blog.propertiesonline.com » SEO

Boosting Your Online Visibility: Tips & Tricks

Jess Maria — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 18:15:18 +0000

If you’re a real estate agent reading this blog, chances are you already have a properties website or websites. If not, what are you waiting for?? Getting your properties online is crucial for boosting sales, visibility and credibility. Let’s face it – your online marketing is just as important (if not more) as the offline marketing. But how can you be sure potential clients and buyers actually see you and your properties online? Here are some tips for boosting your search engine rankings: 1. Keywords: Start here. Don’t pepper your site with too many keywords, that will just make it appear generalized to Google, and you won’t reap any benefit. Instead, carefully select around four or five keywords total that you want to prioritize on your site. Think locally. You’re probably not trying to compete with a national organization. Tailor your keywords to your local market. Think strategically. 2. Analytics: Without a way to track results accurately, whether you’ve chosen the best possible focus keywords is hard to determine. Sign up for Google Analytics to learn a lot about your site and how it’s performing. Your web analytics will show you your increasing traffic and help you to determine which keywords and which strategies are producing the highest number of new customers. 3. Visibility: To boost the work your site is doing, you’ll want to up your visibility elsewhere on the web. A great way to achieve this is through blogging. It takes time to do it well and often, but the payoff can be huge. Start by ensuring that the root domain of your blog is your website, and opt for a quality SEO plugin tool to help guide you in adding keywords to your blog posts. 4. Content: If you struggle to find something relevant to say every day, share the blog load with others on your team! If you’re a sole proprietor, considering hiring a writer. And remember, content isn’t just text. On your website and blog, make sure your visitors will find thing visually stimulating. That means adding photos, images and videos. Set up a branded YouTube channel and put it to work! 5. Research: Your online presence can grow tremendously, with a little or a lot of effort. Explore Facebook, Google+ and other social networking tools. Look into smart technology that allows you to market single properties beautifully – complete with Craigslist, video, mobile technology and Facebook apps built right in. Or market multiple properties, or properties and yourself all at once! You don’t have to be a web wizard, as long as you set yourself up with the right tools. Boosting Your Online Visibility: Tips & Tricks is a post from: Properties Online Blog

Boosting Your Online Visibility: Tips & Tricks is a post from: Properties Online Blog

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Smart Linking Increases Real Estate Website Effectiveness

Properties Online — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 18:07:32 +0000

The internet, mobile technology and social media offer powerful tools that can help you grow your real estate business. But, as we’ve been discussing recently, real estate agents and brokers must not only choose technology tools wisely; they must take steps to maximize the effectiveness of the tools they employ if they wish to reap the significant benefits these tools offer. Smart linking is one of the fastest and easiest ways to increase the return you obtain from your technology investment. Establishing solid links between your real estate website, mobile website, Facebook business page, listing domains, Twitter feed, blog and any other web-based tools you employ provides the following benefits: Providing potential clients with multiple access points to your services widens your proverbial “net,” ensuring that you will “snare” sellers and buyers no matter what media they use. Linking all of your online, mobile and social resources back to your agent website and providing links from your website to other resources allows potential clients to move freely between platforms and access information from whatever application they are using. The more convenient your site is to use, the more return traffic — and ultimately clients — it will attract. Ensuring seamless linking between all of your real estate technology tools is just the beginning. To improve linking effectiveness, follow these linking tips: To build your reputation as a real estate expert and attract visitors to your own website, regularly post comments on popular real estate forums and blogs, always linking your comments back to your website. Establish reciprocal links to outside sources to boost the number of inbound links on your website to at least 20. Inbound links — links posted on other websites that refer site visitors back to your website — enhance your reputation as an expert and increase search engine result rankings. Post and link to source material on other websites. Publish periodic online press releases that link to your site. Regularly test links to ensure that all links remain active. Smart Linking Increases Real Estate Website Effectiveness is a post from: Properties Online Blog

Smart Linking Increases Real Estate Website Effectiveness is a post from: Properties Online Blog

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SEO Checklist for Compatibility with Google’s New Search Parameters

Properties Online — Tue, 22 May 2012 18:33:22 +0000

Google has begun implementing 40 changes and updates to its core search engine algorithms. Real estate agents that want to maintain high rankings in Google’s search results will need to make some substantial changes to their real estate websites. But keeping up with 40 tech changes is a lot to expect from even tech-savvy Realtors. The following checklist provides a useful guide for prioritizing website changes and re-optimizing your real estate website to take advantage of Google’s new search parameters: Open a Google+ account and start moving clients and prospects into friend circles. Google’s new search results algorithms place the greatest weight on social media connections, giving a significant edge to Google+, Google’s new Facebook competitor. Increase the amount and quality of original content on your web pages. In new algorithms, unique content receives the highest scores while using content available on other sites counts against you. Providing in-depth Q&A content is a fast way to increase unique content on your real estate website. Hiring a professional writer to create content is another option. Move valuable content from your parent company or other resources to subdomains to decrease its negative impact. Decrease the volume of offsite links and ads on your web pages. Both now decrease web page rank. Current topics and trends capture the greatest attention from Google’s freshness update. Q&As and blog posts on hot button and trending real estate topics will boost your search ranking, perhaps significantly; but the uptick will be fleeting, decreasing as the freshness of the topic fades. Regular posting on newsworthy topics will be required to maintain a high freshness rating. Accommodating Google’s new page layout algorithm may require a major overhaul of your real estate site landing page. Google now favors web pages that make value-added content instantly visible when a site visitor opens the page. Forcing visitors to scroll down to content or filling the initial page view with ads will lower your search rank. Unfortunately, so will glossy photo displays that attract customer interest. SEO Checklist for Compatibility with Google’s New Search Parameters is a post from: Properties Online Blog

SEO Checklist for Compatibility with Google’s New Search Parameters is a post from: Properties Online Blog

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Tips for Maximizing Website SEO Under Google Search Changes

Properties Online — Thu, 17 May 2012 17:31:31 +0000

Recently implemented changes and updates to Google’s search algorithms mean real estate agents will need to tweak their real estate websites if they want to maintain their current search rankings. Agents that fail to adjust and re-maximize search engine optimization (SEO) of their real estate sites to accommodate Google’s new search parameters will see themselves drop down or even disappear from Google search results. For real estate professionals, the most critical changes are to Google’s Link Evaluation (discussed in our previous post) and the search engine’s year-old Panda search-ranking program. Before focusing on Panda, one more important comment on Link Evaluation changes: In new algorithms, Link Evaluation not only weights new information on Google+ heavily in determining search results across the board; but, among members of your friend circles, it also continues to push your site to the top of search results as long as an individual remains a member of your circle. Google’s new search emphasis on its new social media network makes opening a Google+ account a smart move, if only for the SEO benefits. Panda created a SEO firestorm when it was released a year ago. Designed to cull low-quality and low-content web pages from Google’s massive index, Panda heralds a major shift in the way Google’s search algorithms evaluate and rank web pages to derive search results. Overnight, many of the SEO tricks that had been commonly employed to boost web page search rank became not merely ineffective but actually counted against pages under the new Panda system. Pages with little original content or with an abundance of links and ads plummeted in the rankings, consequently losing traffic. Many real estate sites took a major hit after Panda’s implementation. Panda took a poor view of the copied material from authoritative sources and home office libraries that forms the backbone of many real estate web pages. Panda devalues websites that carry material available on other sites in favor of websites that display original content. To be continued Tips for Maximizing Website SEO Under Google Search Changes is a post from: Properties Online Blog

Tips for Maximizing Website SEO Under Google Search Changes is a post from: Properties Online Blog

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Google Search Changes Necessitate Real Estate Website Tweaks

Properties Online — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 18:19:28 +0000

High search engine placement is the key to driving client traffic to your real estate website, and search engine optimization (SEO) is the key to high search engine placement. It would be convenient if search engines would stop tinkering with their search algorithms so that real estate agents could maximize their sites for SEO once and be done, but that’s never going to happen. Like it or not, constant changes in search algorithms by the masters of Google and their ilk mean that real estate agents must stay current with new search parameters and periodically tweak their real estate sites to accommodate new search strategies and re-maximize SEO. Realtors and real estate agents that fail to keep up with the latest SEO strategies will see their search rankings plummet, site traffic fall off, and new clients move to more web-savvy real estate brokers. Such high stakes justify the effort and expense it takes to keep your real estate site search engine optimized. At the end of February, Google began implementing a series of 40 changes and updates to its search engine, many of which boost support for Google+, Google’s Facebook competitor. For real estate agents the two most important changes were to Panda, Google’s year-old search ranker, and the self-explanatory Link Evaluation. If you want to keep your real estate website at the top of Google’s search rankings, the following tips will show you how to tweak your site to accommodate Google’s newest search engine modifications. Link Evaluation shifts search impact from offsite links, the backbone of traditional SEO strategies, to social media engagement. Your blog entries, article submissions and directory submissions will still count toward your search engine ranking on Google, but their value has been marginalized in favor of social network mentions, social update shares and customer engagement (comments and reviews). Not surprisingly, Google places premium value on Google+ interactions. If you’re not on Google+ yet, the SEO advantages alone should make this a priority. Continued next time Google Search Changes Necessitate Real Estate Website Tweaks is a post from: Properties Online Blog

Google Search Changes Necessitate Real Estate Website Tweaks is a post from: Properties Online Blog

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Adwords and PPC for Real Estate Agents

Vered — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 10:00:43 +0000

Once you have an agent website, you should make sure it’s optimized for search engines. But Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a long-term effort to get your site to the top of the search results. It can take months until your efforts pay off and requires constant monitoring and tweaking. In the meantime, for faster results, you can use Google Adwords. What is Google Adwords? Google Adwords is Google’s Pay-Per-Click (PPC) ad network. PPC is an Internet advertising model, in which advertisers pay their host only when their ad is clicked. With search engines, advertisers typically bid on keyword phrases relevant to their target market. For example, if you work in Seattle, you would likely want to base your Adwords campaign on keywords such as “Seattle real estate,” “Seattle homes for sale” etc. If you manage your Adwords campaign well, your ad could appear on the first page of search results, under the “Sponsored Links” tab. Why Use Google Adwords? As explained by Google, Countless home buyers use Google to browse for real estate information each month. Google Adwords enable you to reach prospects in your region at all stages of their home search – while they’re looking for properties, checking out locations, and selecting an agent. Google AdWords can be a very effective tool for sending more traffic to your real estate site. Google AdWords offers a measurable, pay-for-performance solution that enables you to determine your costs and only pay when a prospect clicks on your ad to visit your website. You can continually monitor your campaign to see what’s working and what’s not, and you can modify or halt your campaign at any time. An important aspect of Adwords for real estate agents is that it enables you to target users by location. This allows you to reach home buyers and sellers specifically within your service area. Controlling Your Adwords Budget You should be aware that if you’re not careful, your Adwords budget can easily balloon and get out of control. If you’re just starting out with Adwords, it might be a good idea to pre-pay for your first campaign. This will ensure that you don’t go over your budget. Converting Adwords Traffic To Leads A well-managed PPC campaign is likely to increase the traffic to your site, but that traffic will stick around and turn into leads – and possibly clients – only if your site is attractive, rich in information and interactive. The last thing you want it to pay for clicks that end up bouncing off your site. Before starting your PPC campaign, make sure your agent site is as good as it can possibly be. Nice Video from the UK with more information about google Adwords: An introduction to Google AdWords Adwords and PPC for Real Estate Agents is a post from: Properties Online Blog

Adwords and PPC for Real Estate Agents is a post from: Properties Online Blog

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Single Property Websites – Traffic Report

Amanda Cornelius — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 23:48:55 +0000

Ever wonder where your property website traffic is coming from? Over the past 6 months we have compiled analytics on over 1,400,000 visitors to approximately 15,000 single property websites and created this infographic to showcase our findings. Our study shows that having a top level domain name is clearly an advantage for both SEO and direct traffic.

Single Property Websites – Traffic Report is a post from: Properties Online Blog

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Real Estate Websites: Why SEO is Important

Vered — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 18:27:27 +0000

SEO, or search engine optimization, is important for any website, and this is true for real estate websites as well. Essentially, SEO helps to make sure that your website will be found on the Internet. Optimizing your web site itself, or on-page optimization, is just part of your efforts to build a web presence, but it’s certainly a major part. If a search engine bot crawls your web pages but your web pages don’t “tell” it what your site is all about, then the search engine will not be able to index your web site correctly, and people who search online for what you offer will not be able to find you. For example, if you sell real estate in Austin, Texas, your site’s title tags and copy need to include related keywords such as “Austin real estate,” “homes for sale in Austin” etc. Another important factor in determining whether your website will rank well for your main keywords is inbound links. Search engines show strong preference to websites who have links from other websites pointing at them. High quality agent site companies have tools in place to help your agent website get links. Engaging in social media will also bring you links over time, because the people you connect with will learn about your site, and if you provide useful material, they may link to it. Another important aspect of on-page search engine optimization is to add a blog to your real estate site. A blog, unlike a static site, tends to be rich in text. If you write it correctly and include your main keywords throughout the text, a blog can give your SEO efforts a significant boost. Real Estate Websites: Why SEO is Important is a post from: Properties Online Blog

Real Estate Websites: Why SEO is Important is a post from: Properties Online Blog

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Google Backlinks – Why Do I Need Them?

Vered — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 17:15:46 +0000

Over the years, Google has been fighting against spammers and their spam sites. It was almost like a game, but it was a high-stakes game: Google's top priority was to only serve relevant, legitimate results to its users.

Google Backlinks – Why Do I Need Them? is a post from: Properties Online Blog

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Leveraging Social Media to Help Your Real Estate Business

Properties Online — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 19:12:09 +0000

Many of us were quite suspicious about social media at first, taking a “wait and see” approach, unwilling to invest the time and work needed to participate in social media. But it’s becoming very clear that social media is here to stay, and that not participating in social media is quite costly in terms of lost business opportunities. Here are a few tips to help you leverage social media to promote your real estate business. Accept That You Need To Be There The first step is accepting that you need to have a social media presence – that social media should be part of your marketing mix and is just as important as email marketing or printed brochures. The main reason you should be there is that a big part of your audience is there – more and more people are using social media, and many are using the Internet, including social media, during their search for a home. Choose Your Social Media Channels There are lots of ways to connect and interact with prospects, including a blog, Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Foursquare and more. But you don’t have to be everywhere. We think that a blog and a Facebook page are a must. All the rest are optional, and you can experiment with them as you go along and see if they work for you. Why You Need a Blog A blog is great for helping your search engine rankings, especially if you make sure you optimize your blog posts for search engines – figure out your main keywords, the words that people will use to find your agent site, and sprinkle them throughout your blog posts, but don’t overdo it! Always make sure your text reads naturally. In addition to being great for SEO, a blog is also a wonderful way to build your brand, show your expertise and establish credibility. Why We Love Facebook Facebook is such a rich social network, no wonder people are putting up with its less-than-stellar customer service. You can create a personal Facebook portfolio, or start a Facebook page for your business. In either case, you can fill your Facebook page with notes, photos, videos, comments, and lots more – there are tons of Facebook apps that make this platform an amazing tool for showcasing your expertise and for interacting with others. Do it Gradually Social media can be overwhelming at first. Our advice is to enter this space gradually, starting with just one channel, and adding more channels to the mix only after you have mastered the previous social media channel. Manage Your Time Wisely Our last tip is perhaps the most important one. Social media can be a huge time suck – it’s very easy to spend hours writing your blog, adding plugins and tweaking with your blog’s theme, and the same is true for Facebook. But you have a business to run after all, so make sure that you limit the time you spend on social media activities each day. We recommend spending no more than an hour each day doing social media activities. Leveraging Social Media to Help Your Real Estate Business is a post from: Properties Online Blog

Leveraging Social Media to Help Your Real Estate Business is a post from: Properties Online Blog

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