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When's The Last Time You Updated Your Websites Content?

By
Real Estate Agent with Platinum Real Estate Group

Are you struggling to rank your website for your most desirable short tail keywords? If you're not updating the content on your website on a constant basis, I can tell you, you probably won't ever rank for those juicy short tail keywords. Although blogging on Activerain provides great juice for those longtail keywords, if you ever want to get your own website ranking for keywords that drive substantial traffic, you need to start focusing on quality content creation. 

 

Why You Should Update & Add Content To Your Website Constantly

Content For Your Real Estate BusinessHave you ever heard the saying "content is king"? You may have heard someone mention it, but how well did you actually listen? How well did they explain exactly why content is king?

When people say content is king, they may not truly understand what their saying, and this is the basis behind this post. Content is and always will be the #1 factor for a good SEO campaign, and here's why. 

Google, Bing, Yahoo, and all other search engines have two objectives. Provide the most relevant search results pages to their users and sell advertising.

We won't worry about advertising, let's focus on the content part. In order for a search engine to provide the most relevant SERP's (Search Engine Results Pages), they have to have content, and they're constantly looking for more & better content all the time.

The more content a search engine can provide to their users, the more their users keep coming back to find that content. Which is why it's so important to, not only create content for a search engine to spider, but to create quality content that a search engine can be proud to serve to their searchers.  Which brings me back to my original question:

 

When Was The Last Time You Updated Your Website's Content?

If you aren't updating pages on your website, you don't give search engines a reason to spider your site. Search engines feed on fresh content, and the websites that continuously update pages, add blog posts, and provide high quality content to their users are the ones that will continually rank in the top of the SERP's.

SEO is not rocket science. You may hear people talking about these crazy viral social media tactics and super SEO secrets, but not of those tricks matter; not one of them, if you don't have quality relevant content.

Obtaining those coveted top 10 rankings for high traffic short term keywords is a process. You need to start with content, and lots of it. As a real estate agent, you should understand that a house needs a solid foundation to last. SEO abides by the same basic principle. In order for your SEO house to last, you need a solid foundation of excellent content.

 

Building An SEO Foundation One Keyword At A Time

Building An SEO FoundationIn order for you to rank for a keyword, you have to have relevant content related to that keyword for a search engine to spider. For example, one of my targeted short tail keywords is Logan Real Estate.

I know that I can't just rank for this keyword by supplying one page of content with that keyword on it. It's just not possible. There is to much competition. Instead, I must build up to that keyword by providing a foundation of relevant content. 

Creating a stable SEO foundation for Logan Real Estate means keyword research. I need to determine what phrases are related to that short tail keyword, and then I need to start building content around those keywords.

Some phrases related to my short tail keyword include local neighborhoods, parks, schools, statistical information, local businesses, real estate market trends, and anything else that someone looking for real estate in my area may be interested in. 

As many of my awesome loyal readers know, I won a free website from Real Estate Webmasters. The new site went live about two weeks ago, and I have been adding that content on a daily basis. A few pages I have added related to my main keyword are Logan Utah Neighborhoods, Logan Utah Real Estate Statistics, and I'm currently working on some pages about local schools. 

For each blog post I write related to my champion key-phrase "Logan real estate," the more signals I give to search engines to rank my website for that keyword. SEO is all about creating a theme and developing continuity within that theme.

You must constantly re-enforce your desired theme through content creation. The more content I have related to a specific niche, in this case anything related to Logan real estate, the more authority I start building with a search engine. Search engines rank authority websites for competitive keywords. Do you have website authority? 

 

Continuous Content Creation Is The Key To Website Authority 

When you think of an authority on a subject, the people that come to mind are the people that know the in's and out's of that subject. They have spent years learning, growing, and adding expertise to that subject. An authority website is built the exact same way. You have to be the authority on the subject you want to rank for by adding content that re-affirms authority signals to search engines.

Google ranks authority websites for keywords with high competition, and the first step to creating an authoritative website is through high quality relevant content. Your website has to be the go to source for information on the subject in which you want to be an authority for. 

After a few months of adding relevant content you will start to notice a shift in your website. You will start to notice your pages getting indexed faster. You'll start to rank for weird key-phrases that you didn't even think of. You're blog posts and web-pages will start to rank within the top ten immediately after creating a new page for less competitive key-phrases.

Once you start to notice these changes, your website has overcome the tipping point, and that's when your website will rise in the search engines for those highly competitive key phrases you always dreamed of. 

Do You Have An SEO strategy?

I'll tell you mine even though I know my competition reads my blogs! My strategy is to constantly add high quality relevant content to re-enforce my websites theme. You can do the same thing, and it will work.

You have to have patience, and develop a strategy you can stick to for a long period of time. You can't rank for a tough phrase in a day, but you can rank for anything if you follow this strategy and stick to it. Good luck!

Dan and Amy Schuman
Howard Hanna Real Estate Services - Solon, OH
Luxury Home Specialists

Lisa, you always provide such great advice when it comes to SEO and technology. Thanks so much for sharing.

Oct 28, 2010 09:54 AM
Keith Sellers
Sellers Real Estate - Kalamazoo, MI
Greater Kalamazoo and Lakeshore

More good news, thank you.  I'm still working on all your other suggestions still...

Oct 28, 2010 10:03 AM
Renée Donohue~Home Photography
Savvy Home Pix - Allegan, MI
Western Michigan Real Estate Photographer

I noticed that my new site gets indexed each day that I write a new post - not when I put up or update pages.  Strategically I like to get 3-4 posts per week out and update or add pages right before I write a post!  All these SEO people are running around giving conflicting advise when it really isn't brain surgery!  I thought I was losing my marbles on this one so thank you for posting this!

Oct 28, 2010 10:13 AM
Lisa Udy
Platinum Real Estate Group - Logan, UT
Logan Utah Realtor

Renee - The reason you are probably getting indexed when you write posts is the settings with your XML sitemap and the way Wordpress pings updates to search engines. Do you have an XML sitemap submitted to Google? If you do, you can go to your plugins, click on XML sitemap, and change the priorities and indexing options to tell search engines to re-index pages that have been updated. 

If you don't have an XML sitemap you can DL it here: http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/google-sitemap-generator/

And here is a tutorial on setting your priorities and indexing rate: http://www.dailybloggr.com/2009/06/wordpress-sitemap-plugin-set-it-right-for-maximum-seo-benefits/

Oct 28, 2010 10:26 AM
Eric Michael
Remerica Integrity, Realtors®, Northville, MI - Livonia, MI
Metro Detroit Real Estate Professional 734.564.1519

Great info that got confusing as soon as you commented on Renee's comment. maybe I should get a SEO book or something. I think once I get into it, it'll be okay, but right now there are so many people saying so many different thing. Ughh.

Oct 28, 2010 11:55 AM
Gary Woltal
Keller Williams Realty - Flower Mound, TX
Assoc. Broker Realtor SFR Dallas Ft. Worth

Lisa, great reminder that content is king with the Google SEO. We all need to remember that and measure it on our sites.

Oct 28, 2010 12:41 PM
Allison Klein
Full House Realty Group - Fort Collins, CO
Fort Collins Real Estate

I love to use the Keyword Tool on Google, it makes finding keywords simple.

Oct 28, 2010 01:51 PM
Chris Olsen
Olsen Ziegler Realty - Cleveland, OH
Broker Owner Cleveland Ohio Real Estate

Hi Lisa -- Anyone who has followed your posts for a while know that you speak from experience and with authority.  I have learned quite a bit from you!!! :)

Oct 28, 2010 01:56 PM
Brian Madigan
RE/MAX West Realty Inc., Brokerage (Toronto) - Toronto, ON
LL.B., Broker

Lisa,

 

This all makes a lot of sense. Right now, my website is stale, but my blogs drive traffic to my website.

 

Brian

Oct 29, 2010 01:25 AM
Patricia Aulson
BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY HOME SERVICES Verani Realty NH Real Estate - Exeter, NH
Realtor - Portsmouth NH Homes-Hampton NH Homes

Yes it's important to update, change and check on things with your website as well as any social media profiles we have.

Thanks for the heads up!

Patricia/Seacoast NH & ME

Oct 29, 2010 03:49 AM
Patricia Aulson
BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY HOME SERVICES Verani Realty NH Real Estate - Exeter, NH
Realtor - Portsmouth NH Homes-Hampton NH Homes

Yes it's important to update, change and check on things with your website as well as any social media profiles we have.

Thanks for the heads up!

Patricia/Seacoast NH & ME

Oct 29, 2010 03:49 AM
Gene perez
Greater Mortgage Solutions & Valley Hills Realty - Santa Maria, CA

I have to admit I can do better but when you are the do everything guy its not easy ;-)

Oct 29, 2010 06:43 AM
Bryan Robertson
Los Altos, CA

I dont' do it nearly as much as I should.  I should actually be publishing all my blog content on there directly but I don't.  Guess I needed a wake-up call.  Thanks!!

Oct 29, 2010 07:30 AM
Jeana Cowie
RE/MAX Real Estate Limited - Paramus, NJ
Broker Associate, ABR, CRS, GRI, SRES

Lisa, This is a very helpful reminder to be very pro-active with our websites. Thank you for the helpful reminder.

 

Oct 29, 2010 09:18 AM
Renée Donohue~Home Photography
Savvy Home Pix - Allegan, MI
Western Michigan Real Estate Photographer

Yep I have a sitemap!!  Good advice!  Eric, it is easy to set one up!

Oct 29, 2010 11:34 AM
Karen Crowson
Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage - Rancho Bernardo, CA
Your Agent for Change

Boy, there's a question for me.  I have a broker provided website, but it's built in frames! So I can update all I want, it really isn't helping me much. On my agenda for first quarter next year is a complete overhaul.  I will bookmark this site and heed the sound advice. Thanks Lisa.

Oct 31, 2010 04:30 AM
Li Read
Sea to Sky Premier Properties (Salt Spring) - Salt Spring Island, BC
Caring expertise...knowledge for you!

A great blueprint for all of us to follow...you are right, consistent content is the answer.

Oct 31, 2010 05:44 AM
Marcie Sandalow
Marcie Sandalow, Compass 301.758.4894 - Bethesda, MD
Bethesda Chevy Chase DC real estate

Lisa- I've long enjoyed reading your posts.  Now, if I can only implement half of what you've shared, I'll feel like I'm in great shape.  I still have a lot to learn.

Oct 31, 2010 12:22 PM
Sharon Tara
Sharon Tara Transformations - Portsmouth, NH
Retired New Hampshire Home Stager

On my to-do list.  I've been discussing making some changes with my web guy.  We are going to be doing some serious staging of the site really soon.

Nov 01, 2010 01:17 PM
Ellen Wright Adams
Academy Mortgage.......We are a Equal Housing Lender - Eugene, OR
LoansByEllen- Licensed in Oregon

I'm relatively new at all this - THANKS for the tips!

Nov 04, 2010 11:35 AM