A blog is an important feature for any website, but especially for real estate websites. Why is that? Two reasons.
One: a blog helps establish you as an expert in the world of real estate. Over time, people will look to your content to understand how the real estate market is working in your area and for tips for buying and selling. A blog helps you build trust with your audience by showing them that you know your stuff when it comes to real estate – and that your knowledge can be of direct value to buyers and sellers.
Two: Blog writing offers a multitude of ways to beef up your website's SEO. By posting weekly, the new content on your blog keeps your website nice and fresh, which SEO spiders (the digital doo-dads that run around the internet ecosystem and rank good and bad content) really like. Having a blog also means that visitors are apt to stay on your site longer, which tells Google you have valuable content, increasing your favorability. Lastly, a blog allows you more keyword opportunities than your less content-heavy web pages. You can weave different types of keywords into your posts to increase your ranking for those search terms.
Now, let's talk about how to start generating blog ideas for your website.
How to Generate Blog Ideas
Generating blog topics is easy. All it takes is a little empathy and understanding of your audience. Put yourself in a home buyer or seller's shoes. What kind of information would you want to know about real estate if you were that person? This lens should guide you as you develop your list.
Another tip: start with a brainstorm session. There are no bad ideas in a brainstorm. Start throwing everything at the wall, and you can always cut and refine later.
It's never a bad idea to check out what kind of content other real estate websites are putting out there. See what's working for others and how you can make it better. While you never want to copy a blog on a word or sentence level, it's not out of the question to cover a similar topic, so long as you do it better.
Not sure where to start? Here's a list of winning real estate blog ideas to start stirring inspiration for your blog.
Real Estate Blog Ideas
Lifestyle
- Top 10 List About What Makes Your Town Great
- Top 10 List of Recreational Things To Do In Your Town
- Why People Are Moving to Your Town
- 10 Things To Know About Relocating To Your Town
- Home Value Comparisons In Your Town vs. Similar Sized Towns Around the Country
- 5 Things To Do In Your Town for Young Children
- 5 Things To Do In Your Town for Retirees
- Current Trends In New Construction
- Top Frequently Asked Questions About Real Estate
- The Best Local Restaurants in Your Area
- A Breakdown of Upcoming Community Events
Buying
- Tips for New Homeowners
- Neighborhood Comparisons
- Comparison of Different Housing Options (Condos, Townhomes, Single Family, etc.)
- A Checklist for First Time Home Buyers
- How Do You Know if You're Ready to Buy a Home?
- 10 Things Your Past Clients Learned While Buying a Home
- New Developments in Your Area
- 5 Things First Time Homebuyers Wish They Knew
Selling
- 3 Things You Need to Know About Selling Your Home
- What to Expect from the Home Valuation Process
- Top 10 List of Features That Buyers Are Looking For
- The Benefits of Staging A Home for Sale
- How We Market Listings for a Successful Sale
- The Importance of Pricing Your Home Correctly
- Tips For Choosing The Right Agent
Owning
- Remodel Inspiration
- 5 Ways To Improve the Value of Your Home
- Monthly Market Report
- Seasonal Tips for Homeowners
More Tips for Marketing Blogging
Remember, your blog is not a place for you to sell directly. Resist the urge to include salesy language, specific home listings, or to talk at length about how great your company is. If readers feel like they are being sold to, they'll turn away immediately. Keep your content educational, informative, or entertaining, and you will get much better engagement.
Write in an informal way with some personality so readers get a feel for you and your local expertise, and blog about things that are important to you. Passion is contagious, and people will be more likely to connect with content that reads like it's coming from a real person.
Interested in diving deeper? Read some of our other real estate marketing tips on the PRIME Pulse blog, or download our guide to SEO Best Practices for Blogs below.
If you enjoyed this edition of PRIME Pulse, take a look at some of our other related articles:
- Why the Best Real Estate Websites Work
- Why Email Marketing is So Successful in Real Estate
- How to Write Blogs That Actually Reach Your Audience
