When I first started as ARDELL's Apprentice, she told me to check out Noah Rosenblatt of Urbandigs. First because she thought he and I would have a similar style of talking and writing, and second because Noah won the Most Innovative Blog Award given by Inman News last year. But he had all kinds of technical graphs and I just couldn't relate. I told her I was bored with that kind of stuff. Funny, now I'm writing some posts with that kind of stuff. Who would have guessed?
So ARDELL told me to go to GOOGLE and put in REAL ESTATE BLOG and see which ones showed up and learn something from each one about why they are the top ten in the search engines. So let's do that together right now. I'm going to skip past blog directories and go only to real blogs. I'll mention those, but won't number them.
Squarespace "Home to the most sophisticated bloggers on the Web" Since this comes up as number one, I should study it...but later. Back to my list. I checked Active Rain and put Squarespace in the search, but don't see any articles in Active Rain about Squarespace. At least none that search using that method. If anyone knows anything about Squarespace, I'd appreciate the info.
ONE: Real Estate Marketing Blog The url is HouseBlogger.typepad.com so that tells me it is a typepad blog. Before I even notice who writes this blog and what he does, I figure it's a place that services real estate bloggers in some way, and not a real estate agent's blog. I see an ad for Spider Workz "On Target Web Marketing. Then I see a guy named Tim O'Keefe. I liked this:
Grab Your Inner Soprano!
This is the internet. Make your own rules! The only rule is do what works. If your objective is more leads, and you get more leads, then what you are doing works. Make your own rules with this "thing that we do". Get creative.
I keep looking for what I am supposed to do, so this was a good message for me to decide for myself after I listen to all the advices.
The next one is Blogflux topsites and it looks something like Squarespace and not a blog.
TWO: The Real Estate Blog WOW! That is amazingly simple to just get to the top of your list by calling it The Real Estate Blog!. Looks like two real estate agents named Fran and Rowena. But when I look at the articles they all look like they go to other places like Bankrate.com and National Association of Realtors, so I don't know if they are really writing blog posts or just linking to stuff. I did notice that when you click to read more it takes you to a new window and The Real Estate blog still stays. So I guess I can learn that.
THREE: The San Francisco Real Estate Blog Hey! it doesn't look like anyone is writing this blog either. More links to newspaper articles. So far I'm learning that I'm working way too hard. Looks like you don't have to blog at all to be a top real estate blogger as far as Google is concerned. That makes me mad for some reason. Like I've been duped into thinking I have to WORK at this and actually write blog articles.
FOUR: Looks like were going to Canada and Real Estate Intelligence Now I'm getting really skeptical. None of these look like someone is writing a blog. I clicked on something and got something called SNAP and it looked like some RE/MAX listing. None of the articles say they are written by a person. What's going on here. Where are the blogs? I'm leaving this one. It's Canada and I can't find the blogger fast enough, so I'm gone from here.
FIVE: Rain City Guide Finally! A real estate blog I've heard about where people are actually writing their blog posts!!! Of course it's that place where My Coach ARDELL writes. Should have guessed the first one that looks like a real blog has something to do with ARDELL. Wow! Now I feel really honored that she chose me as her Apprentice. Number FIVE in Google and the first real real estate blog. I feel like I should bow or something. Genuflect maybe. Not that I didn't feel lucky having ARDELL as my Coach before I did this homework. But really...WOW! Number five in Google and the first one that has real WRITERS who actually write their blog posts. Seriously WOW!
SIX: Inman News Blog Inman News They are the sponsor of this whole Project Blogger thing with Active Rain. I'm starting to see why ARDELL gave me this homework to do. Maybe it's supposed to make me realize how lucky I was to be picked as an Apprentice for the Project Blogger Competition in the first place. I may be number 6 out of 12, but maybe all 12 are Winners for being picked in the first place. I'm starting to thing ARDELL had a hidden agenda when she gave me this homework to do.
SEVEN: The Walk-Through A Real Estate Blog from the New York Times I'm not even going to read this one, because I can't write like people who get paid by the New York Times to do it. Like the name though The Walk-Through Another simple name that is kind of national keyword heavy. Something to be learned there I think.
EIGHT: CURBED I remember ARDELL telling me about this one. WOW look at that Friday Link Article! Looks like a "juice post" Laurie Manny style! That's interesting. I haven't done ANY of those kinds of posts yet. Put that in my tool box.
NINE: OCRegister - Lasner on Real Estate I'm not even going to read this blog because he has too many commercials going on. How much could he be making on all of those car ads? Doesn't he make enough money selling real estate to not need car ads on his blog? I don't know what's going on there, but he feels like one of those guys who tries to sell you watches pinned inside of his trench coat. So I'm outta here.
TEN: Real Estate Investing Blog To tell you the truth, I'm bored to death with this homework lesson. This one says Insider Secrets From A Successful Real Estate Investor. I already feel like I wandered into the tent of some Snake Oil Salesman. I'm Gone, Gone, Gone!
Hey! You know what I just realized? Active Rain is more interesting than most of the Top Ten Real Estate Blogs according to Google. Hey! Maybe there's something to this Active Rain thing after all. Smart Coach that ARDELL. I think she's trying to show us that we don't know something good when it's handed to us on a silver platter.
I've got a lot of thinking to do.
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