of the low barrier of entry to get into business. It requires hardly any capital to get rolling… and you can read a book today, register a business tomorrow, and be a “flipper” or “wholesaler” by the end of the week… which is AWESOME. Still, it also makes it easy for many people who haven’t fully adopted the mindset and skill-set needed to be successful in running a business.
So, wouldn’t it be nice if you could diagnose your real estate investor’s “realness” — your likelihood of success — before getting clobbered?
Wouldn’t it be nice if someone told you the brutal truth about exactly why many real estate investors fail?
Well, “nice” might not be the best word.
After all, the brutal truth is rarely “nice.” But, profitable, career-saving, and life-changing? Absolutely!
In my 10 years working with real estate investors, I’ve seen thousands of real estate investors come and go. And the deepest irony — the cold, hard, brutal truth — is that it all comes down to five things those who fail tend to ignore (and those who succeed master).
The good news is you can overcome these common killers by having your eyes wide open to them and digging into the concrete solutions and resources I’ve included throughout.
1. You’re Following Emotion vs. Knowing Your Numbers
Investors who fail tend to open up their wallets based on emotional decisions vs. actually nailing their numbers and trusting the numbers.
When emotion takes over you tend to stop investing in marketing before it has a chance to succeed… you tend to make offers based on your “gut” vs. a tried and true formula… and you tend to bounce around from one thing to another in search of that magic bullet like a pinball machine.
One way people constantly get caught up in the emotions vs. the numbers is in how much money you invest in your business.
How much money do you invest in a marketing strategy?
How much money do you invest in a property?
How much money do you invest in your education?
As soon as emotion creeps into the equation and a mathematical formula stops being used… you’re on the fast track to losing your butt (and not knowing why).
As a real-world example, let’s say two people are doing PPC marketing.
Investor #1: Likely To Fail…
Investor #1 started with their budget rather than knowing the numbers. They have set aside $2,000 for PPC marketing for motivated house sellers. Plenty to turn a profit, right?
They start their PPC campaign and quickly find out that the first few weeks of a PPC campaign are all about honing the campaign and tweaking it… so they end up spending $800 in the first 3 weeks. They have 7 leads to show for it, which they’re working on… but no deals yet.
By week 4 they have their campaign honed a bit more but have spent $1250 of the $2,000 they had set aside… with a total of 10 leads.
Bummed, they start to think, “Man, maybe PPC isn’t for me. I’ve already gone through my budget; let me stop this campaign and figure something else out”.
With that, they stop their campaign and chalk it up as a “failure” and a loss. $2,000 in the hole and now onto “focus” on a new strategy.
Investor #2: Likely To Succeed In A Big Way…
Investor #2 started with the numbers… not their budget.
This investor worked the numbers… and it looks something like this…
What do those acronyms mean…
APD = Average Profit Per Deal
CPC = Cost Per Click (for your PPC marketing)
LPD = Leads per deal (how many leads on average until you close a deal)
MIN = The minimum you’ll need to allocate for your PPC marketing to have it work well MAX = A number you pick that is the max you’ll invest before you close a deal
Investor #2 knows her numbers well and can see that based on those average numbers, they shouldn’t expect any deals until, at a bare minimum, $1,200 has been invested in a well ran PPC campaign.
But, she also knows that in the real world, things don’t always work out like we hope they do in our calculations… so she sets a “max” that she’d invest in that marketing channel to close a $15k deal (her average) before she seriously thinks about shifting focus to something else or stopping the money invested into that marketing channel.
Investor #2 launched her PPC campaign, and it doesn’t go as well as she thought… she blew past the $1,200 mark without a deal… but she followed her numbers and kept investing, and at $2,500 in… she closed a deal that brought in $17k gross.
Subtract out the $2,500 in PPC costs, which turned into a nice $14,500 profit. BAM!
Now she has more firepower to invest in this marketing channel and work on improving those numbers even more.
The moral of the story is?
Investor #1 followed emotion and started with their “budget”… Investor #2 followed the numbers and started with knowing her numbers then set the budget that’ll lead her to success.
Investor #1 is already onto another marketing strategy and discouraged… Investor #2 is ready to scale things up and happy as a clam.
Here is the PERFECT example of Investor #2. Adam Mitchell could have easily let emotion hold him back…
If you haven’t seen this section of our SEO vs. PPC Infographic… it maps out how PPC and SEO work regarding timelines and expectations. Remove emotion from the equation and stick with the numbers.
If you don’t know your numbers and create your marketing budget… you’ll stop investing your money too early and quit before it has a chance to work.
I know that sounds obvious but stick with me. On the real estate front, I hear this all the time:
However, every time I dig deeper, “doesn’t work” means, “Well, I tried it for two weeks. Dropped $500. But didn’t see any results.”
You see the problem, right?
While it might be cliche, the old truism is true: “It takes money to make money.” Simply “trying out” one so-called success method at a time, dipping your toes in but not investing in it — i.e., putting your money where your mouth is — is a sure way to sign your real estate investor death warrant.
Ironically, this same fatal mistake kills even more real-estate investors when investing itself.
It’s strange to think, but many still expect to get something out of nothing. That’s one of the reasons many folks get involved in real estate investing. As BiggerPocket’s points out, “How can I get started in Real Estate Investing if I don’t have any money?” is one of the most common questions they get asked.
And their answer?
You can’t.
That’s it — it’s that simple. You cannot invest in real estate with no money down. It is impossible; in fact, it is antithetical (big word) to the definition of “investment.”
I really want to encourage everybody…that when you are having things come up against you, you’ve got to make it happen. It’s right at that moment when you’re so close. You’ve got to double down. You gotta punch the gas and not pump the brake…
2. You’re Not Putting In The Time
This second failure is so similar to the first that I almost left it off my list. But there are subtle differences between the two that add up fast.
Why?
Putting in the time doesn’t mean physically “being there” doing busy work. Putting in the time means you purposefully cut out the crap in your life between you and your goals…
… so you have so much ample focus time that there’s no way you won’t succeed.
Putting in the time doesn’t mean…
Carving out 30 mins here and there when you can fit it in
Hopping on the forums and endlessly reading and “learning” stuff you may need to know someday
Going through 3 training courses before you get off your duff and start doing the business (making offers, looking at properties, etc.)
Saying, “I’ll give this a try for a couple of months and if it doesn’t work, I’ll move on”
Putting in the time means you’re getting serious with yourself and saying…
“I know this works. Others have done it before me. I’ll work it until it works and relentlessly hack out anything that doesn’t help me reach my goals. It’s not a matter of ‘if’… but a matter of ‘when’ it’ll happen. The only variable is time, not my effort or ability to make it happen”.
If you feel you don’t have enough time to invest in yourself and your business, you’re likely thinking too short-term and not long-term.
You’re thinking about how you can make a quick buck and have that instant gratification vs. building something that’ll truly last, make an impact, and leave a legacy.
If you’re not willing to bust your bottom for the next 18 months…
… (even if 12 months of it is utterly failing at every step), you may do yourself a favor and find something else you can invest 18 months into a full bore and switch to that.
Every day when I walk into my office here at theLoft where Carrot is based, I see this at the top of my stairs.
3. You’re Quitting Too Soon
I know what you’re thinking, “How is perseverance different from time?”
The short answer is that success regularly takes longer than we expect… it also takes a lot more blood, sweat, and tears.
In other words, the reason real estate investors fail when it comes to perseverance is the same reason why 95% of dieters fail to lose weight and keep it off, why people always say they’re going to start exercising and then give up after a few days, and why so many people make new year’s resolutions that never see the light of day.
Are You Closer Than You Realize?
Psychology Today blames much of this failure to persevere on our brain chemistry:
“Neuroscientific research shows that higher levels of dopamine might separate the internal drive some people have to persevere while lower dopamine levels cause others to give up.”
So does that mean some people are just built to take the hard knocks necessary for success, and others aren’t?
Absolutely not.
The brain is an amazing organ, and — thanks to what’s known as “neuroplasticity” — if you haven’t been the person who perseveres up to now, you have the power to change that.
The key to becoming a person of perseverance are to increase dopamine levels by:
Achieving at least one goal or mini achievement each day, no matter how small.
Be your own best cheerleader. When you achieve something, be intentional about celebrating.
And just in case all that feels a bit too touchy-feely for you, consider the words of Ben Horowitz in The Hard Thing About Hard Things:
Great CEOs face the pain.
They deal with the sleepless nights, the cold sweats, and what my friend the great Alfred Chuang (legendary cofounder and CEO of BEA Systems) calls “the torture.”
Whenever I meet a successful CEO, I ask them how they did it. Mediocre CEOs point to their brilliant strategic moves or their intuitive business sense or a variety of other self-congratulatory explanations. The great CEOs tend to be remarkably consistent in their answers.
They all say, “I didn’t quit.”
4. You’re “Focusing” On Too Many Opportunities
I once got an email from a former member of ours.
His email said…
Carrot seems like a good product, but I have been focusing on too many marketing strategies.
In case you missed that, the words “focus” and “too many” are opposites.
The official definition of “focus” is…
This member led himself to a sure and swift “business death” by “focusing on too many things.”
As long as we’re quoting brilliant thinkers, Confucius once said…
When real estate investors — or any entrepreneur for that matter — focus on doing too many things — i.e., chasing too many rabbits — they end up sucking at pretty much all of it.
And ironically, early success is often the biggest hindrance to future focus.
For instance, I had some big early wins when I started my business. This meant lots of people wanted to do business with me. However, most of the propositions were in areas not core to the business I had created.
As a real estate investor, you may experience the same thing. At times, I found it hard to give a resounding “no,” but I knew that if I didn’t, I would spend a lot of time on things that were not a priority and didn’t fit into my long-term plan.
Today, I am glad I was so hard-assed about my priorities. And that’s exactly why a laser-focused, long-term vision is a must; otherwise, you are likely to sway this way whenever something else comes along, or you get distracted.
In addition to learning to say “no” to opportunities that don’t align with your focus, discipline is another ingredient needed. Afford Anything puts it plainly when talking about getting rich by saying, “Focus on what’s important. Ignore everything else.”
Grab our free Real Estate Investor Business Plan to overcome this lack of focus. Inside, you’ll find everything you need to build a solid foundation to sustain your business over the long term and zero in on what truly matters.
5. You’re Just Learning Real Estate Skills, NOT Business Skills
We’ve found that newer real estate entrepreneurs are under the impression that to be successful, they only need to understand things related to real estate.
But any seasoned entrepreneur will tell you that to succeed, you need other business skills like communication, persuasion, team building, marketing, etc. Real estate investors who don’t have the right business skills are far more likely to fail than their counterparts who invest across the board.
For example, you may be brilliant at what you do, but if you can’t market yourself, you’ll never make money.
From these statistics, you can see that most businesses fail due to a lack of business skill
Chris Ducker says it like this:
“Most people seem to think that being a successful internet marketer is as easy as getting a website built and getting their own domain name and they could not be farther from reality.”
This mindset is developed from hearing how “easy it is to make money on the Internet” by scaly online entrepreneurs whose sole aim is to line their wallets with the profits of gullible opportunity seekers.
The reality is that no real estate agent just closes sales… and no website just gets traffic. Both need to be marketed. From a real estate investor point of view, Inman reports that physical brick-and-mortar walk-ins now account for fewer leads than websites. Now, you should know that in their findings, a dismal 3% of leads were generated via walk-ins and 4% via online methods.
But what you need to understand about this finding is that the numbers for online lead generation are so low. Although most real estate investors agree that a website is essential to their business, they don’t fully realize what an online presence entails, nor how to generate leads online.
For the sake of clarity: if real estate investors knew how to market their website, their website would generate a lot more leads than the 4% they currently are.
Bigger Pockets confirms this finding and adds, “Only if you create that awesome, SEO-friendly website, along with citations, profiles, and videos, and start producing awesome blog posts centered around your community will you benefit from this form [online] of marketing.”
As an antidote, look at our 90 Day Action Plan, designed to “break down exactly what to do to get your first 100 cash buyer leads, and your first 30 seller leads.”
So, What Path Are You Headed Down?
I want everyone to know that it’s OK to fail.
Failure is good. I’ve learned the most when I’ve failed… not when I’ve won.
So failure is part of the process.
Failure shouldn’t be a door closing but it should be a shortcut to the next door that’ll open very soon that will get you closer to the success you’re going after in your life.
Yes, failure is OK but what isn’t OK is choosing to ignore these 5 sure business killers that will lead you to failure over and over and over again.
So right now, take stock of yourself and where you are.
Are you…
Leading with emotion or with knowing your numbers?
Putting the time in?
Persevering even when you feel like you should stop?
Focusing on one path or chasing multiple rabbits?
Learning how to build a business or just learning tactical “deal making” skills?
Oh, if none of those are quite describing you and the reason you’re not reaching your goals… here’s a bonus #6 that is often the most confusing and toughest one to own up to.
Brian Buffini, Chairman and founder of Buffini & Company — America’s largest real estate training and coaching company — nails it on the head:
“Strangely enough, the majority of people we encounter have a fear of success rather than a fear of failure.”
I couldn’t agree more.
Of course, there’s always a chance I missed one of the killer pitfalls you’ve seen in your career. If I did, share it in the comments below.
Also, share with me below if any of these hit you in your gut? Let’s squash these and make YOUR GREATEST IMPACT this year.
