A Guide to Crafting Housing Developer Copy

Ayanam Udoma SEO Content Strategist

20 min read

MediaProperty

At Space and Time, we are growth marketing experts, on a mission to becoming Europe’s largest technology-enabled B-Corp growth marketing agency. With over 25 years of experience in the world of digital marketing, with a team and combined experience of over 250 experts and specialists across the world, we’ve been able to whittle down content marketing to what works and what doesn’t.

As members of Space & Time’s SEO team, we’ve decided to bottle all we’ve learned so far – partnering with a wide range of property clients – into this helpful guide that will provide you with some initial direction when figuring out an approach to content that will work best for your brand.

At its core, SEO is about improving the visibility of your website’s content, the idea being that, once people see your great content, it will push them over the line to take the desired action – whether this is to make a purchase, sign up to a database, or just spend a significant amount of time engaging with the rest of your website.

It is vital, therefore, to get the content right; designing it in such a way as to maximise its performance on the Search Engine Results Page (SERP).

The first step towards doing this is determining the search term(s) you want to go after – the query you would like your page to be the first result for.

1. Deciding on a search term to focus on
2. Which search terms work best for new home builders?
3. What should and shouldn’t you include on a local area page?
4. Applying the E-E-A-T model – being credible
5. Using an easy-to-follow title structure
6. Creating a meta title
7. Creating a meta description
8. Developing image alt text
9. Getting your content right every time

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How do I Start? Content ideation

1. How to decide on a search term to focus on

There are a number of easy-to-understand tools that can help determine the best search terms to try to rank for. Tools like Ahrefs and Semrush can calculate the number of searches different terms get each month. Usually shorter and more general search terms get the most search volume – e.g., “new homes in Glasgow.” These sorts of search terms are called ‘short tail keywords’ – although they may more colloquially be referred to as ‘fat heads’.

Whilst short-tail keywords may get a lot of search volume, they’re also very competitive and Google will have a larger pool of websites to choose from when selecting the top 3 results to display.

As search terms get more specific and longer in length – i.e., “new 3 bedroom homes in Bearsden, Glasgow” – their monthly search volume will reduce. However, these kinds of search terms are generally easier to rank for due to the specificity of the request and that there are commonly fewer websites able to provide a suitable solution to the user’s problem. These longer, more specific search terms are called ‘long tail keywords’.

Example of keyword ideas (Sourced from Ahrefs)

Search Term	Monthly Search Volume
Do you pay stamp duty on a new build	200
What to do when moving into a new house	150
How to add character to a new build	100
Do you pay stamp duty on new builds	80
How many new houses were built in 2023	70
How to find new build homes	40

DID YOU KNOW: Google penalises keyword stuffing – this is when the same search term is used too many times within a single page.

For this reason – and also to maximise potential traffic to a stie – it is recommended that a mix of both long-tail and short-tail keywords (as well as any appropriate synonyms) are used; this keeps pages as dynamic as possible.

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2.Which search terms work best for new home builders?

Research conducted by Space & Time found that developers of new build homes had a better chance of ranking well for search terms that included the word ‘new’ in them:

‘new homes in’
‘new builds in’

They performed much worse for search terms that didn’t have the word ‘new’ in them:

‘homes for sale in’
‘houses in’

The portals, like Rightmove and Zoopla, dominate both the new build industry and the housing industry, however the key difference is that estate agents appear for ‘houses for sale’ terms whilst developers tend not to. Developers stand the best chance of ranking for search terms that include the word “new” in them – such as “new builds in…” or “new homes in…”.

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What pages to create?

3.) Local area pages

A local area page provides the user with a general profile of a larger region or county. The local area page then acts as a hub of sorts which offers links to specific developments within the villages, towns or cities that make up the county.

From an SEO perspective, local area pages can be particularly useful when trying to target search terms around broader areas such as “new homes in Yorkshire”. These search terms would be too broad for an individual development to target, with individual developments usually best used to target specific cities, towns and villages, such as “new homes in Leeds”.

It’s useful to think of it as a hierarchy or a funnel, with local area pages targeting regions and counties and developments targeting cities, towns and villages.

When writing about the local area around your new development, it is best to approach it from the perspective of potential buyers looking to move to a new area.

Whilst it can be tempting to include “interesting” trivia about an earl who lived in the area in the 1700s or a statue that’s over 500 years old – are these really the noteworthy aspects of an area that would be the determining factor if a person is considering moving to a new place?

Rather Space & Time have found that the following should be the main focus:

Nearby schools/universities.
Local shops and shopping districts, for example, shopping centres.
Transport links – including proximity to big commercial areas like London.
Green spaces such as parks.
Nearby restaurants.
Local sports & leisure facilities.
Places to take the kids at the weekend.

Simplicity is key

It can be a common mistake to top load a piece of writing with convoluted introductions, promises of answers later in the article and 50 words that could have been said in 5.

Content being overly convoluted just serves to frustrate the user and Google, in its Helpful Content Update (March 2024), made it clear that they value quality over quantity.

People want the answers they’re looking for within seconds of opening a page. They want to know they went to the right place.

With a competitive search environment, if one article doesn’t entice a user quickly, people will bounce off the page to find content that does.

Re-read and re-re-read your work

It is important to make your writing user friendly. Sometimes, all it takes for a reader to click off a page is bad grammar and awkward sentences. Tools, such as Screaming Frog, can check an entire website’s spelling on mass.

If there is no care given to the quality of the words used, how can a buyer trust the brand cares about the quality of their homes?

The content and, indeed, everything put on a brand’s website can have a significant impact on the customer’s perception of the brand and its products.

Include links to both internal and external pages

To get the most SEO value out of each visitor, it’s important to keep them on the website for as long as possible. Strategically placed internal links can help with this.

However, including external links to other websites is just as important. If a restaurant, a school or any other sort of local attraction is mentioned, these need to be linked to as this makes the content more helpful to the reader.

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4. Applying Google’s algorithm updates to your content

The EEAT Model

The E-E-A-T model refers to a set of guidelines Google initially introduced in March 2014 – before being updated to include an additional ‘E’ in 2022.

It is a simple model that refers to the credibility of content.

Content that satisfies Google’s EEAT guidelines must meet the following criteria:

EXPERIENCE: Google prefers content written by someone with first-hand knowledge of the subject matter.
Google would prefer content be written by someone with EXPERTISE in the subject matter they are talking about.
The work being written must display a level of AUTHORITATIVENESS – this differs from expertise in that someone maybe writing about something they deeply understand but the brand they’re writing on behalf of has little to do with the subject matter being written about.
The content must appear TRUSTWORTHY – trustworthiness has a lot to do with the legitimacy of the business – with factors like the size of the business, the types of sites that link to it and more all being considered

It may not always be feasible to tick every box of the EEAT model, however there are some generally understood best practices that can be reviewed on a site – it depends on the nature of what is being written – however it is the north star that’s been set by Google when it comes to credibility in content and is considered a ranking factor.

The Helpful Content Update

Google’s Helpful Content Update (HCU) was introduced in 2022 and ties into its rules around YMYL content and meeting its EEAT criteria.

The HCU, in a nutshell, states that any copy created purely to capitalise on a trend or to perform well for particularly popular search terms but doesn’t provide the reader with any useful information will be targeted and punished by Google.

A simple way to appease Google’s Helpful Content update involves following these three rules:

Answer the question the title poses within the first paragraph – before going into more detail as the article progresses.
Sticking to subject matter the brand has topical authority
Ensure content meets the EEAT criteria.

What goes into a page?

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5. Using an easy-to-follow title structure

An easy way to simplify writing is to use headings to break it up. The H1, in particular, is of value to Google and is prime real estate for the search term(s) being targeted.

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6. Creating a meta title

The meta title and description are bits of information that are passed on to the search engine and the user browsing a search engine’s results page, detailing what a page is about.

The META TITLE should be designed for both the algorithm and the user – it tells the algorithm that a particular page is relevant for a particular search term – but it’s also the first thing a user sees of a page when trying to find the right answer to their problem.

Because it can have an impact on how the algorithm ranks a particular page, if there is anything that is essential to optimise for a targeted search term – it is the meta title.

When designing the meta title, we would recommend targeting search terms like “new homes in…” and “new builds in…” as these have proven to be the most viable queries for new home builders to rank for. It’s also worth noting that it is no longer necessary to include the name of your brand within your meta title and, in fact, Google are, themselves, likely to remove any mention of your brand name within your meta title

DID YOU KNOW: Although it is recommended that a meta title be roughly 50-60 characters in length, Google doesn’t actually count the number of characters you use but rather measures the number of pixels your meta title takes up. Google will usually favour and fully display meta titles that are between 285 and 575 pixels in length.

While tools like Microsoft Word may not give away pixel length, specialist SEO tools like https://tools.veloxmedia.com/title-meta-checker/ will calculate the pixel length for you.

7. Creating a meta description

The META DESCRIPTION is a little different because the algorithm does not use the keywords to determine where to rank a page – it’s not a direct ‘ranking factor’.

However, the user can still read it, and it can be the bit of text that encourages a user to click on a particular page.

It is one thing for a page to be visible to millions of searchers, but how many of them are clicking on that search result and actually visiting the website?

For this reason, the emphasis, with a meta description, should be placed on how enticing the call-to-action is rather than optimising it for a specific search term.

A meta description should be between 150-160 characters (or 430-920 pixels) in length to ensure that it fits on a search engine’s results page and that vital copy isn’t cut off by Google.

DID YOU KNOW: In an albeit indirect way, a meta description can affect where one is ranked.

This has nothing to do with the inclusion of a search term but everything to do with if the user finds a page’s meta description appealing enough to warrant a click.

The algorithm takes notes of how many people click through to the website and, if most users don’t, it might lead to a page falling short of one of the top-ranking spots.

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8. Developing image alt text

If images are being used within a page (which they should be because it makes content appear more engaging), it’s important that image alt text is assigned to them.

Image alt text is a piece of descriptive text that can be applied to images to define what is contained within the image

This little bit of copy helps two-fold when it comes to SEO.

It helps a search engine understand the content of an image

Alt text lets a crawler know what an image is about and helps reinforce the idea that a particular piece of content is relevant to a user’s search.

For this reason, if it can be naturally fit it in, a targeted search term should be used as part of an image’s alt text.

It improves the usability of a page for the visually impaired.

Some visually impaired users make use of a screen reader to help them understand what the images on a page are depicting.

Image alt text gives their screen readers something to read out and, as a result, makes a website more accessible – broadening the appeal of a particular page. Alt text also appears in place of an image if, for whatever reason, an image fails to load.

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9. Conclusion

The recommendations made in this guide form the core of SEO best practice and are considered essentials when it comes to maximising the visibility of your site’s content.
However, it’s worth noting that, when it comes to crafting the copy itself, there’s no one size fits all approach.
You know your brand and your audience better than anyone else does. You’ve done the market research, and you know what your customers need.
Don’t overcomplicate your copy. Don’t tease your reader to get them to stay longer on your page because this will prevent your content from being seen as helpful content.
The way to get your content right is by simply answering your reader’s question in as simple and as straightforward a way as possible.
The platforms may have evolved but the rules remain the same.

If you have any questions about anything in this guide or you would like more advice – please feel free to contact Space & Time’s SEO team at [email protected].