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The difference between "Breaking" and "Trending" news in blogging

By
Services for Real Estate Pros with Agent Reputation

Breaking News

Of the 4 computer monitors on my desk, one is monitoring breaking news via RSS feeds. I like to stay current on the news of the day and I am looking for opportunities to get Google's attention via "breaking news" blogging or what has been referred to as "Real Time Blogging".

Real time blogging is the act of sharing content as it happens.

I am a "what if" kind of guy as I am always thinking of ways my agents can compete online with original content that is going to get the attention of the search engines and their local consumers.

A number of years ago I said to myself, "What if I blogged about breaking news? Would Google notice my post?"

A press release came out from Mayor Bloomburg in New York stating, he was going to regulate the size of soft drink cups sold in NYC convenience stores. At the time, I was blogging for a nutritional company I was consulting for. Within 5 minutes of the story hitting the AP wire, I wrote a simple post that basically stated, "Don't tell me what I can or cannot drink" and "If you drink that much soda per day you are harming your body". For the next 5 months my post shared page one of Google with the Huffington Post, USA Today and the New York Times. I was the only non-news source in the search results. For the first 30 days this post was averaging around 7,000 hits per day.

I blogged about a celebrity being arrested in Las Vegas, only as an experiment. I not only wrote about it as the arrest was going down, but I beat TMZ to the punch on the mug shot. 20,000 hits per day for the first 2 weeks on average and the mugshot was in the top-ten image searches for over a year.

Within my research in various experimental blogs I was managing, I was writing about news as it was happening(Breaking) AND popular news(Trending). When I wrote about trending yet popular news, though my posts were indexed, they were really nowhere to be found. At the time my posts came out they were lost in a sea of other posts and news sites.

Blogging about breaking news ranks higher in the search engines then trending news.

So you ask, "CJ, how does writing about breaking, non-real estate related news help me sell real estate or generate leads?" I am glad you asked.

It's is more of an indirect credibility tool for you and your blog. The search engines notice publication dates and clickthrough activity. If you get their attention enough times, they recognize your blog as a credible news source. Sometimes your blog is located on your website, hopefully in a sub directory(the the right of the .com) and not in a sub-domain(to the left of your domain name). This of course helps your overall SEO and when you write about hyper-local event or properties in your market, you will shoot straight to the top.

My research has also shown me our posts on Active Rain are getting indexed quickly with great positioning. This is because Active Rain is probably recognized by the Google algorithms as a very active and credible repository of original content. If you hyper-local blog about breaking news in your area, there is a very good chance your Activerain.com post will get hit by consumers in your area who can see your contact information.

Writing about breaking news on Active Rain will index quickly with great placement

This concept gets even cooler when you use the above strategy in blogging about properties of notoriety, but that is for another day or perhaps a future ARU class.

 

 

 

 

 

Show All Comments Sort:
Melissa Spittel
Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage - Westminster, MD
"Achieving Results Together "

There's not much breaking news in my area. Actually, I can't remember the last time there was breaking news. I like the concept but it depends on the location

May 09, 2016 10:51 AM
CJ Hays

It can be national breaking news, I live in Vegas and blogged about NYC, which gave me online cred with Google

May 09, 2016 11:20 AM
Noeleen Duffy
Claddagh Florida Properties - Palm Coast, FL

Great concept, thanks for sharing!

 

May 09, 2016 10:55 AM
Dana Basiliere
Rossi & Riina Real Estate - Williston, VT
Making deals "Happen"

Some day I hope to have time to blog about breaking news. It sounds like it drives Google cred.

May 09, 2016 11:09 AM
Cheryl Ritchie
RE/MAX Leading Edge www.GoldenResults.com - Huntingtown, MD
Southern Maryland 301-980-7566

That's neat to learn. Thanks for the thorough explanation of breaking versus trending news.

May 09, 2016 11:11 AM
Mike Kelly,CRS,CIPS
The MJKelly Team - Santa Rosa, CA
"One of Sonoma County's Natural Resources"

I the "hits" sound impressive but I'm not a blogger I'm a Realtor. Tell me stories of getting 20,000 hits when it comes to a real estate blog and the impending "Deals" which came out of it. I blog because I can! I love to write, to find my "muse" at 65 words per minute. I've really never seen any systematic tracking of "leads" and "closed transactions" by blogging. IDX yes--but blogging?
  You make good points about "breaking news". In real estate we want to attached this daily, weekly reportage of housing trends. I seek "trends" and NOT breaking news in real estate.

May 09, 2016 11:12 AM
CJ Hays
Agent Reputation - Las Vegas, NV
Reputation Marketing & Websites for Realtors

I am not a Realtor, I am an Online Marketing Geek. I am however a Geek with interest in a couple of brokerages, but none the less, I am a geek. I live on stats. I see the traffic. I track the conversations. With the fact Realtors are dissapearing from the Google Top Ten for primary search terms, blogging is an outstanding alternate way in for the local consumers. Take Maxine and Marti Gellens in La Jolla. They have been hyper-local blogging consistantly for years now. They are a top board leader in their market and are very well known in their community. Because they have been blogging for so long, they have serious Google cred. The point of my article is if you blog and want higher positioning for your posts, breaking news works. You should always discuss trending news if you have a following but this is about being attractive to the search engines.

May 09, 2016 11:32 AM
Randal Jenkins
Coldwell Banker F I Gray and Sons Residential, Inc. - New Port Richey, FL

Breaking news is the surf report of course.

 

May 09, 2016 11:33 AM
Jerry Newman
Brown Realty, 210-789-4216, - San Antonio, TX
Texas REALTOR, San Antonio Military Relocation

That doesn't surprise me, CJ. More folks appear to be concerned with "Breaking News", than Trending News. If I post something about the Spurs, or any super sporting event, I get loads of visitors to that post. One would have to be consistent blogger.

May 09, 2016 12:45 PM
William Johnson
Retired - La Jolla, CA
Retired

Hi CJ Hays , A very good explanation and certainly opens the door for some great new thinking about blog content and categories that would be of interest especially when considering content on a local basis. I live in San Diego and this would be a no brainer because we have so much going on that could make ones head spin. And a lot of the news is itself, spin on a topic that would or could be of significance to anyone considering moving to San Diego. A few of the topics that could tickle ones fancy is the Stadium for the Chargers, water rates that keep going up more than once a year, the roads and infrastructure that get lots of talk and not so much action and these just popped in my heard. Given some thought, there are many issues and they are not all negative. We have the best Zoo, the most community events that are just awesome, a history that is so interesting, schools that perform beautifully ( and some that don't) and many many more topics of interest. Actually overall, it is a pretty remarkable and wonderful place to live inside or out.

May 09, 2016 12:54 PM
Georgie Hunter R(S) 58089
Hawai'i Life Real Estate Brokers - Haiku, HI
Maui Real Estate sales and lifestyle info

Interesting concept.  I guess it could work if you use the breaking news topic and put your own real estate related spin....

May 09, 2016 02:09 PM
CJ Hays
Agent Reputation - Las Vegas, NV
Reputation Marketing & Websites for Realtors

As a note, the title of this blog post was indexed quickly in Google 

 

May 09, 2016 03:42 PM
Carla Muss-Jacobs, RETIRED

That's great.  What are the stats of people who are Googling those search terms?  

May 10, 2016 03:19 AM
CJ Hays

Probably low but this was an actual instructional article for you all. Had I been actually blogging about breaking news it would be high. I was just very happy as to the speed of which Google indexed the headline.

May 10, 2016 04:17 AM
Diana Dahlberg
1 Month Realty - Pleasant Prairie, WI
Real Estate in Kenosha, WI since 1994 262-308-3563

Extra! Extra! Read all about it!  Hmmmmm, not sure there is anything EPIC happening around Kenosha, Wisconsin right now!  Great Blog!  

May 09, 2016 04:02 PM
Endre Barath, Jr.
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties - Beverly Hills, CA
Realtor - Los Angeles Home Sales 310.486.1002

Interesting post I will have to look into it, there is a great deal of Breaking News in my Real Estate market area.... celebs buying, celebs selling:))Endre

May 09, 2016 04:20 PM
Larry Lawfer
YourStories Realty Group - Newton, MA
"I listen for a living." It's all about you.

This is a useful shiny new concept to consider.  Thank you, for your work.  Including periodic break news stories is a good way to bring more credibiliy to your posts.  Just be careful not to get lost in breaking news and forget that you are a real estate professional helping people buy and sell property is what I am whispering to myself.

May 09, 2016 07:58 PM
Kat Palmiotti
eXp Commercial, Referral Divison - Kalispell, MT
Helping your Montana dreams take root

This is an interesting concept. Thanks for sharing the results of your experiment.

Wow, four computer monitors! That must be some desk!

May 09, 2016 08:30 PM
Rose Mary Justice
Synergy Realty Pros - Dandridge, TN
Synergy Realty Pros

Good placement with google is worth your time.  Seems to be working and a great thought of the day.

May 09, 2016 09:48 PM
Susan McCall - - Compass Realty Solutions
Compass Realty Solutions - Portland, OR
Listing and Buyer's Agent

All things google would be an excellent blog post or perhaps a long book.  The breaking news concept versus the trending was explained very well.  I got a shock a few minutes ago when I had just signed up for a continuing education class that required cc payment and a GOOGLE window popped up and asked me if I wanted them to save my information.  Just like they ask you if you want to save your password.  Where is THIS CARD INFORMATION stored in google?  They know where I live, where I am going, my email(s) what I do, and now my financial information.

May 10, 2016 03:15 AM
Gary Woltal
Keller Williams Realty - Flower Mound, TX
Assoc. Broker Realtor SFR Dallas Ft. Worth

Breaking news holds high interest too, great point about the difference with trending news.

May 10, 2016 07:45 AM
M.C. Dwyer
Melody Russell Team at eXp Realty of California, Inc. - Felton, CA
MC Dwyer-Santa Cruz Mountains Property Specialist

Thanks CJ!    Definitely worth a try next time I sense there's a local "scoop" happening...

May 11, 2016 07:12 AM
Liz and Bill Spear
Transaction Alliance 513.520.5305 www.WarrenCountyOhioRealEstate.com - Mason, OH
Transaction Alliance Cincinnati & Dayton suburbs

CJ, We every now and then see people questioning AR's ability to rank.  Personally we're not seeing a problem.  Our niche posts continue to do well and I think it's exactly as you point out, AR is seen as a credible source of real estate news.

May 12, 2016 01:19 AM
CJ Hays

I remember the day I did my very first post. It was indexed by Google in a top 5 position within just a few hours.

May 12, 2016 01:40 AM