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An SEO Cage Match between Trulia and Zillow? (or at least a spirited discussion...)

By Jim Marks

Services for Real Estate Pros with Virtual Results

April 15, 2009 06:24 AM

My guess is that when Teresa Boardman posted this message to Twitter:

“O.K. if an agent could only use one, which should they use? Zillow or Trulia?”

She had very little idea (or did she?) what an inspired discussion would commence. As it is with Twitter, both David Gibbons, Community Director of Zillow and Rudy Bachraty, Social Media Guru of Trulia were listening, and what transpired over the next hour or so was a spirited discussion on SOME of the merits of Zillow and Twitter.

Now, this discussion fell quite short of discussing the ENTIRE difference and benefits of the two between the two sites and concentrated mostly on the Search benefits of both. Having a passion for SEO, this is what caught my attention and this is what THIS post will concentrate on.

Here is the discussion, best as I could assemble it...without any additional interjection..I also included a video of the discussion as well, provided by Jeff Turner... Check it out and come on back!!

Now, that you have read the tweetalogue, (just made that up) you probably understand why this is of interest to me... SEO. Within this spirited discussion, there where QUITE a few statements concerning the SEO of both sites.

I would like to first create a series of questions from these statements and hopefully provoke a discussion on the benefits of both.

1) Do temporary inbound links, help your website... (and why dont BOTH companies just mark the property "SOLD" and let the link live, and grow old and VALUABLE."

2) Do links from profile pages help your website and how can you best MAXIMIZE this feature. (Proper Anchor Text, Multiple links, Deep Links, etc)

3) Do links that do NOT have favorable anchor text matter. In other words, If the anchor text is an address, and not a keyword you are trying to rank for.

4) Is the address search, a valuable search. I believe David when he states that he has a few million searches a month by address. But WHO AND WHY is someone searching by address and this really a home buyer?

5) How valuable is the long tail in Real Estate. I see analytics all the time showing the QUANTITY of long tail page views, but is a searcher searching "Restaurants in Laguna Beach" or "Laguna Beach Architecture" really a valuable page view? (Bloggers get involved here...)

6) And a little "pet peeve" non-SEO question. I have always taught that Realtors should create listing pages for their websites, because the MLS descriptions should be written to help OTHER REALTORS sell the house. Realtors should be able to edit ANY outward facing listing page to appeal to the consumer. I am under the impression, that neither Trulia or ZIllow allow this. Am I correct, and how come?

I absolutely have my opinions on ALL these questions... and will back them up with analytics. Lets hear your answers and opinions...

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Donna Walters

RE/MAX Cutting Edge Realty - Macon, GA

GRI, CRS, ABR, Broker/Owner

I would like to know how to maximize my efforts. This was interesting to say the least.

Apr 15, 2009 05:03 PM

Robin Dampier REALTOR®

Coldwell Banker King - Hendersonville, NC

Hendersonville & Western NC Real Estate Source

We all have and are entitled to our differing opinions -- that's what makes a discussion.

I tend to agree with Laurie that both Zillow and Trulia are in it for dominance of the search pages -- which they are starting more and more to be taking space up on page 1 and obviously pushing some of the regular real estate off. With that said I think it's also important to expose the property as much as possible on the Internet.

I made a stab at Zillow but I just couldn't take the Zestamater/Estimator. What a diabolical troublemaker that computer generated disease is to reality!! I opted to put Robin's listings on Trulia which I found more attractive and friendly for further listing exposure.

I agree from the little I have been told that niche marketing is great for the "long tail" search term. Ah so much to learn, so little time to learn it all and when you do it has changed!!

Sue

Apr 15, 2009 06:21 PM

Robert T. Boyer

FHA Loan, VA Loan, Jumbo Loan,FHA Loans,VA Loans,Jumbo Loans - La Jolla, CA

San Diego Real Estate & Mortgage Loans, Ph.D. | VA Home Loan

Thank you for the other Listing Websites for Syndication.

BTW, for all who claim, "Zillow and Trulia are in it for dominance of the search pages", remember that they are in it for the _money_, and they believe dominating the search pages is a means to that end. If in this world of "free" information they found a better monetization policy, well, they'd be on that in a heartbeat.

Apr 15, 2009 07:28 PM

Joe Pryor

The Virtual Real Estate Team - Oklahoma City, OK

REALTOR® - Oklahoma Investment Properties

I nominate you for post of the year. Does AR have an award like that? I have to go sell some real estate to pay the bills, but I will come back to this tonight. What an inspired post and thanks. I would contribute but I feel out of my league so listening is my best response.

Apr 16, 2009 03:20 AM

Anonymous

David G from Zillow.com

Hi Jim,

Sorry to take so long to respond ...

1) Generalizing here but, "all followed links help your website" so yeah, that would include "temporary" links if there really is such a thing (I personally think you're buying a line if you buy this "listings are temporary content" thing. Most listings are current much longer than today's news is.)

2) Short answer: YES! Long answer: not all profiles are equally powerful and so participation on a site like Zillow where every contribution makes your profile stronger can allow you to build VERY authoritative profile pages. Going out on a limb here but I'm pretty confident that you can get your Zillow profile to PR3 or even PR4 with a fraction of the effort that it would take to achieve the same thing on your own domain. Now the important thing to do is invest your time in those sites that allows you to use the authority on your profile page to improve your site's ranking. On consumer real estate sites, you will not find a better opportunity for that than on Zillow.

3) Yep. Anchor text is VERY important but every followed link counts. Remember that GOOG is also looking at the context on the page the link comes from.

4) Zillow has home detail pages for both homes on the market and those not on the market. When an address is listed, it gets a LOT more action in Google than when it's not.

5) I find everyone has a different definition of "long tail" but if you think that that "real estate" and "homes for sale" are at the "short head" then, it's pretty much ALL long tail, starting with "Real Estate is Local." The nice thing about RE SEO is local pro's don'e have to compete for the "short head." Niche marketing has always been a core RE agent skill and it's an approach that works REALLY well in SEO.

6) Zillow does allow manual enhancements to listings but since many of our listings don't come directly from the MLS, my reco is typically to get it right upstream and automate syndication.

Let me know if that triggers more questions.

Apr 16, 2009 03:35 AM

#29

Gene Riemenschneider

Home Point Real Estate - Brentwood, CA

Turning Houses into Homes

Just reading this makes me realize how much I have to learn. But as an American I can only say competition is good.

Apr 16, 2009 04:44 AM

Drew Meyers

Geek Estate - Seattle, WA

Drew Meyers

"I nominate you for post of the year."

Jim, you should make sure to submit this post to this week's CoRE.

Apr 16, 2009 05:11 AM

Drew Meyers

Geek Estate - Seattle, WA

Drew Meyers

"I made a stab at Zillow but I just couldn't take the Zestamater/Estimator. What a diabolical troublemaker that computer generated disease is to reality!!"

Robin & Sue-

Zestimates are a starting point to a conversation; not a replacement for a CMA or an appraisal by a local professional such as yourself. I'd recommend arming yourself with information (like our accuracy statistics in your area) and using it as a conversation starter to demonstrate your local market expertise to a buyer or seller.

Here is a comment thread worth reading that started with a post by Zillow COO talking about Keller Williams adding Zestimates to KW.com.

Apr 16, 2009 05:27 AM

Mark Brian

Silver Star Real Estate LLC - Anderson, SC

Anderson SC Realtor

I use both, hate the Zestimate, the forums on both are overrun by trolls, the "free" widgets are just going to hurt your SEO. T & Z do not care about you, your success, or helping your website to rank higher. It is a necessary evil until I rank higher than they do for certain serach phrases.

Apr 16, 2009 06:45 AM

Anonymous

Joseph Ferrara.sellsius

Interesting TruZilla mini-debate, a/k/a Who is better at jumping agents in the SERPS? [I vote Trulia]

Zillow has done the better job of building their brand name recognition, in part, because they better understand mainstream media linkbaiting (Zindex Housing Reports, surveys, White House/celebrity valuations) but their ill-conceived zestimates continue to be an albatross, tarnishing their overall image. The solution is simple– kill the bird by allowing an owner to opt out of the zestimate when selling the home. It may seem counter-intuitive but this would help build homeowner trust . But methinks successful guys like R Barton have a hard time admitting they made a mistake by forcing the zestimate down owners' throats.

IMO Zillow is in a better position to win the hearts of homeowners, a powerful group no real estate website has gone after except the FSBO sites. Once Zillow figures out how to make the homeowner a partner (the opt out would go a long way), e.g matching pros with consumers –how about an appraisal for 100 bucks– they will be a force to be reckoned with. Trulia has a better looking website and UI. More importantly, they have a leg up on agent acceptance (tolerance) because of calculated glad-handing and high-fiving agents (the schmooze factor), who were threatened by Z's home valuation.

The nofollow is an issue and as an agent, I would resent it, knowing that the success of Trulia over my website in the SERPS (using MY content) will one day bite me in the ass, if not already, in me now being "forced" to buy a "featured" ad. That a sold house eliminates the nofollow issue is a red herring– who cares once the house is sold?– it's what's happening BEFORE the house is sold that matters and Trulia is siphoning the agents' juice. Bad kitty.

In the end, it's ROI that matters– does being on TruZilla sell houses better than being on your local MLS? I highly doubt it. At best, the value is incremental and success stories are anecdotal. Heck, millions of Q&A on TVoices and 5 folks get a deal. How lovely.

Just one fella's opinion.

Apr 16, 2009 09:37 AM

#34

Katie Arnholt Kim

The Kim Group ~ Commercial Real Estate Team for Peoria, IL - Peoria, IL

Have you checked out the website www.websitegrader.com? It allows you to compare your website along with your competitors websites. Now I am not saying they are the end all on the matter, but it is interesting to see how your competition's websites are doing compared to yours. They also give you some recommendations on how to make your website better.

Apr 16, 2009 11:01 AM

Esko Kiuru

Bethesda, MD

Jim,

Reading the discussion here gives you a wealth of knowledge about both Trulia and Zillow. Then you can make up your own mind about what to do.

Apr 16, 2009 11:24 AM

The Somers Team

The Somers Team at KW Philadelphia - Philadelphia, PA

Delivering Real Estate Happiness

Wow ! What a discussion here. I am not much of an expert in the SEO and PR and all that. I am smart enough to know it makes sense to have a presence on both sites. And participate in the forums. At the end of the day I also agree that Realtors should take advantage of every opportunity that makes sense.

Apr 16, 2009 01:30 PM

Jessica Jones

Sandestin Real Estate - Sandestin, FL

Destin Sandestin 30-A Real Estate

Great post and topic of discussion. I haven't made up my mind between the two.

Apr 16, 2009 02:49 PM

AMBER NOBLE GARLAND - Top Real Estate Expert, Property Tax Appeal Specialist & Author

Strategic Marketing Expert & Relocation Specialist Serving New Jersey and nationwide! - Marlboro, NJ

- The Agent You Can Trust To Deliver REAL Results!

Rarely do I feel disdain toward a social network platform, but I must admit I CANNOT STAND ZILLOW! Trulia beats Zillow for so many reasons I can't name them all. Zillow is a "home seller's" worst nightmare (in my humble opinion). They misrepresent and miscalculate home values, because they group everything and everyone together. Trulia on the other hand is a well-thoughtout platform for sellers, buyers and Realtors.

Apr 16, 2009 04:31 PM

Jeff Daniel

John L. Scott Ocean Shores - Ocean Shores, WA

Managing Broker, John L. Scott 360.581.9020

I've spent money on both sites. Trulia had a better click through rate and I definitely received more leads from them.

Apr 17, 2009 02:49 AM

Lyn Sims

Schaumburg, IL

Real Estate Broker Retired

Laurie is right, promote yourselfand forget about Z & T. Dave Gibbons has always been a scrappy kind of guy and is always 'hither' when someone speaks the Zillow word. Always lurking listening to what people think of Zillow. They only care about their advertisers and their own bottom line. Just make sure you come first with your bottom line! Let's not even start about inaccuracies of information now!

Apr 17, 2009 01:59 PM

Sonya Loose

Modern Realty - Beaverton, MI

Helping Buyers & Sellers of Waterfront Property

Well I am out of time but I found the post interesting and the comments even more interesting! Wish I could stay and read all of them! With that said I used Trulia (am a Trulia Pro and answer questions on Trulia Q&A) Have had good results there. I also blog on Trulia with good results. I am on Zillow and am a Zillow Expert but do not find it as user friendly so don't visit the site often.

Apr 19, 2009 10:33 AM

Georgie Hunter R(S) 58089

Hawai'i Life Real Estate Brokers - Haiku, HI

Maui Real Estate sales and lifestyle info

Goog blog post and discussion. It helped me see Z & T in a new light, and gave me some good ideas. thanks for posting this.

#6 - Realtors can't modify their comments because there would be too much conflicting info and no control - in our case, comments can only be changed at the source - the MLS where the listing originates.

Apr 24, 2009 03:02 PM

Alexandria Virginia

Featuring Susan Craft, CRS, REALTOR® - McEnearney Associates - Alexandria, VA

Real Estate Editor

My vote goes to Trulia over Zillo as well, but AR is still tops.

Nov 03, 2009 06:07 AM