Online rental searching has changed everything. Most tenants today find rentals using Google before they ever even drive through an area or scan print ads.
If your rentals are invisible to people looking for rentals in your market via local search results, you are likely losing those qualified renters. Having a strong online presence can help landlords have a steady inquiry flow, reduce vacancy periods, and stay competitive.
Read this article as we discuss the necessary skills you’ll need to run a successful and profitable rental property business. Understand how optimizing your listings, with the help of local SEO, is important to increase your online visibility.
Simple Ways to Attract More Tenants Online
To attract potential renters online, you need to be clear, consistent, and visible. Small improvements in the way you present your property across all of these digital channels will have a significant impact on generating interest from renters and reducing the amount of time it takes for a unit to rent.
Optimize Your Property Listings
The quality of your rental listing will likely be one of the first impressions you make on a prospective tenant. The title of your listing should clearly convey what you are offering and include the price of the unit.
Include a description that highlights the benefits of living at this location (i.e., natural light, storage, parking, etc.) or proximity to public transportation. Make sure to include pictures of the unit that accurately represent the condition and amenities of the unit.
If you have incomplete or inaccurate information regarding your unit in your listing, prospective renters may lose confidence in you and be less likely to take action.
Use High-Quality Photos and Virtual Tours
Pictures have a huge impact on CTR (Click-Through Rate). Well-lit pictures of each room, main amenities, and the property exterior make it easy for renters to picture themselves in the home. Virtual walk-throughs provide an added layer of convenience and eliminate non-qualified applicants from the process.
Rental properties that feature high-quality photos and virtual walk-throughs get significantly more engagement and applications much quicker than rental properties with no photos or virtual walk-throughs.
List on the Right Rental Platforms
Where your listings are placed is crucial to visibility. List your rentals on the best and most trusted websites that renters use every day to find rentals. Be sure to enlist the same information about your rental property on every site you place the listing on, such as square footage, rent, etc.
If you do not list the same information on each site, this can lead to confusion among potential renters and lower the credibility of the rental property. Choose rental sites that work well in your area, and avoid placing your listings on numerous sites without first checking their performance.
Build and Display Tenant Reviews
Renters are using online reviews as a form of social proof. Online Reviews help renters make an informed decision about the reliability and quality of the property management prior to contacting your company.
Satisfied tenants can be encouraged to leave an online review after a successful move-in experience or after receiving a timely resolution of maintenance issues. When responding to both positive and negative reviews, the response must be professional in nature.
Proactively managing reviews will increase credibility with renters, improve your local reputation, and influence renters to contact you prior to contacting one of your competitors.
Why Local SEO Matters for Rental Property Owners
Understanding why local SEO matters for rental property owners can improve online visibility. Basically, local Search Engine Optimization (SEO) affects whether your rental property shows up in a search when a tenant is looking for housing in your geographic region.
Most renters look for apartments/homes using location-specific searches (e.g., “Apartments Near Me” or “Rentals in Northern Virginia”). Therefore, if your apartment does not show up in local search results, your rental is invisible to those with high intent to rent.
Local Search Engine Optimization allows you to be competitive in areas that matter most:
- Increases visibility on Google Maps and local search engine results
- Captures renters who have an active interest in renting in your service area
- Generates high-quality leads vs. low-quality/curious browsers
Optimizing your listing with local keywords, keeping your online listing information up-to-date, and managing your online reputation will help you catch potential renters when they are ready to rent.
This results in reduced vacancy times and higher quality leads without additional advertising expenses.
Easy Tips to Improve Your Property’s Online Presence
It is possible to improve your online presence in simple ways without an advanced system or a large budget. It can be done by consistently providing accurate information and making sure the details match how renters are searching for properties online
Create or Improve a Professional Website
Your website is the hub of your rental business. It should have a fast loading speed, be able to display well on mobile phones, and make it easy to know exactly what you have to offer.
Make sure to include a list of available rentals, including a description of the area where the property is located, a price range, and ways to get in touch with you.
The most important thing about having a professional website is that it will build trust with potential renters and allow search engines to identify and properly categorize your rentals.
Optimize and Maintain Your Google Business Profile
Having a full Google Business Profile can make your properties visible in local search results and on maps when people are looking for rental properties near you.
Make sure to add updated photos of your building, along with the right contact information, including the right service area.
Answer all reviews and questions equally to show consistency. An active profile indicates to both Google and people searching for rentals nearby that you have integrity.
Strategize your Use of Local Keywords
Using local keywords is how you are able to connect your properties with actual renters who are searching locally. Incorporate words that relate to your city or neighborhood throughout your website, listings, and property descriptions.
Do not use “keyword stuffing.” Write naturally, but include location as much as possible to allow the search engine to associate your property with the location where there is rental demand.
Keep Listings Consistent Across Platforms
Use consistent listings across all platforms (your website, Craigslist, etc.) to avoid confusing potential renters with different prices, descriptions, or availability for a single property.
Consistency is key to establishing trust signals and increasing search visibility. It will also reduce unnecessary inquiries due to outdated or false information that renters may have received from viewing one of your listings.
Publish Helpful, Local Content
Create simple guides about the renting process in your area, highlight the best neighborhoods to rent in, create moving tips, etc. The benefits of creating this type of content are two-fold.
First, you establish yourself as a trusted source of knowledge for renters looking to move into the area. You don’t have to do this yourself; most savvy real estate investors hire content writing agencies to handle informative content on their website.
Second, by providing search engines with additional context about your business location and services, you can improve your organic search rankings and attract more qualified leads.
Conclusion
Your rental property’s ability to find and attract tenants is directly affected by its level of visibility online.
Improving your listing presence, increasing your local search engine optimization (SEO), and ensuring your online profiles are always up-to-date will help you rent out your rental properties faster and less frequently and be able to compete better in a competitive market.
If keeping up with these requirements feels like a hassle, consider partnering with experienced property managers. Property management in Northern Virginia helps owners stay ahead of shifting rental demand. They can help build your online presence and handle other aspects of your property to maximize profitability.
