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Master of YOUR Domain: ActiveRain Outside Blogs

By
Real Estate Agent with HER Realtors

Master YOUR Domain Is YOUR ActiveRain Outside Blog's domain branding your business?

When you set up your ActiveRain Outside blog did you finish the process?  Did you add a unique domain that brands your business? Do you promote your content with that domain or do you use the ActiveRain link with your id as a subdomain?

ActiveRain Outside Blogs

Your ActiveRain Outside Blog's Domain brands your business

Recently I tweeted a great post from a stager on ActiveRain.  I used the  outside blog url (the "Originally posted at" url at the bottom of the post) but her outside blog is NOT going to a unique url.   I used the link at the bottom of the post that says:

"Originally posted at"

....that should go to her Domain. Instead it is going to a url that is http://_________.activerain.com/   a subdomain of ActiveRain.   I am not going to say the stager is doing it wrong.  Perhaps the stager wants it that way for some reason.  It looks as if she has not completed the process of starting an Outside Blog that uniquely identifies and brands her business, her DOMAIN. 

I'm not talking a WordPress, TypePad or Blogger blog, your ActiveRain Outside Blog...

Outside BlogIf you have this little badge (to the left)  on your avatar on comments on ActiveRain you have an Outside Blog.  It is uniquely your business and ActiveRain tells search engines the version of the post on your Domain is the Original content.  You post the content on ActiveRain and it magically shows up on your domain branding your business. 

Or does not.

The home stager is NOT alone, a quick check of recent featured posts:

  • Originally posted at http://dd757d3.activerain.com/post/2604070/how-not-to-sell-your-house
  • Originally posted at http://d95d83b.activerain.com/post/2604409/what-is-normal-anyway-
  • Originally posted at http://b3df1d5.activerain.com/post/2604382/are-referral-fees-a-good-idea-
  • Originally posted at http://020ff7b.activerain.com/post/2601616/count-the-cost-in-2012

I have struggled with this each time I set up an ActiveRain Outside Blog.  Use Contact ActiveRain (lower right corner) if you need help. 

You can get a domain that brands your business for free as part of your Outside Blog or you can use a Domain you own.  Using My ActiveRain Outside blog as an example: Discover Columbus Ohio (Columbus Ohio real estate), the domain is http://discovercolumbusoh.com  a domain I own. 

An Experiment : Master of your domain

Do this experiment, look at the URLs your content on ActiveRain shows up as. 

Discover Columbus OH

 

Using one of my ActiveRain Outside blogs as an example:  DiscoverColumbusOh.com (a domain I registered)

Look at YOUR content as it is generated to see if you are using a domain that brands you.

Your ActiveRain content shows up on more than one URL

My content on ActiveRain: http://activerain.com/columbusoh  <----- everything I do on AR shows up here

My Columbus Ohio Outside Blog content on ActiveRain:  http://columbusoh.activerain.com/   *

My Columbus Ohio Blog using it's branding, the domain.... http://discovercolumbusoh.com/

ActiveRain tells Google where the primary post is, on YOUR Domain if you complete all the steps in setting up an Outside Blog. If you do not do the final step ActiveRain tells the search engines the original is the content on the a subdomain on ActiveRain, your content shows up as an Outside Blog but ActiveRain gets the traffic.  ActiveRain gets the branding (kinda, not really.)

Originally posted at: Columbus Ohio real estate :  You want the Domain you choose to be associated with your business.  I want DiscoverColumbusOH.com associated with the words Columbus Ohio real estate, over and over and over.  

* If http://_______________.activerain.com shows up when you click on the "Originally posted at" link, you need to redo a step on your ActiveRain Outside Blog set up. Use Contact ActiveRain (lower right corner) if you need help with that step.

A real world example: Master of YOUR Domain

Originally posted at Columbus Ohio real estate

Click the "Originally posted at" link on ActiveRain version of your content (bottom of the post on ActiveRain)

Wrong link:

http://columbusoh.activerain.com/post/2590925/extreme-makeover-barn-edition-delaware-county-ohio-custom-home-builder

Right link:

http://discovercolumbusoh.com/post/2590925/extreme-makeover-barn-edition-delaware-county-ohio-custom-home-builder

CLICK ON THE IMAGE OF ACTIVERAIN Outside Blog's  above or the link in your left sidebar to start a new ActiveRain Outside Blog.  Thanks AR for allowing me to use the image above of ActiveRain Outside Blogs.

More about ActiveRain Outside Blogs

Is your Outside Blog working?

Let Google do the heavy lifting

Psst My New Outside Blog has a name

BIG Day on an ActiveRain Outside blog...


Posted by

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This post provided by Maureen McCabe HER Realtors*

Contact Maureen McCabe of HER Realtors* - 614.388.8249

HER Realtors  Maureen McCabe

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email: MaureenatMaureenMcCabe.com  at = @

*Real Living HER

Information is deemed to be accurate but should be verified to your satisfaction.  Information provided herein is supplied by several sources and is subject to change without notice.  Opinions expressed are solely those of Maureen McCabe.

 


 

Elite Home Sales Team
Elite Home Sales Team OC - Corona del Mar, CA
A Tenacious and Skilled Real Estate Team

Thank you for the blogged infol.  I do not think I was doing it correctly.

Nov 18, 2011 06:14 PM
Fred Griffin Florida Real Estate
Fred Griffin Real Estate - Tallahassee, FL
Licensed Florida Real Estate Broker

Thanks, Maureen.

  I have been struggling with the "Outside Blog" concept since I joined ActiveRain. 

  Your Blog clears up a lot of things.

 

Nov 18, 2011 06:17 PM
Maureen McCabe
HER Realtors - Columbus, OH
Columbus Ohio Real Estate

Elite Home Sales Team  Thanks.   Yours is set up correctly, you did the final step and the url reads "Orange County CA real estate blog." You are the master of your domain.

http://orangecountycarealestateblog.com/post/2601941/no-buyers-for-huntington-beach-s-first-green-home

Fred it looks like you need to complete that final step in claiming a domain

A post on your blog shows Orginally posted at Fred Glick

http://b831562.activerain.com/post/2607292/american-censorship-day-your-government-is-preparing-to-censor-the-internet-hearings-started-today

You want it to show up on a domain that brands you are you using FredGlick.com or a geographic term?

b831562 must be your outside blog.  Clicking on Originally posted at on the bottom of the ActiveRain post shows your content as a subdomain on ActiveRain.com

I have three Outside blogs I am not sure I struggled on #3 but I know I had a tough time on one and two.  I wish I could do a tutorial with the steps but I would have to pay for another Outside blog to do it... 

Nov 18, 2011 06:28 PM
Debbie Gartner
The Flooring Girl - White Plains, NY
The Flooring Girl & Blog Stylist -Dynamo Marketers

Great words of advice.  Mine is set up correctly with key words.  However, I'm not getting much traffic there at all, so this is one of the areas I need to look into more this winter.

Nov 18, 2011 08:22 PM
Norma J. Elkins
Elite Realty Group - Morristown, TN
Realtor - Elkins Home Selling Team

Thanks for the very good info --- need to probably re-do mine - Have a great day.

Nov 18, 2011 10:53 PM
Maureen McCabe
HER Realtors - Columbus, OH
Columbus Ohio Real Estate

Norma, I don't see an Outside Blog badge on your avatar.  You can add an Outside Blog.

Debbie  I looked at your blog recently when you said something on Charita's post.  I think the challenge for you is  in part that the Categories are set up for a real estate blog.  Channels on ActiveRain become Categories on the Outside Blog.  I think if Google is not picking up your content it has to do with the sidebar which is Categories and Topics, which are part of the unique url for a post. 

You have the domain set up totally, correctly.

Nov 18, 2011 11:02 PM
Michelle Francis
Tim Francis Realty LLC - Atlanta, GA
Realtor, Buckhead Atlanta Homes for Sale & Lease

Maureen, 

I need to change mine.  Excellent post.  I just didn't get it at the beginning, now I need to fix it.

All the best, Michelle

Nov 19, 2011 05:30 AM
Maureen McCabe
HER Realtors - Columbus, OH
Columbus Ohio Real Estate

Thanks Michelle, yes it looks like your content is showing up on a subdomain_____. activerain.com NOT the domain that is just YOU, brands your business. 

Part of me wants to undo one of mine for a tutorial but I am afraid it will not snap back together easily and then I will be frustrated.  I have not really paid attention to how the SERP looks for the content where AR is telling search engine the original instance of the content is on the subdomain of AR rather than a domain...

The last Outside Blog I did was earlier this year, and 3rd time must be the charm, I did not have the frustrations I had with #1 and #2 but still it was somehow confusing.  I used a domain I owned the first and third time but just used AR's the middle one.  At one point I had the first one really, really messed up for a long time.  I have old links where I have used the link to the subdomain by accident not understanding the process, what the difference is.

Nov 19, 2011 07:00 AM
Rich Cederberg
eXp Realty - Albuquerque, NM
eXp Realty Agent Albuquerque

Thanks for the helpful post Maureen. I went to check on my outside blog and it's not working at all. Geez.

Nov 20, 2011 04:44 PM
Maureen McCabe
HER Realtors - Columbus, OH
Columbus Ohio Real Estate

Rich It looks like you are showing on your domain.  nwabq?    I see http://nwabq.com/post/2612877/rio-rancho-nm-market-report-for-october-2011 

I think your right sidebar - channels , categories and topics  would be the reason if it is are NOT showing up in the search engines.  

Nov 21, 2011 12:46 AM
Elyse Berman, PA
LoKation Real Estate - Boca Raton, FL
Boca Raton FL (561) 716-7824

Maureen,  I've bookmarked your post to check my outside blog tomorrow.  I am not sure I am doing it correctly. Thank you for this post and Happy Thanksgiving!

Nov 22, 2011 03:00 PM
Maureen McCabe
HER Realtors - Columbus, OH
Columbus Ohio Real Estate

Elyse missed this. You need to figure out a name, get a url, brand a domain.  You are one of many branding "My New Blog"  

Dec 03, 2011 01:24 PM
George Fanucci
CoreFact.com - Los Altos, CA
Internet - Technology - Business - Solutions

Maureen, You are on top of this ActiveRain "Outside Blog" info!  I found your post near the top of Google results; looking for some illumination, came here, got the info I needed.

For those looking for a domain name to use in branding, here is a good, safe tool to brainstorm with: Domain BRAINSTORMING Tool. It is a gem.

Feb 12, 2012 05:26 PM
Maureen McCabe
HER Realtors - Columbus, OH
Columbus Ohio Real Estate

George thanks I missed your comment. Sorry.

Apr 16, 2012 08:28 AM
Rachell Lara & A List Properties
eXp Realty / 619.316.7445 - San Diego, CA
A List Properties - San Diego Neighborhood Experts

Maureen, thanks for your post, still trying to narrow down my niche for the outside blog.

 

Nov 23, 2012 06:49 AM
Kate Elim
Dockside Realty - Spotsylvania, VA
Realtor 540-226-1964, Selling Homes & Land a

Hi Maureen...This just goes to show that older posts are still valuable. I am now going to try to figure out if I am doing it right or have I only gone part way in ensuring my url is correct.

Thanks for posting this. I'm sure it will continue to be a source of help for many others.

Kate

Jul 22, 2013 01:41 PM