Property Managers: Are You Using Keywords in Resident Review Replies?

If you’re here, you’re likely not a newcomer to the world of review and reputation management.

You know reviews are essential to attracting prospective residents, keeping your online presence up-to-date and credible, and even improving visibility in local Google searches and map pack listings. Whether you're a landlord managing one property, or a team of many engaged in corporate reputation management.  

Yes - response frequency, personalization, and well-chosen keywords can benefit your local SEO. You did know that, right?

Resident Reviews and Local SEO

Asking your residents for reviews is the first step. The second is responding to them strategically. 

A thoughtful response will set your community apart and improve perceptions. If you also include keywords and phrases likely to be used by those in your city searching for a new place to hang their hats, the additional benefits are worth learning about. 

Whether referencing a type of housing, an amenity, or a geo-target - including references to these details in your responses to online reviews from tenants should be part of your reputation management strategy.

In this post, we’ll delve into the relationship between review responses and SEO, and discuss how you can utilize this approach to enhance your property's visibility, reputation, and occupancy.

How Search Ranking Works 

Big picture: Google ranks web pages using algorithms that consider various factors; some include the quality of content, the number and relevance of backlinks, and the overall website user experience. Pages are crawled and indexed, then ranked based on their perceived value and authority for specific search queries. 

For a decent primer, check out Google’s introductory How Search Works article. 

While your target keywords will vary depending on your community’s overarching features and marketing goals, you’ll want to rank for keywords like “apartments in [CITY].” Therefore, your property websites will prioritize SEO best practices for these no-brainer and highly competitive searches. 

Diving a little deeper, people search for the same needs in different ways - so if your local SEO efforts stop at these basic terms, you’re leaving leasing opportunities on the table by the dozens.

Let’s say a prospective resident searches for "luxury apartments in downtown Chicago with gym.” Yes, optimized website content will help you gain visibility for this search query, but you can take it a step further. 

The more detailed a user query, the more likely review responses are to influence ranking for these less-traveled terms. Why? There’s only so much prominent real estate on a website where keyword targets can be included—and it’s not efficient to have a separate page for every amenity featured. 

Instead, they’d be listed as part of a general page, where valuable inclusion opportunities (with short character limits) like meta titles and descriptions will be taken up by important root terms like “amenities.”

Using relevant keywords in your review responses allows you to cover more ground and use more specific keywords that might not fit on your main website. It supplements your limited onsite search engine optimization ability for more detailed queries, making the practice straightforward and low-effort for your team. 

How to Effectively Include Keywords

To rank for keywords, you need to use and track them intentionally. In your review responses, two crucial things to keep in mind when optimizing your review responses are:

1. Natural Integration: Never force keywords. Keyword stuffing looks and sounds awkward to prospects and can be penalized by Google. Instead, focus on weaving them in seamlessly. For example:
   
   Customer Review: 
   "Great service! The plumber fixed our leaky faucet quickly."
   
   Poor Response: 
   "Thank you for your review. We're glad our plumbing services for your leaky faucet repair were satisfactory."
   
   Example Response:
   "We're thrilled you had a great experience with our plumbing service. Quick faucet repairs are our specialty, and we're glad we could resolve your issue promptly."
   
   
2. Use Relevant Context: Always ensure keywords are relevant to the review. This boosts SEO while showing you're attentive to the customer's specific experience. For instance:
   
   Customer Review:
   "The apartment was clean and the team was friendly."
   
   Example Response:
   "Thank you for choosing [Community Name]. We're delighted that you found your new home clean and that our team delivered such friendly and attentive service. We strive to provide the best move-in experience in [City Name], and your feedback helps us achieve that goal.” 
   
   
3. Include Location-Based Keywords: Incorporating location-based keywords can significantly boost your local SEO. However, you need to ensure it fits naturally within the review context:
   
   Customer Review:
   "Love the vibe here!"
   
   Example Response: 
   "We're so glad you feel at home in the [Community Name] community! We appreciate you taking the time to share and will be sure to pass along the feedback to the team!”
   
   
4. Highlight Specific Services or Products: When appropriate, mention specific services or perks in your response. This can help reinforce your offerings to potential residents:
   
   Customer Review:
   "The pool is the best."
   
   Example Response: 
   "Thank you for the review! At [Community Name], we want the most for our residents, and it's great to hear that you are enjoying the pool. We hope to see you back for more summer fun!”

While keywords are important for SEO, your primary goal should be to provide genuine, helpful responses to your customers. Balancing keyword usage with authentic communication is key to building a strong SMB or corporate brand reputation. 

Property Management Keyword Relevancy

Using specific keywords that align with common search queries attracts more potential residents and is a smart way to increase your property’s visibility in local organic search. 

The trick is to remember to use keywords likely to appear in a search performed by a prospective resident. 

Below, we've grouped high-volume, relevant keywords by feedback scenario to help you effectively integrate them into your review responses when addressing reviews written by your property residents.

Maintenance-Related Keywords

When responding to maintenance reviews, it's crucial to highlight the efficiency and quality of your services. Here are some keywords that can help:

• "Emergency maintenance"
• "24/7 maintenance support"
• "Property maintenance team"
• "On-site maintenance staff"
• "Routine maintenance checks"

Example Response:
"We're thrilled you had a great experience with our maintenance team. Quick repair services and 24/7 maintenance support are our specialties, and we're glad we could resolve your issue promptly."

Leasing and Move-In Keywords

Reviews related to the leasing process and move-in experience offer perfect opportunities to use keywords that highlight your community's strengths:

• "Leasing office"
• "Lease agreements"
• "Flexible leasing terms"
• "New resident orientation"
• "Lease renewal process"
• "Pet-friendly apartments"
• "First-time renter"
• "Online leasing application"

Example Response:
"Thank you for choosing [Community Name]. We're delighted that you found the move-in process easy and that our leasing office in [City] provided excellent service. We strive to offer flexible leasing terms and a smooth transition for all new residents."

Amenities and Community Features

When a review mentions amenities or community features, use keywords that emphasize the unique offerings of your property:

• "Luxury apartments"
• "Fitness center"
• "Swimming pool"
• "Community clubhouse"
• "Pet-friendly community"
• "On-site parking"
• "Gated community"
• "Resident events"
• "Outdoor grilling area"
• "Business center"

Example Response:
"We're so glad you feel at home in the [Community Name] community! It's great to hear you’re enjoying our fitness center and swimming pool. Thank you for taking the time to share your positive experience."

Location and Neighborhood

Highlighting the advantages of your property's location can attract potential residents looking for specific neighborhood features:

• "Apartments near [Landmark]"
• "Downtown [City] apartments"
• "Public transportation access"
• "Close to shopping and dining"
• "Near top-rated schools"
• "Safe neighborhood"
• "Walkable community"
• "Convenient location"
• "City center living"
• "Suburban apartments"

Example Response:
"Thank you for your review! We're thrilled you love the convenient location of our downtown [City] apartments. Being close to shopping, dining, and public transportation makes living here a breeze."

Customer Service and Management

Positive feedback about customer service and management can be enhanced with keywords that reflect your commitment to resident satisfaction:

• "Professional property management"
• "Responsive management team"
• "Friendly staff"
• "Resident satisfaction"
• "Customer service excellence"
• "On-site management"
• "Tenant support"
• "Community management"
• "Property managers in [City]"
• "Resident services"

Example Response:
"We appreciate your kind words about our management team. Providing professional property management and ensuring resident satisfaction are top priorities for us. We're glad to hear that our friendly staff made a positive impact on your experience."

By thoughtfully incorporating these relevant keywords into your review responses, you can significantly boost your local search rankings and increase your community's visibility to potential residents.

Remember, the key to effective keyword inclusion is to keep it natural and relevant to the context of each review. This approach satisfies search algorithms while maintaining authenticity in your communication with residents.

The Importance of Timing

Sending requests at the right time and taking advantage of reviewable opportunities increases the likelihood of receiving positive, relevant, and helpful feedback. Here are some key moments to consider: 

• Post-Tour: The tour lifecycle is a touchpoint where residents are very engaged with your community. Ask for a review directly after in-person tours to encourage positive feedback about your community’s first impression, onsite teams, amenities, etc. 
  
  
  Most communities will have the tour review opportunity figured out by this time next year. If you aren’t already taking advantage of the tour stage, you need to start.
  
• During Lease Renewals: Lease renewals indicate residents are satisfied with their living experiences. This is an ideal time to request a review, as they are likely to share their positive experiences and mention specifics about what they enjoy within your community.
  
  
• Following Maintenance Repairs: While maintenance is the number one cause of negative multifamily reviews (mentioned in 34% of negatives) there is a lot of opportunity within the maintenance stage to generate relevant and positive feedback. Hear us out: 
  
  The average review rating for maintenance reviews is low at 2.89 stars. Sentiment surrounding maintenance skews negative, but this is the case across the board, for every portfolio. While you won’t be able to eliminate the negative influence, you will be able to lower its effect on your community–putting you ahead of the competition. 
  
  Asking for reviews throughout the maintenance stage is the key to generating more positive feedback in the long term. The winners will figure this out. Check out The Resident Newsletter for more insights. 
  
  
• After Community Upgrades: If you've recently made improvements to your property or services, such as upgrading amenities or enhancing security, ask residents for feedback. Mentions of improvements in reviews can attract potential residents looking for similar features. 
  
  
  To ensure resident satisfaction, prioritize residential offerings that are reliable, useful, and sustainable throughout the full resident lifecycle, not just at first. 

Review response & SEO go hand in hand in positioning your community as the trusted choice. By actively managing and responding to your reviews, you're not just maintaining your online reputation – you're strategically enhancing your property's visibility and appeal to residents.