Comments on: Jumping into the Real Estate Fray, Part 2 http://www.bruceclay.com/blog/2009/05/jumping-into-the-real-estate-fray-part-2/ SEO and Internet Marketing Blog Thu, 09 Feb 2012 22:23:45 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Paula Allen http://www.bruceclay.com/blog/2009/05/jumping-into-the-real-estate-fray-part-2/#comment-24620 Paula Allen Fri, 26 Feb 2010 17:14:03 +0000 http://www.bruceclay.com/blog-test/2009/05/jumping-into-the-real-estate-fray-part-2/#comment-24620 Ian - With the goal to "be passionate and SEO-friendly," it sounds like you'll differentiate yourself from the majority of real estate professionals online. Good for you for realizing that the prefab template would be more of a hindrance than a benefit. The broker should be willing to give you various branding images that you can incorporate into your own design. The extra work you invest in creating a unique Web site that has community-related content and a clear, SEO-friendly site architecture will pay off in the long run. Feel free to contact us if you get stuck along the way. Best wishes to you in your new business! Ian – With the goal to “be passionate and SEO-friendly,” it sounds like you’ll differentiate yourself from the majority of real estate professionals online. Good for you for realizing that the prefab template would be more of a hindrance than a benefit. The broker should be willing to give you various branding images that you can incorporate into your own design. The extra work you invest in creating a unique Web site that has community-related content and a clear, SEO-friendly site architecture will pay off in the long run. Feel free to contact us if you get stuck along the way. Best wishes to you in your new business!

]]> By: The Big City Life http://www.bruceclay.com/blog/2009/05/jumping-into-the-real-estate-fray-part-2/#comment-24594 The Big City Life Fri, 26 Feb 2010 06:05:32 +0000 http://www.bruceclay.com/blog-test/2009/05/jumping-into-the-real-estate-fray-part-2/#comment-24594 Be unique. Be a resource. Be an ambassador for your community. I'm new to real estate and will be registering my license next week. I've been interviewing brokerages and they have shown me their prefab point and click templates as one of the "benefits" of becoming an agent with them. All their sites look them same and they all have the same content. Let's try something new and be passionate and SEO friendly about what we do. Ian Be unique.
Be a resource.
Be an ambassador for your community.

I’m new to real estate and will be registering my license next week.

I’ve been interviewing brokerages and they have shown me their prefab point and click templates as one of the “benefits” of becoming an agent with them.

All their sites look them same and they all have the same content.

Let’s try something new and be passionate and SEO friendly about what we do.

Ian

]]> By: Paula Allen http://www.bruceclay.com/blog/2009/05/jumping-into-the-real-estate-fray-part-2/#comment-18550 Paula Allen Tue, 19 May 2009 18:04:46 +0000 http://www.bruceclay.com/blog-test/2009/05/jumping-into-the-real-estate-fray-part-2/#comment-18550 <p>UPDATE 5/19/09: Apparently NAR has not quite "seen the light," as I reported in this post. Although NAR's MLS Committee recommended changing its IDX policy to allow search engine indexing, the decision needed the NAR Board of Directors' approval to take effect. According to Matt Carter of the real estate-industry news site Inman News today:<br /><br />"But the full board voted Saturday to send the matter back to a work group studying other changes to the IDX policy. Since the committee and board won't meet again until November, an existing policy remains in place that allows Realtor boards to require that their members block search engines from indexing IDX listings." (http://www.inman.com/news/2009/05/19/nar-postpones-vote-web-indexing?page=0%2C0 - subscription required)<br /><br />Jay Thompson, who was the second agent that addressed the MLS Committee last week, also commented on this at Search Engine Land (http://searchengineland.com/google-is-scraper-says-national-association-of-realtors-19046), noting that it will be "six months from now" before the issue comes up again.<br /><br />Well, REALTORS, all I can say is there's a lot you can do in the meantime to prime your Web site and start showing up for local property searches in the search engines. If and when IDX indexing is allowed, it will be like adding more oil to your Web site gears that are already in motion.</p> <p> </p> UPDATE 5/19/09: Apparently NAR has not quite “seen the light,” as I reported in this post. Although NAR’s MLS Committee recommended changing its IDX policy to allow search engine indexing, the decision needed the NAR Board of Directors’ approval to take effect. According to Matt Carter of the real estate-industry news site Inman News today:

"But the full board voted Saturday to send the matter back to a work group studying other changes to the IDX policy. Since the committee and board won’t meet again until November, an existing policy remains in place that allows Realtor boards to require that their members block search engines from indexing IDX listings." (http://www.inman.com/news/2009/05/19/nar-postpones-vote-web-indexing?page=0%2C0 – subscription required)

Jay Thompson, who was the second agent that addressed the MLS Committee last week, also commented on this at Search Engine Land (http://searchengineland.com/google-is-scraper-says-national-association-of-realtors-19046), noting that it will be "six months from now" before the issue comes up again.

Well, REALTORS, all I can say is there’s a lot you can do in the meantime to prime your Web site and start showing up for local property searches in the search engines. If and when IDX indexing is allowed, it will be like adding more oil to your Web site gears that are already in motion.

]]> By: Paula Allen http://www.bruceclay.com/blog/2009/05/jumping-into-the-real-estate-fray-part-2/#comment-18549 Paula Allen Mon, 18 May 2009 22:25:18 +0000 http://www.bruceclay.com/blog-test/2009/05/jumping-into-the-real-estate-fray-part-2/#comment-18549 Cal: Point taken! It sounds like you are well on your way to succeeding in the Web marketing aspect of selling real estate. The competition will only heat up from here, and those who've taken the time to learn and apply SEO principles to their sites will have the advantage. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Cal: Point taken! It sounds like you are well on your way to succeeding in the Web marketing aspect of selling real estate. The competition will only heat up from here, and those who’ve taken the time to learn and apply SEO principles to their sites will have the advantage. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

]]> By: Cal Carter http://www.bruceclay.com/blog/2009/05/jumping-into-the-real-estate-fray-part-2/#comment-18548 Cal Carter Mon, 18 May 2009 22:02:03 +0000 http://www.bruceclay.com/blog-test/2009/05/jumping-into-the-real-estate-fray-part-2/#comment-18548 <p>I quote you - "I think real estate agents who just get a template based site and do nothing with it have a very expensive business card." </p> <p>Yes, and for the majority of them you can tell them to put up unique content about the areas they serve and they never do it! They just don't get it! </p> <p>I have taught technology classes to hundreds of agents and 99% will sit through the class, ask irrelevant questions, make wise cracks, and carry on side bar conversations through the most important parts of the class and then never do anything to their site other than leave it just like they got it.</p> <p>Many of those that refuse to put in the time and effort creating sites with relevant, quality content are the same ones that complain that other agents are getting traffic for their listings. Go figure! Perhaps there is a way to cut off the tech savvy agents efforts and make everybody equal - hah!</p> <p>By the way - I also know many agents that have excelled with the web and have done so not through classes, but from their own curiosity and desire to learn - from Google! </p> I quote you – “I think real estate agents who just get a template based site and do nothing with it have a very expensive business card.”

Yes, and for the majority of them you can tell them to put up unique content about the areas they serve and they never do it! They just don’t get it!

I have taught technology classes to hundreds of agents and 99% will sit through the class, ask irrelevant questions, make wise cracks, and carry on side bar conversations through the most important parts of the class and then never do anything to their site other than leave it just like they got it.

Many of those that refuse to put in the time and effort creating sites with relevant, quality content are the same ones that complain that other agents are getting traffic for their listings. Go figure! Perhaps there is a way to cut off the tech savvy agents efforts and make everybody equal – hah!

By the way – I also know many agents that have excelled with the web and have done so not through classes, but from their own curiosity and desire to learn – from Google!

]]> By: Paula Allen http://www.bruceclay.com/blog/2009/05/jumping-into-the-real-estate-fray-part-2/#comment-18547 Paula Allen Mon, 18 May 2009 16:07:07 +0000 http://www.bruceclay.com/blog-test/2009/05/jumping-into-the-real-estate-fray-part-2/#comment-18547 STLrealtor: I'm glad we could help move you beyond the planning stage! You might want to read more of our Web site, which is packed full of free SEO advice. Best wishes to you. STLrealtor: I’m glad we could help move you beyond the planning stage! You might want to read more of our Web site, which is packed full of free SEO advice. Best wishes to you.

]]> By: STLrealtor http://www.bruceclay.com/blog/2009/05/jumping-into-the-real-estate-fray-part-2/#comment-18546 STLrealtor Fri, 15 May 2009 23:32:39 +0000 http://www.bruceclay.com/blog-test/2009/05/jumping-into-the-real-estate-fray-part-2/#comment-18546 <p>This article gets me really excited and really scared. I think I am on the forefront of Real Estate SEO in St. Louis, I have been planning things like what they are mentioning on here for awhile, but articles like this being written is scary for everyone else to know about these techniques, but great, that I know all my ideas are legal. </p> This article gets me really excited and really scared. I think I am on the forefront of Real Estate SEO in St. Louis, I have been planning things like what they are mentioning on here for awhile, but articles like this being written is scary for everyone else to know about these techniques, but great, that I know all my ideas are legal.

]]> By: Foot in Mouth http://www.bruceclay.com/blog/2009/05/jumping-into-the-real-estate-fray-part-2/#comment-18545 Foot in Mouth Fri, 15 May 2009 19:36:50 +0000 http://www.bruceclay.com/blog-test/2009/05/jumping-into-the-real-estate-fray-part-2/#comment-18545 Thanks Very much for the mention Paula! I agree with Joe, that Realtors are obsessed with "leads"...but they should be certain to set down what they qualify as a <b>lead</b>... Is it a form that was filled out? A form that was filled out and you were able to call/email through that info? A form that was filled out, were able to call/email and got a response? A form that was filled out, were able to call/email, get a response and speak to a client who needs your services at all? A form that was filled out, were able to call/email, get a response, speak to a client who needs your services at all, who is going to be needing your services in the near future/now? A form that was filled out, were able to call/email, get a response, speak to a client who needs your services at all, who is going to be needing your services in the near future/now, and hires you to market a home/find a home? A form that was filled out, were able to call/email, get a response, speak to a client who needs your services at all, who is going to be needing your services in the near future/now, and hires you to market a home/find a home, who you actually close a deal and get paid for it? Thanks Very much for the mention Paula!
I agree with Joe, that Realtors are obsessed with “leads”…but they should be certain to set down what they qualify as a lead…
Is it a form that was filled out?
A form that was filled out and you were able to call/email through that info?
A form that was filled out, were able to call/email and got a response?
A form that was filled out, were able to call/email, get a response and speak to a client who needs your services at all?
A form that was filled out, were able to call/email, get a response, speak to a client who needs your services at all, who is going to be needing your services in the near future/now?
A form that was filled out, were able to call/email, get a response, speak to a client who needs your services at all, who is going to be needing your services in the near future/now, and hires you to market a home/find a home?
A form that was filled out, were able to call/email, get a response, speak to a client who needs your services at all, who is going to be needing your services in the near future/now, and hires you to market a home/find a home, who you actually close a deal and get paid for it?

]]> By: Paula Allen http://www.bruceclay.com/blog/2009/05/jumping-into-the-real-estate-fray-part-2/#comment-18544 Paula Allen Fri, 15 May 2009 15:34:49 +0000 http://www.bruceclay.com/blog-test/2009/05/jumping-into-the-real-estate-fray-part-2/#comment-18544 <p>Joe: You make a good point. Conversion has to be the goal, and real estate Web sites need to find the right balance between what they ask for and what they give. The forms do block spiders, though, and that remains a problem for their search marketing success.</p> <p>Jason: Excellent! It sounds like your buddy is ahead of the curve. I wish you much success. </p> Joe: You make a good point. Conversion has to be the goal, and real estate Web sites need to find the right balance between what they ask for and what they give. The forms do block spiders, though, and that remains a problem for their search marketing success.

Jason: Excellent! It sounds like your buddy is ahead of the curve. I wish you much success.

]]> By: Jason http://www.bruceclay.com/blog/2009/05/jumping-into-the-real-estate-fray-part-2/#comment-18543 Jason Fri, 15 May 2009 01:21:35 +0000 http://www.bruceclay.com/blog-test/2009/05/jumping-into-the-real-estate-fray-part-2/#comment-18543 I am in the mortgage industry and a buddy is a real estate broker and I was aware of this issue because of him. He knew it would help increase business and at this point in time it would help the real estate market. Good information - now I have some work to keep me busy. I am in the mortgage industry and a buddy is a real estate broker and I was aware of this issue because of him. He knew it would help increase business and at this point in time it would help the real estate market. Good information – now I have some work to keep me busy.

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