Article marketing is an inexpensive way of driving traffic to your real estate website. Most people who use the internet are looking for information. So if you provide information that is worth while, they will click on the link to your website to see if you have more information available. What are the benefits of article marketing, especially for real estate agents? There are several benefits, such as:

• Articles can drive traffic to your website each time someone clicks on the link in the author's box.
• Generating traffic can be completely free if you write your own articles. Even if you hire someone to write the articles for you or buy articles with private label rights, it is still inexpensive. Original articles can cost anywhere from $5 to $25 each, and prewritten PLR (Private Label Rights) articles can be just a few dollars each. Membership sites focused on prewritten PLR articles for real estate, such as our site Agent Success Club, can make them even more affordable (as long as you put your own unique expertise and opinions into the articles, this can be a very efficient way to build your Internet content without having to start writing from scratch).
• You will get free incoming links to your website if you submit your articles to article directories. All of the directories allow you to put your website URL in the author's box. If people like your article they may decide to visit your website to see what else you have to offer.
• Since internet marketing is all about building trust with your customer, writing articles will set you up as an expert in your area which, in turn, will increase your creditability with people who read your articles. The end result will be increased conversions of website visitors to clients.

Submitting your articles to an article directory means that other people can use your articles on their sites. If they do, you get free incoming links to your website. Some of the giant article directories are EzineArticles.com and ArticleCity.com.

The way it works is you write your article (or modify your prewritten PLR article), making sure you include your name and a link to your web site (even your photo if you want), and submit it to the e-zine of your choosing (or use a service like Article Marketer to submit your articles to lots of sites at the same time). Then publishers (web site owners) who are looking for free content to use in their newsletters, on their websites and blogs go to the e-zine article directories. If they choose your article, they will put it on their website giving you full credit by including your byline as a requirement for its use.

The advantage of having all of those one-way incoming links from all of the articles you've written is that your website will get a much higher ranking in the search engines. If you make certain that you include your local information in the web page meta tags, you may even get the number one spot for local searches. There are meta tags for "city", "state" and "zip code". You need to include this information on every page on your website. Why?

Let's say you live in Nashville, Tennessee. An individual in Pennsylvania who is being transferred to Nashville goes to Google and types in "real estate agent +Nashville +tn". If you included your local information and have been doing article marketing, your site could be listed on the first page of the search results. I'm sure you can see how this will be an advantage for you. It works for local customers as well as out-of-towners.

All real estate agents need their own personal web sites in today's online connected world. I guarantee your top competitors will have a website, and you will be left in the dust if you don't.

This is the age of the Internet, and information is the hottest commodity going. Any person, anywhere, with information to share can now market to that exact audience looking for the information faster than ever before.

Now, anyone has the potential to be the top-dog online real estate agent in any town in the world.

So, what kind of web site should you use, a page on your company's site, or one of your own?

Larger real estate companies will offer you a page on the company's website. If one is available, by all means use it to send traffic to your own personal web site.

But, you MUST have your own personal web site.

Why do you need a personal web site? Because it allows you to be in complete control of your marketing, which lets you control your future. Your individual web site is where you will post all of your listings (in addition to the Multiple Listing Service and any other cross-listing services available to you), plus all the information about you as an agent such as:

- Testimonials from past clients
- Your professional certifications
- Your photo
- Articles for your clients
- Personalized tools, such as customized mortgage calculators

There are several benefits to having your own website, such as:

- You own everything. If you leave your franchise, all you have to do is change a few things, like the colors and the logo on your site, and you are ready to go.
- You have complete control of the content. You can do whatever you want such as survey your visitors, post videos, post an online newsletter, etc.
- Your website is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to service your customers. One major advantage is with out of town buyers. They can get a much better idea of who you are and what you can offer to them without having to pay for a trip to your city.
- You can capture leads and funnel them directly to your own mailing list autoresponder. This way, you can continuously market to your leads, economically and on your own schedule.

If you don't have your own web site, you are leaving your independence and control of your own business in the hands of others. Do you really want to do that?

Are you a real estate agent looking to increase your Web presence? If you have a Web site, it is important to maximize its effectiveness. You must get it in front of as many potential homebuyers as possible and make sure it convinces prospects that you are the ideal agent to suit their needs. One great way to maximize the potential of your Web presence is to create an online blog.

An online blog, either written entirely by you or supplemented with real estate PLR (Private Label Rights) pre-written articles from Agent Success Club, is a great way to supplement your online real estate marketing tools. A blog lets people get to know your thoughts 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If a potential client is looking at real estate Web sites at 4 a.m., they can read your blog. They will learn what sets you apart from your competition, all while you are sleeping.

Before your clients ever pick up a phone and call your office, your blog will persuade sellers and buyers alike to choose you as their real estate agent. A blog allows you to establish common ground with people in a way that standard real estate Web sites simply can't. Make establishing yourself as an expert a part of your overall agent marketing plan. In your own voice, you can show that you understand clients' needs and are an expert in your field. Your blog will make it clear that you're the best agent to choose in the area.

Your blog will drive traffic to your Web site. Write on relevant titles that contain valuable keywords, or modify real estate PLR pre-written articles to include your keywords. For instance, writing a blog entry entitled "How to Find Anaheim Pre-Foreclosure Homes" will certainly get some attention in today's real estate market.

Not only will the keywords drive traffic to your blog, the blog itself will feature a backlink to your Web site. This backlink will let your blog readers go directly to your Web site if they like what you've got to say, further boosting your online real estate marketing presence.

Blogs are a great way to make a fantastic first impression on the Web-browsing masses. The average home buyer or seller does not know as much as you do about real estate.

With all the news about how abysmal things are, a positive voice with a fresh perspective is very comforting to someone looking to buy or sell a home. If you establish yourself on real estate Web sites as a friendly expert willing to share key advice, potential customers will perceive you as one of the "good guys."

Once readers have decided they like you, they can even subscribe to your RSS blog. It's a great way to build an online fan club. You can also offer your RSS feed as an e-mail, which will provide you with a great list of subscribers who are interested in hearing what you've got to say.

Blogs are a big part of a successful agent marketing plan, but it can often be difficult for a busy agent to keep up with the demands of creating content. If you need copy or content ideas, be sure to look into real estate PLR content from Agent Success Club, or hire a professional copywriter.

Blogs will let you position yourself head and shoulders above the rest of the Realtors in your region. Your competition is likely dabbling in this arena, but these secrets of online real estate marketing will give your blog the edge.