You’ve probably heard that real estate is all about location, location, location. So why not dedicate an entire page on your real estate website to celebrating and sharing where you live, and work?
A community page (sometimes called an “area page”) is a space on your website dedicated to all things local. As much as your website should represent you and your real estate business, it should also promote your region as a great place to buy or sell a home.
Here’s everything you need to know about community pages:
- Basic background
- What makes a good community page
- How community pages can help you generate more leads
Read on to learn why a community page is vital if you want to establish yourself as the top real estate pro in your neighborhood!
What is a Community Page?
Community pages are a section of your real estate website dedicated to educating visitors about the region where you assist home buyers and sellers.
A community page generally features important information about your neighborhood, such as its history, population, and general cost of living. It can also share what makes your community unique, by highlighting annual events or traditions, attractions, restaurants, stores or any other local flair.
Why is it important to have a Community Page?
Including a community page on your real estate website can have several benefits to your business. Here are just some of the ways a community page is a great way to help you reach various marketing goals:
- Improved local search engine optimization (SEO)
When home buyers begin their online search for a new place to live, they first want to know more about where they will potentially move. They are likely to use many locally-focused keywords, such as the name of towns or counties, local school districts, or housing prices in your area, when they research information on Google or Bing.
Likewise, people who are looking to sell a home may also be researching online as they try to determine the value of their home. They can use this knowledge to compile major selling points to share with potential buyers.
A community page provides the perfect platform to rank highly for all these search terms. Here you can address common questions about the region and establish yourself as a helpful resource, just as potential leads are beginning their home buying or selling journey.
- Increased lead generation on your website
Website visitors who are researching the region are perfectly positioned to be converted into leads.
For example, let’s say a family lands on your website as they are researching a new community to call home. While they may have initially been drawn in by the valuable information you share on your community page, there are plenty of opportunities to get them to provide you with details that will help you follow up and establish a relationship.
Offering a free downloadable guide to the region, in exchange for their contact information, will allow you to get in touch via phone or email and learn more about their needs. Or, you can showcase MLS listings for the area that they’re exploring, with the option to star their favorites and fill out a form to learn more about specific properties. This provides a natural next step from researching your town to scheduling a home tour with you.
- Boost your reputation as a local expert
Home buyers and sellers want to work with a real estate professional who knows their market inside and out. Prove they’re in good hands by sharing your extensive knowledge on a community page.
To establish yourself as a local guru, you need to do more than copy and paste data about home values and market statistics. Set yourself apart by giving your page a unique, personal spin.
Sharing a list of your favorite restaurants and why you’re a regular there is a great way to make your community page completely unique to you. Or, you can try one of these other tips to position yourself as a local expert:
- Get involved in your community (attend local government meetings, volunteer around town or support local programs and causes)
- Join or start a community Facebook group for locals
- Create videos of exciting hot spots around town
Basically, by proving that you know your community, you’ll position yourself as the perfect person to help make a new town feel like home.
Elements of a great Community Page
Simply having a community page isn’t enough to boost your lead generation. You also need to outfit it with content that is both memorable and motivational. Here are just some elements that will help elevate the quality of your community page:
Helpful information
A community page that answers common questions and provides visitors with detailed knowledge will make you look like a helpful and well-informed source.
This information doesn’t just have to benefit home buyers. You can also attract sellers to your website by providing them with a list of selling points that they can use to generate buzz about their home on the market.
On her website, agent Deborah Hess of The Chicago Group provides detailed information about each area of the city where she helps people buy and sell homes. Her page about living in Logan Square, for example, takes a deep dive into the neighborhood.
Hess doesn’t just share listings in the region, but also shares facts about the community’s history, architecture, home prices, transportation and popular hangouts. The page also features several photos from the area, providing website visitors with a detailed introduction to Logan Square that actually makes them feel like they’re there.
Attention-getting video
Videos should be a vital piece of your real estate marketing efforts, especially when it comes to community pages. Instead of telling your audience about what makes your community special, why not show them through videos that capture the excitement and culture of your local hotspots?
Excellent videos don’t require a lot of time or huge production costs. In fact, we’ve detailed how you can craft a great video for your community page using only a smartphone.
RE/MAX on the River uses many videos to provide website visitors with a thorough understanding of the Massachusetts region where it operates. Their community page videos don’t just provide viewers with a rundown of the community; they also feature the brokerage’s agents where ach employee shares their own favorite place to visit, or local activity such as apple picking.
Not only can viewers get an idea of what it’s like to live in the area; they also get familiar with each agent, paving the way for a strong agent-client relationship in the future.
Stunning photography
If a picture says a thousand words, then shots from around your community speak volumes. Make sure your community page is visually appealing by including multiple images from your neighborhood, favorite parks, trendy shopping areas, or anywhere else that you believe may catch someone’s eye.
Like listing photos of a house, you want to make sure that you show off the most appealing aspects to make viewers feel at home.
When you live in a scenic state like Hawaii, it’s a crime not to share beautiful views from the area. Damon Rhys of Sachi Hawaii immediately welcomes visitors to his community pages with a slideshow of stunning shots.
These images convey that the real draw of living in the area is the jaw-dropping scenery and crystal-clear water. Combined with information such as the travel time to Honolulu and nearby shopping possibilities, Damon communicates how living in paradise can be a dream come true.
Making your Community Page work for your business
Once you’ve built out your community page, how can you tie it into your larger real estate marketing goals? There are many ways to ensure that visitors who land on your community page go on to become paying customers.
Try one of these tactics to boost lead generation on your community pages:
Include a call-to-action (CTA)
Once someone has read through your community pages, what do you want them to do next? There are many ways to nudge your website visitors into contacting you, or staying engaged.
- One method is to provide a CTA encouraging them to browse available properties in a neighborhood they have just researched.
- Another idea is to compile the information on your community page into a short, downloadable fact sheet. This fact sheet provides visitors with a quick way to access important information that they’ll need during their home buying or selling process.
By requiring visitors to provide their contact information in order to access this asset, you’ll be able to follow up with them to learn more about their home buying or selling objectives.
Share your content
If you have a blog, social media presence, email newsletter, or anywhere else online where you regularly talk about your real estate services, your community page is a great piece of content to promote there.
You can even build out elements of your community page into other assets. For example, you can list your top five bars or restaurants in a blog post, and link back to your community page at the end. Or, you could describe a typical day in the life of your community on Facebook, and tell people they can learn more on your community page.
The options are endless, as long as you keep your readers’ needs in mind and focus on your lead generation objectives.
Build your brand
Community pages aren’t just great for promoting your services among prospects. They can also help build your reputation and your brand in your neighborhood.
It’s important to make a name for yourself among people who already live in your town. This will come in handy when trying to generate leads who are looking to sell their home. It can also be helpful when trying to boost referrals among your network.
Whatever your goal is, make sure you use your community page to make your real estate business synonymous with your community.
A community page is just one important aspect of generating leads with your real estate website. Download this free guide to learn how to optimize your entire site to boost your business.
