good question. i'd love to see answers. my website isn't all that great, i admit. i've had it for a while. i go to it to try to improve it, then i get frustrated and say i can spend my time more wisely. i've only gotten one sale from it. as a matter of fact, of all the money i have spent on marketing, only one of my client's have come from a marketing effort and that's the one from the website. everything else has been a referral or from a cold call. hmmmmm....

Hi Dee,

Sorry to say, you've been googled too.

Fred, I have to say that my adventure with google has been a bit different because it's on the mortgage side of things.  I get people who google the terms of the loan products, and they get me via AR.  My website hasn't been cached from google all too much, but I need to find a better way to track that.  Anyway, good post, Fred!

Love your post Fred, lots of good stuff that makes you "think" and "rethink" things.  We don't get too concerned about google ranking as we use to, we do what we can and try to keep a fresh website that our clients and perspective clients will enjoy and find relevant.  That's more important to us.

Hi Andrew,

I think you have been Googled too, but not sure, you did not indicate how many, how much, and in what time frame!  Would love some specifics, otherwise, you've probably been Googled too. 

Thanks for the comments, they really are apreciated, not just by me, but by the 50,000 hard working professionals on this network trying to survive this mess. 

Hi Chris and Maria,

Googled! , Sorry, thanks for the comments.

I own Google in my IRA it has been a good investment.

Hi Carolyn,

Well, thats one way to make money off Google. 

Google does not work. In fact, If you live in Maryland....you should dump your website right now. Stop with the SEO's, you have better things to do....like....answer the phone at the office, get your hair done, cut grass, BLOG about anything but real estate. Its a dead market, don't renew your license, association fees are WAY too high. Save your money. (All tongue and cheek of course)

In the last year, I have only had ONE solid lead that reulted in a closed loan as a direct Google search/hit.

:-)

Fred:

maybe everyone should ' fess up about Google. You know realtors, they puff everything up. 2 deals from leads and they tell you they had 20 deals.

Sorry Kris, Googled!

Thanks Robert, Great response, you Googled us twice! 

Hi Carolyn,

Just the facts, that's all we really need to know to run our businesses, right? 

I would like to see ANYONE in this entire industry give us some facts.

Damn it, we deserve to know the truth don't you think? 

Hey Kris,

I was a bit discourteous, congratulations on your one deal, I just wish it had been more. I'm really not happy about all the money we have lost with this "technology"

Warm Regards,

Fred

I think you are focusing on the wrong thing. Google has more than 81.9 million unique visitors each month. Google is a huge source of potential traffic for your business. The question becomes, what will a potential Buyer or Seller SEE and DO when they visit your site? Does anything on your site immediately compel the prospect to leave you their name?, telephone number?, sign-up for a newsletter? Sign-up for future listings? etc.

If not, don't expect the business. Period. They will quickly click off your site and visit someone elses. I would suggest you install a sitemeter to your homepage to keep track of your visitors. If you are getting 30 unique visits a day and they are only staying on average less than 2 to 3 seconds. Something is wrong.

Compel them to stay....to read.....to contact you....offer them something...information.....free information. Your website should be generating leads for you. Not just a pretty photo.

Robert,

Thanks for the comments.  I must say, I have heard this same thing from Realtor.com, Google, Yahoo, and every other SEO, SEM, consultant and web company soooooo many times, it makes me sick.  No offense, but I want facts.....................

Not more hype or what I need to do to make it work.  Sorry my friend, you Googled me again.

Our performance  and success is somethiing we should be proud  about and share with others isn't it?

Respectfully yours,

Fred

Oh by the way, thank you Robert for pointing out who has the visitors.  Could this also be why they make billions and we are struggling to make a living?

Robert,

Curiously enough, your last post made me faint!  I finally get it.  Thank you.

How can I compete with Google, when they have millions of listings, cars, boats, news, weather, AND PRETTY PHOTOS,  81.9 million visitors indeed. 

They own the content, they own the traffic, they own the net!

Game over!

I think I will take your previous advice!

I would love to hear from anyone that has a success story.  I bet if you email everyone in your business sphere and asked them to post to this blog, we would be hard pressed to find anyone with

1. Documentable facts.

2. Wild Success.

I want to meet a "Google Champion", the Olympian of the Net!

Seriously, guys lets see it.

Fred..I am on your side. Unfortunately, This Machine called Google does rule the information highway. Whether we realize it or not, more and more people are buying computers, getting on-line, and choosing the internet first when looking to buy or sell a home. The best thing about it is.......ITS FREE!

Robert,

It is not FREE!  It took me months of my precious time to get to the top.  Once there, I did everything I was consulted to do.  Believe me, this is not my first Rodeo.  I made more money in less time with every other client acquisition strategy and have documented proof. 

Why, because I track my leads, all of them.  I know my cost per lead, so I know it does not work. 

You are certainly right though, they do rule, and we have all driven our cleints there. 

Here's how.  For the past ten years, we have put our web address on everything and told everyone to go to the net.  HOLY COW, it's no wonder so many people go.  There have been over 1 million real estate agents promoting the net now for 10+ years, for FREE! 

Really, I feel Googled,

and I am on your side too.

Respectfully yours,

Fred

Hi Dee,

Well, only one one deal from Google so far in the last year from this group.  I have talked to hundreds of agents and businesses over the past year, none of them have given me any success stories. 

I hear the hype, read the type, but show me the money folks!

Please check this site out

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monkey_see,_monkey_do

You will be amazed at the description of this process.  This is what I had been doing for the past 7 years, so I do not mean to offend anyone, just help educate those that want to know the truth.

For everyone who commented today on this blog before I go to bed, 

Here is a wise, ancient proverb to reflect upon:

The three wise monkeys (Japanese: san'en or sanzaru, or sanbiki no saru, literally "three monkeys") are a pictorial maxim. Together they embody the proverbial principle to "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil". The three monkeys are Mizaru, covering his eyes, who sees no evil; Kikazaru, covering his ears, who hears no evil; and Iwazaru, covering his mouth, who speaks no evil.

Sometimes there is a fourth monkey depicted with the three others; the last one, Shizaru, symbolizes the principle of "do no evil". He may be covering his abdomen or crotch, or just crossing his arms.

Food for thought,  Who knows Google's mission statement?

I have said for a long time, 'The only thing that the internet ever increased demand for was Advertising Dollars'.  It has never really created one additional customer.

Hey Dwight,

Thanks for the feedback.  I was just reading an article today that said the Microsoft was devoting 25% of their business to advertising sales. 

Wow, see if you can get anyone else to comment on this.  We may be on to something.

Fred

P.S. Since I spoke up, I might be the fourth Monkey

I know for sure that one time when I went on a listing appointment, the seller did not want to hear about my credentials and said they googled and had seen my web site etc.They just wanted to know the price and sign the agreement.

Thanks Gita,

You make an excellent point. When I would go out on listing appointments, I did the same thing with Realtor.com and Google.  My sellers were so impressed that I was at the top of Google and had that their listing was going to be on Realtor.com, that they usually listed with me too.  

I am just soooooooo glad and incredibly relieved that they never asked me if I got any buyers or sellers from this method of marketing their home.  Quite frankly, I would have had to say no and walk out of there with my presentation in hand and no listing agreement. 

You see Gita, I know, just as many others do, that many of the things we do in our business do not work. 

Unfortunately, most of us put on a show for our clients to impress them about what a great job we are going to do for them.  While I agree that the Internet promotes their home and thats what they hire us to do, Google and Yahoo, Zillow and many others can too. 

One of the main reasons we as Realtors have licenses, is because of public trust.  If we are not being honest with ourselves, how and when will they ever trust us again?

Hi Robert,

I opened the online version of the New York Times today and read the business section as I do every day.

This artical on Baltimore smacked me in the face.  Wow, what a wake up call.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/04/business/04baltimore.html?_r=1&th=&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&emc=th&adxnnlx=1191513873-lpM6M5kgKb3P1t3FmmTzFA

Who knows who is right about this issue.  The only thing we can count on in business is facts. Period.

Everyone here is getting smacked. We had 45 foreclosure sales scheduled for one day in PG County this week. 23 actually were offered and all were purchased by the lenders. I have the same amount in the same county scheduled for next week. As REALTORS, we need to do everything we can to find our Buyers.

Fred:

If you and other Realtors think you've been "googled" now.  Just wait about 5 - 7 more years...

A lot of our industry will be "gobbled" by then. 

Fred,

I had a marketing instructor one time who said that trying to measure advertising is like measuring a fart with a rubber band.   I think trying to measure google's value to you is something like that.  You know its got to be good for you, but how much?

I'll do $50 million in volume in 2007 from Internet leads.  I'm a believer. Not all from Google, but Yahoo, Ask, MSN, AOL and of course SEO. 

Hi, Bill,

Well you certainly made me laugh, but I'm not sure if your suggesting Google stinks, or your'e relieved at the end of the day. 

Hi Jason,

Well, some real stats, I think.  Is Realestate.com realtors part of IAC?

Fred,

Hey great line.   Google definately does not stink.  What would we do with out it, and Ask, and AOL.   It's just that when you come up on the front page you get the whole traffic hoard.  Window shoppers, bargain hunters, skate boarders, hangers out and sometimes...(definately more than when you are on lower pages,...sometimes, a real buyer.   

Hi Jason,

You are affiliated with IAC, which actually makes you a Googler, not a Googlee.  You actually take being Googled to a new level, congratulations.

Thanks for the stats, though, I can see how you would you could do $50 Million in sales, lending-tree alone spent $24 Million a year on Internet advertising on the net. 

I guess I do "cheat" a bit Fred!  It pays to have an advantage.  Great post and I love all the feedback and comments.  It's a tough battle out there and I am constantly amazed at how resilient agents are.  It's great that most of us have embraced the technology and are working hard to make it work to our advantage.