Archive for September, 2008
I’m sick of hearing about real estate blogging!
The main concern I've been hearing from realtors lately is getting to the top of Google. They were there and they are losing position or they are positioned well but not getting any "hits". "Hits" being a term my clients use loosely. What it really means is that they are no longer enjoying a steady stream of inquiries generated from their web site. "Conversion" would be a better word.
Web site owners are looking to me for the magic SEO pill. The good news is that there is a solution, the bad news is that it takes some effort on the part of the website owner. I understand their frustration; I use the diet analogy. If i could pay someone to lose weight for me I would hand over my checkbook. Unfortunately diet and exercise is the simple solution to my problem.
Quote from Wall Street Journal article No Sale: A Bad Agent, or a Lousy Market?...criticizes agents who spend a lot of money to drive traffic to their Web sites, but fail to provide enough "content rich" material when they arrive.
The simple solution to a successful real estate web site is "content". The simple way to add fresh content to your web site is by blogging. I know, "you're sick of hearing the word blog"!
The blog platform not only helps your search engine ranking but equally important it can help your conversion rate. It is no longer enough to just have a website and expect people to be impressed enough by that fact alone to fill out a form and contact you. Being in the Google top 10 and driving traffic to your site isn't going to get visitors to pick up the phone and make an appointment.
Agents expend significant sums on driving traffic to their websites – search engine optimization, keyword purchase, pay-per-click, etc, - but when the consumer arrives at the site there isn’t any pertinent or targeted information waiting for them. You need to target a specific or niche market such as first time buyers. Your website needs to be very content-rich with material answering their specific questions. It is critical to fulfill the promise being made in your marketing efforts. National Realty News
Your real estate blog is the place where you can demonstrate your expertise in the real estate market. This is the way to begin to have a relationship with your site visitor. Trust can be established, questions answered, your personality is shared through honest expression.
Think of it this way. If you get an appointment for a listing presentation you usually get the listing. Why? Because you have a conversation with the seller, you show them that you are a professional, you show them how you are going to market their home and they like your personality, your professionalism, your track record, whatever. Give the same attention to your website content. It is the important first impression and it will be the deciding factor for converting a visitor into a lead.
