Tools for dealing with Google’s real estate search dominance on smartphones

Have you participated in a conversation lately and someone asks, “Who was that guy who played in the movie (insert title here)?

“You know who I’m talking about, the guy with the (insert unique character traits here).”

After a few minutes of everyone wracking their brains, someone finally pulls out their smartphone and finds the answer in nanoseconds.

Are you taking a close look at what is occurring here?

Your smartphone is no longer just a phone. It’s an information device. And you might take a closer look at how this is changing the real estate marketing landscape.

As of February, Google said 300 million Android devices have been purchased (phones that use Google’s Android software). That’s how many people live in the US.

There are 850,000 new Android devices being purchased every day. Every day.

Forget the phone calls. Ninety-five percent of owners use their Android device for search.

Eight-two percent use their phone at least once a week to search for something.

And guess which search engine is getting the majority of those searches? If you guessed Google, you guessed correctly. They are generating not just a majority of searches, but at 97%, for all intents and purposes, a monopoly.

The thing is, consumers are not just searching for names of movie stars. Nearly half, 48%, are searching on their phone for businesses.

That includes real estate businesses like yours.

What’s the bottom line here?

If you have ignored the whole process of search engine optimization, which means positioning your web site so it shows up in the first or second page for Google search results relevant to your real estate company,  it’s time to make this a priority.

Search is already huge for real estate as it is. But with the phenomenal rise in mobile search, it’s going to get even bigger. Much bigger.

Ouch, does the whole idea of getting a better ranking on Google make your head spin? Yes, it’s complicated, very complicated.

Lucky for you, there is a very simple solution. It’s called WordPress and Home Junction Inc. specializes in creating WordPress web sites for real estate brokers and agents.

With WordPress, it’s extremely easy to put in target keywords and text that will make your web site rank better for the searches that are important to you.

You probably already know how difficult it is to get to the front page of Google for the search term “real estate.”

But with WordPress and a steady optimization strategy, you can get to the first few pages for narrower terms such as “(insert your town here) homes for sale.”

“If people in real estate think the marketing landscaping is changing now, the avalanche of smartphones is going to create a quantum leap,” said John Perkins, CEO of Home Junction Inc. “Brokers and agent would be smart to pay more attention to their presence on search engines. And WordPress is unquestionably the leading platform for this technology.”

So, next time you see someone reaching for their HTC Evo or their Samgsung Galaxy (with Android software) or even their iPhone, don’t think they are just checking their email or friends on Facebook.

They could be looking for a Realtor in your town.

Are they going to find you on their smartphone?

To read about the rise of Android devices, click here.

To talk to Home Junction Inc.  about a WordPress site, SEO, and improving your rankings on Google (both online and mobile), click here.