In today’s digital age, having a well-optimized real estate blog is a fantastic way to reach potential clients and establish your authority in the industry. However, writing top-performing real estate blog posts requires more than just good writing skills. It involves writing smartly with search engine optimization (SEO) in mind, choosing a relevant and engaging topic, and using a great website host. We’ll walk you through how to start a real estate blog that is not only valuable to readers but also gets noticed by the all-knowing search engines.
1. Set Up Your Website
If you’re already running a business website, incorporating a blog is a smart move. You can seamlessly add a blog through your web host or website designer by starting a new page on your current website. However, if you’re starting from scratch, follow these steps:
A web host is a digital platform where you can create, store, and share your website with the world. Some web hosts offer domain name services, which enable you to secure a unique web address—making your site discoverable via Google or direct links. A few popular web hosts include Squarespace and WordPress. Choose the web host that suits your business needs.
When setting up your real estate blog, you need a real estate domain name that represents your business and is easy to remember. Some web hosts offer domain name services, allowing you to purchase and link a domain name directly. However, if your chosen web host doesn’t provide this service, you can buy a domain name from a domain registrar, such as GoDaddy or Namecheap, and then connect it to your web hosting account.
One way to pick a good domain name is to use your property type to make it easily discoverable by prospects. An example is Cabin Homes (cabinhomes.com), which precisely describes the type of properties the business covers, making it easily searchable and memorable for its clients. Another way to make a good domain name is to include specific cities or regions to help you get more accurate searches. For instance, Santa Barbara Homes (santabarbarahomes.com) includes its specific location to attract visits from those particularly looking to move to the area.
If your web host doesn’t provide built-in website creation and content management, you must select a blogging platform and connect it to your website. Each platform has its own set of features and benefits, so it’s essential to choose the one that best suits your needs and goals. Read our article on the best blogging platforms for small businesses to learn more about their features and pricing options. Ultimately, your chosen platform will depend on your budget, technical knowledge, and personal preferences.
Selecting a suitable theme or design is crucial when creating a real estate blog. The appearance and layout of your blog will impact how visitors perceive your brand and their likelihood of staying and engaging with your content. It’s essential to maintain consistency with your brand colors and logo. Keep the design clean and user-friendly for easy navigation. Either opt for a predesigned theme or code your own from scratch—both options work well if you choose a design that resonates with you and your target audience.
One great example of a website with a simple yet unique design is Aaron Kirman’s website. The black-and-white contrast distinguishes this agent’s website from others, which often use color to highlight their listings and content. This makes his branding stand out among competitors, attracts clients who appreciate visual aesthetics, and drives visitors to their social media platforms.
A great option for starting your blog is Wix. It has a drag-and-drop website builder that makes it easy for beginners to create their website and blog from scratch. Wix also offers integrated SEO tools to optimize keywords and automate schema markup and auto-image compression. Check out Wix, explore the many design options available, and start building your own real estate website today.
Read our article on the 19 Best Brokerage & Real Estate Agent Website Examples (+ Tips) to get ideas for designing your own visually appealing real estate website that attracts clients.
2. Choose Blog Topics That Appeal to Your Target Audience
Once your real estate blog is up and running, the next step in how to start a real estate blog is choosing a relevant topic to write about. Selecting blog ideas for real estate is pivotal in expanding your blog’s audience and influence. By capturing your audience’s interest and consistently delivering valuable content that resonates with them, you build a foundation of credibility and trust. This, in turn, cultivates a devoted readership inclined to revisit your blog for ongoing insights and recommendations.
Individuals have varying needs, goals, and preferences when engaging in real estate. To build a successful real estate blog, you must understand your target audience and tailor your approach accordingly. Typically, the target audience for real estate agents will be the following:
- Buyers: People looking for a new place to call home. Offer them information on the homebuying process, property features, neighborhood advantages and downfalls, safety, transportation, healthcare facilities, and recreational areas.
- Sellers: Homeowners looking to sell their property. Write blogs that help them understand current market conditions and pricing strategies. You can also offer suggestions for improving curb appeal and making the property more attractive to buyers.
- Renters: People seeking a place to live temporarily. They might like to read blogs that highlight the convenience and accessibility of properties, including public transportation options. Offer information about rental terms and restrictions. You can also write blogs that showcase tips for property maintenance as well as property safety features.
- Investors: People looking to generate income or capital appreciation through real estate. Your blog can focus on providing them with data on potential rental income, appreciation rates, and market trends. You can also offer guidance on financing options and tax implications. Write blogs that would help them diversify their real estate portfolio.
Once you’ve chosen your target audience, decide what content to write to encourage engagement with that group. Keep in mind that as you grow your client base, experience, and expertise, you can narrow your target audience even further to speak to a specific real estate niche. For instance, if your target audience consists of buyers, the approach will vary significantly. Content tailored for first-time buyers should differ in tone and substance from that designed for luxury buyers.
Follow the 3 E’s
When creating content that makes an impact, follow the three E’s: educate, entertain, and engage. Educating your audience builds trust and credibility. Entertaining topics captivate attention and encourage sharing. Furthermore, fostering engagement creates a sense of community, strengthening retention and loyalty. Mixing up your content caters to diverse preferences and can effectively generate leads by appealing to potential customers at different stages of their journey. This strategy enhances your brand’s reach.
- Educate: This type of content furnishes your readers with information that addresses their queries or fulfills specific needs. For instance, a real estate blog with an educational intent might tackle a topic like “How to Buy a Multifamily Property in 10 Steps.”
- Entertain: Crafting content your ideal clients find enjoyable is the cornerstone of an entertaining blog. A blog of this nature might delve into subjects like “Celebrity Home Tours” or “Historical Homes and Their Stories.”
- Engage: Demonstrating your genuine concern beyond financial gains is the essence of engaging content. Sharing community news, your office’s involvement in charitable endeavors, celebrating the achievements of local school athletes or musicians, or highlighting the success of a volunteer drive are all examples of blogs that foster a connection with your followers by showcasing your shared values and interests.
Answer Specific Questions
Creating a blog post that addresses a particular trending question is a great way to encourage readership. When you perform a search on Google, you will come across a section on the search engine results page (SERP) called “People also ask.” This section lists additional questions related to your search query.
These questions can be a source of inspiration for creating blog posts for real estate agents. They can help you understand what topics people are interested in and what they want to learn more about. For example, when searching “How do I buy my first home,” Google’s “People also ask” section displayed the following questions:
By identifying the questions your audience often asks, you can provide valuable answers and create content that resonates with them. This approach allows you to understand your audience’s needs and interests and tailor your real estate blogging ideas and content to their preferences. By doing so, you can establish a connection with your audience, build trust, and increase engagement.
3. Create a Content Calendar
Creating a content calendar can be an excellent way to stay organized and on track with your real estate blogging ideas. By mapping out your real estate blog content in advance, you can ensure that you have a consistent stream of high-quality content that aligns with your brand’s messaging and goals. It also helps you make sure you select topics that are relevant and timely.
Moreover, having a content calendar enables you to avoid the stress of last-minute content creation, which can impact the quality and effectiveness of your content. It can also ensure you get all the critical deadlines and enough time to review and optimize your content before publishing. Overall, taking the time to create a content calendar can be a valuable investment in your content marketing strategy.
A well-structure content calendar typically includes:
- A list of content ideas and topics
- Publishing schedule
- Content type that species the format of each content piece
- A working content title or headline
- Deadlines for each piece
- Author or creator assigned to create the piece
- Specified target audience for the piece
- List of platforms or channels where you plan to publish or share your content
- Content status to track the progress of each piece
- Performance metrics to monitor the performance of each piece
Align your other platforms, like your Instagram or Facebook accounts, to promote your blog content. Leverage your social media presence by sharing excerpts from your blog posts with relevant hashtags to enhance post visibility. Consider enhancing your posts with captivating visuals or organizing enticing giveaways to entice your social media followers to explore your blog. You can also send regular newsletters to your email subscribers, featuring links to your most recent blog articles. Don’t forget to include a “Subscribe to the Blog” call to action in your email signature. Furthermore, leverage cross-promotion by mentioning your blog in your real estate listings and property descriptions.
4. Determine the Keywords Most Specific to Your Target Audience
The next step in starting a real estate blog is to determine the real estate keywords most specific to your target audience. To determine the most appropriate answer to a query, Google (and other search engines) analyzes the text on a webpage to decipher the content’s subject matter. The keywords you employ in your post serve as descriptors and are crucial to your rankings. Your objective is to ensure that your target audience can locate your content when they search using your designated keywords.
Though they are called “keywords,” they are often keyword phrases or long-tail keywords. One word alone isn’t descriptive enough and is too broad to help anyone searching to find what they want to know efficiently. For example, “investment” will not return beneficial results if you are interested in “how to invest in real estate.”
Short-tail Keyword Examples | Long-tail Keyword Examples |
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To help you conduct keyword research, consider using a marketing tool like Semrush. Apart from keyword research, it also offers features like rank tracking. This allows you to track the daily changes of your target keywords in your target location. Additionally, content optimization is available to help increase organic traffic, providing personalized recommendations to optimize your content and drive more traffic to your website.
5. Write a Search Engine-optimized Blog Post
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the unsung hero of any real estate blog’s success. SEO ensures that when someone searches for relevant real estate topics, your blog pops up at the top of the results, increasing your visibility and driving organic traffic. It’s not just about being found but by the right audience—those genuinely interested in what you offer. So, if you want to establish your authority in the industry and attract potential clients, optimizing your real estate blog for SEO is a must.
Once you have decided what real estate blog topics and keywords to cover in your real estate agent blog, it’s essential to learn how to write compelling content that can grab readers’ attention and motivate them to take action. If you are new to blogging and wondering how to create impactful real estate blog posts, here are a few tips you can follow:
- Make your headline catchy: Your blog’s headline is the first thing readers see, so it needs to be attention-grabbing and concise, ideally under 10 words. Furthermore, incorporating the researched keywords into your headline is crucial for search engine optimization (SEO) and attracting the right audience.
- Write using a conversational tone: Your writing should mirror how you communicate with your real estate clients. It’s your unique voice that sets you apart in the competitive real estate field. Also, people usually prefer reading posts that feel like friendly advice rather than reading a manual. So, approach your blog content as if you’re having a casual conversation with your clients to build a personal connection.
- Use short paragraphs: Short paragraphs make your content easier to read and digest. Readers tend to skim through online articles, so breaking up your text into manageable chunks enhances the readability of your blog posts.
- Include headings, white spaces, and bullet points: Utilizing headings, creating white space, and using bullet points where appropriate enhances the scannability of your article. These elements make it easier for readers to grasp the main points and key information quickly.
- Add a strong call to action: Every blog post should have a clear and compelling call to action (CTA). Whether it’s encouraging readers to contact you for real estate services, subscribe to your newsletter, or explore other related articles on your blog, a well-crafted CTA guides readers on their next steps.
- Place keywords in the right places: Proper keyword placement is essential for SEO. Incorporate your researched keywords naturally into your content, including the title, headers, and body of the text, to improve your blog’s search engine ranking.
- Include appropriate linking: Hyperlinks to other relevant blog posts, resources, or external authoritative sources provide valuable context to your readers and help improve your website’s SEO. Internal links keep readers engaged with your content, while external links add credibility to your information.
- Insert relevant images: Incorporating images that align with your content not only makes your blog visually appealing, but also helps to reinforce your message. Use high-quality images, graphics, or infographics to enhance the overall reader experience.
6. Edit, Proofread & Publish Your Blog
After completing your written content, the next step of how to start a real estate blog is to edit and revise to make sure your content is clear. You can do this on your own or ask a trusted colleague or freelance editor for help. This will clarify any unclear points and rearrange sentences to increase their readability for your audience. Hiring sites like Fiverr are excellent sources for finding freelance editors for projects like this. Fiverr specializes in quick and affordable one-time projects.
In addition to editing the content, you also must proofread for grammar and spelling. While it’s possible to do this independently, consider using the spell check on your computer as well as a tool like Grammarly to assist you. Grammarly is a helpful resource for improving communication, utilizing the support of generative AI and advanced writing suggestions to facilitate enhanced writing and communication.
Once your blog has been checked, it’s time to hit the “Publish” button and release your very first blog post. It’s OK if you feel a bit nervous about this. Just remember that you’ve poured your heart and soul into creating this well-structured, valuable piece of content. Now, it’s ready to make an impact on prospective and current real estate clients and show the online world your expertise in the real estate field.
7. Promote Your Real Estate Blog
The final step in how to start a real estate blog is to promote and share it with people. After all, no one will ever find your blog unless you actively promote it. Here are some ways to do it:
- Share the link on your social media accounts: Leverage the power of your social media presence to share your real estate blog. Posting the blog link on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn allows you to reach your existing network and engage with potential readers in your social circles.
- Send an email/newsletter to your email list: If you maintain an email list of clients, colleagues, or subscribers, send out an email blast announcing your latest blog post. This not only keeps your audience informed but also encourages them to visit your blog and engage with your content. It’s a direct and effective way to promote your real estate blog to an interested audience.
- Notify the businesses or organizations you linked to in your post: If you’ve mentioned or linked to specific businesses or organizations in your blog post, contact them and let them know. They might appreciate the mention and reciprocate by sharing your blog within their own networks, expanding your blog’s reach.
Real Estate Blog Ideas
To start you off, here are real estate blogging ideas tailored for different target audiences to help you grow your blog and produce content that generates leads. By addressing the unique needs and interests of these distinct audiences, you can position your blog as a go-to resource and attract leads from various real estate market segments.
For buyers:
- “Everything You Need to Know Before Moving to [City]”
- “The Most Current Housing Trends”
- “Local Events You Don’t Want to Miss in [City]”
- “Step-by-Step Guide to Buying Your First Home”
- “Where to Get the Best Home Decor”
For sellers:
- “The Art of Home Staging: How to Make Your Property Shine”
- “Pricing Your Home Right: Strategies for a Quick Sale”
- “Top Renovations that Add Value to Your Home Before Selling”
- “Understanding the Selling Process: A Step-by-Step Guide for Homeowners”
- “Marketing Your Home: Tips for Creating an Effective Listing”
For renters:
- “Rent or Buy: The Pros & Cons of the Different Ways to Own a Home”
- “The Ultimate Guide to Renting Your First Apartment”
- “Understanding Your Lease Agreement: What Renters Need to Know”
- “Budgeting for Rent: Tips to Manage Your Rental Expenses”
- “Pet-friendly Rentals: Finding a Home for You & Your Furry Friend”
For investors:
- “How to Flip a House”
- “Real Estate Investment Strategies: Fix & Flip vs Buy & Hold”
- “How to Stay Organized During a House Renovation”
- “Real Estate Investment for Beginners: Where to Start”
- “The Pros & Cons of Investing in Vacation Rentals”
Whether you’re a seasoned blogger or just starting out, these real estate blog post ideas can inspire you to keep your blog fresh and relevant to your readers. So take a look and see which ones you can incorporate into your own blog.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Yes. Real estate agent blogs can make money through various means like display advertising, sponsored content, affiliate marketing, lead generation, and selling digital products like e-books or courses. However, it takes time and effort to build a following and generate revenue from a blog. It’s important to focus on creating valuable content and building a community of engaged readers before monetizing a blog. Remember that the primary goal of creating a real estate blog is not just to make money, but to attract potential clients for your real estate business as well.
A real estate blog should include informative and engaging content that provides value to the reader. This includes homebuying and selling tips, market trends and analysis, neighborhood spotlights, and industry news. It’s essential to tailor the content to your target audience and establish yourself as a knowledgeable and trustworthy source of information. Visuals like photos and videos can also enhance the reader’s experience. Additionally, including a call to action at the end of each post can encourage engagement and help build your community of readers.
Yes, real estate blogs can be worth it if done correctly. A well-crafted blog can establish you as an authority in the industry, build your brand, and attract potential clients. It can also provide a platform to showcase your expertise and unique perspective, differentiate yourself from competitors, and generate leads. However, blogging requires time and effort to produce quality content consistently, build an audience, and drive traffic to your site. It’s also important to track and analyze your results to optimize your strategy and ensure that your efforts produce a return on investment.
Bottom Line
Knowing how to start a real estate blog while equipped with SEO skills can be a game-changer for growing your business. By creating valuable content that addresses the needs and interests of your target audience while applying SEO strategies, you can attract potential clients and establish yourself as a thought leader in the industry. With the right strategy and consistent effort, your real estate blog can help you build a strong online presence and drive more leads to your business.