Bryan Pearl 's Blog

Where Have You Been?

Bryan Pearl Huntsville Alabama Real Estate (Pearl Real Estate Marketing) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 20:51:35 -0500

For the last several months, I have been almost underground. When it comes to blogging about Huntsville Alabama Real Estate, I have been non existent. I know we have to keep it up and it has hurt me in the search engines. However, I am still seeing a surge in contacts and sales. It is almost like the faucet has been turned on again. It will likely be short lived but my team and I have several things under contract. It looks like they will all close.

As I mentioned, we have been working on several new things. I will give you some detail about these things.

We were investigating a new contact manager with a builtin drip email syatem. There are many quality programs out there. Some are very expensive for up start agents and teams. There are other problems with these systems. They don't integrate very well with other system. So, I usually spend a lot of time logging in and changing multiple systems. To solve this dilemma, I have teamed up with a new website/graphics' designer and a programmer.

We are building a new system, that will roll out in the Huntsville Alabama area. This system will have a CMS website manager, website hosting, Google Analytics, blog, forum, Flyer Designer, Email Designer, Contact Manager, IDX solution, MLS Gateway, property websites, listings' module, virtual tours and a Drip Email System. There will be only one interface to work from, only one login area.

We are taking it slow to be sure and do it right. We have the content manager, website hosting, and listing module in place and functional. I was building this system for my business and asked the opinion of some of my REALTOR friends; they loved the idea.

When the system has been fully tested. We will unveil this to the general real estate industry.

Online Marketing is a lot like playing pinball

Bryan Pearl Huntsville Alabama Real Estate (Pearl Real Estate Marketing) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 20:30:05 -0600

We all know that after you do the basics of building a quality site and implementing a good SEO strategy, the next things needed are quality links.

I don't know what made me think of this but I find my online marketing strategy to be a lot like pinball. Here is my description:

1) The steel ball is a blog post, article or press release.
2) The spring loaded launcher is used to to launch the ball. These are the actual blogs, article directories, and press organizations promoting your news to online publishers: including digg, delicious and etc.
3) You score points by keeping the ball bouncing around.

Everytime you get credit for an additional link in Google, these are points. The more of the link references you have the more your ball will bounce around between the bumpers.

The more content you publish and the more references you create the higher your placement in the search engine. I am still kind of new at this social media stuff. I have learned that I need to create daily posts and news for Huntsville Alabama real estate to maintain enhance lmy position.

If you never launch the ball you will never gain search engine position.

What is most important when building your first website?

Bryan Pearl Huntsville Alabama Real Estate (Pearl Real Estate Marketing) — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 20:30:21 -0600

There are all kinds of advice on how to build websites. It can be a real tough decision on the direction. If you make the wrong decision it can set you back several months and you could lose hundreds to thousands of dollars by dropping potential clients. Do you know where to begin? In this article, I will help you understand the decision you should make.

I have purchased several how-to guides on the internet. You know those that claim to help you earn $1,000,000 in your first month online. They have a thousand-word sales pitch before they tell you the answer is in an ebook that costs $24.99. In almost all cases the information in these ebooks was the same as in forums you can join for free. This is my first piece of advice. When you are making business decisions about online marketing, find a forum or a blog covering the topic. If you can, become a member; spend hours gleaning from the experience written there. This can save you from many of the pitfalls.

Most people have heard of search engines and how it is important to gain clients through search engine rankings. The higher you rank in the search engine the more visitors you receive. So, wouldn't it make sense to build your website for search engine rankings as the main priority? Many web designers use this approach, but it is wrong. You need to ask yourself a simple question. "Who is my audience?", or "Who are my customers". This answer needs to be the focus of your website. You can work to get rankings drawing in the visitors, if you can't retain them it is all for nothing.

With visitors as your primary focus, design the site around them. Some designers think bells and whistles are the most important features. Some think high end graphics' design is the most important feature. These both are secondary in importance. The most important feature is ease of use through the navigation. Most visitors will be looking for something specific. How easy will it be to find on your website? You will lose more than 50% of total visitors in the first 30 seconds if they can't navigate the website with ease. You will need to take the time to plan the navigation menu. What options are most important to your visitors? These need to be main categories. It is ok to have subcategories from these. Make them in a drop down or in a different color. Differentiate the primary categories from the subcategories. After the navigation work on the overall look and feel of the website; quality content worth reading and appealing photos become important. I have one note of warning. When using a lead capture form, collect only the necessary information. If you overload the visitor they will not give their information. I ask for name, email, and phone. I get about a 5% optin rate for Huntsville Alabama real estate. When it is all said and done, have a free offering on your website. I am personally working on a PDF relocation guide for Huntsville Alabama. The visitor must request a free copy via a user input form.

You may still be wondering about search engine rankings. Isn't it important to rank in the search engines? It is so very important to rank. Ranking is the primary source for visitors. However, search engines can't keep the visitor for you. You must make your site search engine friendly, but this is about formatting the completed website to meet the search engine guidelines. Many of the things important to the search engines don't affect the overall design and aren't really noticed by the visitor. When you figure out the profile for your visitors, design your website around their needs.

Condos - An unbelievable ranking... Now I am looking for ideas of how to proceed

Bryan Pearl Huntsville Alabama Real Estate (Pearl Real Estate Marketing) — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 10:48:57 -0500

I have a site that has been in the top 10 of Google for the terms Condos and Condos for sale. There were 50,000,000 web pages referenced by Google and at this point CondosandResorts.com is number 2. I have actually had this ranking for about 2.5 years. The site was originally setup for condo sales in the U.S.

I am thinking of converting it to a rental site, since it is ranking for condos. I am sure there are a lot more people out there looking for weekend rentals.

With this site we can usually make a new condo project rank in the search engines within 4-6 weeks.

I am looking for any ideas and feedback. I really would like to make this site work for REALTORS, developers, and the general public.

If you have ideas or suggestions please comment on this blog. If you know anyone who could benefit from this site pass it along.

The world of builders and REALTORS are not the same

Bryan Pearl Huntsville Alabama Real Estate (Pearl Real Estate Marketing) — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 22:11:57 -0500

I recently had an interesting conversation with a local builder I hired to do some remodeling. We were discussing advertising and marketing. Since I work directly for builders, developers and REALTORS, I can see the huge gaping chasm between the builder world and REALTOR world.

When I became a REALTOR one of my developer friends told me to only wear my name badge when I am dealing with the actual home buyer. He said that developers see agents as door mats to walk on. So, I had to take this into consideration when dealing with builders and developers.

I think he is right about the developers' view of REALTORS. In Huntsville Alabama Real Estate we have around 2,000 agents. That is a huge amount. Many of the new agents come into the business with no real skill and very little to offer; thinking it is an easy business with lots of money to be made. Many of them have no sales, experience, business experience, no marketing and no advertising experience. The field doesn't require strong credentials or an education to get a license. Developers need results and when you can't prove results you can only talk in theory. There are about 8% of REALTORS who really work and provide results. Those remaining will be of no service to the the developers.

I asked my contracted builder what he thought about advertising and marketing. I asked him about their company philosopy when it comes to REALTORS. He has a local REALTOR listing his property. I know this REALTOR and he is a fine fellow. The builder felt like the REALTOR wasn't doing enough. He felt like the REALTOR should be spending a lot of money on this $250,000 listing. I asked him how his other sales are going. They are going as I expected, slow. So, I politely asked him if he has a budget for marketing and advertising for his own product. He spends almost nothing. I did take up for his REALTOR. I told him if there isn't money coming in for the REALTOR, how can that person spend money on advertising.

Most small to medium developers and builders are running their budgets on a shoe string. They seem very tight and unwilling to spend money. They do not feel that it is necessary to have a budget for advertising and marketing when that is the job of the REALTOR. What they fail to understand is the average REALTOR doesn't have the funds for this either. Especially, if this is the time of a slow market. When you look at the Huntsville MLS we are saturated with new inventory right now.

So, what do the successful builders and developers do? They budget 6% to 10% of the total project costs for marketing and advertising. They provide websites, brochures, and video professionally created to tell the story the best way. Don't place this task on the REALTOR. In most cases the REALTOR has to hire the same services as developer. They are usually not the professional when it comes to creating the supporting marketing materials.

REALTORS and Developers work in the same industry but have two completely different businesses. The developer wants only his product advertised and sold. The REALTOR has to spend their advertising dollars promoting their total book of business. REALTORS have to promote all of their listings. Good REALTORS understand that this is a numbers business and they can't put all their eggs in only one developer's basket. Many REALTORS have gone out of business spending money on a bad project.

This was written by Pearl Real Estate Marketing for you to make a stronger case for marketing.

They say more regulation - what a joke

Bryan Pearl Huntsville Alabama Real Estate (Pearl Real Estate Marketing) — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 21:16:45 -0500

Our government has some kind of regulation in every industry. So, it is impossible for me to believe the words of people who run for office with the word liar as their foundation.

There is a joke out there that goes something like this. How can you tell when a politician is lying? When his lips are moving. We all know that these people who regulate everything lie to get in office. The Websters' dictionary should define politician as, ... Untrustworthy, Disloyal, dishonest, shady, immoral, no integrity, would sellout their mothers to get ahead and we could go on and on. We place our trust in these people and put them into office, when we know what they are. They are the ones who convicted Oliver North of lying to congress when they themselves are liars. My focus is not Oliver North but being convicted of lying to dishonest thieves.

Here is my point... How can we trust the people to fix a problem that they themselves created. They want to create more regulation to protect the public against greed when it is their greed that put us in this position. IF THEY WANT TO PROTECT US THEY SHOULD RESIGN AND WE WOULD BE WAY AHEAD. They purposely relaxed the oversight and told us, Freddie and Fannie were OK while they were running it into the ground. Every politician in Washington should be fired and a new group come in. They couldn't be any worse. I have no respect for the people supposedly running the show. They have sold out the future for my kids and grandkids.

We need to go back to the declaration of indepence and restate it to these people. Here is a quote from the Declaration of Independence. "... That whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute a new Government...". We need a re-established government centered on the declaration of independence and on the U.S. Constitution.

This is really upsetting to me for our families' futures. This will likely be my last ranting and raving about this matter for a while. I promise to get back to Huntsville Alabama real estate and SEO. I still owe new posts about online marketing.

A big question about the mortgage bailout

Bryan Pearl Huntsville Alabama Real Estate (Pearl Real Estate Marketing) — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 21:29:11 -0500

From what I understand the mortgage problems were created by the subprime mortgages. Maybe one of our Active Rain mortgage specialists can answer a question for me.

I don't understand all the details of the subprime mortgages but I know there are a lot of foreclosures for differing reasons. In many cases people could get 100% and greater in their loans. In addition could get assistance with closing costs. Did these people not have to pay for PMI (private mortgage insurance in their monthly payment?

1st Question
If they have to pay PMI what happened to that insurance covering the default? PMI is paid by the home owner to cover and hedge the default risk for the mortgagor. I would like to know where that money is?
Alan Greenspan made comments a couple of days ago of how he thought the banks would do a better job protecting themselves. That is the dumbest statement I have ever heard by someone who is supposed to be so smart. He stated he couldn't see this problem coming. They regulate everything and they knew what was going on. Everything being told to us by politicians and the federal reserve is a lie. There were a lot people responsible for oversight in these issues and they either had their hand in the pot taking money or was looking the other way while their buddies were looting our system. I have nothing but disgust for the whole group promoting this bailout.

2nd Question
If the PMI restriction doesn't apply any more, then why should anyone have to pay it? Once we get this absolute financial bank robbery by our fed government behind us, I think I will look for a subprime mortgage soak up my equity, blow it all and then file bankruptcy. (not really). That is how I want to respond to this. Why should anyone have to pay PMI if others don't?

I don't know what is going to happen in our Huntsville Alabama real estate market but I will certainly be looking for banks and Huntsville mortgage companies who held to appropriate standards. From what I can see Compass Bank kept their nose clean in this process.

I would really appreciate other comments on this. Especially if you can explain what happened to the PMI.

Attorneys should not be allowed to hold political offices

Bryan Pearl Huntsville Alabama Real Estate (Pearl Real Estate Marketing) — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 16:45:01 -0500

I know I am "stereo-typing" an entire industry but let's look at the facts. Also, know there are some very reputable attorneys. Some are friends I would trust almost over anyone. A good example of an attorney with integrity is Michael Brodowski in Huntsville Alabama Real Estate law.

From what I can see, most state and federal politicians have backgrounds in law, typically as attorneys. There are some industries with bad reputations, like used car salesmen, REALTORS and attorneys. These are viewed skeptically by the public. I want to talk specifically about the attorneys; we can rip on the others later.

Regardless of who you vote for this year, we have a real problem in our legal world, created by politicians. Most politicians I have met are cagey and hard to pin down with a direct answer. Then we see these people making laws for our country, which is really made to benefit them. When I meet with people, I look into their eyes across the table expecting straight answers. If I can't get straight answers I withdraw my trust. I see the state and federal lawmakers as hypocrites who have sold their souls to the devil for power and money. There is no one who believes for a minute we are truly being represented by these people. It is so evident that their self interests out-weigh the needs of the people. They will not look you in the eye and be honest.

I have personally decided they don't care about me and my family. If things aren't changing in the right direction I will be voting against the incumbent. I am a conservative and I am convinced that we have to provide for ourselves with integrity. So, my voting will lean strongly conservative but the previous and current congress has shown they are not interested in representing me. Both parties had control of the congress in the last 10 years and their track records are abysmal.

I now support a "two consecutive terms" term limits. Our hard earned money, as taxes, should not be a personal slush fund and piggy banks for people who don't care how hard we work for our country. Then they hide behind laws they create for themselves just to fatten their pockets.

Most of these "so called" representatives make more money from outside interests than their salary. This money is made while on the clock for the United States citizens. I think we should get a cut of the excess. We "the people" should start a movement demanding 50% of the money they make on our dime.

Just remember the next time you vote to elect an attorney or the incumbent to a seat in congress, they are seeking it for personal gain.

Part 3 - The Online Marketing Process

Bryan Pearl Huntsville Alabama Real Estate (Pearl Real Estate Marketing) — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 22:29:07 -0500

How does Google measure your reputation?

Websites are judged by the search engines on their reputation and real estate websites are no different. Some people think reputation is measured by the amount of visitors. It is just the opposite. Your amount of visitors is based on your placement in the search engines. Placement in Google specifically, is based on how they measure your website's reputation.

The simplest definition: A website's reputation is measured by how many anchor text links point to the website from other web pages. This includes internal and external links. Your site must out perform the competition in getting links.

As with any rule there are loop holes. Spammers were interlinking all of their websites with links at the bottom of the page to rank in the search engines. This tactic drove legitimate marketers to use the same methods to compete. Google figured it out and started penalizing all sites using this method. Google started discounting links to and from sites. Then the spammers and SEO's (Search Engine Optimizers) started embedding these links in content, but it would be content not worth reading. The content would be stuffed with links. Once again Google had to penalize these kinds of sites. This has all happened in the last three years.

You have likely heard of the Social Media Phenomenon, also known as Web 2.0. This in its simplest form is content writing, articles, press releases, blog posts, how to guides and general news. All of these are part of the new online media. Google is looking for quality content with one or two links embedded in each media post.

An online marketer may have the responsibility of building/maintaining the website. In addition if the marketer wants to create traffic he/she must consistently create social media content. This requires creating a network of other online marketers with whom you can share these tasks. The more social media sites you post on and link with the more reputation you build with the search engines.

These social media posts must be done consistently for every keyword phrase for which ranking is desired.

Such as:

Huntsville Alabama Real Estate
Huntsville Al Real Estate
Huntsville MLS
Huntsville Real Estate
Huntsville Homes
Huntsville Homes for sale

In short, the way to rank with Google is still in linking. However, those links must be embedded in quality content. Google is making web masters work like the rest of the country. We must earn it without short cuts and through good quality work.

Part 2 - The Online Marketing Press

Bryan Pearl Huntsville Alabama Real Estate (Pearl Real Estate Marketing) — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 21:20:22 -0500

How to make a website search engine friendly:

1) Title of the website - must target the keywords desired and must be unique on every page. There is a limit on the quantity of words in the title allowed by the search engines.

2) Meta Description - Must be a concise statement about the content on the specific page and target the keywords. This statement needs to be unique per page. There is a limit on the quantity of words allowed by the search engines in the description.

3) Keyword Tags - These need to be keyword phrases for the entire website. Separate each phrase with a comma.

4) H-Tags - H-tags are html tags to highlight specific keyword phrases in the content on every page. These tags specify the importance of the keyword phrases to the search engines. My H! tag is my primary term Huntsville Alabama Real Estate.

5) Navigation - The navigation needs to include important keyword/phrases linking to the specific page.

6) Keyword Density - The keyword density of a website needs to be around 2.5% of the total words of the site. This includes alt tags, H-Tags, Page Title, keyword tags, Meta Description and page content.

7) Hidden Text - Hidden text is something that will get you banned in the search engines. It, in most cases, is a tactic by spammers banned by search engines. Spammers attempt to hide text from the end user but serve it to the search engines. It can be done accidentally by web designers.

8) Alt Text - These are keyword phrase tags attached to photos. These need to be unique per photo.

9) Quantity of pages - I would suggest a minimum of 15 pages per website.

No matter what you read or hear about some things not applying anymore, don't believe it. The search engines may change and place weight one aspect more than others. However, all the above information is still very important to your online success.

In the next article I will cover website reputation and how search engines judge site.

The Online Marketing Process

Bryan Pearl Huntsville Alabama Real Estate (Pearl Real Estate Marketing) — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 18:25:17 -0500

Building a website can have multiple purposes:

•·         It can be an online brochure listed on printed brochures and cards.
•·         It can be a photo album for a family, church or other organizations.
•·         It can also be an information communication tool.
•·         It can be used as a sales tool.

Businesses need a website for a majority of these purposes.

In the real estate industry the first and most important task is to drive sales leads.

85% to 92% of Home searches begin online.

The search engines; Google, Yahoo, and MSN; are the primary means of searches. Google provides approximately 55% of search engine traffic.

Now to the process:
A)  Websites have to be built for two purposes.
   1) Appealing to the potential buyer. This is about the overall layout and graphics design.
   2) Search engine friendly - This is about fitting the rules of the search engines. Search engines are
         working to fight spammers. Websites must avoid being flagged for spammer's tactics.

If you are looking to achieve organic search engine traffic your site must be search engine friendly. My primary site ranks for Huntsville Alabama Real Estate. We have many people relocating to our area so the website is very important to our success.

This is part one of The Online Marketing Process. Part two will be available within a couple of days. It will cover how to make a website search engine friendly.

Where should I host my website?

Bryan Pearl Huntsville Alabama Real Estate (Pearl Real Estate Marketing) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 22:42:25 -0500

We are working on a series called 'Starting your first website'. This article will focus on hosting the new website.

Hosting to most of my clients is intimidating and most don't know where to begin. When you are starting a new website you need to answer a few questions.

1) What is the website about? Is it about luxury homes, general real estate, commercial property. This should deterimine your domain.

2) Perform your keyword research and decide on a domain name as we discussed in the last article. Purchase the domain. You will need to change the 'Name Servers to point to your hosting account' when it is complete.

3) Do you want to maintain it yourself? This will determine where you want to host the site. If you want to do your own work, then in most cases you will want to find a hosting plan that has a built in website editor. In these you have very little flexibilty over the design of the site and you will be choosing from pre-built templates. When you purchase an account you need to find the 'Name Server' addresses and go back to your domain registry and plug in the name servers. There are many hosting companies to choose from. Yahoo, GoDaddy, Pair.com. Do a search for hosting plans. You want to choose a plan with a unique IP address for your new account. Their tech support can answer this question. These will cost between $60 and $300 per year. Don't get suckered into buying extras, like directory submissions and SEO, Most of the extras are worthless. You want a domain and basic hosting. I also prefer Linux hosting servers over Windows servers.

4) If you don't want to maintain it yourself, you must determine how many pages you want on your site. You can count on an average site costing between $175 and $300 per page to build. For example, the basic Hosting Plan of Pearl Real Estate Marketing is a design fee of $175 per page. This includes your first year of hosting, email and three hours of additonal changes throughout the year. Then we charge a $300 annual renewal few. In this plan we take care of everything for you. You don't have to learn the name servers or how to setup a database or email management. On our main website we have the Huntsville MLS, this can be added very easily to your site from your MLS provider. From here you will have to find a service provider to take care of your needs.

Your situation will determine the way you need to go. If you have more time than money you may want to learn to do it yourself. If you don't have time you could be have a website beginning around $600 and have it managed for you.

Selecting the keywords for your website.

Bryan Pearl Huntsville Alabama Real Estate (Pearl Real Estate Marketing) — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 21:47:28 -0500

In my last post on 'Starting your first website' we talked about some of the basics, with our focus on selecting the domain. It was the second article of a series titled 'Where should you begin with online marketing & SEO?'

Selecting the keywords are fairly simple.
1) My main search phrase is Huntsville Alabama Real Estate. The results are as follows: Google 14,
Yahoo 4, MSN 2. These are searches per day with Google's searches being estimated.

2) If you are looking for the real estate terms of a location:
I would suggest starting with the city. Enter "Your City" in the input field. This will likely give you multiple cities with the same name. The results will give every search term with that single word in it. It will give you the combination with the state word, the state abbeviation, and you will find cars, real estate and many more things. All the results are sorted by quantity of searches

This will take some real work but copy the results into a spreadsheet. Sort by the search term column. This will help you identify terms that matter to your business. You will likely see homes, new homes, luxury homes, land, property, condos the list can be endless. Select the top five terms and mark these as the beginning pages for your website.

Don't do this exercise only one time. I perform this search monthly. I have been surprised on occasion; the terms do migrate at times. I build a new page every month around the next term on my list.

In the next article we will discuss how to center your website and content around these words.

Why is it important to work with a specialized real estate marketing company?

Bryan Pearl Huntsville Alabama Real Estate (Pearl Real Estate Marketing) — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 22:09:01 -0500

*** A little shameless plug for my company ***

Many developers, builders and REALTORS have expressed that there is a lack of understanding when it comes to non-specialized marketers of real estate.

Maria with Legacy Homes Group in Madison Alabama expressed this sentiment recently to Pearl Real Estate Marketing. Pearl Real Estate Marketing is a company specializing in all aspects of the real estate process.

With 85% to 90% of home buyers beginning their searches online, it is important to have your business established online. We, Pearl REM, work very hard to produce results. There are many web companies and general advertisers who don't understand the needs of real estate professionals. We have been providing services to the real estate industry for more then five years. We also became a licensed real estate team; we understand the needs and limited budgets of our clients.

What makes us specialized?
1) We understand that it doesn't matter how many leads we produce, if they don't convert to sales the service is still worthless.

2) We work hard to eliminate duplicate processes. Many times the architect, web designer, graphics designer and ad designer all want to get paid for design services. We combine the graphics design, ad design and web designer into the same person. This saves our clients thousands of dollars. When we need an ad designed we use it as newspaper ads, email blasts and printable brochures. We manage the level of graphics design. Some things need to be provided by architects and professional engineers and others don't. Let a less expensive graphics designer manage the non critical graphics.

3) We speak the language of our clients. General advertisers just don't understand the real estate world. They charge by the households they reach and can't directly measure results. We measure individual lead conversions to sales. Because of our understanding of the process we don't need to ask a lot of questions. We don't need to learn the industry, we already live it.

4) We manage the online marketing process. Most real estate professionals don't understand online marketing and don't have the time to manage it. They need a certain amount of knowledge about the process to make good decisions but that is all.

5) We educate our clients and consult them on how we will drive the qualified leads. We help you understand the fraudulent methods of some online marketers. There are many out there who promise you top ranking for $50 per month. Sounds like a great deal, right? What if there is no traffic for the term where they have placement?

Pearl REM first provides a service with integrity. We cut through the fog for you in this relatively new industry. We show you what is important and what isn't. We provide transparency so you can watch the entire process, monitoring your investment in the process. We can provide all levels of the process. If just a simple website is needed that's what you can purchase.

Pearl Real Estate Marketing provides services to clients in Myrtle Beach, Pigeon Forge Tn, Madison Wisconsin, and Huntsville Alabama Real Estate.

Starting your first website?

Bryan Pearl Huntsville Alabama Real Estate (Pearl Real Estate Marketing) — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 21:30:30 -0500

Before you continue reading this post please read the following post:

Where should you begin with online marketing & SEO?

Now you have that finished let's begin with the basics.

Step 1) Picking a domain name:
The search engines will give you credit for having keywords in your domain. My main site is (www.alabamahuntsville.net), the primary keywords for my area are Huntsville Alabama Real Estate and Huntsville Alabama. I know the domain is reversed but it still works.If you google the words in the link above you will find my website in the top five.

You can also google Condos and find (www.condosandresorts.com) in the top 10. The words are very important. I also have (www.huntsvillealabamarealestate.net), for now it just has some junk parked on it. It ranks in the top 100 somewhere. This will become a focus at a later time. I am letting the domain age until I am ready to work on it.

Note: Being clever with your domain isn't very helpful for search terms. You want to target a keyword phrase. I just built a site for some friends and finding a domain for a real estate site was hard, but we settled on (www.HuntsvilleHomesToday.com). They are not looking to drive traffic at this point but I am making sure I take care of their site the way I would my own.

Go to a 'keyword search tool' on digitalpoint.com or on seobook.com or overture. Any of these can provide you with results. If you are looking in an area, such as I did, type in city and state as the term. The terms will return search term quantities for cars, the city website, maybe the chamber of commerce and etc. When you get the list copy it into a spreadsheet. This way you can eliminate the inforation you don't need. Focus on the higher quantity terms. We can talk about the lower quantity terms later. They are important in th overall process.

When you find the main terms you can begin the search for the right domain. I use Godaddy because they are cheap and easy to use. You can go to many places and search for domains. Don't get frustrated, it is likely, the really good domains are already gone. However, you can add one simple word on the end and get really close; such as www.HuntsvilleHomesToday.com. We would prefer to have HuntsvilleHomes but it has been gone for a long time.

In my next post we will discuss where to go from here.

Where should you begin with online marketing & SEO

Bryan Pearl Huntsville Alabama Real Estate (Pearl Real Estate Marketing) — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 23:20:18 -0500

There are many do's and don'ts when it comes to online marketing. When you begin trying to understand the online world it becomes very confusing and overwhelming. All we ever hear is the techno-babble of those who have a grasp on the subject through self education. (This includes me).

The web world is such a different animal with learning all the rules for search engines. It is a challenge understanding the social media crusades, blogging, link building strategies and after a while your head is spinning with things most people truly don't understand. This covers about 90% of the people I consult with about online marketing.

So, what I am going to do in this article is talk about some simple steps you can take that will be the seed to your future success. I will cover theory and application.

1) What is important in building a website?
When you are looking to get a website, don't believe 75% of what you are hearing. Some of it may be true but it doesn't apply to brand new websites. Most advice is for websites that have been around for a while.
    Theory: "If you build it they will come", what a famous line of crap. Building a website is as simple
    as point and click these days. Building it right is the key.
    Application: Your first task is to build a website that is easy to navigate, has good rich content and is
    search engine friendly.
       If you don't cover these three items upfront you will never keep people on your site and secondly
       you will never use the internet to draw more poeple.
       a) Many visitors leave sites when they can't find what they are looking for easily.
       b) Rich content draws the visitor in and if formatted properly, the search engines will love it.

2) How do I get my new site to rank in the search engines?
Brand New websites, by Google's standards, must age for a period of time. (Like a fine wine). There are so many spammers out there who would love to scam the system and make their Viagra website rank NO.1 for medicine or pharmacy in a week or two. Would that be fair to you or the public? With the search engines you must build your online reputation one day at a time.So start at the beginning with the easy stuff.
     I can brag about 3 main sites I have personally placed in the top 10.
            Term
      a) Condos   -  www.condosandresorts.com currently ranks No. 3 in Google out of 58 million web pages.
      b) Huntsville Alabama Real Estate - www.alabamahuntsville.net currently ranks No. 4 in Google out
          of 500,000 web pages.
      c) Tennessee Lake Front Property - www.lakefrontinvestments.com currently ranks No. 1 in Google
           out of 300,000 webpages.
      I have been working on these combined sites for almost four years, every day!

    Theory: If I do all this techno-babble stuff I will get there.
    Application: It is true only if you become a student of online marketing. A half job will likely get you
    kicked out of search engine results. You must make a commitment to being a student of the process
    and work at it diligently everyday. If you don't, you are wasting your time.

3) Start Blogging and working in social media.
Most blogging and social media accounts do you no good if you don't learn how to harness their power.
Start with a couple of simple ones.

I first suggest Active Rain. (Obviously if you are reading this you are likely already here with us). You need to commit to using Active Rain regulary, write anything you would like to talk about. The weather, your business, something humorous, it doen't matter. What does matter is that you do it consitently and point anchor text links containing your search terms back to your web site. (some more techno-babble).

Also setup a blog on Blogger; Blogger is a Google company. Go through their automated, do-it-yourself setup and begin blogging. Remember to point links back to your site. Let them host the blog. I feel you get better results letting them host your blog.
    Theory: You need all these social media profiles and extra websites to make this work for you.
    Application: This is true. You will use the blogs to prove out the self education you are giving yourself.
    I have spent a lot of time cleaning up the mess I have made in the social media world. Your own
    website and two blogs will contain plenty of work for you. Stick with them for a few months. Allow your
    domain the time to age in Google. The blogs can supply links to your site and give it more
    credibility. After you have practiced your new skills for about six months, then you can expand into
    other things.

WARNING: LEARN IT WELL AND FOLLOW THROUGH ON THE THINGS YOU START.
This will mean the most to you within 12 months.

You are welcome to email me: (bryanp -@- pearlwebmarketing.com:-)

Lenders should require more skin in the game from borrowers

Bryan Pearl Huntsville Alabama Real Estate (Pearl Real Estate Marketing) — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 21:23:25 -0500

I am a Realtor in Huntsville Alabama. I have helped people who needed to get a mortgage at 90%- 100%. I didn't have any who had any intentions of not paying the money back. However, as a Huntsville Alabama real estate professional, I could see there was a payday coming in our economy. I am not saying I am very smart, but there were warning signs. An economics major I go to church with told me a year ago to watch out. He said the melt down was coming.

We have been watching this bubble build as our financial gurus ran things into the ground. This country has enjoyed great prosperity, becaouse we are masters at recirculating the money. It never fails that greed creeps in every few years and sometimes it only affects a very few. At other times it affects everyone like the serious recession of the 1970's. There was greed from everyone in the meltdown.

The government benefited by putting their thug buddies in charge. The CEO's benefited by falsifying the books to get their hundreds of millions in bonuses and telling the public that everything is good. Those of us who earned a living on commissions were happy about the increased business of the housing bubble. There weren't many people who didn't benefit financially from that period of time. We all wanted to look the other way ignoring all the warning signs.

When we push to the breaking point it breaks, when we inflate too far it bursts, we build on sand it washes away and when we charge too much there comes a day to pay back. We could all say that faulty loans are to blame, but why were they faulty? It overall is very simple. The government wanted all American to have the American Dream; so they forced banks to relax the standards. Essentially, mortgage companies only needed the good word of someone to give the loan. Many people over extended themselves in the process. This wasn't just the low wage earner. It went all the way up the pay scale. The system didn't require people to live within their means and we all broke the rules of binance.

We will pay for this for several years with higher inflation, likely a recession and job loss across the conuntry will be how we pay. The next president and congress will have their hands full just keeping a sluggish economy together.

The answer is simple. We must go back to sound financial principles. 1) Solid Credit Scores 2) Collateral equalling 20% down 3) Good oversight (this is where the failure usually begins).

The difference between a press release and articles

Bryan Pearl Huntsville Alabama Real Estate (Pearl Real Estate Marketing) — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 22:34:53 -0500

I found it hard to get my head around the differnce between general interest articles and press releases. I want to detail here the differences I have learned over the years.

Articles
1) Articles are usually general interest, opinions, how to guides, do-it-yourself guides, and advice.
2) Articles are told in first person. Blog posts are more times than not in the article format and not in the press release format.

Press Release
1) First Press releases are announcements, something big is breaking. In press releases state just the facts. It is ok to be very detailed and wordy.
2) Avoid personal opinions or interjecting about yourself. If you want it to be news worthy write in a news worthy format. Stick to the facts, quote as many people as you would like. The opinions and comments of of others will strengthen your story.

You can compare the difference by reading my blog and comparing to the following press releases.

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2008/06/prweb989074.htm
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2008/02/prweb683734.htm
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/07/prweb264413.htm

Pearl Real Estate Marketing

Buyer Beware - Beware of this small phrase from Alabama Real Estate Laws

Bryan Pearl Huntsville Alabama Real Estate (Pearl Real Estate Marketing) — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 00:27:42 -0500

Alabama has many positive attributes, especially in Huntsville Alabama. Huntsville boasts low crime, low unemployment and a very family friendly community. There is one Alabama law that can have a very negative impact on buyers.

A vast majority of states require a disclosure from sellers to reveal hidden problems to potential buyers. This gives those buyers the opportunity to evaluate the property fairly and make decisions directly on the facts at hand. In Alabama that is not the law. Alabama's law is "Buyer Beware". If the buyer doesn't discover problems the seller doesn't have to reveal them.

I was called today by a buyer I had been talking with over the last couple of months. They called to ask my opinion on a situation. I had explained to them a few weeks ago about how they had no representation if they didn't get a buyer's agent. They found a piece of property, called the agent from the sign and made an offer over last weekend. The buyers discovered there was an easement they didn't like after making the offer. This was neither disclosed by the seller nor was it written into the conditions of the offer. They cancelled their check before it was deposited. After hearing this story they told me the selling agent is also the owner of the property and the buyer proceeded to call her a few unflattering names.

This problem is a very common theme in Huntsville Al Real Estate. We cannot catch everything, but if a buyer enters into a contract with no representation, they will likely make greater mistakes. Alabama clearly tells the buyer "if you don't do your due diligence, it is your problem". There are so many things an average person isn't thinking about. The easement issue isn't specifically covered in the verbiage of the contract. So, if the buyer doesn't thoroughly review the deed, serious issues can slip through the cracks. These things do not have to be revealed and the buyer can be forced to buy a property even though they no longer want it.

I am ashamed of the position of our state. I personally tell my clients to require a seller disclosure statement. If a seller purposely doesn't disclose information they will lie on the disclosure statement. If you discover these things shortly after buying there could be some recourse for the buyer.

This article is provided by Bryan Pearl a Huntsville Alabama real estate agent with Keller Williams Realty.

Thousands are relocating to Huntsville evidenced by the search engine results

Bryan Pearl Huntsville Alabama Real Estate (Pearl Real Estate Marketing) — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 21:55:07 -0500

BRAC and other companies are creating Huntsville's employee needs, providing good news for concerned Americans.

Thousands of people are migrating to Huntsville Alabama over the next few years. Due to the Base Realignment and Closure Act (BRAC), the shuffling of military personnel will mount into the thousands heading into Huntsville. BRAC will trickle down into many areas of the Huntsville market. Missile Defense contractors across the region are seeing a surge in job openings as well. These affects will be felt well into 2011.

Redstone Arsenal will be receiving the largest portion of employees but their families will also be looking for work. Huntsville has the second largest research park in the country, Cummings Research Park, and the second largest bio-tech community in the country. With companies such as Boeing, NASA, Northrop Grumman, Toyota and Siemens, skilled and experienced workers can find work in Huntsville. Due to the expansion Huntsville Alabama Real Estate is a growing industry. So, if you are an agent you can visit Huntsville Area Guide for more information.

Many of those relocating are looking online for quality resources. The two largest groups of searchers are looking for jobs and the Huntsville MLS. There seems to be an increase in Huntsville Green Homes. The job market has not look brighter in the Huntsville Area. The increased employment opportunities are driving the Huntsville Alabama Real Estate market.

In the search engine results there is significant searchers every month. The search terms are trailing off this time of year. There is always a little slack off after school starts back. The month of October typically shows higher numbers.

This article is provided by Bryan Pearl of Huntsville Area Guide.com

Insuring your greatest investment with a home inspection

Bryan Pearl Huntsville Alabama Real Estate (Pearl Real Estate Marketing) — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 20:38:00 -0500

When you are looking to make the greatest investment of your life you don't want to fly by the seat or your pants. Buying Huntsville real estate can be challeng. A home inspection usually costs around $400 dollars. Sometimes it reveals nitpicky little problems like nail holes in sheetrock. Other small problems maybe like a non functioning burner of a and electric range. These aren't that big but you might want them fixed.

What about larger issues. What if there is a weak floor from a water leak while it is raining around a wood deck. Water has been seeping in for a couple of years. It is in an area of the house where you can't see it unless you go under the house specifically looking at that area. It will rot out and be a major repair bill in a couple of years. If this problem is fixed now the underneath wood will only be a little stained.

There will be some small problems found in any inspection. You may want to request the seller repair those and then again, you may not. You want to uncover any big problem that you can't see on the surface.

A home inspector will look for the overall structure and systems of a home. The focus will be on structural issues, plumbing, electrical, foundation, appliances, proper ventilation of gases, water heaters, fire places and heating and cooling systems. They will also focus on doors, windows and cabinets. You don't want to let real problems slip through in your purchase of a new home.

If you don't inspect a home before you buy you are asking for trouble. Alabama is a "buyer beware" state. It is the responsibility of the buyer to ask questions, discover problems, and verify everything. The owner doesn't have a responsibility by law to disclose things.

One thing that could help a buyer legally is to require the seller to provide a property disclosure. Talk to your REALTOR like Bryan Pearl of Huntsville Alabama and ask them to provide one to you. This will cause the seller to disclose the problems or falsify them. You could have some legal recourse if the document is a lie. Even if you get a seller disclosure statement, make sure you get the home inspection. If both of these are good, then you can seriously consider moving ahead with the purchase.

Perform careful due diligence when purchasing investment property

Bryan Pearl Huntsville Alabama Real Estate (Pearl Real Estate Marketing) — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 20:59:11 -0500

I wanted to write to you about a specific incident involving one of my investor clients.

My client can spot a good deal in seconds. However, there can be many unforseen problems with foreclosure properties. One day he called me up to open the door at a house located between Triana and Madison. It was a foreclosed property. It was 3 bedrooms and 1 bath, a basic ranch. It only needed a little TLC to bring it back up to a sellable property. So, my client spent the next month completing the repairs. He also included a new washer, dryer, dishwasher and refrigerator. He repainted and recarpeted the house.

When he was done, a family member to the previous owner wanted to buy the property. This was a very sweet deal for me, the seller and buyer already confirmed before listing the property. We did the paper work and the buyer qualified for an FHA loan. So, I ordered the title work and got the mortgage underwriting process moving.

This deal didn't end up being so sweet. The loan was rejected at the appraisal process. The appraiser couldn't find any comparibles within 5 miles of this property. I even tried to find sold properties for them. We couldn't prove a reasonable value making it unmarketable.

Then I received a call from the title company. The title company revealed the property was land locked. There was a very small parcel of land between the house and the road owned by another family member of the previous owner. The gravel drive from the road was owned by that family member. The title search for the foreclosure should have revealed the land locked condition. Also, the title search at the point my client purchased should have revealed the problem. I am not sure as to why it was not rectified by an attorney in Birmingham who managed the foreclosure. However, all my client can do is file a claim against the title insurance. I think the title company is recommending he do this.

Now, I will always recommend to my investor clients purchasing investment properties to do a new title search before they buy any Huntsville Al real estate, especially foreclosures. The office of Michael Brodowski are very thorough and I haven't seen their staff miss anything. They caught this problem and told me it was due to negligence by the other attornies.

Inspiration on Green Mountain Breaks Ground

Bryan Pearl Huntsville Alabama Real Estate (Pearl Real Estate Marketing) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 19:24:40 -0500

Huntsville's first NAHB certified community begins road construction in the first quarter of 2008.

In early February, Love Development of Alabama received the final approval for construction of the much anticipated project, Inspiration on Green Mountain. This is the first Green Huntsville Alabama Real Estate Development certified by the NAHB (National Association of Home Builder's) Standards. "We understand there are limited natural resources available", stated Bob Spence, managing partner of Love Development. Their company recognizes the need to minimize the environmental impact by creating communities engineered as part of the natural environment.

Deliberate care is being taken by the developer to create balance and harmony with nature. The project has multiple options for green home sites and home styles. There are three types of home sites to choose from: Manor Sites, Bluff Sites, and Estate Sites. These sites have pre-engineered landscaping guidelines designed to preserve green areas on each lot. There will be many custom designed home plans to choose. The plans are Southern Mountain Vernacular homes expressive in three distinct styles: Arts & Crafts, Victorian and Classical styles.

We understand there are limited natural resources available

The infrastructure construction and home site layout are in progress, and will last for several months. The first home will begin construction late in 2008. Presales of Phase-I will begin in a few months but reservations maybe submitted at anytime. Bob Spence and the Inspiration staff will be overseeing all phases of sales and construction.

Inspiration on Green Mountain offers residents world-class amenities designed to embrace nature at her finest. At Inspiration Point Clubhouse, reserved exclusively for home site owners, residents can cool off in the refreshing waters of the pool or challenge themselves with a workout in the fitness room. The outdoor pavilion area, overlooking the pool, provides panoramic bluff views of the Flint River Valley below and is perfect for outdoor entertainment and gatherings with family and friends. For a relaxing afternoon, take a walk along quiet streets or venture below the bluff to explore nature on a meandering trail of hardwood canopy, budding dogwood and cool, green landscape.

Huntsville is experiencing explosive growth and Huntsville AL Real Estate market is strong. Inspiration on Green Mountain is a needed project of Huntsville Homes for sale. Green is becoming more important for our planet and this community will set the standard for Huntsville Alabama and northern Alabama. The surrounding area has abundant green space. With the majestic mountains, lush meadows and flowing waterways, it is a nature lover's paradise. As the population grows, Love Development of Alabama, is designing communities to complement our nature and create a heritage for years to come.

For more information about Inspiration on Green Mountain
Contact Bob Spence 256-883-1801

Press release service provided by Pearl Real Estate Marketing
For marketing information contact Bryan Pearl 256-513-1801

The Meres Celebrates and Preserves the Natural Features While Providing Future Home Buyers with a Variety of Home Options

Bryan Pearl Huntsville Alabama Real Estate (Pearl Real Estate Marketing) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 19:18:35 -0500

Development guidelines have been published on the website, representing the best quality of Athens Alabama.

The Meres has a thorough and meticulous approach in building implementation to ensure the best result in a home, street, and neighborhood. This will be good for the overall cohesive character of this community. Guidelines have been created with the belief in a higher quality design and housing architecture create greater overall value for both residents and investors. "Greater value is measured by the long term investment return and the quality of life offered to residents." stated Dell Strickland a development partner.

The developer has chosen to emphasize a common character throughout the community taking inspiration from the Arts & Crafts movement. The intent here is to create a neighborhood of unique identity in Athens Alabama real estate that is sensitive to local precedents and traditions. Although builders are encouraged to find inspiration from a wide range of historical styles including Craftsman, Mission, and Prairie, the developer does not wish to direct them toward any one particular style. Instead, the goal is to offer guidelines where new buildings establish the community's rightful place within the City of Athens, while fostering a conscientious connection with time-honored building designs.

The Meres offers a variety of amenities for community members of all ages. Walking trails with resting areas along the way provide residents with panoramic views of lakes and natural wetlands. Located at the edge of the wetlands is the community clubhouse and pool. Here residents can meet with neighbors for hours of recreation and relaxation.

Many lot styles are available:

TOWNHOUSE LOTS
Located near the main entrance of the neighborhood, these lots offer a village atmosphere with alley loaded parking.

COTTAGE LOTS
Perfect for first time home owners, these alley loaded lots offer plenty of space for mid-size
homes with easy access to all community amenities.

VILLA LOTS
These mid-size, alley loaded, corner lots are perfect for empty nesters and families seeking close knit community atmosphere.

MANOR LOTS
With views of lakes and open green spaces, these large lots offer plenty of space for maximizing building square footage.

ESTATE LOTS
As the largest lots within the neighborhood, these lots offer homeowners an opportunity to maximize their building square footage with plenty of yard space still available for c convenient outdoor living.

CONSERVATION LOTS
These premier large lots, with minimal clearing allowances, offer quiet, natural seclusion in a hardwood forest setting.

LAKE LOTS
These premier large lots offer spectacular views of the largest lake within the community.

The Home style of Arts & Crafts can be found in a wide range of historical styles that include the Bungalow, Craftsman Style, Mission Style, and Prairie Style. In these architectural styles, buildings featured overhanging eaves, a low slung gabled roof, and wide front porches framed by pedestal-like tapered columns. Materials often included stone, rough-hewn wood and stucco found locally. The vernacular for The Meres is expressive of this style of architecture.

The Meres At Athens was chosen by Pearl Real Estate Marketing as the Highlight for Huntsville Alabama Real Estate. For additionional real estate marketing information contact Bryan Pearl 256-513-1801. Pearl Real Estate Marketing provides services to developers with Condos and Lakefront property.

10 Things To Do When You Buy A Home

Bryan Pearl Huntsville Alabama Real Estate (Pearl Real Estate Marketing) — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 20:44:19 -0500

I recently worked with a young family buying their first home. I remember that point in my life and how uncertain I was about the entire process. I was afraid I would make the wrong decisions for my family. So, I worked hard to watch out for their interests as I would my own. I held their hand all the way through the process and gave them tips along the way. The information I gave them is good for anyone purchasing a home. Below are items you need to consider in the home purchase process.

1. File your Home Stead Exemption at the court house.
If you live in the home, you need to file the Homestead Exemption. The Homestead Exemption means it will be your primary residence and then property taxes are cut in half. The exemption provides a few other benefits. The biggest one would be instate college tuition. At most colleges tuition is twice as much for out of state students.

2. License Plates and Titles
By law you must have local license plates. They must be purchased in the county you reside. You have 30 days from the point you move in to register your vehicles. If you are moving from out of state you will need to apply for titles on each vehicle. They must all have Alabama Titles.

3. Driver's License
Don't forget about that little plastic card with your picture on it. This is another state requirement similar to your license plates. You have 30 days to get a new driver's license. Even if you are only moving one block, by law, your license should have your current address.

4. Address Change
Whether you are moving here from out of state or just across town don't forget to change your address on the following important things:

Insurance
Driver's License
License Plates
Cell Phone Service
Banking Information

5. Forward mail from previous address:
The USPS has a form you need to complete online. (click here)
It is very important for those little things you forget. You might have a special magazine or publication you want to continue getting. Friends or family may send you special invitations. You will have friends and extended family who will not know you moved. The postal service will forward your mail for up to one year. After the one year period they return the mail to sender.

6. Insure your New Home:
Make arrangements to insure your new home. Insurance should be in place before you move in. Verify it is a replacement cost policy. As long as it is a replacement cost policy the insurance company will cover the costs in today's dollars.

7. Get A Home Warranty:
Home Warranties are, in my opinion, cheap insurance policies. You can cover things which could be costly to repair. The HVAC unit could cost hundreds of dollars to repair. Any major appliance system can be covered. Speak with your REALTOR if you need more information. A home warranty is a good investment.

8. Transfer Utilities:
You must transfer or establish new utility services. If you are moving, arrange with the seller a specific date to change the services. The utility company can do it all at one time.

9. Here are the important ones:
Electricity
Water and Sewer
Phone service
Internet Service
Cable / Satellite

10. Banking / Creditor Information
When it comes to banking I am a believer in using local banks. Online banking is a good thing but what if you need a personal touch. I would want someone local I could call on to make things happen. Make sure all your creditors and banks have your new address.

If you would like more help with Huntsville Alabama Real Estate contact Bryan Pearl of Keller Williams Realty. I also would like to give a plug for a friend, Jeff Olson, a REALTOR in Madison Wisconsin Real Estate.