Search engine optimization is a big deal. Its a big deal because if done properly the results can be amazing. If done poorly, the results can be poor at best, detrimental at worst. There are no shortages of theories, strategies and speculation online. Depending on where you look one can often find conflicting views on real estate search engine optimization. For those just entering the SEO fray, this can be daunting and a little overwhelming. More to the point, there comes a time when you have to choose one method to start with and simply run with it. However, crossing that line if often really difficult. Thus the question. Who do you trust. Who has the right answers? How do you separate the real estate SEO wheat from the spam laced chaff?
I know it sounds like I am poised to launch headlong into a marketing pitch, but I’m not. I am going, instead, to reminisce back to the days where I had to start making the same choices, faced with the same labyrinth of SEO advice. Here are some things I have learned along the way.
Truth: Real Estate SEO is an ongoing process. The word campaign is often used to describe the process and it is correct. Quality search engine optimization is a pervasive philosophy which dictates the manner in which you add, edit and maintain your website.
Truth: If it sounds to good to be true, it probably is. Real Estate SEO is not about working miracles. It is not about over night search engine superiority. There are no magic lines of code that seduce search spiders into first place rankings.
Myth: Search engine optimization less important then page rank. Depending on which circles you spend your time in, this can be a heated debate. The reality is that only one search engine uses page rank and although it is the biggest engine in the world, it is not the only one. Further, if page rank disappeared tomorrow, search engines would still have to rank sites based on something. The only tool that search engines have to keep people coming back time and time again, is the ability to give their clients the sites that best match their searches. Being able to give visitors what they are looking for is the foundation of any search engines existence.
Myth: There is a golden formula that works with all sites. Every keyword niche is different. There are different competitors, different site structures, different degrees of popularity. Each of these variables effect the overall approach to a search engine campaign.
How does this solve my problem of knowing who to trust when it comes to real estate SEO advice? Well, really it doesn’t. But it does help you very quickly separate viable options from those built on hearsay or fraud. This narrows the field.
From here, it is all about making a choice. Choose which sound more reasonable, practicable and applicable to you. Then jump in with both feet. As real estate SEO is an underlying philosophy, it is defeatist to do it half-heartedly. It must be done with vigor and enthusiasm. The down side is, of course, that if you throw yourself headlong into a real estate SEO campaign and after six months, you see no results, then you have start again.
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