Vancouver Website optimizer-Online Brand Management-Realtor Site SEO

One of the things I keep seeing over and over when we first analyze our realtor clients websites is that they are typically WAY to cluttered. So many times realtors are so worried about SEO and getting to the top of Google that they fail to think of the user experience on their site.

I’ve seen realtors work vigorously to get to the first page of Google by hiring SEO consultants, blogging like crazy, working hard to network and get back links but then fail to consider the experience of the user once they reach their site! Think about it, all that time and money to boost their page rank is rendered useless if users come to your site only to be bombarded by poor or confusing layouts, an overload of pointless images, widgets, and random un-targeted listings which causes them to become frustrated and click “back” to go to one of your competitors sites, never to return again.

Users are searching for your keywords for one reason, they are looking for specific information. Whether that be information on houses in a particular area, tips on buying a home in Coquitlam, the availability of condos in a specific building or whatever. Regardless of the information they seek, you want to make sure that your site is truly helping them find that information rather than distracting or hindering them with a cluttered site.

We have a philosophy we have coined around here we call “choptimization” whereby we optimize pages by “cutting the fat” so to speak. It can be tempting in SEO to just cram a site with “excess baggage” in the hopes that someone will stumble upon the keywords you have stirred into the mix. And although at times that strategy can have some effect on search ranking remember that Googles goal is not an internet of cluttered useless pages. Google wants people to find what will benefit them, and they want them to find it fast! Google gets smarter and smarter every day so why not “clean house” and take a good hard look at your sites design from the standpoint of a user who is looking for information your site can provide. Ask yourself, “would it be easy for someone to find the information they seek on your site if they have never been there before?”

Here are 4 quick tips to help you analyze your sites usability.

1. Have a relative or close friend who is not very internet savvy visit your site and then ask their thoughts on how easy it was to find what they were looking for.

2. Look at other non-real estate oriented sites that people use regularly to look up info or shop (ie. amazon, Ebay etc) and analyze how they make their site fast and usable while still promoting their brand.

3. Ask followers on facebook and twitter to give an honest “no holds barred” opinion on the usability of your site.

4. Ask your web designer to give you their opinion and then take that information and compare it to what others have also said about your site.

Don’t get so caught up in the look of your site or on standard SEO techniques (although they are both still important) that you fail to make your website useful. And guess what? If someone uses your site and it was a great experience, then they will return and use it again, and again and again. They will spend more time on your site per visit. They will recommend your website to others. They will post it on their facebook and tweet about it. And interestingly enough all of these things will boost your search ranking!
So lets do some Spring cleaning, lets “choptimize” your site!

Joel Fricke

Executive Strategist