Hot topics in real estate ... and how they drive web traffic

I often tell my marketing clients that they can boost their online success if they adopt a publisher's mentality. That's because the first step to Internet marketing success is to generate traffic. And nobody knows how to generate traffic like professional Internet publishers.

One of the "tricks of the trade" is to follow the news and cover popular topics on your website and blog. Media coverage increases consumer awareness, which in turn drives Internet search patterns. For example, you hear a lot on the news these days about subprime mortgages. As a result, the number of Internet searches for that phrase have risen steadily in recent months.

The media talks about ... the public picks it up ... and the public begins to research it online. It's a predictable cycle.

So if you cover popular, media-driven topics on your real estate website or blog, you stand to gain more traffic. The more traffic you have, the greater your chances for web-based inquiries and leads.

So what are the hottest topics in real estate right now, as judged by media coverage and Internet search?

1. National slowdown in real estate -- Every time I turn on the news, I hear something about the overall real estate market in the U.S. and how it's taking a dive. Is this happening in your area? How will it affect your key audience? What should they know? Tell them on your website and/or blog.

2. Mortgage foreclosures -- I don't need to tell you how popular this topic is right now. Popular in a bad way, but popular nonetheless. Are mortgage foreclosures spiking in your market area, like they are elsewhere in the country? Do you have advice for people looking to buy foreclosure properties for investment purposes? Can you help people avoid foreclosure through short-sale techniques? Share it through your website and/or blog.

3. Subprime mortgage loans -- Much of the foreclosure "crisis" in this country can be attributed to the subprime mortgage loans that were doled out to unqualified buyers several years back. What should the people in your area know about subprime mortgage loans? Tell them through your website and/or blog.

4. Home staging tips -- Thanks to shows like HGTV's "Designed to Sell" the popularity of home staging has soared over the last couple of years. Home staging companies are sprouting up like mushrooms, and consumers are increasingly interested in home staging tips that can help them sell their home. Can you offer advice on this subject? Share it through your website and/or blog.

If you noticed the links spread throughout this post, you'll notice that I'm following my own advice here. By creating tutorials on most of the subjects listed above, I'm able to increase the traffic levels and general success of my real estate websites. And you can do the same!

Think like a publisher, address popular topics, and watch your web traffic increase.

Labels: Internet Marketing

Over 300 Pages of SEO Advice - In One Resource

I've just finished reading the SEO Book by Aaron Wall, and I am happy to recommend the book to you without hesitation. It's full of up-to-date SEO advice and resources, but that's only the beginning.

If you want to skip past me raving about the book and download it for yourself, you can do so at Aaron's website here.

I've been working with Internet marketing and search engine optimization for several years now, and I like to think I'm pretty well read on the subject. I try to read at least one article per day, on subjects such as blogging, Internet marketing, web development, SEO advice and more. Just when I think I've "seen and heard it all," I download and read Aaron's SEO book.

SEO Advice - Plus a Lot More

The book provides over 300 pages of SEO advice from somebody who truly lives and breathes all things web-related. Aaron is knowledgeable on SEO topics (obviously), but more than that he helps you see the bigger picture of online success in general.

I would have liked a bit more organization within the book, as far as the progression of topics and SEO advice. But the topics are "modular" in nature, so you can really just jump in anywhere. It's not something you have to read cover to cover. For example, if you want to brush up on your knowledge of social networking as it pertains to SEO advice ... you can dive right into that chapter.

Aaron also keeps the book current by updating it once in a while, so you know you're always getting the most current SEO advice available. And in the fast-moving, ever-changing world of Internet marketing and search engine optimization, current SEO advice is the only kind that's worth reading.

I truly hope you download this vast collection of SEO advice today, and I hope it benefits you as much as it has me.

Check out Aaron's book here

Labels: Real Estate SEO

An Excerpt from the Real Estate SEO Book

I'd like to offer a brief excerpt from my book on real estate search engine optimiztion (SEO). The book, Top Ten Agent, is available for download in e-book / PDF format from www.TopTenAgent.com.

I wanted to share this with you because I get a lot of questions about the book's content. It seems a lot of people have been burned purchasing books and "systems" in the past ... books with big promises and weak delivery.

Here's where my real estate SEO book is different (and I hope this brief excerpt backs me up here). My book on search engine success for agents is basically a road map for success. It's not a theory or loosely collected "system" of fluff ... it is the actual and exact process I use to drive real estate websites up the search engine ranks, time and time again.

The book is arranged as a series of steps. You simply read through the book, follow the steps prescribed, and watch as your website -- over time -- systematically moves up through the search engine rankings.

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Excerpt follows. Download guide at www.TopTenAgent.com
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Step 10. Submit Your Website to Directories (Round 2)

Summary: In this step, you will submit your website to additional web directories. This will further increase your website's link popularity and, in time, your search engine ranking.

Back in Step 4 of this book, you learned the value of web directories as a source of inbound links to your website. In this step, we will continue the ongoing process of link building by conducting another round of directory submissions.

If you followed my recommendation in Step 4, you submitted your website to a package of directories through RealEstateAdvertise.com, and also to Octopedia.com and ElegantDirectory.com. Here are a few more directories I use often, due to their quality, value, age, ranking and general professionalism.

EarthLook (http://www.earthlook.com)
I like this web directory for several reasons. First of all, it's a well-established website with good search engine ranking. So a link from this directory will help you out with your own ranking. Secondly, the directory lets you add multiple links in addition to your home page. So you could list your website's home page, your blog's home page, and a few other pages (such as those you created in Step 3).

This directory also lets you submit your blog's RSS feed. So it will keep a record of your most recent posts with links back to your blog. Lastly, this directory lets you put keywords in the five additional links they grant you. At the time of this writing, a submission costs $20 (one-time fee).

GoGuides (http://www.goguides.org)
According to their website, "We use Google Sitemaps to inform Google's crawler about all your pages and to help people discover more of your web pages." At the time of this writing, GoGuides charged a one-time fee of $69 for website submission / review.

Best of the Web (http://botw.org)
This is one of the oldest directories online today. As a result, it is extremely high-ranking and trusted by all the major search engines. You'll certainly pay for the privilege to be listed here (submission fees range from $69 to $199), but it's worth the cost in my professional opinion.

Starting Point (http://www.stpt.com/directory/)
This is another well-established and high-ranking directory that will contribute quite a bit to your overall link popularity and search engine ranking. At $99 per year, the price is a bit steep. But if you can afford it, I recommend submitting your website.

Skaffe (http://www.skaffe.com)
Skaffe is another quality directory at a reasonable price. At the time of this writing, they were charging a one-time fee of $44 for submissions / listings.

Always Read the Guidelines
Before submitting your website to a directory—especially a paid directory—be sure to read their guidelines. Most directories have similar guidelines, like the ones I mentioned back in Step 4. But to make sure your website gets listed, read all guidelines and follow all instructions when submitting. If you have a quality website with nothing weird going on (like redirects, pop-ups, or other shady tactics), your website will likely be accepted 100% of the time.

Recap: In this step, you submitted your website to additional web directories in order to increase your link popularity (more inbound links), which will further support your search engine rankings. When you have completed this step by submitting your website to at least four of the five directories listed above, you can proceed to Step 11.

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Download the full guide at www.TopTenAgent.com
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You can also learn more about this topic by reading this blog post on web directory submissions.

Labels: Real Estate SEO

Advice For Agents - Version 2.0

Hope everyone is having a nice weekend. Just a quick post to let you know that we are currently revitalizing / reformatting the website AdviceForAgents.com to turn it into a more useful for real estate agents.

This website will be a library of articles on all aspects of running a real estate business, from the training and startup to career advancement, and beyond. Best of all, it is advice submitted from the field -- anyone qualified to write about the real estate business can submit articles to the site.

Click to go there now

You can submit articles to the following categories (w/ more categories coming soon):

I hope you find the new-and-improved version of this website useful, and I welcome any relevant articles you care to submit.

~Brandon

Labels: Real Estate Websites

Starting Your Own Real Estate Forum

I would venture a guess that every real estate agent reading this blog post is familiar with real estate forums. After all, if you're active enough online to find my blog, you've no doubt found some real estate forums as well.

Forums such as AgentsOnline.net and ActiveRain.com offer real estate agents a place to share ideas and insight with others in the "trenches."

So now let me ask you this. What if you started your very own real estate forum that catered specifically to buyers and sellers in your hometown? Can you imagine the business-building potential of having your very own online community of real estate-minded consumers in your area?

I've created a free tutorial that shows you how to do exactly that. It actually started out as a few notes I was writing for a friend (he wanted to know how to create his own real estate forum). I expanded those notes into this tutorial, and I'm now happy to share it with you.

How to Create Your Own Real Estate Forum

I hope you find it helpful.

~Brandon