Decoding search: 5 SEO lessons for apartment marketers

The world of search is constantly evolving. Luckily for apartment marketers, we monitor every trend and algorithm update to help you stay informed.  

On top of that, we share SEO strategies based on years of experience (and success helping multifamily clients maximize their reach).

Case in point: The knowledgeable Kyle Jones hosted a free virtual series to discuss what’s happening with search and how to optimize your website for better performance.

But if you missed the two sessions, you can find Kyle’s 5 SEO lessons below.

Enjoy the expert insights!

Lesson 1: Understand search engines & their algorithms

How do search engines really work? Search engine robots (spiders) crawl the internet (web). Specifically, these robots:

• Follow links to discover new pages
• Crawl the page to determine what it’s about
• Add the page to the index (Google’s library)

As Kyle puts it, the magic happens when a user searches for something. The Google algorithm scans the index to find the page that best answers that user’s question.

But there are roughly 5.6 billion searches each day, meaning there’s a ton of data to sort through. Google makes it happen by continuously updating the algorithm — about 4,500 times per year — and using 200+ ranking factors to discover and display search results.

It’s a pretty complicated process that’s evolved over time, but we know it well. (SEO is kind of our thing.)

Here’s the deal: To succeed at SEO, you need to understand how search engines — and their algorithms — work. Since there are frequent changes, you might consider working with specialized experts who do the heavy lifting for you.

Lesson 2: Know the big updates

We’ve seen monumental algorithm updates in the last several years, including these two:

• The shift to semantic search
• The onset of generative AI

Google switched from lexical to semantic search in 2013, which as Kyle shares, was the biggest update in the search engine’s history. Lexical search relies on matching exact words or phrases, whereas semantic search aims to understand the meaning of words and their relationship to each other.

The onset of generative AI is a fairly recent update. In 2024, Google introduced AI-generated overviews — which often appear at the top of search results — to provide users with more cohesive answers.

This is the big lesson: If you’re in tune with the updates (how search currently works, what’s changing and what Google wants), you can use that to facilitate your success. Working with a team that’s passionate about search, and who uses algorithm updates to inform your strategy, often produces the best results. 

Lesson 3: Make the algorithm work for you

Ready for actionable tips? We’ve got your back.  

Learn more about optimizing your site with semantic search in mind:

The history of search & how it impacts SEO 

Get a few tricks for appealing to generative engines (AI overviews):

6 GEO tips for every apartment marketer

And Kyle notes one more piece of the algorithm puzzle: word count. How many words does the algorithm want your site to have?

In short, more words doesn’t always mean better, but your site does need enough words for Google to contextualize it.

With that in mind: Create rich copy that gives Google enough information. It wants to know who you are, where you are and what you offer. For apartment websites, we estimate that 250-300 words (2-3 paragraphs) per page is the sweet spot, but make sure you fill that space with relevant information.   

Lesson 4: Optimize for the feedback loop

Ok, what’s the feedback loop? It describes the signals sent back to Google when a user visits your website.

Kyle explains that SEO is a system of feedback loops, both positive and negative. It goes like this: If someone visits your site and engages, that sends positive feedback to Google (it thinks your site successfully answered that user’s search query). If visitors quickly bounce off your site, or don’t visit multiple pages, that can send negative signals.

This sums up the lesson: To rank higher in SERPs, your site has to send positive feedback signals. To send positive signals, your site needs users to engage. You should optimize with structure, flow and engagement points in mind. Once again, the right experts can help you achieve this.

Lesson 5: Get technical

Familiar with the technical side of SEO? It means optimizing things like page titles, meta descriptions and URLs.

As Kyle says, it’s crucial to keep up with technical SEO, since Google looks for active management when it determines rankings. If you ‘set it and forget it’ for six months, Google will notice.

Here’s the takeaway: You should prioritize ongoing SEO. Focus on making strategic updates and checking for things like 404s, mismatched link text and broken images regularly. If you don’t have time for ongoing SEO, we recommend working with a team that does.

Watch the recordings

Want help with SEO?

To sum up Kyle’s words: SEO is a game, the field is the search engine, and the rules are how (and why) it works the way it does.

We’re a performance-focused marketing agency that specializes in SEO and other search marketing strategies for multifamily providers. We’re big on helping you achieve superior results without overspending.

If you’re ready to see more, reach out! We’ll help you navigate these SEO lessons and more to create a winning strategy.   

In the meantime, keep educating yourself in the search landscape. We’re always sharing new data and tips here on the blog.