2023 SEO for Homebuilders: A Simple Explanation

The game has changed. People shopping for a company to build a home or addition aren’t walking into showrooms anymore. They’re picking up their phones or opening their laptops and using Google. They’re typing in terms that explain exactly what they want, and they’re looking for the best homebuilders that can handle them.

Are they actually seeing the best homebuilders? Maybe, but probably not. What they’re really seeing is a list of companies that understand how to put themselves directly in front of their customers through research and content creation. They’re using SEO for homebuilders, and you can too.

What is SEO for Homebuilders?

SEO stands for “Search Engine Optimization,” and it’s essentially a system that search engines use to connect a user with a web page that they want to see. It’s how Google and other search engines evaluate searches and know which blog posts, videos, or pages will satisfy the user’s search.

SEO is not a new term, but it is becoming increasingly important. The web is getting bigger every day and SEO helps streamline the user’s experience. Search engines use keywords to categorize pages and posts to make them easier to find. These keywords are like little signals to Google, Bing, or other search engines that a page is relevant to a specific search term.

Homebuilder SEO should direct a potential customer to their site or social media accounts. For example, let’s say a user is searching for a custom-built home in the area they want to move to. They’ll type “custom built home in XYZ,” and homebuilders who optimize their sites for the term will show up in search results.

In this case, “custom-built home in XYZ” is the search term, but it’s also a keyword. Since Google is constantly scanning web content, it goes through its catalog of pages to pull out the pages that contain the right keywords to satisfy the search.

Google then presents these pages to the person shopping for a homebuilder with a list of companies. This is called a SERP, or Search Engine Results Page.

It’s a little heady, I get it. But it’s important that you understand it.

Other Factors That Affect SEO

Other factors impact SEO beyond keywords. While this might be a bit too into the weeds for most homebuilders reading this post, one of two of you might be struggling with these, so it’s worth mentioning.

Page speed has a significant impact on SEO. Page speed refers to things like how long the page takes to load, how long it takes to react to a click, and if the content shifts around while the searcher is on the page. Choosing the right plug-ins can help significantly with page speed.
Authority refers to how much Google believes you know what you’re talking about. For example, if someone with a website about elephant statue collecting posts one blog article about metal roofing, Google will not see our elephant collector as an authority.
Backlinks are when other websites place links to your site on their pages. They can link to the homepage or a blog post. The more Google trusts that site, the more the backlink is worth. This tells Google that experts believe that what you say is so important that they’re willing to share it with their audience.

All of these factors are important, but in the beginning, only one is the homebuilder’s hands. They can download plug-ins to improve page speed, but they can’t download authority or backlinks. They have to produce content that earns them, and for that, they need keywords.

How Do You Find Homebuilder Keywords?

Keyword research is a bit of a niche topic, and this could get a bit confusing. Bear with me as I try to break down the process of finding keywords.

Thinking of topics to produce content around might seem easy. But, SEO for homebuilders requires keywords that are easy to rank for, drive traffic to their site, and match the search engine user’s search intent.

Luckily, there are keyword research tools that can make this entire process easier to the point that it makes sense. These tools break down the difficulty of ranking on a SERP for a specific keyword, as well as how many people search for the keyword each month. This helps homebuilders identify high-value keywords.

Keyword research tools include apps like Ahrefs, Surfer SEO, KwFinder, Moz, and more. Users have to pay to gain access to these apps, but once they’re in, they’re able to type in the search term they want to target, identify the keywords associated with it, and put together an article, video description, or page that ticks the important boxes for Google.

For those who aren’t sure what topics to use for creating content, one of my coaching and research packages will help.

Why SEO Matters for Homebuilders

When it comes to homebuilder SEO, it’s a skill that every company needs to master or hire out. No company can afford to ignore SEO, and with building margins being as tight as they are, every project matters. Here’s why it matters for homebuilders.

They Can Outrank Their Competition

SEO is a way to the top. Every homebuilder, renovation contractor, home improvement specialist, and subcontractor wants to beat their competition. With a website full of wisely-chosen keywords and a smart content plan, homebuilders can start outranking their competition on the SERPs.

Long-Term Advertising

One of the biggest benefits of optimizing a site for search engine traffic is it’s long-term advertising. Once you produce a piece of SEO-optimized content and put it on your website, users will be able to find it for as long as you own the site. You can also continue to update the post to keep it fresh and relevant.

This is unlike many social media apps like Instagram and Facebook. Those sites are only concerned about what’s going on now, at the moment. The posts aren’t searchable—only company names and hashtags are. Plus, your ability to maintain them is an issue where posts are infinitely updateable.

Homebuilders Can Solve Problems

Homes are obviously huge investments. Potential homebuyers have questions they need to answer before they can make any decisions. You can bring value to them by offering inside information about specific materials, techniques, or lending options. This is information that they want, and if you can tailor your SEO to their searches, you’ll solve their problem.

It’s also worth noting that searchers have options. A search engine user can either go to your site or they can get their answer from your competition because their site was best optimized and showed up first.

My suggestion? Answer their questions before your competition can.

It Builds Trust and Warmth

There’s a reason why Google refers to it as “authority.” Over time, smart SEO optimization will present the homebuilder as the expert on a range of topics regarding homebuilding.

And, as a prospective customer comes back time and time again because every search term they use funnels them to you, you’re building familiarity and warmth.

You Become the Expert

You’re already a homebuilding expert, but not in the eyes of the internet. For Google to trust you, you need to create homebuilding content that searchers interact with through winning search terms, clicks, time spent on the page, and backlinks. Consider them like key performance indicators, and it’s almost impossible to win at those KPIs without a solid SEO foundation.

how To USE SEO for a Homebuilding Business

This is where the rubber hits the road. We know what SEO is and why it matters, but where and how can we use it? The short answer is in our content. You’ll find the long answer in the following sections:

Blog Posts

You guessed it. Blog posts just like this one are perfect for integrating keywords and SEO into your company’s marketing strategy. Each blog post acts as a permanent billboard with your company’s name and expertise written all over it. If you do it right, Google will move that billboard to some of the busiest keyword highways on the internet.

But just one or two blog posts won’t even get Google’s attention. Companies need to make a real effort to post with intent and provide value. Otherwise, your billboard is on an abandoned country road, and there’s a tree growing through it.

Landing Pages

Landing pages are ideal for SEO, but so few homebuilders use them. A landing page is a page specifically designed for one purpose, and that’s usually to highlight a specific service or product. And, do they ever convert!

A landing page is like a showroom for a specific type of project or product. It has all of the fancy bells and whistles and makes people feel good. They follow this landing page to a Call To Action, which can be a calendar invite to set up an appointment, a contact form, or a link to purchase a product.

Homebuilders who utilize landing pages can drive more traffic from better-quality leads! But your company probably doesn’t need that, right?

YouTube

Google ranks video content, and YouTube is actually a search engine itself. So if you’re not making video content, you’re missing out on an opportunity to work SEO into your brand awareness campaign.

How do you mix SEO into your videos if you’re not writing the content? It’s easy—if you know what you’re doing.

Your video titles and descriptions are the main areas, but tags can also be effective. If these areas contain the right keywords (coupled with some copywriting skills and a good thumbnail), you can drive loads of traffic just by talking to a camera.

Almost every social media platform features some sort of search engine. And, any time there’s a search engine, there’s a way to optimize it. Researching what people are looking for, producing the right content, and integrating key terms can boost your brand awareness.

And brand awareness, after all, is the real key to (and proper use of) social media.

Want to Learn More About SEO for Homebuilders?

If you want to learn more about SEO for homebuilders and how you can start using content marketing to its fullest potential, schedule a call with me. We’ll talk for 30 minutes about your company’s goals, current strategies, and its frustrations. If we both believe I can help, we’ll set up weekly coaching calls, content calendar plans, and more. Click the Calendly link below to set up a time.

2023 SEO for Homebuilders: A Simple Explanation