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Are You Playing Hide & Seek With Your Real Estate Site? ...Remembering an Inspiring Active Rain Pioneer!

By
Real Estate Broker/Owner with Lola Audu~Audu Real Estate~Grand Rapids, MI Real Estate

I had totally forgotten about this post, until Dena Stevens dropped by to comment this evening. Once again I was reminded of just how much Laurie Manny impacted our blogging efforts and encouraged us to mature as bloggers far beyond the capacity many of us would have thought we had. 

I'll never forget the post, "A Parable...The Acorn and the Butterfly" in which I shared a parable about the process of discovery shortly after adding my picture to my profile for the first time.  Laurie's encouragement in Featuring that post is something I will never forget.  We will all remain forever grateful to have been touched by her life and the click of her mouse.  The original post is re-blogged below in honor of a very special blogger and lady!

 

Are You Playing Hide & Seek With Your Real Estate Site? (edit/delete)

If 2007 was the year I really became engaged by the blogosphere, then 2008 ranks as the year I began to understand the power of connectivity.  And..No, they're not the same thing.  Although, I must admit, I used to think they were.

 

playing hide and seekWhen I first started blogging about two years ago, it was all about communicating my message and getting a handle on commenting. 

Active Rain provided the perfect platform and I embraced everything the community had to offer, rarely venturing out to the wider world. 

Initially, it was hard to understand how videos, podcasts, pictures and a short 140 bit sentence bite on Twitter could be an integral aspect of relationship building. Afterall, wasn't that what blogging was all about?

Well, it is...but, it's not the whole picture. My experiences within the past 12 months have opened up a whole new comprehension of what Social Media and blogging can be about.  Effective Relationship Building requires Exposure as well as Connectivity.  If you have a great message, but no one understands it or sees it, the Value of the message is greatly diminished.  Far too many bloggers in the real estate community are making this mistake.  They're not investing the time and effort to ensure that their well crafted messages are seen.

For instance, when I started blogging, I totally underestimated the importance of labeling my pictures. In fact, it wasn't until I became an active member of Flickr that I truly began to appreciate the importance of a little identifier known as a tag.  I've been amazed to see how properly tagged pictures can land on the first page of an indexed search on Google.  I've learned that tagging can be as effective as a blog post in gaining better Search Engine positioning.

The next step for me is geotagging my pictures by location.  I'll admit that this still presents a little bit of a mental challenge for me as geography was not one of my favorite subjects.  But at least I'm getting it.  Search Engines don't want to play Hide & Seek to find our data.  They want it clearly identified and labeled so that they can do their job which is to provide FOLKS WITH THE INFORMATION they are searching for.

Many of us are playing the game of Hide & Seek and don't even know it

We fail to tag our pictures, don't tag our blog posts and give our articles very hard to understand titles.  In addition, we have different avatars and sometimes even names for different sites and often forget to complete our profiles when we are instructed to. To compound our evasion tactics, our blogs fail to link to other blogs with a similar focus and our articles don't provide additional related links within our own websites or blogs. Did you know that this type of activity makes it difficult for the Search Engines to give you credit for all the hard work that you're doing? 

Here are a few simple steps you can take TODAY to stop Playing Hide & Seek With the Search Engines and make it easier for them to find you:

1.  Create Relevant Titles!

The operative word is Relevant.  Cute and funny may be entertaining, but they won't give you much traction.  Cute and funny may give you tons of comments on Active Rain but if they're so irrelevant to your topic that the Search Engine Spider has to try to decipher your meaning...expect to be dumped into the heap of forgettable entries sooner rather than later.

2.  Create Links to Your Stuff!

This is so easy to do.  Every expert on SEO here on Active Rain has told us to do this, but most of us never do.  It's simply a matter of heading over to your sidebar, clicking on a relevant tag and copying 1,2 or more links to the bottom of your post.  It's better to revive your older posts if possible.  This gives additional relevance to your material.  You should also do this on your website which normally gets even less love than your blog.  Internal Linking can be extremely effective in helping Search Engine Spiders to weave your material into the world wide web.

3.  Tag, Tag, TAG!

Take a second to tag your pictures, your blog posts, your Utterz etc.  Anything that allows you to tag should be tagged.  No exceptions.  Failing to do this is like doing a ton of work and walking away without your payoff!  Tagging identifies what you are saying.  And no, the Search Engines don't just automatically get it.  If you're comfortable with it, I'd highly recommend you begin to Geotag or at least place your ZIP Code in the tag line if you're blogging about something which is real estate related.

4.  Build on Consistency!

You loose a lot of cache online when you appear as a variety of different persons online.  Now, if you're trying to hide the fact that you work in real estate, that's not necessarily a bad thing.  But, if on the other hand, you would like to take full advantage of this medium to do more business...the more easily recognizable you are, the better for you.  This year, I have been even more impressed by the number of people who are connecting with us online.  It's not the wave of the future...this is business today and into the future.

5.  Study the Pro Game!

I am not an SEO expert, but there are many who are here on Active Rain.  I've learned so much from reading their blogs; it has literally transformed my understanding of my profession.  Here are some of my Favorite bloggers: Mary McNight, Justin Smith, Jim Cronin, Jeff Turner, Brad AndersonBarry Hurd, Laurie Manny & Karen Jason, whose extraordinary contribution to this network remains as a well spring of knowledge and insight. 

Not all these individuals are technical folks; some of them have simply done a remarkable job of translating their success for the rest of us.  In every case, I've found their contributions helpful.  Check them out!

Search Engines really want to know what you're talking about in your articles and online content.  Remember, you're the expert.  Let's do our own little part to make it easier for them to do their job.  This is a case in which a little due diligence can truly go a long way.

 

Other Related Posts about Blogging & Marketing Real Estate...

blogging: Sometimes...A little Grazin' is Great forYour Appetite and Your blog.

blogging: On Squid, Squeegees & Squidoos...3 Ways to Squeeze More Money From Your Online Content!

blogging: Blog Prospecting....Optimizing the Reach of your Local Real Estate Blog!

blogging: What to Do When Google Shows Up for The Interview Before You do!

 

Copyright 2008  Audu Real Estate All Rights Reserved

Picture courtesy of: chris runoff's photostream

Comments (31)

Sally K. & David L. Hanson
EXP Realty 414-525-0563 - Brookfield, WI
WI Real Estate Agents - Luxury - Divorce

Laurie's contributions to the network and the touch she had to many lives of people she never met is a sterling memorial that will last and be  valued by many who never had the pleasure of knowing her personally.

Aug 27, 2010 10:34 PM
David O'Doherty
Clayton, NC
Clayton NC Homes, Raleigh, NC

Lola, such great tips I have bookmarked this. Laurie obviously touched a lot of people on ActiveRain

Aug 28, 2010 12:03 AM
Charita Cadenhead
eXp Realty - Birmingham, AL
Serving Jefferson and Shelby Counties (Alabama)

Lola Laurie really nailed it.  She definitely had a grasp on the subject matter and definitely can improve in all areas.

Aug 28, 2010 12:24 AM
Eileen Hsu
Douglas Elliman Real Estate - Manhattan, NY
LICENSED REAL ESTATE SALESPERSON

perfect post to keep us reminded to be as visible as possible so others can find us.

Aug 28, 2010 01:27 AM
Kay Van Kampen
RE/MAX Broker, RE/MAX - Springfield, MO
Realtor®, Springfield Mo Real Estate

Lola, I had missed a lot of Laurie's posts.  This one is full of great information.  She will be greatly missed by her family and the Active Rain community

Aug 28, 2010 01:52 AM
Eric Anderson
Eric Anderson Realty Group - Fayetteville, NC
Fort Bragg Military Relocation Services, Fayettevi

Lola, Thanks for the post.  I think it's very helpful and some of your points are key.  Thanks again, I will definitely start ramping up my post with your suggestions. 

Aug 28, 2010 02:17 AM
Neal Bloom
Brokered by eXp Realty LLC - Weston, FL
Realtor CRS-Weston FL Real Estate

Lola,

Laurie taught you and I well...she didn't care to teach about how to get your posts featured..she taught us how to get business from our blogs. She once told me.."don't worry what people think about your boring market reports...you're number one and two on Google and you'll be laughing to the bank and they won't.

Aug 28, 2010 02:24 AM
Morgan Evans
Douglas Elliman Real Estate - Manhattan, NY
LICENSED REAL ESTATE SALESPERSON

I agree that the steps that you talked about are not very difficult to implement but the payoff is enormous when you start to get local traffic that calls and inquires about your blogging.

Aug 28, 2010 04:22 AM
Ellen Kippel
Weichert Realtors - Suffern, NY
Licensed NY and NJ realtor 914-588-2365

I think I am tagging things in my blogs appropriately.  I took classes this summer with Steve and he talked about this.  I am going to check the tags on my blogs and my pictures right now.  Thanks!

Aug 28, 2010 06:49 AM
Art Kruschka
Administrative Manager - Manassas, VA
Manassas Woodbridge Dumfries Real Estate Sevices

Lola I tried and tried, but I couldn't find a logical reaon to disagree with you :)

Aug 28, 2010 07:23 AM
Tracy Lee Parker
RE/MAX DFW Associates - Royse City, TX
Buy*Sell*Rent

I printed this to read at my open house. I need help! Thank you very much!

Aug 28, 2010 07:40 AM
Jason Sardi
Auto & Home & Life Insurance throughout North Carolina - Charlotte, NC
Your Agent for Life

Lola - Thank you for this.  Perfect example of Manny's genius.  Hope all is well, Lola.

Aug 28, 2010 10:11 AM
Jayne Williamson, REALTOR, Broker, GRI
Keller Williams Realty Mountain Partners, Hendersonville, NC - Hendersonville, NC

Great post, Lola!  I try to make the links and tags on my posts, but don't always do as many posts as I would like.  So much to learn!

Aug 28, 2010 10:50 AM
Loan Survivor Real Estate Financing Expert
Purchases, First Time Buyers, Pre-Approvals, Refinance - Birmingham, MI

We all need a reminder like this now and then!  Thanks for posting again.

Aug 28, 2010 12:39 PM
Deborah Wilson
Hackenberg Realty Group - Canton, OH
Stark County OH Real Estate

Thanks Lola for posting this.

I learned alot from Laurie.  I am so glad you took time to refresh our memory, about tagging our photos and other SEO benefits.

Aug 28, 2010 02:47 PM
Lola Audu
Lola Audu~Audu Real Estate~Grand Rapids, MI Real Estate - Grand Rapids, MI
Audu Real Estate~Grand Rapids, MI ~Welcome Home!

Rebecca...with regards to tags, when appropriate, it is good to include both...location and appropriate descriptive.

Ricki...geotagging (zip code and/or location) can be very effective in building your SEO

Jeff & Dorrie...I had totally forgotten about this post.  In re-reading, I was touched when I saw that I had indicated that Laurie was one of my favorite bloggers.

Aug 28, 2010 04:03 PM
Lola Audu
Lola Audu~Audu Real Estate~Grand Rapids, MI Real Estate - Grand Rapids, MI
Audu Real Estate~Grand Rapids, MI ~Welcome Home!

One of Laurie's most important contributions to many fledgling bloggers was her generosity and her ability to cultivate a raw talent.  She showed us how to do things better.  That was a true gift. 

Reading this blog post was a reminder of so many individuals who have freely given their time and talent to others through the Active Rain Network.  I think we are yet to fully appreciate how much impact this has had on the real estate industry.

Aug 28, 2010 04:08 PM
Lola Audu
Lola Audu~Audu Real Estate~Grand Rapids, MI Real Estate - Grand Rapids, MI
Audu Real Estate~Grand Rapids, MI ~Welcome Home!

Hi Kay,  This post was a re-blog of my own blog.  However, Laurie also wrote a lot of great material which can still be accessed.  Thanks for stopping here to read, remember and honor a pioneer.

Neal...so true!  It's unlikely that I would have started a local blog without her insight.  Understanding the power of Localism and writing to the consumer has been what has been the most profitable part of blogging for me, you and so many others.  Your tribute to her was beautiful.

Jason...I am thankful that we had the benefit of her time and attention as a Moderator.  In some ways, it was a thankless job, but she made us all better bloggers through her efforts.

 

Aug 28, 2010 04:14 PM
Keith Sellers
Sellers Real Estate - Kalamazoo, MI
Greater Kalamazoo and Lakeshore

Again, it appears I've had my head in the sand, Lola!  Thank you for the tip about tagging, I've not been doing that with photos.  The more I read, the further behind I get haha! 

HOW do you get the flick, facebook and twitter icon at the bottom of your page?

Do you use a blog software like Scribefire?

How do you make "chris runoff's photostream" a hyperlink?

Thanks!

 

 

Aug 31, 2010 01:36 AM
Keith Sellers
Sellers Real Estate - Kalamazoo, MI
Greater Kalamazoo and Lakeshore

One more question -- how are you getting the home showing viewer in your sidebar?

Thank you! 

I am subscribed to your blog, and you're only a short drive from Zeeland, where we are!

Aug 31, 2010 01:37 AM