Bob Wuest

This blog entry is a follow up to one I wrote earlier (see here), that got a couple responses that let me know there's interest in SEO.

Vanna and Harry - I feel your pain. I've had a website for 4 years. No SEO, other than some on-page stuff that was really pretty weak. Doesn't cost me much ($35/month); and I've gotten 2 sales that I can attribute directly to it. So even though it wasn't SEO'd, it gave me a pretty good return.

But earlier this year I started studying Internet Marketing, to add a couple income streams to my RE biz... which I'd let drift a bit last year, while focusing on some real estate investing.

As I started learning about affiliate marketing and SEO, I thought I'd try applying some of the techniques I was learning to my own website. Stuff like "ethical bribes" (give something of value in return for leaving me contact information), on- and off-page SEO, article marketing and the like.

In 3 months of doing it, I've raised my site from a Google Page Rank (PR) 0 to a 2. (The largest brokerage in town - with 1400 agents - has a PR 3 website. I have them in my sights!)

I just checked - in May I got 18 leads from my website; and I'm working with 2 buyers as a result. Those 18 leads were just shy of my annual lead rate from 2 years ago (and probably half again what I got last year).

Funny... I've recently taken it to the logical next level - getting paid to help a couple friends - a chiropractor and a therapist - with SEO'ing their sites. (Way easiter SEO'ing local sites than non-local - except when you're competing with 4,000 other Realtor websites in the local area). As a Cincinnati Realtor, that's where my competition level is.

Anyway... I can see from the responses on this post, and another one I did earlier about a great SEO tool that Internet leads have y'alls attention

(I lived in TX for a couple years, I still like the y'all thing. It's when it got to the plural - all y'all - that I kind of opted out :)

So, I'm gonna start writing about SEO for Realtors. Not here... on a new blog that I'll setup specifically for that purpose. But I'll post some links here, so that you can find me there. 

*really getting juiced about this idea as I'm writing*.... So here's a challenge for me (and some way for you to judge whether or not I know what I'm talking about): We'll see how long it takes me to get ranked in the top 5 Google organic results under the term "SEO for Realtors". I'm figuring it'll be 2 months or less.

If you like what I'm posting, subscribe to my blog here, and my RSS feed on the new site that I'll announce here within the next couple days.  So I know that someone's interested! :)

*already have 1 idea on how we can help each other SEO'ing one anothers sites - I'll post it there!*

To your wealth!

I agree with something that Kelcey said in this forum.  SEO is important.

But the best SEO in the world will do one thing: drive traffic to your website.

Not enough.

If he visits, and doesn't tell you who he is, that visit is useless.

So your website must have several incentives, or offers.

The basic one (the reason most people visit a real estate website) is to search for properties on the MLS.

What I know from recent reports and statistics, is that the market sales momentum is with the first time buyer.

So, I've been targeting some new products on my website to appeal to that visitor. Things like a free Home Buyer's eBook to help him save $5,000 or more on his home purchase.

And, knowing that he's looking for a bargain, I'm producing a free list of Cincinnati foreclosure properties that he can get delivered 1-2x per week just by registering.

Gotta be creative, ya know? Gotta stay one up on the lead aggregators, who spend a small fortune for advertising, then pimp their leads to any/every Realtor that they can screw for a couple bucks.

Does that sound cynical?  I guess it is, having spent probably $2,000 in the last year on lousy leads from lead aggregators, and having only 2 sales from it.  Not bad, huh?  Now count in the hundreds of hours I spent chasing the junk leads.... and all of a sudden that ROI isn't smelling so sweet.

What I'm finding is that with a little SEO, a little Pay-per-click advertising, and some creative thought about how to get conversions, I can get the same number of leads month-in, month-out that I was getting from the aggregators... except they're higher quality, and they cost me a fraction of what I was paying last year.

Stay tuned... I've already started monetizing the Cincinnati Real Estate Blog, and I'm about to start the same thing with my website.

Giving starts the receiving process. (Richard Robbins)
If you have a gift and don't give it away, you don't get to keep it. (Marianne Williamson)
Givers gain. (Business Network International)

I could go on about giving. And probably will later.

I spend a lot of my time working with For Sale By Owners. I don't try to hard sell them on listing with me. Now understand, I won't complain if they want to! But I know when I have a house to sell, the idea of paying a 6% commission hurts. I've tried to sell homes on my own too! *before I became a Realtor*

I've developed a lot of ideas and resources to help people sell on their own. I visit with a good number of FSBOs, and always share ideas with them. I've developed a drip email campaign with ideas.

I even recently started a relationship with "Talking House" to give people selling on their own an alternative to loading the brochure box every day. This is a transmitter than goes in the home, and does a low-frequency, 24x7 radio broadcast of a description of the home. I spent over $500 per transmitter, as an investment. What's interesting is that everyone I've shown it to thinks it's a good idea, but they're not willing to spend 50 bucks to get it! (and I offer to rebate that money if they eventually list with me).

I figure, if give away the knowledge I have of selling homes, it'll come back somehow.

Buy a Cincinnati home today