SEO for Commercial Real Estate

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the art and science of getting your content found on the internet. There is a vast amount of advice online on this topic so I won't repeat it all here. Google for more detail!

I'll just list some basic points that will help a page for a building be found on the web.

• Put the building name and address in the < title > tag of the page. Google pays extra attention to this.
  
• Put the name and address in the building in < h1 > (headings) tags on the page.
  
• Don't use images or flash to display important text information as search engines won't see it.
  
• Use the same words that people are likely to use in a search in your text description such as 'office space', 'commercial space', etc… Consider using a tool like Google Analytics to discover the search terms that your visitors are using.
  
• Make sure you include the name of the city, street and neighborhood in text on the page.
  
• Don't bother about the keyword meta tag. Search engines ignore these because they have been abused.

Now, that you've got someone to your site, how do you make sure they read what you have to say?

• First of all, keep your text short and simple. Research shows that people do not read web content, they scan it.
  
• Provide lots of pictures of the building inside and out.
  
• Provide an interactive map with neighbourhood features and amenities. Let your prospective tenants explore the surroundings.
  
• Show what space is available and let your visitors help themselves to information. Provide plans of available space.

The more you can help your prospect imagine moving into your building, the more likely they will be to go to the next step: pick up the phone and call!