SEO(Stuff Everyone Oughtaknow) made easy.

BB - You don't need to be an SEO genious to know that the reason you are doing so well is because of CONTENT! Great work BB :)

BB - You don't need to be an SEO genious to know that the reason you are doing so well is because of CONTENT! Great work BB :)

BB Your post was most informative - especially about the 4 spot.  I've learned a whole lot just reading your posts on SEO. 

I don't think it is even that important to rank #1 in a search or to command the whole page. The truth is, there are other agents in my area who pay big bucks (I don't) for their SEO optimization (they don't blog) but when a consumer clicks on them they just get their boring old static website (ho hum). But consumers don't just click on one agent's site when they are googling, any more than if I google "furniture" I would click on one furniture store and buy what they are selling. They click around, until they find the person or site that connects with them or offers something different or what they are looking for. The reality is that I may not be ranked #1, but when a consumer searches "lake zurich real estate" I'm on page #1 and will be found. When they start reading what I write, then I've got them hooked because I am different than the others...I offer the information that they are looking for. 

BB- another clear, consise and logical Post....no one size fits all about sums it up ;)

THANKS BRYANT these tips are very helpful and you put it in layman terms so it's easily understood.  And don't you look hot in your bikini?!?

BB,

Something very important I just wanted to repeat in my comment that you said in your post,

"....first and foremost, I'm a businessman and I don't believe in placing all of my eggs in one basket."

That advice alone makes your post a winner.

I think we've probably exhausted the subject pretty much, but I did want to make just a couple more points.

First, to BB's wife, I wanted to say that any SEO company who cold-calls you, emails you, or otherwise advertises their services heavily is probably a ripoff.  I have NEVER ever advertised my services to strangers, and have always had more business than I can handle.  Realtors find me through Google, from articles that I've written, and by word of mouth.

Nobody should ever read an unsolicited email and even click on it.  There could be any kind of worms in the website, number one.  But a reputable company will never solicit you in that way.  If you look up SEO terms, you will find the real companies like Real Estate Webmasters (not my favorite, though Morgan knows his stuff) and big names like Danny Sullivan, SEOBook, Webmaster World, and Jill Whalen.  THEY are the total experts, and really charge for it.  I have always perferred to quietly go about my business and make friends.  I have a group of Realtor friends that have all the top ranked websites in Vegas, Boca, Sarasota, Los Angeles, and other big places.  They send me referrals, too.

So don't ever go by the ones that come out of the woodwork and make promises.  They are often from Asia somewhere, or are just shysters that gather emails from websites and places like Active Rain.  They may even buy lists of Realtor emails.  I know our local BOA has several times released lists of all the Myrtle Beach agents...sometimes accidentally.  I'm sure they've been sold many times.

But SEO people who know what they are doing don't have to beg for business, I promise you.

And yes, it's great to get leads from many different places...mailouts, signs, magazine articles.  I wish the ones I worked for so long would have put more effort into that, to be honest.  Even now we are getting about 10 leads a day, but they would be getting 3 times that much if they would have done more than depending on me to squeeze every internet lead I could get.

I'm glad some people actually GET IT.  :-)

I do reprint in my blogs articles that I have written for the local newspaper.  Searches for some terms will bring up my blogs, my website, and sometimes the newspaper, with a direct link to my article, but I haven't done a very good job of concentrating on SEO.

Another reason for blogging regularly here is that you "meet" some great people, learn a lot from their blogs and their comments on yours, and if you blog enough, you will wind up a featured agent on AR and featured neighbor on localism for your city (You will see me at the top of the page at both localism and AR if you search for Fair Oaks, California). 

This impresses clients, but they also need to be impressed when they read what you write, so don't forget content.  That's where BB shines!  I wouldn't dream of missing one of your posts!  Thank you once again, Broker Bryant.

Thanks for more great tips, Broker Bryant.  You really have this down to a science.  I have another blog on blogger.com and copy my AR articles over to there.  You are very efficient to do all that in two hours....I like it...get the work done and then read and comment...that is the fun and really educational part!

Broker Bryant:  Thanks for the great info--Like you, I'm no expert but, I do know that all of these sites DO pull you up in the rankings and feel that the more exposure, the better!  Katerina is teaching me more about the keywords and I'm still falling back on my website exposure--you DO have to keep it up weekly, that's for sure!!  I also have a Point2 site which is where I get the most Google juice (second only to AR) from all of my sites.  Unfortunately, I'm spending FAR more than 2 hours per week on the websites and my tan is FADING fast!!

My primary website and my non AR blog have owned page 1 positions on Google for lots of frequently searched keywords.

I pay a great SEO guy to keep me there and he's worth every penny.

thanks for the post and the info

Always on the cutting edge and willing to share! You are great!

Thanks for the information and for sharing; you have a new fan. I am going to follow your suggestions. Have a great day! :)

I like Susan's idea of submitting blog articles to the local papers.  Susan, how do you go about that?

great information...thanks for sharing.  I will definitely bookmark this to come back to.

You methods are actually simple, straight forward and honest.  I think that is what google likes these days...just writing useful information for your buyers and sellers without trying to keyword stuff, things like that.