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Ranking Means Nothing if your Conversion Rate is Low

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Services for Real Estate Pros with Personal SEO - Website SEO and Real Estate Marketing

I spoke with someone that had 3000 likes on a Facebook page and absolutely no interaction; not one lead.

Someone else came up #1 on Google for a keyword with no sign ups or click-throughs.

Why not?

Because they're not going for the right people and the right answers.Ranking is Dead

Page rank on Google and search engines for real estate agents is almost impossible. We have a client that ranks #4  for Louisville Real Estate and has for YEARS. He has beaten the odds and actually stood his ground in the SEO world for years and remains there. It only has come from diligent work both on site and off site and we are just a part of his marketing team. He blogs every day - Yep - EVERY DAY and has collected thousands of excellent backlinks and a massive online presence. But that didn't happen overnight. He gets leads straight from the search engines. But in competitive markets, that's really REALLY hard to do. 

I'm sure you get it all the time - those marketers that call you and say, "We can get you ranked for such and such keyword!" Yeah, they probably can, but have you checked to see if anyone is searching for that keyword? 

Sometimes my clients are shocked when they want to go for a keyword only to discover no one is searching for that. Sure, you can rank for it, but you're not going to get a lead for it. Then whose fault is it?

 

Those giants - Trulia, Zillow, Realtor, Homes, Etc.. dominate the first page - that's no secret. So how is an individual real estate agent suppose to compete?

There are a ton of other ways to find leads rather than putting all your eggs in the search result page basket.

Remember I mentioned the 3000 likes to a Facebook page? They meant nothing and will gain the owner nothing because they were bought. It's easy to jump on Fiverr and pay for a few hundred or thousand likes but those likes are from people that DON'T CARE ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS. They didn't 'like' your page because they wanted what you were selling. So you're never going to get any interaction from them or leads.

Be responsive to clientsNow I have another client that has spent the last 3-4 years building up his Facebook followers and now has over 7,000 REAL followers from people he has worked with, friends of friends, paid targeted likes and boosted posts plus over 50 reviews just on Facebook! He interacts with them and gets leads almost every day.  He has branched out to Linkedin and consistently builds his network there as well. He is on all the social media networks but really works a couple of good ones consistently. This is a Tortoise race, not the sprint of the Hare.

It's like there is a freeway to your clients and the big guys are taking up all the lanes, but you can find the routes around the freeway and along the way find more targeted clients, real people and make relationships and connections with them instead of being a dominant, non-personal force on Google.

 

Blogging is also NOT DEAD. Those that blog on a regular basis gain 50% more leads on average. 

But, it's what you're blogging on that matters. Lead generating blog posts are usually:

  • Community Information
  • Neighborhoods
  • Events
  • Local News
  • Market Reports
  • Testimonials or Reviews
  • First News No One Else Has
  • Changes to an Area
  • Fun Lists (Why do we love lists?)
  • Really good real estate information

I need to expand on that last one. Throwing out 3 tips to buying in 300 words or less is not really good information. If you're going to offer generic real estate tips, it should be at least 800+ words, have amazing photos to go along with it, great internal linking to other valuable posts and shared a ton!

More: Are you too Busy to Blog?

 

It's hard to write about something that no one else has before, almost impossible, but you are the only one that can write about it from your perspective, experience, and tone. It also must be something that really grabs your attention. Not just "3 tips to buying commercial real estate" but instead "5 Big Fears Commercial Real Estate Buyers Face".  Make it seem urgent to read, scared to miss it.  Or just something that people may have never thought of before, like "How home buying has changed since our parent's time".

[See More: Why a little SEO Just Doesn't Cut it]

 

But one of the biggest mistakes most bloggers make is at the end of a post. The reader doesn't know what to do next. Okay, I've read this, now onto something else.

Click hereThere has to be a reason to stay, call, click, text, sign up, etc... Every post should be like a landing page. There should be more to read and explore, a reason to call, a button to click, a lead to capture. Not everyone comes to your homepage first. Readers may have come to a particular post or page from social media so you have to reiterate what you do and who you are with every post. It should have a clear author and signature and explain what you expect readers to do when they're there.

Readers should not have to travel far to find you - meaning they shouldn't have to hunt all over the page for a contact number or button. Always give your readers a way to keep them on the site or call you. 

[Read More: How, Why and When to Syndicate Blog Posts]

 

Don't miss an opportunity to capture a lead. Don't expect your website to just sit out there and bring in the leads. You have to work it for it to work. Whatever platform you choose, be it social media, ActiveRain, your website or even other people's websites in the form of a guest blog post, make every post count. Ask yourself, will this post (blog or social post) bring me a lead? Can people read more easily? Can they find me? Does it make sense? Will it stand out?

 

We might not be able to compete with the big dogs, but there are LOTS of other ways to the customer.

About Personal SEO

 

Need help blogging? Social media management? Or does your website just give you headaches? We can help with all of that! 

 

 

Posted by

Personal SEO Tim and Tammy Emineth

Personal SEO Facebook Page Personal SEO Instagram Page Tammy Emineth Pinterest Page Personal SEO Linkedin Page Linkedin Page

 

Tim and Tammy Emineth have owned Personal SEO since 2004. We focus on SEO first whether it's blogging, images, website design, IDX solutions and calls to action. We operate with a Storybrand philosophy to encourage more traffic to your site, more eyes on your content and more leads to your business. Call us or email us for a free website audit.

Tim: 425-443-8372  Tammy: 425-344-0677

Comments (18)

Marie-Denise Kratsios
Daniel Gale Sotheby's International Realty - Huntington, NY
Where ever you are, that's where I'll be!

It seems that the more I post, the more I learn.  You, Tammy Emineth are one of the people I learn so much from.  Thanks for your solid information.  

Sep 18, 2017 09:46 AM
Tammy Emineth

Thank you! We never stop learning. :)

Sep 18, 2017 10:05 AM
Hannah Williams
HomeStarr Realty - Philadelphia, PA
Expertise NE Philadelphia & Bucks 215-820-3376

Tammy Emineth  What a wonderful post . Should be taught in a Real Estate school 101  .. Learn to blog

Sep 18, 2017 10:12 AM
Tammy Emineth

Yes it should!

Sep 18, 2017 10:22 AM
Donald Payne
Vision Realty - Columbus, OH
What's your Vision..

I've worked long and hard to get those likes and it has sure paid off.

Sep 18, 2017 03:01 PM
Julie A. Black
KAUAI DREAMS REALTY Kauai Real Property Specialist - Kapaa, HI
CLHMS, CRS, GRI, Realtor, Broker

I need to start blogging again instead of wasting tme on social media just reading. Thanks for some inspiration.

Sep 18, 2017 08:18 PM
Tammy Emineth

Ugh... don't we ALL do that! HA

Sep 22, 2017 09:12 AM
Katerina Gasset
The Gasset Group & Get It Done For Me Virtual Services - Provo, UT
Amplify Your Real Estate & Life Dreams!

It is best to get your likes organically on FB but if your sole purpose for your FB page is to run ads, then buying likes will bring the cost of your ads down and increase your ad reach at a lower cost. That is the only reason I would ever advise to buy likes. Of course, all those involved need to understand the reasoning behind the action. 

So it goes back to what the end goal is, that determines the actions that need to be taken. 

For SEO, while we can't beat zippo for Wellington Homes for Sale and terms like that - it is not the one keyword phrase that brings the traffic AND the short tail competitive keywords do not get good traffic, they do get traffic but it is not good traffic. 

You need to go after many long tail keywords, many of them. That means years of blogging and continueing to add value content. The long tail fewer searches, less traffic keywords, while not a ton of leads will come from them, a few good leads per year will come from your efforts. 

We still rank #1 for short sale keywords and actually dominate 7 out of 10 spaces on page one for money keywords in that niche. We don't have hardly any short sales here anymore BUT we just listed and sold 2 short sales in the last couple of months where the sellers found us on the internet and found our blog about short sales. Now, because of our higher price ranges, we don't need to have as many leads and sales as agents who work with lower priced listings. I always say: I would rather have one or two good sellers call us to list their home from the internet than for me to have to call 100 buyer leads to find the 2 who want to buy. :) 

Sep 21, 2017 06:00 PM
Katerina Gasset

 Tammy Emineth  Yes, FB will penalize for instant likes. So that is why when someone does that, they have to make sure that the vendor is getting the likes in drips, like 5 one day, 3 another day, things that look and feel like they make sense to the algorithm. :) You are welcome:) Keep up your good work! 

Sep 22, 2017 05:54 PM
Tammy Emineth

I totally see the tactic behind buying likes. Does Facebook penalize instant likes, though? Not sure. I DO see the idea behind it though. 
I agree! A few good leads is better than spinning your wheels on hundreds of dead ones. Thanks for your email BTW :)

Sep 22, 2017 09:12 AM
Bruce Hicks
Best Homes Hawaii - Honolulu, HI
Your Best Hawaii Realtor!

Tammy Emineth you are always 'right on'!  Lately, I've been doing the old fashioned send out post cards.  For every 500-1,000 cards, I have been able to activate one listing or a buyer.  I DO need to do more blogging, that's a fact!

Sep 21, 2017 11:06 PM
Tammy Emineth

Sometimes that works too! You have to figure where you want to invest your time and energy.

Sep 22, 2017 09:09 AM
Gordon Crawford
Gordon Crawford Home Selling Team - Morristown, NJ
Your Morris County Specialist!

Fabulous post Tammy!  I appreciate all the good tips.  I have so much to learn!

 

Sep 22, 2017 02:57 AM
Chris Lima
Turtle Reef Realty - Port St Lucie, FL
Local or Global-Allow me to open doors for you.

Thank you for the great tips in the post, Tammy.  

Sep 22, 2017 05:26 AM
Debb Janes
Nature As Neighbors - Camas, WA
Put My Love of Nature At Work for You

Hi Tammy, there is a lot of advice for bloggers in this post. I will come back and digest it better once I've had my coffee. However, first read through makes a lot of sense. We also think it's important to get involved in the community and expand our network with face to face interaction. It helps build our data base. 

Sep 22, 2017 06:27 AM
Tammy Emineth

Absolutely!

Sep 22, 2017 09:09 AM
Kimber Braswell
sweetgrass home staging, llc - Columbia, SC
Selling your lifestyle!

Tammy, you seem so young and yet so wise!! This is one of the best articles I've EVER read regarding these topics. Very helpful. Thank you!

Sep 22, 2017 06:51 AM
Tammy Emineth

Wow! Not THAT young but I'll take the compliment!  

Sep 22, 2017 09:08 AM
Gene Mock
Associate Broker ~ Premier Team, KW Realty - Leesburg, VA
GRI, CRB, CRS, ABR, CIPS, TRC, SFR, SRES

I can say for sure that you have helped me move my website toward the top.  Help the good content coming Tammy.

 

Sep 22, 2017 07:30 AM
Tammy Emineth

Awesome! Thanks Gene!

Sep 22, 2017 09:08 AM
Ron Aguilar
Gateway Mortgage Group - Saint George, UT
Mortgage & Real Estate Advisor since 1995

Tammy, thanks for professional insight. The reason I clicked your post on AR is because of your compelling subject line including your name that comes from the phrase: Familiarity breeds Acceptance. 

Sep 22, 2017 07:41 AM
Tammy Emineth

Awesome! Thanks Ron. 

Sep 22, 2017 09:07 AM
Greg Mona
West USA Realty - Scottsdale, AZ
Professional Real Estate Representation for YOU!

Thanks for the great post Tammy Emineth! This is one of the best and most informative posts I've read in quite some time! I saw my past excuses pop up all over after reading this, so it really is time to "just do it" as the Nike saying goes!

Sep 22, 2017 09:32 AM
Lindsay Reagan, Realtor
Bowen Realty - Wellington, FL

Very informative post!!  Yes it is hard to compete with the big boys but there are some ways around it...Need to get back to blogging

Sep 22, 2017 10:46 AM
John Wiley
Fort Myers, FL
Lee County, FL, ECO Broker, GRI, SRES,GREEN,PSA

Tammy, thank you for sharing very helpful and very valuable information.

You are so clear and on point with your message.

I found it to be very direct with what actions to take.

Thanks

Sep 22, 2017 01:35 PM
Stavrula "Sam" Crafa, RNC,GRI, CDPE, PSA
Future Home Realty - Seminole, FL
Providing the integrity and service you deserve.

This is great information and I have flagged this post to go back to in the near future. Congrats on the featured post. 

Sep 22, 2017 09:41 PM
Mary Hutchison, SRES, ABR
Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate-Kansas City Homes - Kansas City, MO
Experienced Agent in Kansas City Metro area

It's essential to get your name 'out there' via blogging, website, LinkedIn, etc etc.  You are building your own brand and I know I rarely go to the second page of Google when I'm searching!

Sep 23, 2017 02:18 PM
Thomas J. Nelson, REALTOR ® e-Pro CRS RCS-D Vets
Big Block Realty 858.232.8722 - La Jolla, CA
CEO of Vision Drive Realty - Coastal San Diego

GREAT POST! Especially loved this nugget:

​***But one of the biggest mistakes most bloggers make is at the end of a post. The reader doesn't know what to do next. Okay, I've read this, now onto something else. 

Don't miss an opportunity to capture a lead.***

Nov 04, 2017 10:54 AM