How to Optimize Your Ad

According to many experts and statistics from the last year, it has become evident that the housing crisis is past and home prices and sales are on the rise. Even in international markets that have been seeing sharp declines, housing seems to be leveling out. Regardless of where your market is located, it is highly likely that your buyers will be using the internet to find their properties.

It is important to optimize your ad campaigns now to take advantage of this year's busy season. Here are a few recommendations to help you get the most traffic to your ads and see greater success in conversions.

1. Use Keywords

Based on a study of keywords for real estate advertisers, there are four areas that should be the focus.

Brand terms

Many advertisers think their own brand will show up in organic listings but this is not always the case. You also don't want your competitor bidding on your brand.

Sales or Rental Terms

It is worth your time to build a large portfolio of all of the variations that come with "for rent" or "for sale." A large percentage of clicks come from these terms coupled with other generic terms.

Generic Terms

Many advertisers overlook general terms such as apartments, real estate, and other very generic words. However, these terms are especially important when you combine them with a targeted area, such as California homes or Boston apartments. This combination helps you reach your targeted audience in the right place. You can specify in your settings that the target is people either in the targeted location, searching for, or viewing information about the targeted location to ensure you don't leave anyone out.

Local Terms

Targeting the correct audience often happens when you use specific location terms. This can take time, but the results are worth it.

2. Know When to Bid

If you are focusing on localized terms for your marketing campaigns, you can adjust the bidding on terms based on peak buying season. For example, in Hawaii the real estate search reaches its peak in January. On the other hand, June is the best month for people looking to buy in Mississippi. Bid on all of the match types to improve your click-through-rate.

Consider placement of the ad to ensure a higher CTR. A recent study showed better results when the ad is on the main search rather than located on the sidebar.

3. Create a Worthy Landing Page

The best ad won't close the deal for you if the landing page is a disappointment. To turn visitors into conversions you need to create an optimal landing page. Here are some features that visitors expect to see:

• Photos- the more, the better as long as they are clear and provide details
• Detailed information about each property that is for sale or rent
• Virtual tours through the homes or apartments
• Maps, especially interactive ones to provide clearer information on location
• Contact information for the real estate agent
• Neighborhood information

These are the most important details to include, but you will also want to add the contract status, as well as information about upcoming houses and recently sold properties.