I realize I'm "preachin to the choir" here at Active Rain, but for a few agents out there, this post outlines the way you will approach your online strategy. Of course failure can be defined in many ways when it comes to creating real estate websites and blogs. For the sake of this post, I'll be discussing fundamental strategies that many real estate professionals experience when building, then launching a website/blog and waiting for the first interaction to appear in your inbox from your website/blog. For many, you're in for a long wait if you use these strategies.

10 Can't Miss Ways to Set Yourself Up for Failure in the Online World

1. Base your website on some obscure brand new domain name that includes no reference to your target market. Don't forget to use dashes, numbers and cryptic spellings in your domain name to make it a greater challenge for anyone to ever find you on Google, Yahoo or MSN. If all else fails, simply use a vanity domain name especially if no one has ever heard of you in your area!
2. Launch your website with the same bland content used by thousands of other real estate agents. You won't be penalized, but your site will never receive much attention from the search engines. Why should they? Your website doesn't contribute to the greater good of the WWW.
3. Never add any new, original keyword-rich content to your website. If you must add content, just add a link to your local chamber of commerce website in your community links page. Just remember, your too busy to write content or have someone else write it for you.
4. Never create an original, SEO keyword-rich profile on any authority site and link it to your website. Besides, it takes to long to create keyword-rich profiles and links from authority sites like AR, Squidoo, Zillow, Trulia, Inman Wiki and many other authority websites to your website. Always stay away from online social communities to link back to your website or blog. You can always say you're much too busy to do it anyway!
   
5. Speaking of blogs, never create a personal blog! If you must create a blog, build it and never write a post there. If you must post, by all means just post your listings and/or rip-off articles from other media outlets and post those to your blog.
6. Never drive traffic to your website via your email signature by including your web address.
7. Speaking of driving traffic to your website, never include your website address on any postcard, letterhead, or other marketing material. If you must add your website address on a marketing piece, do your best to hide it or the minimum make it really, really small so no one will ever find it!
8. Never use a pay-per-click strategy to increase traffic to your site. If you must use PPC, have the link from your poorly written ad go to some page on your website that is devoid of a site interaction opportunity. That way, the lead will simply leave your site to never be seen again.
9. If by some miracle, a consumer completes a form on your website or leaves a comment on your blog, ignore it. You can always call it a bogus lead or spam.
10. Launch your blog and/or website and do absolutely nothing with it! Then go back to your web or real estate marketing partner and ask how come your website/blog never generates any business for you. If they ask you what you do to market your website or blog, you can always say you're too busy to do any of that stuff!
    

There are many other online marketing strategies agents never use to enhance their online presence. What others come to your mind?

Helping you attract, keep and encourage your site visitors to engage with you,

Bobby

P.S. BTW - If you found this post interesting, I encourage you to visit the Crystal Coast Blog and read my post on Real Estate SEO 101!