Real Estate SEO Adviser

5 Most Common Lies Told by Real Estate SEO Companies

October 26, 2007 – 8:45 am

I've worked in and around real estate search engine optimization / real estate SEO for several years now. But what never ceases to amaze me are the half-truths and outright lies that so many SEO companies use to rope in clients and take their money. Unfortunately, there is no barrier to entry within the SEO field, or the Internet marketing field as a whole. Anyone can "hang out their sign" and proclaim to be an expert. Thus, it's up to the reputable SEO folks out there (and I throw my own hat into this lot) to raise the bar, set the standards, and call out the shady firms who would bring ...

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Real Estate SEO - How Directories Increase Ranking

October 25, 2007 – 5:46 am

Advanced Summary: This real estate SEO articles shows real estate agents how to improve their websites' search engine ranking by using web directories for additional inbound links. Web directories are not search engines, though many real estate agents confuse the two. But web directories can help your search engine ranking, so it's important to understand what they are and how the work -- and how they tie into your real estate search engine optimization program as a whole. What is a Web Directory A web directory is basically a big catalog of websites that's edited and managed by people. With a search engine, automated web crawlers find websites and add them to the ...

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Dual-Purpose Content for Search Engine Success

October 13, 2007 – 3:38 pm

Summary: This article explains the importance of quality website content for real estate search engine optimization and general marketing success. Content, content, content. You can never have enough! Quality content keeps people on your real estate website longer and earns their trust, which can lead to a phone call or email from them. In addition, content quantity helps you appear in search engine results for a broad variety of search phrases. That's why I focus so much on content lessons on this real estate SEO blog (and in the book that this blog supports). Quick Story I have a website that offers search engine optimization (SEO) services and advice to companies in ...

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Older Real Estate Websites and Title Elements

October 13, 2007 – 3:34 pm

Much has been written about the importance of the title element for search engine visibility. But I'm going to revisit the topic, because there's one point I don't feel has been given sufficient coverage. That point is the value of keyword-rich titles on older websites. More specifically, I'll talk about aligning your title elements with your key search phrases for maximum visibility. But first, let's start with a definition of a title element, just so we're on the same page. What is a Title Element? Search engines give a lot of consideration to HTML title elements. The title element is within the HTML code that makes up each of your web pages. To ...

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Quality Content for SEO Success

October 13, 2007 – 3:25 pm

Get ready. Get set. Scramble! It seems every time I turn around, someone is clamoring about the latest and greatest real estate SEO strategy. Some of these strategies have their merits. Others are a waste of time. And some actually do more harm than good. Some website owners constantly scramble to follow what they believe is the latest "Holy Grail" of search engine visibility. I say let them spin their wheels. Because in truth, the more things change, the more they stay the same. For example, there's one thing search engines have always favored and will always favor -- websites with plenty of original, quality content. Search Engines Love Topical Content When you have ...

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Using Keyword-Rich Articles for SEO

September 1, 2007 – 7:14 am

One of the easiest ways to improve the search engine visibility of your real estate website is to write one page of content for each of your key phrases. The first step, of course, is to build a list of key phrases that people in your area are actually searching. You can do this by using a free keyword research tool (such as the one offered by WordTracker, fully explained in my SEO book) or a paid service such as Keyword Discovery. Then, you simply write one page of keyword-rich content for each of those phrases. Make sure the article you create is written for people first -- make sure it's helpful, ...

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Free Booklet on Real Estate Blogs

August 30, 2007 – 7:41 am

A long-time real estate publisher creates a free, 34-page guide for real estate agents that outlines the benefits and best practices of using a real estate blog. The number of real estate blogs has increased exponentially in the last five years. This means that the individual agent who uses a real estate blog must work harder to distinguish that blog from others within the same market area. A real estate marketing company recently published a free e-book that shows agents how to do exactly that. The “Real Estate Blog Alphabet,” as it’s called, began as a series of posts on the popular real estate marketing blog of Brandon Cornett, owner of ArmingYourFarming.com. ...

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How Search Engines Rank Real Esate Websites

August 22, 2007 – 8:59 am

Summary: By understanding how search engines rank real estate websites, and what factors they deem important, you'll be better able to improve your own rankings through real estate search engine optimization (SEO). Search engine ranking is a combination of public knowledge and proprietary secrets. For example, most SEO specialists know that each individual search engine has its own algorithm (or ranking criteria). This refers to the manner in which the search engine evaluates and ranks websites, based on a set of pre-defined criteria. If you've got your thinking cap on, your next logical question would be: "So just what are these pre-defined criteria?" This is where we get into the proprietary side ...

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Low-Maintenance Ways to Boost Your SEO

August 15, 2007 – 7:39 am

Let me be the first to tell you that real estate search engine optimization (SEO) is a long-term strategy. It's a marathon, not a sprint. But even a 26-mile marathon begins with a single step and consists of many individual strides. This is also true of a real estate SEO campaign, which begins with a single step (like putting up a real estate website or blog) and consists of many individual strides (like publishing content, networking, etc.). So yes, search engine optimization is a long-term strategy. But that doesn't mean it's overly complex or difficult. In fact, there are plenty of simple techniques you can implement over the next few days ...

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SEO and the Beauty of Passive Leads

August 10, 2007 – 7:27 pm

Passive leads are nothing short of a blessing for real estate agents. In this context, "passive leads" refers to web-based inquiries you receive from prospective clients without proactively seeking them. For example, if a home buyer in your area finds your website while researching the local real estate scene and then contacts you ... that's a passive real estate lead you can pursue. Technically speaking, of course, there's no such thing as a truly passive lead. You always have to do something for people to "stumble across" you. You have to develop a website and grow your web presence in order for people to find you online. But once these elements are ...

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