seo tips: Paid Traffic (PPC) vs Organic Traffic (SEO) Which is Better?
- 09/05/10 03:23 PM
I have to admit, I can sometimes be a numbers geek. I’m one of the few people who actually enjoy looking at Google Analytics. There’s one graph in particular that always seems to stay constant no matter what real estate website I review. It’s the graph that compares Organic Traffic (the traffic that comes from natural search engine optimization) vs Paid Traffic (Google Pay Per Click advertising). It always shows the same thing. Organic Traffic yields far better visitors than Pay Per Click. But, don’t just take my word for it. Let’s look at some numbers. You can see that the particular … (32 comments)
seo tips: The 3 Secret Companies that Really Control Google Local [SEO TIPS]
- 07/12/10 04:57 PM
I'm number #1 - well, after the first 10 results! That's a statement that plagues many agents who appear at the "top" of the search engines. That's because for so many local based searches, Google first shows the local "7-pack."
Suddenly, being "#1" organically means your site doesn't show up until half way down the page of the search results. With this in mind, I thought I would give some quick tips on how to ensure you show up at the true top of the page. Now I'm sure most everyone knows about Google Local (or Google Places as they … (106 comments)
seo tips: Does Your AcitveRain Outside Blog Have Any Authority in Google?
- 07/30/08 08:24 AM
I have to be honest, I haven’t really been following ActiveRain’s Outside blog service. Mainly because we have been so busy refining our own real estate blogging product called the SwiftBlog (based on WordPress). But a few of my real estate clients kept asking me to look into AR's outside blog so I took a few minutes to dig in a little more. Below is my initial assessment. A Quick Message to the AR gods (a.k.a. Disclaimer) The information below is from my quick assessment of AR’s Outside Blog. If I have anything wrong or didn’t interpret something correctly, feel free … (58 comments)
seo tips: Link Bait? What Was I Thinking!
- 04/02/08 06:45 PM
A few months ago, I was working late at the office. Earlier that day, I was consulting with a client and brainstorming how to build natural links to their real estate Web site. Now I always try to practice what I preach, so I later started doing some brainstorming of my own. What could I do to create "linkbait" to my my company Web site? Link Bait? You Evil Doer! Now, before everyone starts screaming about tricking people and "gaming the system" let’s accurately define what linkbait is. Some people think the term "Link Bait" means tricking people to click a … (58 comments)
seo tips: It’s Time to Rewrite Your Title Tags
- 12/18/07 06:26 PM
The other day someone asked me. "If you could only make one edit to a website to achieve better search engine optimization, what would it be?" After clarifying that the edit had to be on the site (meaning link building wasn't an option) I responded by saying that tweaking the Title Tag would probably be the first place to start. Since I am always on the look out for new blog topics, I thought I would pull together some information and create a post about Title Tags. I am sure the topic has been covered a million times on AR … (43 comments)
seo tips: See Your Site Through The Eyes of Google
- 08/18/07 06:48 PM
When a web visitor views your site, they are immediately greeted with graphics, text, and possibly even videos or flash. Obviously, humans can quickly scan and read these elements and then determine what is important. Search Engines however see your site in a whole different light. While search engines are getting smarter and smarter, they ultimately rely on HTML code and content to determine what you page is all about. Flash Killed the Search Engine Star Many Real Estate agents like to use flash because it offers so much eye candy. The only problem is that while your music filled flash … (119 comments)
seo tips: Optimizing Your Active Rain blog for Visitors and Search Engines (Part 2)
- 08/11/07 09:06 PM
After such a great response from my blog post about optimizing your Active Rain profile, I decided to write this follow up post about how to optimize your Active Rain Blog. Your Blog Title It’s amazing how many people on Active Rain simply title their blog as “Bob’s Blog” or “Sue’s Blog.” The problem with this is that this is not very descriptive for Search Engines or Web Visitors. Instead, try to incorporate a keyword into your blog title. After all, this text will appear at the top of every post that you write. But don’t just take the simple way … (128 comments)
seo tips: Optimizing Your Active Rain Profile for Search Engines and Visitors
- 07/27/07 05:00 PM
I recently wrote an article that referenced Active Rain. Since then, I saw quite a few people join Active Rain. With so many of my clients and peers joining, I figured I should give a quick tutorial on how to make sure your Profile is optimized for Search Engines. But, this post isn’t just for the newbies. Even if you are a veteran to ActiveRain, you may want to use this as a quick review to make sure you have covered all your bases. Join Active Rain If you haven’t already done so, I suggest you join Active Rain. But, don’t … (201 comments)
seo tips: FSBO or Real Estate Agent… The Conclusion
- 07/10/07 02:08 PM
Note: You can read the first post by clicking here. As many of you may know. I recently wrote a post about whether to sell my house FSBO or use an agent. I must confess, although my wife and I have tossed around the idea, we are not selling our home. More importantly, we are not going to sell it FSBO. So why did I write such a controversial post? Why did I risk getting the very people who subscribe to my blog mad at me? There are actually a few reasons… But before I jump too far into this post, … (54 comments)
seo tips: Here Is Your Chance to Brag!
- 06/27/07 05:38 PM
I often read post on Active Rain about people achieving top ranking for Google or Yahoo. And if you think about it, it’s actually quite an accomplishment! After all, with some keyphrases, your page is competing against sometimes millions of other pages. Do you realize what this means? If you are on the first page of Google (even if you’re ranked #10) and there are one million competing pages, you then rank in the top 0.001% for that keyword! Think about that for a second – That’s a pretty elite group! Let me give you an example I just found … (54 comments)
seo tips: Could Too Many Comments Hurt Your Blog Post?
- 06/25/07 06:18 PM
I started thinking about this the last night and thought I would throw this out here to get other people’s opinion. Could too many comments devalue your post in the eyes of Google? Think about it for a second. Google’s Webmaster Guidelines clearly states "Keep the links on a given page to a reasonable number (fewer than 100)." But you will often see post containing many links to external resources or examples. In addition, every comment contains a link to the person’s profile page. On top of all of that, many people will add links inside of their comments. Would Google … (23 comments)
seo tips: A New Wave of Reciprocal Links that Actually Works!
- 06/15/07 04:43 AM
We all know that link exchanges are a thing of the past. Google sees right though all the proverbial “back scratching” links. The fact that they were so exploited lost almost all of their value. But with today’s Real Estate Agent using many different websites in their online presence, it just may be a good time to take another look at reciprocal links. But this time, from a totally unique approach! Disclaimer Before we jump too far into this, it’s important to understand the different types of Search Optimization techniques. Black Hat techniques try to exploit search engines and find loopholes. … (63 comments)
seo tips: The Top Secret Project! …and other information you didn’t know about Google.
- 06/11/07 06:41 PM
Think about this, Google accounts for over 1/2 of all searches conducted in the United States! Because of their huge market share, even small changes to Google’s ranking systems have put multi-million dollar companies, such as BMW, in Google's Blacklist (although to be fair, BMW was not playing by the rules) and have taken other companies from digital obscurity to overnight success stories. If most of your business comes from the web, it’s imperative to keep up with the latest changes with the World's Most Famous Brand. I have talked in the past about Google’s willingness to give webmasters far more … (68 comments)
seo tips: The Ultimate Website Checklist - 32 Things to Evaluate in Your Website
- 06/06/07 04:42 PM
Every now and then, real estate agents need to take a step back and objectively look at their website. One of the biggest challenges in doing so is knowing exactly what to look for. With this in mind, I have created a checklist that breaks down important components of your website. I suggest you go though each section and write down your answers. Remember it's important to be objective! It just may reveal some interesting information. Below is an overview of the checklist. My other blog contains the full Real Estate Website Checklist that goes into more detail about each of … (33 comments)
seo tips: Setting The Record Straight About Duplicate Content
- 06/05/07 04:10 PM
It seems like every day you read a different opinion on Duplicate Content. "Don't do it! Your site will get banned!" some people say. I would always get hammered with criticism when I would chime in and tell them that it's simply not true and that most people don't need to worry about duplicate content penalties. After all, if this was Google's policy, then I could just make a copy of my competitor's site and watch them get kicked out of Google. Syndicating Content Last week the Real Estate Institute of Queensland Australia contacted me asking permission to reprint one of … (50 comments)
seo tips: What to Watch When Tracking Stats
- 05/28/07 07:47 PM
Don't Get Caught Up In Information Overload The problem isn't information. It's usually too much information! With so much data, it's easy to get overwhelmed and not really know what to focus on. To avoid this, I approach Analytics the same way I approach SEO. Keep it simple and let the facts speak for themselves. The Right Tools for The Right Job The best way to get an objective overview of your site is to use different tools. Below are a few of the more valuable tools that I recommend. Webalizer Webalizer is a down and dirty stats program. It's great … (13 comments)
seo tips: Link Condoms on Active Rain
- 05/28/07 12:05 PM
Don't worry. This is a G rated post :-) In the few days that I have been on Active Rain, I have noticed a few people adding links in the signature of their comments. Obviously, these people understand the importance of backlinking and anchor text. Not only is adding keywords in comments a little spammy, it's also gives you no boost in search engines. Here's why. NoFollow Means No Credit Active Rain adds a special tag to all links in comments. People in the SEO world commonly refer to this tag as a link condom. It's official name is the Nofollow … (19 comments)
seo tips: Stop Saying SEO is Difficult and Start Reading The Directions!
- 05/27/07 08:48 PM
I hear people talking all the time about how mysterious Google’s algorithms are. “It’s like playing a game and not knowing the rules” they say. When I hear this, I think to myself, “No. It’s like playing a game without first reading the directions!” Yes, that’s right. Google gives clear directions on how to win the Google game. The problem is, too many people start to immediately roll the dice - thinking the whole time they are playing the game. When in reality, they don’t even know how the game is played They simply make up their own rules and … (71 comments)
seo tips: Are You Getting SEO Reports Directly From Google? I Am!
- 05/27/07 04:04 PM
Google has a great tool to alert you when they find a new backlink or see content written about you on the web. I was shocked when one of my clients said they didn’t even know this tool even existed. I figured if he didn’t know about the tool, others may be in the same boat. So I did the only logical next step. I jumped on Active Rain and his that magical new post button. Google Alerts Notifications directly to your inbox. Google Alerts allows you to setup notification emails when Google picks up new content related to a specific … (39 comments)
seo tips: Link Building - Social Networking Sites
- 05/25/07 05:41 PM
I had a few people read my last post and ask me about Social Networking Sites. So hopefully this post can help answer some of those questions. What Are Social Networking Sites The Short Answer: Link Builders! Social Networking Sites are communities where like minded people share ideas, thought and links (Active Rain is a perfect example.) They are great places to build links (and SEO) for your website. But please, offer real content and not spam. If not, you will just waste your time and the time of your visitors. Offer tips, create unique Top 10 list, answer questions, etc. … (9 comments)
I have to admit, I can sometimes be a numbers geek. I’m one of the few people who actually enjoy looking at Google Analytics. 
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