Agents' property descriptions are improving, says SEO expert

Estate and letting agents' property descriptions are becoming increasingly likely to appear in keyword searches, according to a web marketing expert.

Director of web consultancy Sub@moic, Steve Whiting, says we have reached a tipping point for the presence of 'good descriptive copy' in property listings.

After seeing a TV advert promoting PrimeLocation's keyword search capabilities, Whiting took to his blog to discuss property listings and their relationship with Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).

"Generic property searches will never get found with a keyword search, no matter how much money the property portal spends on nice TV ads," says Whiting, the author of The Art of Search.

He says that with limited space for property descriptions available on portals, it's important that agents avoid using 'copy-pasted clichés'.

"Can you imagine buyers trying to find [a] home using search and describing their dream property with the words 'exceptional, contemporary, oozing style and charm'," he writes.

Whiting says prospective buyers using search engines are more likely to search for the name of a local development or the catchment area of a particular school.

He says features like bi-folding doors and wood burning stoves are also more likely to be searched for.

Other things that buyers could search for are properties designed by a particular architect or a home with disability access, says Whiting.

The SEO guru indicates that range cooker, fireplace, kitchen island, sash windows, veranda, sea view and beach are some of the most popular keyword searches.

"Search is all about being found, not about doing your best to disappear," Whiting advises.

"Describe what you offer using the kinds of words that your buyers will search with. Share their dreams, move to where they are thinking."