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Ask An Ambassador: Even If Google Never Found Us Again

By
Real Estate Agent with Transaction Alliance 513.520.5305 www.WarrenCountyOhioRealEstate.com SAL.2002007747

Many years ago in the early years of the Rain, just about anything you wrote would be indexed quickly and rank page 1. 

There was little to no competition.  Z wasn't the 800 pound gorilla it is now.  Most agents didn't have a clue as to how to make their own sites, and the specialists could charge thousands of bucks to agents for a "custom" website that may or may not have been effective at catching eyeballs.

As time went on, it was all about keeping up with the latest Google algorithm and feeding that beast the content it wanted in the manner it wanted.

And if you understood how to long tail your content, you could be found.

And the reality is even today you can STILL be found, even when using ActiveRain as your platform.

But here's the reality, even if Google never found another post I wrote in the Rain, there's still tremendous value to be gained here.

Over the years I've met a fair number of Rainers in person, and exchanged tips for how to improve our business.

Virtually that number is far, far larger.

Chances are if there's a bright and shiny for the real estate industry making ripples in the real estate pond, the odds are good that someone is blogging about it.  From there, we can decide if it makes sense for us to follow up.

In the Rain we've been exposed to every real estate brokerage model large and small.

QR codes.

Escalation clauses.

Direct mail techniques.

SEO tips, the long and the short of it.

How to identify a worthwhile niche and how to market to it.

How to determine your best target market.

How to use other forms of social media.

The different real estate practices in other regions (and sometimes something worth borrowing and adapting for our local market).

And that's not even scratching the surface of the personal relationships built in the Rain.  People I can call, text, email, Facebook message, etc, and KNOW that I'll get help if needed, and vice versa if I can help someone else.  This place is Pay It Forward on steroids.

So even if Google were to stop giving our content Googly Eyes, I think this place is still worth my participation.

Until next Tuesday, just Ask An Ambassador if you need help,

Bill & Liz aka BLIz

Posted by

Serving Warren County Ohio & Adjacent Areas

The Liz Spear Team of Transaction Alliance
Elizabeth Spear, ABR, Ohio License SAL.2002007747

William (Bill) Spear, Ohio License SAL.2004011109 
Ask for us by name if you visit the office!

EHO
Bill Direct:  513-520-5305
Liz Direct: 513-265-3004     
Fax: 866-302-8418

MailTo:  Liz@LizSpear.com

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Comments(27)

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Steffy Hristova
HomeSmart Elite Group Tempe AZ Tel: 602.710.8161 - Tempe, AZ
Tempe AZ Realtor - Your Home Close to Your Work!

I agree, this is a very special platform - content is organized, friendships are formed, challenges happen, referrals are made, we have fun. 

May 27, 2025 12:52 PM
Liz and Bill Spear

The founders set up a great method of getting engagement and getting us to do things that will help build our businesses and our referral networks.

May 28, 2025 08:14 AM
Hannah Williams
HomeStarr Realty - Philadelphia, PA
Expertise NE Philadelphia & Bucks 215-820-3376

Liz and Bill Spear  Where else can I find a place where I can ask questions and find answers when I am stuck. Tell my stories  to friends who are interested like the ones I have made here in the rain. Some of the friends I have never even met in person but are so very dear to me and when we meet it is like we knew each other forever. Only on Active Rain  so who cares? Great post Bill ! You hit a home run ! 

May 27, 2025 03:07 PM
Liz and Bill Spear

Hannah, no doubt, if I've got a question I can ask here in Q&A or call someone direct for their specialty knowledge.  I've done it many times over the year and not once has someone not tried to help when asked.

May 28, 2025 08:15 AM
Paddy Deighan MBA JD PhD
http://www.medicalandspaconsulting.com - Vail, CO
Paddy Deighan J.D. Ph.D

Google searches are rapidly becoming yesterday's laundry as AI driven searches are a growing (rapidly) resource for all of us

May 27, 2025 05:17 PM
Liz and Bill Spear

I see the AI summaries at the beginning of my searches and sometimes that's enough to answer my questions, other times it at least gives me a head start on the rest of my search.

May 28, 2025 08:16 AM
Kathy Streib

Paddy Deighan MBA JD PhD and Bill- I was confused at first aout the AI summaries but now I see that they answer my question for the most part. 

May 31, 2025 05:36 PM
Dr. Paula McDonald
Beam & Branch Realty - Granbury, TX
Granbury, TX 936-203-0279

The BEST part of the Rain is meeting our Rain Friends in person. I've met so many wonderful friends.

May 27, 2025 06:56 PM
Liz and Bill Spear

I've met quite a few in person, but not as many as I'd like to.  It would help if I did more traveling around the country :)

May 28, 2025 08:16 AM
Dorie Dillard Austin TX
Coldwell Banker Realty ~ 512.750.6899 - Austin, TX
NW Austin ~ Canyon Creek and Spicewood/Balcones

Good evening Bill,

AMEN...AMEN.....I think this place is still worth my participation especially after reading your post!

May 27, 2025 07:39 PM
Liz and Bill Spear

I may participate more quietly than in the past, but I still check in daily.

May 28, 2025 08:17 AM
Patricia Feager
Flower Mound, TX
Semi Retired Real Estate Agent

Liz and Bill Spear 

Like anything else you invest in, you get out of it what you pay for and the time you put into achieving your goals. I do agree with you that when I began my career, I did not have a clue how to make my own sites. It did not take long for me to realize that if I used the Franchise Broker's website, the Broker benefited, not me. I was lucky I got into AR at a good time when I did get google rankings. I remember some agents in my office who had been in the business a longer period of time and quickly noticed I was getting noticed and they weren't. I really did learn a lot from RainCamp, AR Challenges, Meet-Ups, Ringing in the Rain, and networking within the AR Community. I was pleased knowing I could usually get answers to my questions any time, day or night on AR and that was something I could never get via my Broker, the Board, or Association. 

I gained knowledge, inspiration, started thinking about how to grow my business in ways CE and seminars could not teach me. I also learned Google was not going to get me business. I had to put in the work and figure out ways to problem solve. Plus, I learned to be cautious about spammers, hackers, and companies who did not want to help me, but to help themselves to take money from me. 

Google was like a mother in a bird nest; it got me started but then it pushed me out of the nest. It was up to me to figure out how to run my business.  That's when business really started to bloom for me. 

May 27, 2025 09:13 PM
Liz and Bill Spear

There has been a lot of learning along the way.  Initially we had the brokerage website and an iHouse template site.  Over time here I learned about Wordpress and just enough to be dangerous to myself when tinkering under the hood.  Ultimately I let Charra and her team take that off my plate.   They can do it right, and far more easily than me!  The IDX pages on that site get us found more than our older posts on AR, although those posts do still get found!

Overall, this community has given me much general knowledge about the industry, the tools available, etc.  I don't use it all, but I know about it, and that's significant in itself.

May 28, 2025 08:24 AM
Patricia Feager

Bill,

Great answer. Thanks Liz and Bill Spear. I sincerely appreciate the valuable knowledge I received from this community. AR was an investment that I never had regrets. Your weekly tips are always very interesting and appreciated. 

May 28, 2025 09:39 AM
Kat Palmiotti
eXp Commercial, Referral Divison - Kalispell, MT
Helping your Montana dreams take root

The same sentence that jumped out at Kathleen Daniels jumped out at me - "This place is Pay It Forward on steroids." I totally agree!

May 28, 2025 04:40 AM
Liz and Bill Spear

I think that's a big part of what has kept me coming back after all these years.  This is a special place, and the culture is protected to maintain that PIF attitude.

May 28, 2025 08:25 AM
Brian England
Ambrose Realty Management LLC - Gilbert, AZ
MBA, GRI, REALTOR® Real Estate in East Valley AZ

I have to admit that it was really nice back in the day to post a blog and then, within hours, see it at the top of the results in a google search, but those days didn't last very long at all, haha.  These days I turn to Grok more often than I do google.

May 28, 2025 07:09 AM
Liz and Bill Spear

It's definitely not as easy as it once was, but the competition for attention is vastly bigger than back in the day.

May 28, 2025 08:25 AM
Sam Shueh
(408) 425-1601 - San Jose, CA
mba, cdpe, reopro, pe

I agree 100% of  Z experience and think its model seems to work all 20 some years/

May 28, 2025 08:23 AM
Liz and Bill Spear

Z is effective at doing what they want to do:  capture short tail terms.  They're not as good at the long tail stuff, and that continues to work to my advantage.

May 28, 2025 08:27 AM
Anna "Banana" Kruchten
Retired Broker/Owner - Phoenix, AZ
602-380-4886

Bill we are a 'pay it forward' community and then some!  It's all about relationships.  Sure all the other stuff can work well but if you don't connect with folks you may as well hang it up.  As for G - I gave that up sometime ago as honestly I was just sick of it not working any more. 

May 28, 2025 11:50 AM
Liz and Bill Spear

At this point, I write in a conversational manner without too much concern for keywords and SEO.  Other posts will bring them to me if it is meant to be.

May 28, 2025 07:40 PM
Anna "Banana" Kruchten
Retired Broker/Owner - Phoenix, AZ
602-380-4886

Featured in BananaTudes!

May 28, 2025 11:51 AM
John Henry, Florida Architect
John Henry Masterworks Design International, Inc. - Orlando, FL
Residential Architect, Luxury Custom Home Design

I agree that the value at AR is great, especially as it is for the real estate community.

But as a website, as you started out, the chances of being found on a search, I think is more likely from your own personal web.  My guess.

AR's ability to stand on top of keywords, etc. has faltered.

But it may be not AR's fault, as 177,300 new webs are added DAILY to the internet.

With Google Ads in the way of organic results, the average web is seemingly blocked out of showing in the top search results.

oh well...

thanks for the positive spin

May 28, 2025 12:43 PM
Liz and Bill Spear

And that's a big part of it, there's an immense amount of info out there, so finding the roads less traveled may be the key to being found.

May 28, 2025 07:40 PM
Bruce Brockmeier
Internet Marketing Consultant to REALTORS® - Yorba Linda, CA
Coached By Crouch

Excellent post.  I was just thinking about you yesterday

May 28, 2025 05:47 PM
Liz and Bill Spear

Nice chatting with you!

May 28, 2025 07:39 PM
Debra Leisek
Bay Realty,Inc Homer Alaska - Homer, AK

Active Rain is a great place to be! The people all have so much to offer and they do share so much information including recipes and puzzles! I have always been able to find good real estate information in Active Rain, when I needed it. I find it enjoyable to relax at the end of the day by reading blogs and participating. Active Rain is worthwhile because the people here are so interesting, helpful and remarkable!

May 29, 2025 01:10 AM
Liz and Bill Spear

We get the full spectrum, and there seem to be no topic that someone doesn't have the knowledge to train all of us.

May 29, 2025 04:36 PM
Gwen Fowler SC Lakes & Mountains 864-710-4518
Gwen Fowler Real Estate, Inc - Walhalla, SC
Gwen Fowler Real Estate, Inc.

Active Rain is linked to my website and the info and tags are flowing over to google.  I am hoping it will pay off.

May 29, 2025 07:57 AM
Liz and Bill Spear

Your local approach should work!

May 29, 2025 04:37 PM
Jan Green - Scottsdale, AZ
Value Added Service, 602-620-2699 - Scottsdale, AZ
HomeSmart Elite Group, REALTOR®, EcoBroker, GREEN

Couldn't agree more!  Our friends in the rain act like friends as well, unlike the impersonal "touch" of Google "eyes!"   As they say, "You've hit the proverbial nail on the head!"  

May 29, 2025 02:10 PM
Liz and Bill Spear

Jan, Coast to coast, we know we have people we can reach out to.

May 29, 2025 04:37 PM
Jeff Dowler, CRS
eXp Realty of California, Inc. - Carlsbad, CA
The Southern California Relocation Dude

Hi Bill:

You have certainly captured the value of participation in our "pay it forward" environment. Getting noticed by Google can be a very good thing but there are so many other benefits of being active in the AR community and it's not just about blogging. The relationships are priceless.

Jeff

May 29, 2025 02:33 PM
Liz and Bill Spear

Even if I received no more referrals, the other aspects of the community continue to help us on a daily basis.

May 29, 2025 04:38 PM
Kathy Streib
Cypress, TX
Retired Home Stager/Redesign

Hi Bill- Love this. I'm a big Googler but I know that if I wanted to more about bees, for example, I could head straight to your posts. 

May 31, 2025 05:37 PM
Liz and Bill Spear

I've been using the search engines a lot lately looking for information that applies to our new area.  I don't have the personal experience, so need others to give me the scoop and what's what so I'll have a head start on our move.

Jun 09, 2025 06:07 PM
Vanessa Mouton
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices - Cary, NC
REALTOR®, Coach | Real Talk. NC-Based.

I'm so grateful to Eleanor Thorne for nudging me to join this community. I love all the points you make here Liz and Bill Spear !  I'm delighted to be here now and look forward to being on a Zoom soon. Have a wonderful week!

Jun 09, 2025 02:18 PM
Liz and Bill Spear

That was a good person to give you a nudge!  We've been here a long time, and the place keeps bringing me back daily.  Always something interesting to read or learn.

Jun 09, 2025 06:08 PM
Debe Maxwell, CRS
Savvy + Company (704) 491-3310 - Charlotte, NC
The RIGHT CHARLOTTE REALTOR!

Hi Bill! I'm with you & Jeffrey DiMuria 321.223.6253 Waves Realty - I've gotten some great AR referrals and love that we already 'know' one another well enough to trust our valued clients with other members here. I am currently working with two referral clients who came from AR members - one buyer and one seller! This place is so much more than SEO to me too.

Jun 16, 2025 07:31 PM
Liz and Bill Spear

AR is always my first stop for referrals.  Knowing the personalities is key to making a good fit for our clients, friends and family.

Jun 16, 2025 07:33 PM