I always embraced the Internet even in it's infancy.
I started with a personal apple computer and a dot matrix printer when my work was using green screen bulky monitors and Cobalt and Fortran as programing languages. By the way my first apple and printer was $8000.00 and my cell phone has more memory than my original computer had at the time!
Getting your website noticed by future clients is more important than ranking. Actually they go hand in hand. If
you no one can fine your website it does you very little good to have one. I have paid thousands of dollars over the years to have websites built and to improve my ranking. Like most real estate agents this has been good money after bad with short term gains.
In the early 90's websites were rare and ranking wasn't even an issue. Today a real estate company without a website is like having a car without gas...it is hard to go anywhere. Just as difficult is a real estate agent that does not embrace technology. They soon will find they lose business and will eventually be out of business in my opinion.
I have been told by many experience agents that websites are not necessary. "I don't mess with computers and they don't mess with me", was a recent statement by one of my peers. My comment was oh, how do you promote your listing without computer knowledge? "I have a whiz of an assistant, she does something, don't ask me what or how".
This means this agent doesn't direct his own prospecting or clients property to buyers. He may have a great 
client following and referral base but that too will go away over time without having a website and online marketing strategy.
Don't believe in these "so called" SEO companies. They can make a short term difference but not long term and you can't afford them long term anyway.
So what should you look for in your website?
- Content
- Page Names
- linking
This is the top three issues that need to be addressed. If you do these correctly your website will be found by the search engines and possible clients alike.
Blogs do they help you or hurt you?
Blogs can absolutely help you and they can hurt you too. First the help side.
- Content is king...always has been and always will be.
- Linking, using linking from your blog to your website and landing pages is a key to creating one form of major linking.
Content can kill you too, if you name your page wrong and the content does not match the title. Think of it this way. If you use a GPS and want a specific address and your directions take you someplace else you lose trust.
Google, Yahoo and Bing want the user searching for information to find the most relevant information first. So guess what you just dropped off the radar because your title and information didn't match, not relevant for the search query.
Now you can see your blogs and websites can improve your visibility or hurt your visibility. You control your own destiny. I have make this very simple. But the bottom line is ranking, hits and conversion rates. It is worth spending
a few days learning the basics so if you hire someone to help you with your site you control your own path.
I am 50% of the way through my Master Level program in Internet site design and optimization. I haven't taken the time to create a new website yet...YET is the key word. I have been optimizing a few areas and the results have been surprising quick. This only tells me most companies have not grasp the opportunity to create a lead generation opportunity for themselves and their agents.
Take a look at your website and blog. Are you using a brochure for a website with very few leads being generated? Is your blog engaging and creating followers? Do you use twitter and Facebook to create even more followers? Are you working more hours with less income to show for your efforts? You can turn this around within 120 days! You will be able to see a difference in a couple weeks if you do things right.
The key, "YOU" have to do it. Instead of writing content that is off topic everyday write 3 great articles a week. Link them to you. It will create followers. It create local business if you know your market.
I will give you more ideas in the coming weeks. If you are looking for a free leads generator in your area click the link. I will send you an article on how to improve your listings and get a fee upfront for your work without having a closing.
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Call: 616-784-2360
Emai: GaryWhite@FlexitReaty.com
Website: www.FlexitRealty.com
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