What is possible with your real estate website?

Good points Jim!

Very interesting -- What have you done to get good placement on the search engines?  It seems very difficult if one is from a smaller firm with a smaller budget.  What would you suggest?  Thanks for the inforomation.

Jim ~ if nothing else this post serves as an example of popular keywords for others.  Just substitue Altanta for the town of your choice!

kk

Great post Jim; and certainly you qualify as someone who has "been there, done that" on the net.

I too was one of the early adapters for online real estate. I've found my website gives far and away the best return on dollars invested than any other thing I've done in real estate except for yard signs which remain the most cost effective advertising around.

I also consider you one of the more technologically advanced Realtors around because you're speaking from actual experience instead of spouting rehashed theories that may or may not work.

more than anything - this is a greate example of SEO writing

Once again another great article that was well written and well thought out.  I hope you have another awesome year.  You friend, George

The internet can be a great tool when it's working......lol

Yep.  It's been fun, a challenge, an adventure and a lot of hard work.  But, worth it.

Thanks all for the comments.  I've been on page one of Google, MSN, and a host of other search engines that do not even exist anymore since day one.  We receive over 3000 unique page views each day and that translates into 80-90 registrations a day from viewers.  It is really incredible.  Last month was our highest traffic yet at over 87000 unique visits for the month.

Atlanta home sellers that were listed with previous agents for an entire year and only have had 6 showings on their property...receive over 45 a month in this lousy market.  Then we sell them.  If you look at the top of our web page at Atlanta Best Homes I have our active listings, most have just closed or are pending sale in this buyers market. I have loads of other agents that provide for their families for many years with the referral leads we've provided them.  Some of these agents are in the top ten in their own office.  Atlanta home buyers like it because it is one stop shopping for them.  We like it because physically we cannot drive 80m miles across Atlanta to sell homes.

As far as spam?  An isolated post is not spam, if I did this a 1000 fold yes it would be. Spam SEO is not complying with rules for titling, meta tags and content.  Spamming could be having a title tag that has 150 characters, and a meta description that is really a book.  If every other word or phrase I used was "Atlanta homes for sale" or "atlanta real estate..."  that would not be good.  It would be counter productive.

Nice piece for stimulating conversation.  I was hoping to get some ideas on what items one can include in your web-site to draw people to it.  The marketing ideas and the gains of doing so is helpful,but once there, these days, people are looking for a bit more, I find.  Here in NYC, there are so many web-sites that are currently functioning somewhat like MLS's where buyers can find out what is on the market.  The sellers go to where the buyers are.  The resources put into these sites are typically beyond that an individual independent contractor can/will put into a "cyber-plot".  I actually used to own/operate an internet site catering to parents / wholistic child-rearing along with  my wife.  At it's peak, the site was generating over 10,000 visitors / day.  Sadly, this was also at the point where the "internet economy" collapsed on itself and internet ads that were the primary source of income "dried up" or all went to big player that were also trying to stay in the business.  This has given me some great ideas for marketing my current site and trying to compete in a local over-crowded market.  My lesson there was that "content was truly king".  We'll see how this site evolves.  I'm happy with the traffic so far, but still need that "draw" to get folks to come back over and over again.  Any ideas would be very helpful.  If anyone has good leads on scripts that are available for tools like a mortgage amortization schedule or "Rent vs. Own" calculator, I would be every so greatful.

 TIA

David E. Smith

www.BedStuyRealEstateGuy.com 

This was fascinating.. I need to make better use of key words in my sites.. 

Hey david!  I went to high school in Bed Sty!  On Atlantic Ave and Washington!  Anything and everything you can place on your website is great.  Do not fall into the trap of just using a profile and calculators.  Build it out as a community portal!  Local info, schools, and local news etc..

Good advice and good comments. I'm learning how to improve my internet presence.

Thanks for sharing.  There greatest thing about the Internet is that is free, and it is not rocket science.

Jim, I think the technical term to describe the size of your website is GINORMOUS !  It's obvious you have spent a great deal of time and effort adding all of that content over the years.

I too love the opportunity to do business from almost anywhere and at any tme. To address Jim Crawford's comment above though...about the internet not being rocket science...Jim may be right...but there is an awful lot to know and there are definitely things one can do better if one has the information.  The younger generations here are definitely at an advantage...they've been online & blogging since preschool!

Tara seemed to think that you were SPAMMing with all roads leading to the same spot on your website.  You have done exactly what others have advocated in AR repeatedly in the two weeks that I have been a member.  If it's not broke, don't fix it.

Interesting post... I think what makes your site so successful is that it's content rich and it doesn't look like a template site.  Obviously, a lot of time and attention is given to keep it updated. 

Great job!!!

Irina, Pasadena CA

Great post today and I am always interested in what makes a good
website.  I think that there is much to learn on this subject and
I love all the interest and informative posts I've seen from AR members
on this. It's not just a few things that make a good site it's quite a
few.

I will keep this handy for future use.

Patricia Aulson/SEACOAST REALTOR/NH & ME

CallPatricia.Com! 

Jim, so if  talk about Springfield Missouri real estate or Springfield homes, it will help bring up my website?  Or should I use Selling real estate in Springfield

Great post!  The best thing I like about reading your posts is all the subliminal ideas you write about.  Bet if I move to Atlanta, I won't forget who to contact.  Thanks

Thanks for all the comments.  The site is an old site I guess close to 10 years old.  Actually according to http://www.alexa.com/...On-line Since: 11-Jun-1998.   My previous site was a shared domain .

Kay I would use "Springfield MO homes for sale" - "Springfield homes"  "Springfield homes for sale"  It really depends on what primary web position you want to obtain.  I get much better results wiht homes, homes for sale, new homes, condos, luxury homes...

Jim,

"For many years in selling real estate in Atlanta,
it always seemed like we were a few closings away from finally
getting a few dollars back in the bank, and turning real profit." 

It took a smart guy like you YEARS to start making money?  That is scary in and of itself.  I have recently geared my website towards neighborhoods in the area.  Not too many others are doing this so I am placing well on terms like "Sanford NC Lake Villanow", which is a high dollar neighborhood.  The same is true for a bunch of other neighborhoods in my market.  I have my fingers crossed that this will help drive some traffic to my website and eventually some dollars into my pocket. 

The weather is warming and the buyers are starting to come out!  Got a couple of leads today so that is good!

 Rita

It's scary to think that anybody accessible to an Internet computer could be looking at our websites. Folks, we are living in a new age. Let's flow with it...

George Jordan

Red Soil Real Estate

PEI, CA

Rita you are right on track to have your web traffic and closed business explode!  The coming markets will be local as opposed to relo.  Target marketing your web audienceis something I've always advocated.  Yu will have an edge on your market!

George  it works really well!

Jim, I'm amazed at your 3,000 unique daily visitors; I thought my website was doing well by averaging 728 a day during February, but yours gets four times the traffic.

George, the reason I have a website is because "anybody accessible to an Internet computer could be looking at (it)". It's not scary but it is very exciting to find that someone in Japan, or Iraq, or South Africa, or across the street from you, found you on the web and wants to do business with you because of that.

Jim- where did you say you were from?    Atlanta?   :>)

By the way here are some useful web tools:

1. Keyword Selector Tool


2. Google Dance Tool


3. Page Rank Checker


4. Link Popularity


5. Search Engine Saturation


6. Keyword Verification


7. iWebTools.Com


8. Free Webmaster tools


9. Real estate webmasters


10. Google Webmaster Tools


11. www.Vivisimo.com

Sue  I can assure you that I have no southern accent even though I lived most of my life in the south! LOL!  I am originally from Brooklyn New York.  First generation USA.  :)  Parents are from Newfoundland!

Jim Lee - Sorry I skipped your post Jim.  www.AtlantaBestHomes.Com is an old site in web terms, but it is also a very deep site with probably several hundred pages so that traffic is a by product of that.

I tried to read this but was really distracted by all of the links.  I think I would rather eat a can of SPAM than finsh this blog!

A ton of useful info --thxs for the post.  Rita--I hope you will share your success stories.

I find it odd that some of these comments are criticizing Jim - and when I search for their page it is lost in the search - Jim is #1 in most key word searches and you question him?  Not much logic there - this one post may have a lot of links but - it apparently is not hurting him... guess it comes to the don't throw rocks if you live in a glass house. 

Nice follow through Jim

It's the attack of the clueless Thesa, Jim Crawford is not only one of the most technologically advanced Realtors I know but one of the most sharing.

I believe they think his posting is somehow spam simple because it mentions the word "Atlanta" and has multiple links to his website.

Their loss; they could learn a thing or two from Jim that would make them some money.

Thanks for all the kind words.  I speak a lot on Internet marketing and SEO, but I sell no products.  My teaching site is a free real estate web tutorial.  I get so many emails and calls from agents, that I built the website to refer them to. I am an advocate that knowledge is the key.  Most of the information for SEO is free, and you can find it on my website.  www.realestatetechcoach.com

Thanks for the good post. 

It is very important that you check you spelling on your website, blog or emails. This can be easily checked using your spell check. Oh yes the internet was not a gift from G'd. Matter of fact it was created in 1969.

In 1969, the US Department of Defense wanted a communication system that could not be destroyed in the event of an emergency. They linked computers over telephone lines so that if one computer failed to work, the others could still communicate with each other.

In my humble opinion DOD does not equal GOD in my life.  There are loads of real estate agents that are drawn to the Internet, but there are a few that understand it and how to apply it.  Why aren't all real estate agents as successful?  We all have access to same information do we not?  For me it a personal thing where I was at the right place and time, and have done extremely well with it.  Technology is not my background.  It was the grace of God that opened this path for me.  Like I said, for me it was a gift from God.

Vivisimo is an incredible cluster search engine research tool.  Isn't it amazing how many of the seminars in real estate on Internet never really talk about tools?  They do in fact talk about a lot of BS!  Pay per click etc.  It is obvious to persons familiar with SEO they are blowing a lot of smoke and charging big bucks for stuff that absolutely does not work!  Or it is just old information!

Jim,

That's a great post.  Some great information and a good example of how to use links!

Carol O'Hanley

PEI

Canada

Thank you!  I really do not know why more agents do not do a little of their own research.  I've never known a better way to make money in real estate than from the Internet.  How's the weather in PEI?

Well it has made a firm believer out of me!  Even in this soft market we are still selling listings, getting showings on them and making money.

I think many agents do not understand Blogging at all.  It needs to local, and linked to your sites, and the market you are after.  I color outside the lines because I also speak nationally.  AR works best when you blog for a purpose.  Localism is smart rgith now!  Also you are correct it is only a component of SEO.  It is like years ago we had many search engines, now everyone relies on Google.  What happened to dogpile.com, Go, Infoseek, Hotbot, CompuServe,Prodigy, Excite...etc?