How People Search: Understanding the process

We’ve learned from Google that the higher up you are on a list of search results, the more people will see you (75% of clicks on Google occur through listings on the first page). We’ve also learned that as many as 94% of people scroll right past the paid ads in favour of the natural or organic search results. 

That means there’s pressure to be at the top of the organic search results (these are the listings that appear just below the ones that are tagged with a small 'ad' icon), which isn’t easy to do - and here’s one more point to chew on; people want their search results to be as relevant as possible so even if you manage to get your project to the top of the list, you may still be passed over if there's another result that appears to be a better match...

Here's an example...

Let's say someone is looking to buy a new home, condo or townhome in Surrey. 64% of the time they go to Google (Bing, the next most popular search engine, is the choice for 22% of users) and they start by entering relevant search terms like 'new condos in Surrey', 'Surrey new homes' or ‘new condo developments Surrey, BC’. Up comes the list of results, which will typically include individual development websites (often listed as the paid ads - the ones that can get scrolled past 94% of the time) and sites that feature listings for multiple projects.

Ideally, the person searching wants to be directed to a place that has more than one development (think Expedia for travel or Autotrader for cars). Why? Because we want to save time and that means we don't want to visit 30 or 40 different development websites to view what projects are in Surrey.  In other words, most people's first choice will be to visit a website that provides a large selection of new home developments. 

What does all this mean?

1. That you shouldn't put all your eggs in one basket. Consider using Google AdWords, but understand that a high proportion of people will bypass the paid search results, and you may find it difficult or expensive to get the AdWords you're most interested in buying anyway.

2. That depending on your budget you may find it worthwhile to put some resources into developing an effective Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy to improve your organic page rank, but it may not guarantee you a ton of clicks or visitors to your site if viewers opt to go through a website that features multiple projects.

3. Most importantly, it means you should explore how you can maximize your exposure on websites that feature your type of content. If you own or manage a hotel you're better off being listed on Expedia, Hotels.com, TripAdvisor or Booking.com than spending a lot of money promoting your hotel's own website. Why? Because those are the sites people look at first. The key then becomes how you can get the best possible exposure on these sites as cost-effectively as possible. 

How we can help.

Because BCnewhomes.ca is one of the highest organically ranked sites on Google or Bing in dozens of relevant local searches (like Surrey new condos, Vancouver new homes, new condos in White Rock, new townhomes in Langley, Burnaby new developments, Richmond new homes, etc.) our strategy is to offer a limited number of premium placement options within each geographic region. So when someone searches for Surrey or Langley new homes and condos, your development is prominently displayed at the top of the page.

Through our Enhanced Listings, Featured Developments, Leaderboards and online banners we offer a unique suite of options to help you stand apart from your competition and put you near the top of our search pages. Featured Development campaigns start from just $59 per week or Enhanced Listing campaigns that also put your project on page one of our search results start from $25 per week. We can also help to tell your story with a professionally written editorial feature on your development that we'll post on our homepage, feature in your appropriate area (Vancouver, Burnaby, Richmond, Langley, etc.) and link to your project listing.

The key is being in multiple places (because it's hard to predict which sites people will choose to visit first), and establishing the best placement possible. 

To learn more about how to get your campaign started, email info@bcnewhomes.ca.