Special offer

it's just too hard.

By
Real Estate Agent with Jameson Sotheby's International Realty

In our regional meeting today, our management strongly suggested, that we should begin paying attention to SEO.

For those of you who haven't been paying much attention, SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization.  The idea is to do things that increase your visibility by search engines, such as Yahoo, Bing and virtual unknown Google (is there some requirement that in order to be a search engine, you have to have a weird name?)

Now, I'd never given it much thought, so I listened carefully.  They suggested using keywords in our profiles on ColdwellBanker.com and ColdwellBankerOnline.com to bring us up higher in the searches.  For me, using words like "Evanston, and Realtor" would be excellent.

Now, I don't know if any of you have considered doing something that might add to your SEO.  They suggested that Tweeting might help increase it (but they didn't really tell us how)... and they thought that Facebook was worthwhile too (but I didn't really hear anything that made much sense about that either).

It was also suggested that blogging might help, but that was pretty time intensive, and they suggested it might require up to 15 minutes at least 3 days a week.  I'm not sure that I'm ready to commit to that kind of time blogging.  Besides, what would I blog about?

I'm going to really have to give this some thought.

Meanwhile a search for "Evanston Realtor" on Google brings me up as the third (non-paid) listing... apparently just by fluke. I don't know what I'm doing wrong.

Posted by

 ALAN MAY, Realtor®   
Specializing in Evanston Real Estate and North Shore Real Estate

Jameson Sotheby's International Realty, 2934 Central Street, Evanston, IL 60201
Office: 847.869.7300      Cell: 847.924.3313      Email: Almay@aol.com

Evanston Real Estate & North Shore Real Estate
Licensed in Illinois

   

Comments(19)

Richard Weisser
Richard Weisser Realty - Newnan, GA
Richard Weisser Retired Real Estate Professional

Alan...

The Internet and blogging are just passing fads. I would stick to expensive print advertising!

Oct 15, 2009 02:51 PM
Alan May
Jameson Sotheby's International Realty - Evanston, IL
Home is where the hearth is.

An excellent suggestion, Richard.  After all, that's the way we've always done it.

Oct 15, 2009 03:07 PM
Brian Lee Burke
Kenna Real Estate - Lone Tree, CO
Broker & Advising Expert-Kenna Luxury Real Estate

Alan, LOL you are funny! Good thing you didn't learn more - you might climb higher than google page 1! :) ~Rita

Oct 15, 2009 03:08 PM
Charles Buell
Charles Buell Inspections Inc. - Seattle, WA
Seattle Home Inspector

Duh----and may I repeat---Duh----maybe once more---Duh:)

Oct 15, 2009 04:06 PM
Jane Peters
Home Jane Realty - Los Angeles, CA
Los Angeles real estate concierge services

Too funny Alan.  Did they also tell you that emailing your clients might be a little more efficient than mailing them a letter?

Oct 15, 2009 04:16 PM
Paddy (Patricia) Pizappi
Better Homes and Gardens Rand Realty - Pine Bush, NY
Real Estate Associate Broker Hudson Valley NY

Now that's funny!  Have a great weekend Alan

Oct 15, 2009 10:51 PM
Missy Caulk
Missy Caulk TEAM - Ann Arbor, MI
Savvy Realtor - Ann Arbor Real Estate

OH gee don't you hate to sit through those seminars and know more than the teacher? I went to one our Board had on Social Media last year. Everyone kept saying, "Missy, why are YOU hear."

Of course you are tongue in cheeck, but once I was asked to start a blog for my company? Why? compete against me?

NOT

Oct 16, 2009 12:05 AM
Todd Clark - Retired
eXp Realty LLC - Tigard, OR
Principle Broker Oregon

Clearly you should stop spending so much time blogging per week, it is just a waste of time and the SEO clearly isn't working only having 3 spots on page one.

 Todd Clark - www.LivingBeaverton.com

Oct 16, 2009 12:10 AM
Alan May
Jameson Sotheby's International Realty - Evanston, IL
Home is where the hearth is.

Rita - I hadn't imagined what might happen if I out SEO-ed page one.

Charles - duh, duh, duh....

Jane - I'll send them a letter

Paddy - funny?  they're deadly serious

Missy - I wouldn't say I know more than the speaker... but this meeting was targeted at the lowest common denominator...

Todd - I only have two spots on page one.... one is my active rain site, and the second is my trulia profile.  I wonder if my CB site will catch up?

Oct 16, 2009 12:43 AM
Betina Foreman
WJK Realty - Austin, TX
Realtor, C.N.E., with WJK REALTY

I agree with Richard, print/mail advertising is far more effective and costly. If you want increased SEO just buy it from one of the dozens of expensive SEO sellers. If you need a phone number wait five minutes, I am sure one is calling me now! LOL

;)

 

Oct 16, 2009 01:28 AM
Betina Foreman
WJK Realty - Austin, TX
Realtor, C.N.E., with WJK REALTY

I almost forgot. When these SEO optimization people call me, I always ask how did YOU find me? Inevitably they say online. To which I reply, then its pretty obvious that I don't need your service!<click>

;)

 

Oct 16, 2009 01:30 AM
Alan May
Jameson Sotheby's International Realty - Evanston, IL
Home is where the hearth is.

Betina - I recently had a call from one of those companies, and they said that they could bring me up on the first page of Google for a search such as 'Evanston realtor'... When I told them I'm already #3 on that list, without paying their $59.99/month... they just hung up.

LOL!

Oct 16, 2009 02:34 AM
Gene Riemenschneider
Home Point Real Estate - Brentwood, CA
Turning Houses into Homes

SEO is hard, but Active Rain has helped me get a handle on it.  It is one of the best things we can do.

Oct 16, 2009 04:59 AM
Lenn Harley
Lenn Harley, Homefinders.com, MD & VA Homes and Real Estate - Leesburg, VA
Real Estate Broker - Virginia & Maryland

I'm surprised. 

I would think that management would put up a wing-dinger web site, SEO it all over the place, bring in a lot of business and sell the referrals to their agents.

What's the matter with these folks?

Oct 16, 2009 06:50 AM
Michelle Gibson
Hansen Real Estate Group Inc. - Wellington, FL
REALTOR

Alan - I'm with Richard, we should stick with print media.  Who has 15 extra minutes three days a week?

Oct 16, 2009 08:34 AM
Alan May
Jameson Sotheby's International Realty - Evanston, IL
Home is where the hearth is.

Gene - I've heard of this 'active rain'... is that anything like 'acid rain'?

Lenn - you'd think.... although if they started "selling" the leads to agents there'd be a revolt.

Michelle - so sensible.

Oct 17, 2009 12:32 AM
JL Boney, III
Coldwell Banker - Columbia, SC
Columbia, SC Real Estate

I hope that you can eventually grasp this wild new technology and learn to commit those 15 minutes to improving your rankings my friend.

Oct 17, 2009 02:50 AM
Not a real person
San Diego, CA

We're only supposed to spend 15 minutes a day three days a week. Ah-ha! Now I know what I'm doing wrong. Too much time Playing in the Rain.

Oct 18, 2009 09:17 PM
Alan May
Jameson Sotheby's International Realty - Evanston, IL
Home is where the hearth is.

JL - I don't know, I don't know... it'd take away from my fun in the rain.

Russel - you and me both.

Oct 19, 2009 01:33 AM