Can you rank for estate agent in Glasgow?
The appeal and lure of organic traffic from search engines is so attractive, that virtually every business is drawn to the pursuit of pleasing Google. However, for the many millions of businesses who have tried and failed, organic ranking seems like a cruel joke, or something for privileged businesses and major corporations.
This isn’t the full story though, and there are opportunities for businesses of all shapes and sizes, in all locations, to rank for the keyword terms that their potential customers type in to search engines.
As is my wont, due to my location and the businesses I typically assist — this article uses estate agents in Glasgow as a platform, but the principles apply to all locations and jobs.
According to Moz, the search term “estate agents Glasgow” has an average monthly search volume between 851 and 1,700.
Should you rank for estate agents Glasgow?
It is perhaps easy to say it is too hard to rank for this term, there is too much competition already. However, according to Moz, the keyword difficulty associated with ranking on the first page is 28. That is 28 out of 100, which in the grand scheme of things isn’t too daunting a prospect. If you told most estate agents the difficulty in persuading a homeowner to use them to sell their house was 28%, the vast majority would fancy their chances of gaining the instruction.
Business is often about taking a bet on yourself, and doing everything you can to achieve success.
It isn’t easy to rank for this term, but it is possible, and the rewards are of significant interest to any estate agent operating in Glasgow.
A study by Backlinko suggests the number one ranking on a Google results page receives an average click through rate of 27.6%. The same study says only 0.63% of Google users clicked on a link on the second page of search results. You know this from your personal use, if you’re not on the first page, you don’t exist when it comes to clicks.
If this result applied to the Moz findings, what traffic is on offer?
Going by Backlinko’s findings, the number one rank for “estate agents Glasgow” will receive the following traffic:
· At 851 searches a month, 234 people will click the link and visit the website.
· At 1,250 searches a month, 345 people will click the link and visit the website.
· At 1,700 searches a month, 469 people will click the link and visit the website.
A study by Poll The People says the number one result in Google receives 34% of organic traffic, and that the first position receives more traffic than the second, third, fourth and fifth result combined. The study also says the top result earns more traffic than positions 5 through 20 combined.
An interesting point is that the most significant increase between placings is the 143% increase in traffic when moving from 11th to 10th place. Again, this reinforces the importance of being on the first page (even if some first pages now only offer 8 or 9 organic results).
If this result applied to the Moz findings, what traffic is on offer?
Going by Poll The People’s findings, the number one rank for “estate agents Glasgow” will receive the following traffic:
· At 851 searches a month, 289 people will click the link and visit the website.
· At 1,250 searches a month, 425 people will click the link and visit the website.
· At 1,700 searches a month, 578 people will click the link and visit the website.
No estate agent would turn their nose up at an additional 234 or 289 people visiting their website each month, so you can see why organic traffic is such a draw to businesses. Google (and other) ads are available but the lure of doing work once (or paying someone once) and reaping the benefits of every month is more appealing than the thought of paying every single month to be in front of your audience.
Who currently ranks?
According to Moz, the organic first page rankings for “estate agents Glasgow” is as follows:
· Clyde Property
· Rightmove
· Pacitti Jones
· Town and Country Estate Agents
· Aberdein Considine
· Westgate Estate Agents
· S1 Homes
· Rettie
· MQ Estate Agents
Yes, there are only 9 organic listings for “estate agents Glasgow”, and 2 of them aren’t estate agents, they are property listing sites ranking for the term. So, there are 7 organic spots available on the first paged, which is a daunting prospect for any estate agent looking to break in.
Daunting, but not impossible.
Is there an opportunity to claim a spot?
When you want to replace someone on the first page, you need to find opportunities. As you’d expect, there are some well established names who have developed their reputation over the years. There might also be a few surprises in the list, and when you look at critical factors such as the Domain Authority of the site and Linking Root Domain to the page and site, you see there are opportunities.
I’m not going to name the sites to target and overcome here, but anyone analysing the results will see two or three immediate targets that could be replaced on the first page.
One company has a Domain Authority of 9, and a total of 41 domains pointing to their site.
There is a company with a Domain Authority of 15 with a total of 55 domains pointing to their site.
There is also a company with a Domain Authority of 21 and 121 domains pointing to their site.
If you are unsure of the relevancy of Domain Authority and Domains linking to a site, don’t worry, I’ll go into more detail in this Medium hosted article on Domain Authority. However, while many factors influence the overall ranking (including the quality of the content), it might be helpful to consider ranking on Google as a crucial game of Top Trumps.
If your website has a higher Domain Authority than a rival site, you’ve a much better chance of ranking. If you’ve got more links pointing to your site than a competitor, you have a good chance of ranking above them. Now, its not 100% fool proof, quality always counts, but if you are looking to improve your site and get more rankings, these are good parameters to consider and work on.
How many estate agents are there in Glasgow?
If you had no competitors in business, but still the same demand for your services, you would be laughing. That’s the dream, but it’s far from reality, and if you are looking to gain instructions as an estate agent in Glasgow, it’s helpful to know what and who you are up against.
· All Agents say there are 552 estate and letting agents in Glasgow
· Rightmove lists 271 estate agents in Glasgow
· The 192 directory has listings for 200 active estate agency businesses in Glasgow
· Zoopla lists 158 estate agent companies in the city
· The Agents List website says there are 136 agents in Glasgow and Lanarkshire
Don’t get too hung up on the actual number, just accept there is a lot of competition in the area. Of course, not every estate agent competes in the same area, offers the same standard of service, lists the same style of property and appeals to the same sort of clients.
There is scope for many different estate agents to thrive in the city, connecting with customers and clients.
Look closer to home than just Glasgow
By focusing on a more local area as opposed to the whole city, you might find more alluring opportunities to rank:
· Estate agents Shawlands with an estimated search volume of 51 to 100 a month, with a keyword difficulty of 19%.
· Estate agents Dennistoun with an estimated search volume of 11 to 50 a month, with a keyword difficulty of 20%
· Estate agents Byres Road with an estimated search volume of 11 to 50 a month, with a keyword difficulty of 15.
You also have many other terms to consider, including:
· Property Shawlands, with an estimated search volume of 51 to 100 a month
· Property for sale Shawlands, with an estimated search volume of 101 to 500 a month
· If you are also in the rental market, you have Flats to rent Shawlands, with an estimated search volume of 101 to 500 a month.
And it doesn’t matter where you are based in the city or where you operate, you should have content that relates to your location. Even if users aren’t directly typing “estate agents Shawlands” in the search engine, if they do so on their mobile, there will be a local element. Even on desktop, searches are tailored locally, so focusing your work on a local level makes sense.
There is also a bigger reason to go local when it comes to content
Even if you think the potential returns of ranking for a local area like Dennistoun or Shawlands are slim pickings, compared to the big return of the whole Glasgow area, think about how Google looks at companies.
If you start by focusing on your local area, with less competition, and rank well, Google shows they know you and they trust you. If you do this for a couple of areas, you’re recognised as a trusted estate agent in Glasgow, and your chances of ranking for “estate agents Glasgow” becomes easier.
Picking up small wins and improving your reputation and website standing is the most sensible way to compete with larger or more established firms. I know this sounds dull, and it’ll probably take a bit longer than you’d hope for, but if you are in it for the long haul, you enhance your chances of success.
Ranking is worthwhile, and it’s worth the effort. It takes some work, but with a plan in place, it takes less work than you think. Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn if you want the results and benefits but can’t be bothered with the dirty work.
