By now, most of you have seen the little Google +1 button in your Internet travels on blogs and websites.  Just what is the significance of this little blue button?  It’s kinda like the Facebook “like button” but packs more punch.  It’s blue and it’s different.

Kinda like Nuprin, but it’s a different color.

But I digress.   Five words with regard the Google +1 Button:  Get One OnYour Website.

It’s an important part of getting found.

Some months ago, an article appeared online (and disappeared rather quickly) with a headline that was something like “Use Google +1 Or Kiss Your Ranking Goodbye.”  While that’s harsh, there’s a lot of merit to it and I’ll show you why.  While you read this, keep in mind that over 260 million people have Google accounts.

The Google +1 button sits there next to the Facebook “like” button, StumbleUpon button, Reddit button, Digg button, and the other social media sharing buttons on a web page or blog post.  All of those buttons are very valuable in getting your website viewed by a much wider audience and building your following online.  The Google +1 button might just be the most valuable of all, as it can affect where you appear in the search engine results of people who click on it.

The way it works is when a visitor has a Google account and clicks on the +1, it will give them a little message that says “You publicly +1′d this as (their name here).”  From that point forward, whenever they do a search for your kind of business you will rank higher...

To see the screenshots demonstrating how and why this works (and read the rest of the article), visit my website:  How To Get Found Online. As always, if you have questions about SEO and Internet marketing that you want answered give me a call at 717-538-8940.

NOTE:  Just to reiterate, the tool offered in this article is truly free with no hidden surprises.

Friends, a couple of weeks back I posted a "free" SEO opportunity that has turned out to be quite the disappointment.  What was once a nice idea to share information has been turned into a monetization tool...a practice, I might add, that can be destructive to a business.

A practice that concerns me with regard to how ActiveRain has handled the whole "Rainmaker" thing.

Since that turned out to be, in essence, a non-opportunity, I wanted to bring you something substantial to the table in this post.  What many of you may not realize with regard to search engine optimization (SEO) is that over half of your SEO does not occur onsite (offsite SEO).  It is your active SEO, which is link building.

As with all proper SEO, it's not a magic pill, but if you use it right or have an SEO professional do it right for you, you will build your search engine presence and improve your ranking.

My good friend David Brown (the REAL Neo) shared this tool he and his team created that will help you build links to your website, while offering links as well.  Reciprocation.  Just like a REAL relationship. lol

Click on this link: Free Link Building tool  (Note: if it brings you to a page with a list of tools, just click on Link Suggestion Generator)

From there, just follow these instructions:

1.  In the "keyword" box, type "real estate agent" or if you want to be area specific just add your desired area, i.e. "real estate agent plano texas."

2.  Click "continue."

3.  The page will then appear with a list of websites (you may have to scroll down) that have link pages.  The link page URLs will look something like "www.buyhomesfromme.com/agent-referral."

4.  Start on the top of the list and click on each link, fill out your informaton for them to link to you, then you will get the info to link to them on your site.  That's pretty much it:)

5.  In SEO, content is king and linking is queen.  Links tell the search engines, basically, that you have friends and you're ok.  Set aside 20 minutes a day or at least 3 days a week to do this, or hire someone who knows what they're doing to handle it for you.  But please...make sure it's someone who knows what they're doing and are doing it properly or it could hurt your ranking.

Contact me if you have any questions or if this just isn't making sense.

This is a great example of the reciprocal relationships that the search engines promote through their algorithms.  It's really quite amazing...just remember that the primary goal of the search engines is to keep a level playing field for all business.

Contact me at 717-538-8940 with any questions about Internet Marketing or SEO, email me at marqeteer@marqeteer.com or visit my website:  Top Real Estate Coaches/Top Internet Marketing Consultants

After a nightmare of a hack attack, my website is finally back up and running.  We went ahead and did a fresh redesign, as well:)   Thanks to some nice Google tools the process, while daunting, was at least a more smooth process and a tad easier.

Two words with regard to Google Analytics and Google Webmaster Tools: Use Them.

About a month ago, my website was hacked and subsequently flagged by Google for MalWare.   In the wake of trying to fix the problem, my good friends at MIND Development and Design said it was a good idea to go ahead with a site redesign as the MalWare became embedded in my website theme.

To say I was crushed and disturbed by this hack attack is an understatement, but it happened and it can happen to anyone.  The important thing is to be prepared and know how to handle it.   One of the things I love about Google is that they provide a lot of free tools that many people still don’t know about, and it’s important to get versed in these tools on your site or make sure your SEO or Internet marketing person is using them.

That being said, if you don’t already use Google Analytics go to the site and sign up for it.   It’s merely a matter of putting an HTML code on your site page or pages that will allow you to track the traffic to your site, what pages they’re looking at, where they’re coming from, etc.

I have a full article about this on my website.  As I am admittedly proud of the new design job and would like to show it off, you can read the rest of the article and get a link to the Google Webmaster Tools here:  Mark Boyd Real Estate Coach and SEO Guy

As always, give me a call or shoot me an email if you want to pick my brain:)

A good opportunity for visibility, local coverage and links is press releases.

Now, before the eye rolls start, I need to address the fact that even press releases have been turned into spam by some entities online.  The key to a successful press release is a good, strong and legitimate angle that will make you pressworthy to your local paper(s).

Newspapers and print media are not worthless, despite what some will have you believe.  It's simply that their significance and their "place of value" in your marketing has changed in this Internet age.  Print media serves one main purpose:  To create visibility that will drive people to where they can find you online and learn more about you.

Yes, you want that print ad or that coverage to lead people to call you or come see you at your office, but that just doesn't happen with nearly the same frequency that it used to.

Press releases are valuable when they're used properly.  Online, you can find countless forums with marketing spam masquerading as "press releases."  A true press release is an unbiased statement of facts.  There is room for opinion in quotes used in press releases, but you have to make sure that it doesn't disrupt the spirit of an unbiases factual statement.

I've written press releases for over 10 years and gotten businesses cover stories in their local newspapers, and the key to this has been simply talking with the editors and finding out what kinds of stories they're looking for.  The truth is that press releases can lead to unpaid advertising for you through a story in your local paper and it's important to handle this aspect with respect.  Editors will love you for that.  Nothing ticks them off more than being inundated with truly un-newsworthy press releases.

Which brings us to the headline of this post...what makes you newsworthy?  There can be several answers to this, but what I want to address here is how long you have been in real estate.  This won't apply to newbies, but if you have been in the real estate business for 10 years or more, you are a valuable resource of information because you have witnessed first hand the changes that have occurred in the past decade or more.

Anniversaries of over 10 years tend to be of interest to local business editors as long as there is a legitimate newsworthy angle.  How long have you been in real estate?  Mark your calendar for your 10 year, 15 year, 20 year, etc. anniversary and plan to get a press release (it may take a few tries depending on how much other news you're competing with for page space) to your local paper with the angle of your "Nth" anniversary in the real estate business and your observations of what has changed in that time and the impact that it has had/will have on home owners/buyers/sellers.

This is vital information of legitimate interest, and who better to offer it than you?  As with all press releases, there is no guarantee of coverage, but even if you don't get the coverage you hope for you can forge a relationship with your local media as a local expert an could find yourself quoted in a future article.   They don't know you exist if you don't let 'em know:)

If you have any questions about press releases, just give me a call or shoot me an email.

Contact me at 717-538-8940 with any questions about Internet Marketing or SEO, email me at marqeteer@marqeteer.com or visit my website:  Top Real Estate Coaches/Top Internet Marketing Consultants

(NOTE: my apologies if you get a Malware warning on my site.  It shows up okay in some browsers, but I was hacked and as of 11/6/11 I'm waiting for Google to give me the final stamp of approval.  In the meantime, you may just want to email or call me)

We SEO geeks have a saying:  "Content is King, Linking is Queen."

The gist of this is that before you focus on driving people to your website/blog and acquiring links to your page, you want to make sure people will like what they see once they're on your page.  Mainly, you want your content to be engaging, thoughtful and (most importantly) readable.  Complete sentences and correct grammar still count once we're all in adulthood...especially in this Internet age.

Which brings us to the "linking" portion of our show referenced in the headline of this article.  I was doing some research for one of my clients here in Pennsylvania earlier this week and literally stumbled across a wonderful SEO linking opportunity that won't cost you anything but about 5 or 10 minutes' time once a month.

I have written for Realty Times for several years and have always liked their platform and format.  I believe it's an excellent resource for information.   There is a Market Conditions page, where you can literally go, choose your state and specific area and give a brief professional opinion of your current real estate market climate.

There is one major problem, however:

Many areas have not been updated or reported on in over a year!  And most areas don't have consistent monthly reporting!

That means no Realtors are reporting on these areas consistently, which is a HUGE mistake.  Not only is this nice exposure on a high profile real estate news site, you will get a quality link to your website each time you leave your assessment and rating of your local real estate market!

This is a great linking opportunity!

There is a great need for education amongst consumers.  Home owners, sellers and buyers need good reliable information delivered consistently by someone in their own back yard.  I recommend that you go to the Realty Times market assessment form and fill it out once a month for your area.  This will build consistency in a visible forum and help establish you as a dependable local resource for visitors.

Each published assessment will have a link to your website from the Realty Times market conditions page for your area.

SEO is so very important to getting found online and there is no one magic pill.  There are, however, a lot of good simple opportunities that get overlooked and this is one of them.  Just please...if you do this, put thought into what you write and make it easily readable:)

Leave your local market conditions assessment on Realty Times’ market conditions page here.

Contact me at 717-538-8940 with any questions about Internet Marketing or SEO, email me at marqeteer@marqeteer.com or visit my website:  Top Real Estate Coaches/Top Internet Marketing Consultants

(NOTE: my apologies if you get a Malware warning on my site.  I was hacked and as of 11/4/11 I'm waiting for Google to finish making sure my site is clean.  In the meantime, you may just want to email or call me)

J Philip Faranda posted a GREAT piece on Facebook business pages today, in response to an Inman article called "You Need to Delete Your Facebook Business Pages Immediately."

Articles like that Inman article really aggravate me, because they play on the fear of those who aren't sure of what they're doing...and they play on that fear in the most negative and condesending of ways.  Not my cup of tea.

While there is some truth in what is said there, the author misses the opportunity to teach and share what works.  He claims he "failed" with Facebook after 3 years, and I can only wonder if he used the same negative "I told you so" approach with his Facebook classes that he does in his article.

Consistency is key, but your content is king.  Good, legitimately helpful content keeps people coming back to your page and creates rapport with visitors.  The tone and attitude you communicate in that content will determine what kind of rapport that is.

Thank you J. Philip Faranda for sharing what works for you, and why...

While I'm admittedly biased, because I am an Internet marketing consultant as well as a real estate coach, I just couldn't believe what I was reading when I saw this article today.  It's from nearly a year ago and it just made my blood boil.  It’s in The Telegraph and it’s by someone named Milo Yiannopoulos who proudly shows that he just doesn’t get it.

While there are some insightful arguments made, I could not believe the rash and juvenile expressions (he calls social media consultants “blood sucking hucksters” among other colourful adjectives) this supposed professional used in burning the concept of social media consultants at the stake.

Pure and simple, social media consulting is necessary deprogramming.  It’s the purging of all the narcisistic and “money motivated” sales tactics we’ve been subject to for the past 30 years.  Consumers are sick of it and have progressively distanced themselves from it.

Think about it.  From throwing away junk mail to screening calls to voice mail to do-not-call lists, consumers have been trying their hardest to click here to read the entire post on my blog.

I recently posted this as my status on Facebook: "Dear Facebook: You are to social media what Google is to search engines. Google has tried twice (and failed) to cut into your social media market share with Buzz and Wave. Now it's Google Plus. Google Plus is not a superior service, but with all your unnecessary, fear-based and aggravating changes in recent months you just might make Google Plus superior on your own. Stop panicking, for crying out loud and leave a good thing be for a while."

Yes, Facebook has made quite a few changes over the past months...many of them unnecessary. But that's what fear and panic will do for you. Panic and fear distort your ability to determine what is really necessary when making changes to your product or service.   In Facebook's case, they're panicking a bit because it's Google. And Google will probably keep on trying until they hit on something that's successful.

What's interesting, though, is the fact that in this scenario Google has a lot in common with Bing in the search engine scenario. Will Bing ever overtake Google in the search engine market? Probably not. But there's room for Bing to have a reasonable market share, build their own following and maintain a level of success. Google is basically the Bing of the social media market.

Is Google Plus (Google+) necessary for your business and Internet marketing efforts?  Yes.  Click here to read my full post and find out why, including direct comparisons.

And if you want to get your business found online, email me or call me for a free no-strings-attached consultation at 717-538-8940.

In your own SEO, Internet marketing and social media marketing efforts, it’s common to want to avoid the trial and error process that leads to real progress.   Much of the SEO and Internet marketing solutions offered online pander to this human tendency to want the reward without all the work.   If you ever feel yourself falling into that trap, there’s a great lesson to be learned from Google…and its failures.

In case you haven’t heard, Google has recently launched Google+, their social networking site that is trying to succeed where previous efforts have failed.

Those previous efforts were known as Google Buzzand Google Wave.  I remember watching the video for Google Wave and being so thoroughly bored 10 minutes into it that it didn’t surprise me when the concept didn’t catch on.

This is aspirin all over again.  Aspirin is aspirin.  What can you do to make your aspirin better?   Well…we’ll make ours more potent. Yeah, we’ll cram more milligrams into each pill.

From there, some brilliant company decided to coat their aspirin to prevent “aspirin stomach upset.”

Once the marketing capabilities of aspirin had been exhausted, it was time to create an “alternative.”   Then the marketing machine cranked up again highlighting howTylenol/acetaminophen is a better pain reliever than aspirin.   And so forth and so on and the same cycle keeps repeating itself.

So what do pain relievers have to do with your Internet marketing and social media marketing, besides that fact technology has been known to spur headaches?

Just think of Facebook as the aspirin.  Hell, Google probably doesn’t like this fact but Facebook has really become to social networks what Google is to search engines…and that’s a hard thing for even Google to compete with.  Whether or not you need Google + depends on whether or not you need any of its key differentiating features.   Namely, how is it different and/or better than Facebook?

Click here to read the full post and see those key differences on my blog page.

If you want to get your business ranked and found online, let's talk.  Just email me, visit www.marqeteer.com or give me a call at 717-538-8940.