When it comes to the real estate market, especially in growing areas like McKinney, Texas, having a strong online presence is critical. Recently, I had the opportunity to work with Steve Remy and Leslie Remy, a realtor in McKinney, to conduct a deep SEO audit and identify key areas where their site could improve to rank higher on search engines and attract more clients.
McKinney, like many of the Dallas suburbs, is growing. However, with growth comes competition, and unfortunately, Leslie’s SEO has taken a downturn. Initially, her site had ranked for more keywords, but over time, those rankings diminished. Our goal was to figure out why.
Upon reviewing her domain authority, it stood at a solid 29, which is good. But that strength wasn’t translating into rankings for critical keywords like “real estate agents McKinney, TX.” Leslie ranked at position 17 for that keyword, which wasn’t enough to capture significant traffic.
Critical Issues Highlighted in the Audit
Lack of Location Service Pages: Leslie’s website didn’t have dedicated service pages for the various neighborhoods in McKinney, like Stonebridge Ranch. Without these pages, she wasn’t able to rank for localized searches, limiting her visibility.
Slow Website Performance: The site’s load speed was severely hindering SEO performance, especially on mobile devices. With a score of only 15 out of 100 for mobile speed, this was a major red flag. The high number of large images, excessive plugins, and unoptimized JavaScript were all culprits in slowing the site down.
Inconsistent NAP (Name, Address, Phone): A significant part of local SEO is ensuring that your business information is consistent across all directories and listings. Leslie’s information wasn’t matching across directories, creating confusion and weakening her online presence.
Reviews: While Leslie had great reviews, there weren’t many recent ones. Google favors businesses with continuous, fresh reviews, so this was another area that needed attention.
Path to Fixing These Issues
Create Location Service Pages: Adding detailed pages for neighborhoods like Stonebridge Ranch and other communities would allow Leslie to rank for localized keywords. People search for homes based on neighborhood specifics, so having content tailored to these areas is crucial.
Optimize Website Performance: Improving load times by compressing images, removing unnecessary plugins, and optimizing JavaScript will greatly enhance user experience and improve SEO scores. The goal is to achieve a mobile score above 90, which would drastically improve rankings.
Fix NAP Inconsistencies: By ensuring that Leslie’s name, address, and phone number are consistent across all platforms and directories, we’ll create a stronger, more reliable online footprint.
Boost Social Media Presence: Leslie already had great YouTube content about things like the best taco places in McKinney. We recommended repurposing this content across social media platforms and running targeted ads for just $1 a day to reach local audiences.
SEO is more than just a service It’s a Result One of the key takeaways I emphasized to Steve and Leslie was that SEO isn’t something you just “buy” from an agency. It’s a result of consistent content creation, optimization, and engagement. When done right, it’s not just about ranking on Google it’s about driving real, local traffic to your business.
Through this audit, we’ve identified the right steps to take Steve and Leslie’s real estate business to the next level. And with the plan in place, they’re well on their way to reclaiming their rankings and growing their business in this competitive market.
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Developing an Effective SEO and Marketing Approach
In today’s competitive landscape, having a solid SEO and marketing strategy is essential for the growth and sustainability of your business. We understand that creating an effective plan isn’t just about ticking boxes; it’s about generating real results and driving meaningful growth.
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Unveiling the Reality Behind Their Practices
One of the most concerning trends in the agency world is continuous charging without significant ongoing work. Imagine hiring someone to install an air purifier, only to find out they’re adding a monthly fee without any clear justification. This is similar to what many agencies do with their SEO services. They often charge clients month after month, even when the work they claim to be doing is minimal or nonexistent.
It’s important to recognize that most marketing companies function more like salespeople than technical experts. They may promise the world but often lack the expertise needed to execute effective strategies. This can lead to a significant loss for clients who expect results but end up with little to show for their investment. If the phone isn’t ringing, it’s often because the necessary groundwork hasn’t been laid.
Another common issue is the way agencies claim credit for website traffic. Many agencies tout their ability to drive traffic, but the reality is more complex. They often take credit for all traffic organic, referral, and paid when in truth, they should only be acknowledging the traffic that they directly generate. This includes non-branded traffic that results from their specific efforts to increase visibility.