5 Ways to Improve Your Online Presence and Stand Out from Other Agents in Your Market

There are more real estate agents in the U.S. than ever before. According to the National Association of REALTORS®, a whopping 156,000 new agents joined the group during the last two years — a 60% uptick from the previous two-year period.

While it’s no surprise (being an agent comes with flexibility and great earning potential), for existing agents, it’s probably a bit worrisome. 

What do all these new agents mean for their business? Will the increased competition lead to fewer listings, clients, and commissions?

It very well could, especially if you’re in an area where lots of these newbie agents operate in. According to NAR data, Georgia, Texas, Florida, Arkansas, and Wyoming have seen the biggest jump in agents since January 2021. In Georgia, the number of agents operating in the state is now up 10% in just a one-year period. 

Fortunately, you don’t have to take the extra competition lying down. Do you want to ensure your name is top of mind when clients in your area start looking for an agent?

Here are five ways to improve your online presence and stand out from other agents in your market.

1. Revamp your website with SEO in mind.

If you want your name to come up first when a client searches for agents in your community, SEO is going to be key. While you could try and DIY this, your best bet is to hire an SEO pro to optimize your site on your behalf. You can hire a marketing company to help with this or look to freelancers on platforms like Upwork or Freelancer.com.

Starting a blog is also a great way to help with your site’s SEO, as it allows you to work in keywords and community content that can help your site get found. 

2. Hop on the video train.

Some of the most successful agents these days have video to thank for it. They’re creating engaging, entertaining, and educational Instagram Reels and real estate TikToks that catch attention and show off their skills and expertise. 

There’s no right or wrong way to do it, either. You can use your videos to talk about common homebuyer questions, report on local market trends and stats, show off your listings, or even just behind the scenes looks at your work throughout the day. Whatever you do, just make sure to use your hashtags carefully, as they can help you be found by potential clients. (You’ll typically want to include your city name or neighborhood, among other phrases). 

3. Create a freebie.

Freebies are a great way to get people to your site and capture their contact information. There are lots of options for freebies, too. You could create a monthly market report about your area’s high-level stats and trends — things like median price, number of homes sold, supply levels, days on market averages, and more.

You could also do a more evergreen one that will require less upkeep. A good example would be a first-time homebuyer’s guide or some sort of checklist (maybe for touring properties?) You mostly want to offer something of value to your potential clients — something they could print off and use in their home search.

4. Use Google to your advantage.

Google can help you perform better in online searches in a number of ways. First, go claim your Google My Business profile and fill out your office hours, address, website, and other details. This will allow searchers to find you both on Google Maps and in search more easily. It will also open your business up to reviews, which can help you rank higher too.

Then, go start a Google Ads Manager account. Here, you can create ads that show up alongside searches and point to your website. For example, you might run an ad for the search term “Atlanta realtor” or “Atlanta real estate agent.” You don’t have to spend the big bucks (Google lets you set a maximum spend, so you’ll never go out of budget), but even $50 a month can do wonders. All it takes is just one or two people seeing it, and that could mean thousands of more in commissions for the month.

5. Get social.

Videos are a great place to start in the social world, but make sure you’re actually interacting with people on the apps you use too. That means replying to comments, following movers and shakers in the industry, and sharing and stitching content from other users on occasion. 

You want to use social media not just as a way to shout your brand from the rooftops but to build relationships and trust — both with potential clients and with other professionals.

More advice for agents

Need more help boosting your business and beating out the competition? Check out our real estate agent resources. You can also try these extra touches to stand out or consider getting a new designation or certification. To connect with an experienced loan officer who can help your clients, find the Embrace Home Loans office in your area now.