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Dr. Leo Marvin's 10 Baby Steps to Better SEO

If you've read any of my previous AR or Dakno Marketing blog post, you know I'm a bit of a movie buff. Yes, I'm prone to using one of my favorite lines from a movie from time to time. One of my personal favorite movies is the Bill Murray classic "What About Bob?". Also starring in the comedy is another outstanding actor Richard Dreyfuss. Playing the part of a slightly quirky, egotistical psychiatrist, Dr. Leo Marvin, Dreyfuss has written a book about taking "Baby Steps to better mental health. Take heart, this post includes no recommendations for Dr. Marvin's "Death Therapy". It does however include a dose of the basic precepts to improving your website or your blog in the search engines.

Be a Big Fish in a Small Lake!

As many of you already know, obtaining page one search results can be a difficult task. This is especially true for larger, more competitive real estate markets where keyword search terms can be in the millions of results. Achieving reasonable search results and site traffic requires many strategies working in concert to your benefit. Want make the climb up the search ladder more obtainable? Select keywords that are easier to rank well for. Now I don't recommend you pick obscure keywords for better search results. But, doesn't it make sense to be a "big fish in a small lake" than a "minnow in the ocean" of search results?

There is No Magic SEO Bullet!

Wouldn't it be wonderful to have a secret potion or a "magic bullet" that would enable you to obtain instant page one search results? Folks, this takes work and discipline. Obtaining page one search results can be achieved if you implement sound SEO disciplines. If you happen to work in one of the larger, more competitive real estate markets where keyword search terms can count in the millions of results, the climb will be more of a challenge. Plus, your competition could always be moving that "line in the sand" of search results. Achieving reasonable search results and site traffic requires many strategies working in concert to your benefit.

SEO Baby Steps

1. Remember the old saying "Content is King". The first step to better SEO is obviously offering unique, keyword-rich content. It is a critical component to helping your website/blog obtain stronger search results and acquiring that much sought after traffic. Look at your site's keyword density and also evaluate your relational keywords (e.i. listings, brokers, property, buyers, sellers, homes, agents, waterfront, oceanfront, mortgage and other typical related keywords for your market).

So What Are the Other 9 Baby Steps to Better Search Results?

Other strategies needed to drive better results for your online presence (websites and blogs) include:

2. Superior, aged domain name. Remember the rules...make it short, memorible and free of ambiguity.

3. Your website must be coded free of errors. This means your site should meet WC3 compliance for superior indexing by search engines. If your website incorporates the use of "frames" when developed, your website might as well be invisible to the Googles and Yahoos of the web world.

3. A website built to allow you to edit/update your title tags. Most agent websites have the same title tag for every page of their website. Unfortunately, that’s a missed opportunity! Just in case you’re not sure what I’m talking about, simply look in the “blue bar” of your Internet browser. If the same keyword phrase is being used for every page in your title tags on your website, you're missing a golden opportunity for better search results. Ask yourself this question, "does every page of my website contain the same content?" Probably not, so why not rewrite your title tags to identify the content to work better for you. If your goal is to only optimize for a particular keyword search term like "Duck real estate", congratulations, you could probably achieve some reasonable search results and traffic given the lower search results for this term.

4. A Properly Structured and Coded Website. Search engines are all about "hierachy of content".Coded properly, a user-friendly website should allow you to include sub headlines (H3 tags) so you can utilize headline 3 tags for increased searchability. Plus, sub headlines help site visitors as well. Sub headlines allow you to "tease each paragraph" by letting the reader know what information lies beyond.

5. Superior back links from real estate related authority websites. Quality backlinks are the name of the game. Just ask our buddy Kevin Tomlinson. Mr. South Beach Real Estate even had a t-shirt made to solicit backlinks. No wonder. BTW - in a hugely competitive Miami real estate market , Kevin's South Beach real estate blog and website ranks at the top of the search engines. No doubt he has backlinks from authority websites like Zillow, Trulia, Inman, Squidoo, Topix, flickr, Outside.In, Active Rain, Real Town Blog and many other real estate industry related authority websites. Kevin gets it. Quality "one-way" backlinks are an absolute must!

Baby Step Your Way To Better SEO

For the 5 remaining baby steps to better Search Engine Optimization, go to the Dakno Real Estate Marketing Blog NOW!

Helping your website rank higher in the search engines,

Bobby Carroll - Your Crystal Coast Blogger

Posted by Bobby Carroll - Real Estate Marketing on 10/07/2008 10:17 AM

Comments (65)

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65 Comments on Dr. Leo Marvin's 10 Baby Steps to Better SEO

OCT

2008

Bobby, GREAT ADVICE! I started working as my own webmaster make in October of 2000. It has become somewhat of a hobby for me but a hobby that has made it possible for me to start my own brokerage. I remember my husband asking me when I first started when I would be finished. My answer was never it is a work in progress. You are right it takes work and discipline.

Bobby - As always, excellent advice. How are you my friend?

Hi Marchel - Hope the advice helps you in your efforts.

Hello Tom my good friend - I'm doing exceedingly well and hope you are the same. I appreciate the compliment.

Oh man.

I had no idea. If I wasn't me, I'd be impressed with myself. I remember when we all started this---the HOURS AND HOURS infront of the computer.

It pays off!

Thanks!

Are we talking tomorrow? never got a confirmation from Candice.

Greeting Mr. South Beach Real Estate - AKA Kevin Tomlinson! Always a plesasure working with you.

Hi Missy - Thanks for stopping by. Email was sent.

OCT

2008

Hello Bobby, on one of our websites we do have control over the individual pages, their titles, etc. I'll get in there and start modifying them to improve their performance. Thanks for the backlink tips as well! John

Thanks for giving a few great tips. Most articles I read overwhelm me.

Bobby - This is a great basic list for anyone looking to initiate a proper SEO campaign. Great stuff!

This post will help alot, so much of this I don't understand but you have put it in managable terms.

Thank You.

DR! LEO! MARVIN! Just recalling when Bob made his way to Lake Winepesaki (sp?) and went into town hollering for the Dr! One of my favorite movies as well Bobby! I like the baby steps approach, and will be marking this blog so I can baby step my way to better SEO.

The "baby steps" idea, I recently came across this idea in a book about KAIZEN, which is a practice that has been around for many, many years. It essentially means "Great change is made thru small steps".

Hey, if Bob (and Gil!) can do it, so can we!

Great post, Bob - and baby steps is right. Anything can be done in baby steps. When I am doing SEO work for my clients, I frequently use that phrase. SEO is never done, it is on-going maintenance. You constantly need to feed those "spiders" good, content rich food...not to mention having quality (not quantity) backlinks, great targeted Title and other meta tags, etc... Sometimes agents get overwhelmed with it...but I just break it down for them into ongoing baby steps.

Enjoyed this one. Thanks!

Bobby... good stuff. And point #1 is the key. Nothing encourages quality backlinks better than great content. Nothing.

I LOVE IT, so simple and all in one post, thanks this whole SEO thing has been killing me , now if i could find someone to delegate all that you have taught.

Hi John - I'd say the easiest place to get crackin is on the H3 sub headline tags and your title tags provided your site editor allows it.

Hello Jean - It's a challenge to pull the "Geeks out of the clouds" to understand their lingo. I say make it plain and simple!

Greetings Jason - I can always count on you for positive feedback. Thanks!

Kelley - I hearby appoint you, Kelley as the leader of the "What About Bob" cult movie fan club. Well deserved! Baby steppin your way to better SEO-awesome!

Hi Sandy - I say stick with the KISS method. It works every time.

Christine - So true! Practicing SEO is an artful science, much like eating an elephant. It must be done one bite at a time.

Andrew - Happy to please!

J.T. A.K.A Jeff Turner is in the House! So true - it's all about the content and the link love.

James in the B.H. - You'll find a "plethora" of Virtual Assistants and SEO Pros here at AR who will do a great job if it's beyond your time constraints!

Great advice!! Thank you for sharing. I'm preparing to launch a new website soon and this is just the info that I needed.

Bobby - I'm so glad that I'm working with you... I took your advice, I want to be the big fish in a little pond. Thank You, Thank You, Thank You...

Hi Bobby, Thanks for a well written post. It was done in a way most of us could understand and benefit from.

Absolutely, those are timeless tips. It's important to pick a niche that isn't overcrowded. Going after a search term that has 100,000 searches a day...where you will never rank is much less effective than a term with 1,000 where you'll be #1.

I also used to spend a lot of time working on SEO and I've lately discovered that the best way to get the search engines to love you is to forget them and focus on the users. Because at the end of the day, google is working on making its results best for it's users...if your content is amazing and people love it, the search engines will find you. My opinion is, once you have the bases you mentioned covered, spend those hours of SEO working on creating value for your readers, the traffic will take care of itself.

Good Info! I'll have to remember it

Bobby, thanks for posting this! I need all of the help that I can get.

Great advice, I often wonder how this works and you make seem simple. I agree though it is tough in the larger markets. I am new to this and have never had any luck with the internet.

Thanks for the info and say HI to "GILL" for me.

Bobby, thanks for the post. Great ideas and stuff that I knew, but have yet to implement well. Thanks for the reminders.

Right now I think the best one is "Big Fish in a little pond". I got someone else working on the backlinks. Thanks for the good advice.

It sounds good, I was not sure that bout the H series of headings. I was using h1-h4 or h5 o a page and breaking down each section. I didn't find it help my H1 so much, it seemed to dilute my main keywords.

Richard

Thanks for some very useful information!

Great reminder on info that I've known but haven't been disciplined enough to work on!

Logan Utah Real Estate

Good stuff, Bobby - Thank you. I'm sort of in the same boat as Kaleb, needing reminders of things I have made a point to know but haven't been disciplined in implementing it yet.

I have a template site. One of the first things I noticed was how every page had the same keywords. And every time I change the page content, I have to change the keywords to match it. Thank goodness I have that ability! Great advice for everyone.

Good advice, thanks for the tips that we all should start on right away.

WOW.. I can't wait to go through this.. You've been BOOKMARK... Thanks for sharing....

OCT

2008

Thanks - there is always more to learn about SEO. Appreciate you continuing to share info.

I agree with everything except putting the "WC3" stuff as a number three requirement. This is a MUCH over-rated thing, and none of the search engines pay a bit of attention to it except maybe MSN on a very small degree.

I've been hand-coding my websites for 5 years and none of them will pass the WC3 requirements, nor do I pay any attention to them. It doesn't allow you to mix elements from old HTML with elements that work perfectly well from the new stuff. My sites do well across the browsers and rank at the top on Google, too. I suspect that only holds true when you are talking about the garbage code that comes from using FrontPage and other WYSIWYG editors. Also, I have found that sites WITHOUT CSS tend to rank better than those who that use it. Just my own observations....

If you're going to mention code, it should be lower down the list and not be in the same category as frames. Frames and WC3 don't have anything to do with each other. And to be honest, my very first website is totally framed, and ranks great. I just implemented the "noframes" attributes. But no, I don't recommend them. That one mostly ranks because of age and on-page optimization anyway.

Anyway, the rest of the advice is spot on. Sorry to dispute your #3, but that is a sore spot with me and it just isn't important in the scheme of SEO things...

It sounds so easy, but some of this is overwhelming . . . maybe he baby steps will get me there. :)

Great info, thanks. I am off to re-write my title tags to get higher in the internet searches. Feel free to visit my website and offer any suggestions. www.GregSellsMemphis.com

Thanks, Greg

Bobby,

Thank you for this post. I did not realize how important title tags are ... I will be updating mine (right now, they are all the same).

Best regards,
Mike

Nice information. I had heard off all the sites you talked about but Real Town Blog

Great advice and maybe I'll grasp about 60% of it! As far as frames goes (where you get NO juice), how can you tell you are "framed"? Any info would be GREATLY appreciated! Thanks again.

For more how-to tips:

http://whirled-wild-web.com/

I've seen a two-week domain name show up as #2 in Google on a keyword with a few hundred thousand hits.

Domain name is important, Title is important, content must feature keywords, and a few back-links with keywprded anchor text is golden.

Thanks for posting some good tips, but I am not so convinced about this one:

2. Superior, aged domain name. Remember the rules...make it short, memorible and free of ambiguity.

I used to see domains pop up quickly on Google too...but in the last year, at least with real estate, it's taking well into 6 months to show on the first page for the main keywords.

I think he was trying to emphasize the "AGED domain" without saying it...but if you buy an expired domain or one that's had a website on it for a long time, it can still give you quick results. And if you are lucky enough to get the dot com version of your keyword, you've practically got it made. Any exact version of the keyword helps considerably.

All things equal, the one winning ticket is a link from a .edu website or a government website...but that is a hard thing to come by. If you can't, then you better have a group of sites to link with in some way or the other...and NOT a silly "directory" of worthless reciprocal links that these ripoff SEO companies are still peddling. That just blows my mind when I continue to get those spam emails begging for reciprocal links. Oh, and one more thing that works wonders is an optimized press release. It is kind of expensive ($200 to submit to PRWeb with links) but worth every penny.

To Eva, framed sites are those like Advanced Access that have part of the page appearing to never move. It's actually 2-3 separate pages brought together by the frame, and only one of them controls the site and is visible to the search engines. So they never see your inside pages. However, in the old days when we used to still do framed sites, they taught us to put extra navigation at the bottom of every page, and what's called "noframes" text on the homepage, which is an exact duplicate of the html. This was when the left hand navigation actually was the main frame, and the content was not. If you repeated the content html in a noframes tag, then the search engines saw it anyway, and went to your other pages. Provided all the pages were optimized, (and absolutely always must have different and corresponding title and description tags) and all of them linked back to the domain name, those sites would rank pretty well. It's just so much extra work to make it happen.

The AA sites have a workaround now, but it is TOUGH. One of my clients and I just redid her AA site and removed the frame. We had to redo over 150 pages and use a slightly different URL in the navigation and every link across the entire site. It seems to be working.

Other than the Advanced Access sites, I haven't seen a framed site in years.

Great Post - particularly the back links - I just read a post about Outside In and so I am going to make sure I check out all the links you provided.

OCT

2008

Bobby thank you for sharing this information. I am going to take what I have learned and apply it to my website. Thanks again and best wishes.

How do we know who really knows about back links? I have read so many conflicting opinions on what works & what works against you! My main page has no frames, but a search page it links to does. Is it still affecting my SEO placement?... cause I'm usually on first page of google results for my area, but not at the top.

There's nothing "bad" about a framed site and you certainly wouldn't be penalized for linking to one.

It's just that the search engines can't see the inside pages on a framed site...unless you've gone to all sorts of trouble to work around it.

On the other hand, why would you be linking to a search site, framed or un-framed? More than likely any link to you from such a site would be pretty worthless....?

Be sure you have the Google tool bar installed and look at any site you think about linking to through the cache and yes, to the page rank. It may be 90 days behind, but it's still a pretty good indicator. If the page rank is zero and there's no cache showing, then Google hasn't indexed the page. So if your link is on that page, it isn't doing you any good.

Plus you can see first hand that all these long link pages that people are still doing have all got a zero page rank. If a recip link on a page like that is worth anything, it's so close to nothing its ridiculous...

OCT

2008

Bobby, great information.

I have a new domain it is only about a year old. Do you have any advice on how I can compensate for the new domain. Most of my competors have domain at lest 10yrs or older?

Thank You,

GOLAKEHARTWELL.com

OCT

2008

Thanks for this wealth of information!

OCT

2008

Bobby, Thanks for all you help and information. I have a question regarding moving a word document to my blog. It contains color and it will not copy and paste in my blog or download. I see where others have colored text and I was wondering how they are doing this. Your help would be greatly appreciated.

JAN

You are full of great information! I will be bookmarking some of these posts to check out later. Great work!

JAN

Thanks fo r the info, NEWbie here

Ben - Glad you got something out of the post.

JAN

Thanks so much for the great info..as a newbie I am trying to take this all in..Not easy but everyone here is so helpful!

Thanks,

Cindy

FEB

Wow, very informative. I will have to bookmark this and come back to it to make sure that I am doing all of the steps.

MAY

Bobby,

Here's an article I wrote, which might further assist & was recently published in several trade magazines:

Expanding the Realtor Reach - Five (Free) Building Blocks to Fast Forward Future Sales

Realtors don't need to be reminded how competitive it is to gain new clients, nor do they need to be reminded how the recent economic turmoil affects local transaction activity. Instead, well-healed Realtors are better served focusing on the future and how they can progressively promote their skill sets to attract and retain new clients. Below are five free building blocks to expand the Realtor's reach and gain new clients:

Website - Okay, this may be a bit obvious, but let this be your core - your foundation for the building blocks that follow. Make sure it presents well, personifies your abilities, showcases your listings, and conveys confidence.

Blog - Consider the website your formal business card and your blog is the less formal conversation you have as you exchange business cards. Make sure you have something good to say. Chronicle a unique experience. Feature timely information about the local market that only you know best. Feel free to provide tasteful links to your listings, but don't dilute your blog with that (admittedly important) content. Instead, let that content reside on your website. If your reader likes what you share in your blog, then they will find you and your listings on your website.

Facebook - A nifty profile with lots of friends just isn't enough. Instead, create a fan page and encourage all your friends and past clients to "fan" you. Using this platform, broadcast recent listings (with links, of course), sales, recent blog posts, open houses, and all other meaningful activity.

Twitter - Twitter is now the medium where news breaks first. Think of it as your personal news room. Create an account, follow only those who interest you most (not the whole planet), and encourage your clients and prospective clients to follow you. After all, this is the platform you will use to broadcast the latest listings - in most cases before they surface anywhere else. This is your chance to get a leg-up on the competition. Do not underestimate the power of this free resource!

Village Voyage- The Internet is an abyss of information and you've worked hard to build your brand. Tie it all together with Village Voyage. Similar to Wikipedia, Village Voyage is a wiki and anyone can participate. Think of it as your on-line cocktail party with many different conversations all centered around your community, your target audience, your clients. Create a Village Voyage page to further expand your online presence, while at the same time, taking advantage of the opportunity to add valuable back-links to your website, blog, and other online pages. Beyond that, be bold. Use Village Voyage to meet new clients, build credibility, and differentiate yourself by demonstrating your local market knowledge and expertise. (See the State index to locate the market(s) that interest you most: http://www.villagevoyage.com/wiki/Category:States )

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