Like any other business in the modern marketplace, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is of the utmost importance for mortgage brokers. You need borrowers in your area to find you when they are looking to choose a mortgage broker, after all. Many brokers are unfamiliar with the technology and algorithms behind Google’s search results, leaving them confused as to where to begin. Thankfully, this guide will provide all of the tips you need to zoom past your competitors on your quest for SEO domination! Let’s get started!
- Build Your Company’s Website On An SEO Friendly Platform
- Pick The Right Words
- Be An Expert In Your Field
- Install Free Tools Such As Google Analytics And WebMaster Tools
- Keep Going!
1. Build Your Company’s Website On An SEO Friendly Platform
The first step is to have an online presence. If you have been putting off entering the digital arena, know that more and more borrowers are using the internet to connect with lenders. Brokers without an online presence fail to even reach their radar as a result. The website of any mortgage broker should include necessary information such as how to contact you, your current rates, and links to relevant news and updates from the mortgage industry. Pictures and video are also useful tools that promote increased engagement with your content.
The Community Lending Centre is a Vancouver mortgage broker’s site built on WordPress
Next, you need to choose a platform that can deliver the SEO tools you need. WordPress is a popular option, as it offers an intuitive interface and a variety of ways to make it your own. Building the site will require time and technical expertise, however, so consider asking an experienced colleague or friend to recommend a web designer for you. Whatever you do, don’t try to piece something together yourself if you’re not sure what you’re doing. Your website is a reflection of you, and a messy webpage is frequently worse than not having one at all.
Once the basics of your site are completed, you need to choose a hosting service to host your files on their servers. GoDaddy and Bluehost are popular options. These services are not free, but should not run you more than $4 a month or so.
2. Pick The Right Words
The basic idea of every piece of content you post on your site is to provide valuable information to your prospective borrowers. People are more likely to share content that they found genuinely helpful, ultimately improving your business and SEO ranking.
If you want search engines to understand just how useful your content is, you need to pick the correct keywords. The best way to find them is to do a little homework on what prospective customers are searching for when they’re looking for a lender. Broad keywords are great at improving total traffic numbers, but those customers do not have the highest conversion rates (how many web visitors actually become customers). You’re probably better off focusing on terms with lower search rates but higher conversion rates.
Once you know what words to use, make sure to use them across every part of your site. The HTML title tag, meta description (that blurb that appears underneath every listing in a page of search results), the content itself, and the file name of every picture you post should all include your most important keywords. Just don’t overdo it, as Google will not rank “spammy” content highly no matter how useful it may be.
When your keyword-optimized site is up and running, you should immediately notice an uptick in both traffic and sales.
3. Be An Expert In Your Field
This was alluded to above, but it’s important to come off as a reliable source of information on the mortgage industry. Make it easy for the layperson to understand, as your potential customers are unlikely to have the background in mortgages that you do. Whenever you manage to teach someone something, you are likely to earn their business as well as that of their friends and family.
Providing quality information can also entice other real estate sites to cite you as a source in their work. This usually generates a backlink that Google’s algorithm sees as a vote of confidence in your site, significantly improving your SEO ranking. Even if whoever cited it does not provide a direct link, Google is smart enough to notice the attribution and credit you accordingly.
This means that generating links from trusted sites is nearly as crucial to your SEO efforts as providing quality content. Social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter are considered trusted sites for this purpose, so make sure you have a business account on both with links to your site. You can get other people to share your content on social media by providing interesting real estate information such as the best contractors in your area or your top tips for buying and selling real estate.
Traditional media outlets can also improve your SEO performance. For instance, getting quoted by a local newspaper in an article about real estate tells Google that an extremely reputable source finds what you are doing to be valuable. It is incredibly likely to concur, generating a massive improvement in your SEO ranking.
4. Install Free Tools Such As Google Analytics And WebMaster Tools
Focusing on SEO requires having tools that objectively measure your performance, and Google offers a variety of good ones for free. For example, a program called Google Analytics can provide valuable demographic information about your site’s visitors, including what kind of device they used, most popular pages, and new vs. repeat visitors. This info can be used to fine-tune your site to make it perform even better! Check out this link to find out how.
Google WebMaster Tools runs routine diagnostics on your site to ensure that there are no technical glitches hindering Google from indexing your content. You can also find out what keywords borrowers are using to find your site, adding focus to your SEO efforts. Find out more about how to use WebMaster Tools here.
5. Keep Going!
SEO is never finished, as industry trends, consumer tastes, and Google’s algorithms are all constantly evolving. It is, therefore, best to set aside some time each week to see how your SEO efforts are going, making any adjustments as needed. This will ensure that your digital footprint is always fresh, up-to-date, and appealing to search engines.
Every mortgage lender is on the lookout for new borrowers, and SEO is a powerful tool to start attracting more business. The tips above should have you toward the top of Google’s search results in no time flat!
