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Romancing the Search Engines

By dotjenna Social Media Sales Coach for Real Estate

Services for Real Estate Pros with The Marketing Shop.com

July 20, 2007 03:34 PM

Romancing the Search Engines - July 2007
By: Jenna Ryan

July 15, 2007

In the world of search engine rankings Google is our prince charming. The question is, how do we get beyond the toads of page 1,741,220 and score a page one? All we need is a good date with those--hummina, hummina--search crawlers and we're in! The problem is, now that it's July 2007, the little things that once tripped Google's trigger have gone stale. What can we do to gain an edge on the competition and begin living our search engine dreams?

Friend, there is still hope. Google still cannot resist good text. But, in order to attract those crawlers, it may be necessary to freshen our approach as we do a little website inventory:

It's time to ask...

Am I getting too old?
Do Google Ads cheapen my look?
Do I need SEO surgery?
Should I try an Online Linking Service?
Should we gain or lose some weight?

Am I Getting too Old? Good news! There's no such thing as being too old when it comes to websites. The older the better! Google is currently swaying HEAVILY towards mature sites. If your domain name was registered in the 90s, I'm jealous. Today this will increase your web's profile by up to 50% providing you have all your other eh hem assets in order.

Do Google ads cheapen my look? I am probably crazy to write this here, but hey, if you're reading this far you deserve to get some juicy advice. Google Ads. Right now, Google is oogling websites with ads. That's not saying Google hasn't always liked its own ads, but today the more, the better.

Do I need SEO surgery? Google likes natural websites, so be careful about getting too much work done. Like cosmetic surgery, the success of your search engine optimization depends on the expert. You need clean code, lots of text and a meta tag revision will definitely help your cause.

What about online linking services? Whatever you do, steer clear of Online Linking Services! They turn Google off faster than bad breath. Google is no fool! It wants the most popular websites that are popular because they are what everyone wants.

Are my links good enough? Google doesn't seem to fancy the old-time link pages of three weeks ago. Today, Google wants more. Just typing in a list of links on a page won't cut it. In order for link pages to gain favor with Google, each link should have a description next to it, and while you're at it, throw in a Google Ad or two.

Should I gain or lose some weight? If your website is thin, it is recommended that you add more bulk in the form of healthy content. Daily fresh content will send your rankings through the roof! And if your site is stout, just keep up the good work. Google loves a healthy site--more of you to love!

So, the secrets to attracting the search engines and ranking on the top of search results are the same, yet changing. Good keyword rich content on an older site that's updated regularly and naturally awesome will get you lots of dates with the top crawlers on the web. Go get 'em tiger!

SEO SERVICES BY JENNA RYAN
If you are interested in SEO Services for your website, please contact Jenna Ryan toll free at 866-697-7638.

NOTE ON BLOG COMMENTS:
Your comments are appreciated. I will try to answer your questions in subsequent blog postings. Negative comments, or statements I disagree with will be deleted. It's important that this blog remains positive and upbeat. If you want to argue, insult or criticize--this is not the place to do it.

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Diane Bell, Hilton Head Real Estate, Bluffton

Charter 1 Real Estate, Hilton Head, Bluffton, SC - Hilton Head Island, SC

Jenna,

Great advice----Glad to know that "something" is good about getting old! I've had my domain name for quite a long time so I guess that's good news.

Jul 21, 2007 12:08 AM

Scott Daniels Florida Real Estate 2.0. Agents Earn 100% Commission.

Florida List For Less Realty, Inc. Broker/Owner. - Cooper City, FL

Jenna,

Very good reading and OH so true!

Thank You.

Jul 21, 2007 12:15 AM

Wayne McMullan

Royal LePage ProAlliance Realty - Belleville, ON

Quinte Real Estate

Great info Jenna. For us laypersons it's always to see techno advice given in the simplest of terms. Thanks

Jul 21, 2007 02:05 AM

Bob Southard

Atlas Realty Service, LLC - Kennesaw, GA

e-Pro - Cobb,Cherokee,NorthFulton,Paulding,Bartow

Jenna,

Thanks for the simple expanation. The whole idea of seo ranking usually seems so mystical that i never even tried to understand.

Jul 21, 2007 02:35 AM

Marcus Valdez

Berkshire Hathaway Rocky Mountain Realtors - Fort Collins, CO

Great post thanks!!

Jul 21, 2007 05:00 AM

Jennifer Monroe

Indigo Home Team powered by Compass - Charlotte, NC

Real Estate REALTOR®/Broker/Designer

So how would you approach the Google ads in a tasteful manner? Do they need to be on your home page?

Jul 21, 2007 05:22 AM

Melissa Nottingham

Coldwell Banker Advantage - Winfield, WV

WV Real Estate Agent

Hi Jenna, Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us. This is what makes Active Rain so amazing.

Jul 21, 2007 05:47 AM

Dan Carraher

Keller Williams Realty Platinum - Phoenix, AZ

Jenna- What kind of budget should one set aside to accomplish the above strategies?

Jul 21, 2007 06:04 AM

Michael Eisenberg

eXp Realty - Bellingham, WA

Bellingham Real Estate Guy

Thanks for the info, I seem to be doing well for google, but pretty far back on the other engines, any words of wisdom on gaing ground on yahoo & msn without changing so much you lose it on google

Jul 21, 2007 06:09 AM

Jeffrey Tumbarello

South West Florida Real Estate Investment Association - Fort Myers, FL

ui find that when I pause google ad words, my rankings go down

Jul 21, 2007 06:16 AM

Brian Brumpton

Keller Williams Boise - Boise, ID

Boise Idaho Real Estate

Good advice Jenna, although, I think it's going to be more productive for me to leave my search engine rankings up to a pro. This does give me good information to ask them about.

Jul 21, 2007 07:58 AM

Rosemary Brooks

BMC Real Estate - 209-910-3706 - Stockton, CA

The Mother & Daughter Realty Team

Stroke me and I'll stroke you!

Jul 21, 2007 09:45 AM

Jennifer Walker-Derby

Re/Max Westside - Marietta, GA

Real Estate Extraordinaire

I had no idea the age of your site weighs to heavily.

Are you penalized if you "re-do" your site every couple years? (change look and all content?)

Jul 21, 2007 09:53 AM

Eric Bouler

Gardner Realtors, Licensed in La. - New Orleans, LA

Listening to your Needs

Matt is correct on his point as we only know. Matt make sure you vote for my site on the AA contest. Eric

Jul 21, 2007 09:57 AM

Jim Crawford

Long & Foster - Fredericksburg, VA

Jim Crawford Broker Associate Fredericksburg VA

Excellent Post! I would recommend your post to anyone considering SEO for placement of their site. These are the same questions I ask myself every day! Even though I am recognized for achieving incredible web placement, there are only so many times I can pull a rabbit out of my hat. The rules change all the time, the basics don't change a whole lot! URL, Title, description and relevant content remain very strong components to start your climb to the top. The next component will be refreshed content, link popularity from industry related sites, and lastly no I never link to paid Google ads.

Jul 21, 2007 12:27 PM

Cyndee Haydon

Charles Rutenberg Realty - Clearwater, FL

727-710-8035 Clearwater, Beach Short Sales Luxury Condos &Homes

Thank you for an insightful post. Lots of things to think about. Congrats on the feature.

Jul 21, 2007 03:39 PM

Lisa Rohner

Luxury Fractional Guide - Wallingford, CT

Luxury Fractional Guide

Great advice! -- Lisa/Luxury Fractional Guide

Jul 22, 2007 05:09 AM

Jeff Belonger

Social Media - Infinity Home Mortgage Company, Inc - Cherry Hill, NJ

The FHA Expert - FHA Loans - FHA mortgages - USDA loans - VA Loans

Jenna..... it's nice to have a fresh face when it comes to this stuff and someone that specializes in it. I have a few questions....

When you talk about Google ads, are you talking about those ads from Google... that mention Google...??
Are meta tags the same as tag words? If not, what's the difference?
Meta tag revision?
Clean codes?
In regards to links, you said a description next to them. Are you talking about directly next to the link.... or when you add a link, within in the link? If you could give a few examples?

Overall, thanks for this information and welcome to AR.... and congrats on your first feature...

jeff belonger

Jul 22, 2007 10:57 AM

xoxoxo xoxo

xoxo - Memphis, TN

Good Information, Thanks Jenna.

Jul 31, 2007 02:27 PM

dotjenna Social Media Sales Coach for Real Estate

The Marketing Shop.com - Frisco, TX

Jeff--

When you talk about Google ads, are you talking about those ads from Google... that mention Google...??

I am talking about Adsense Ads. They don't really amount to much unless you have trillions out there on the web. That's why it's a good idea to get hooked up with an SEO that's doing alot of work for Google Adsense. You can just fold your website links right in. But, having Google ads on your site's home page also helps. It can be a little unnerving though... The ads will show your competitors and cause some people to click away. It's a catch 22.
Are meta tags the same as tag words? If not, what's the difference?

Meta Tags are in the code of your page that speak to the browser and to Google crawlers. You need to have keyword phrases in your meta tags, but the restrictions on how they should be included are very strict, so you need a professional--especially if you don't know what they are.
Meta tag revision?

This was tongue in cheek. Most everyone needs a good revision to make sure the keywords used throughout the meta tags match your theme, target, etc...
Clean codes?

Your website must have clean code. Some sites are made with dirty, stinky code that chokes up search engine crawlers. Dirty code includes styling within the page which does absolutely no good... or Javascript left by someone who doesn't care. It's best to link to Javascript externally. It's lazy to just put the code right in the page unless you have a very good reason.
In regards to links, you said a description next to them. Are you talking about directly next to the link.... or when you add a link, within in the link? If you could give a few examples?

Example:

Real Estate Websites - The Marketing Shop.com offers real estate websites for busy REALTORS(r) realtors who don't have time to do their own SEO. Our philosophy is this: "You don't have to lift a finger!"