Matt Jameson

SEO is an acronym for "search engine optimization" or "search engine optimizer."

People who own and operate websites are always looking to get more visitors to their website. This is also called "traffic". The more visitors or traffic you have on your website, the more likely you are to make money from your website.

Search engine optimization is the process of changing your website so that is is easier to find when someone searches the internet. Websites such as www.google.com, www.yahoo.com, www.lycos.com, www.msn.com, www.ask.com are just a few examples of popular search engines that people use.

Just having a website isnt enough. Your website needs to appear as relevant to real estate. You need a properly designed website which has been optimized.

For this reason many brokers decide to use an outside vendor to optimize their websites.

Deciding to hire an SEO is a big decision that can potentially improve your site and save time. Make sure to research any company very well before signing up. Many SEOs and other agencies and consultants provide useful services for website owners, including:

• Review of your site content
• Advice on website development
• Content development
• Keyword research and development
• SEO training

Keep in mind that the search results pages includes regular search results and often paid advertisement (denoted by the heading "Sponsored Links") as well.

Free resources such as Webmaster Tools, the official Webmaster Central blog, can provide you with a great deal of information about how to optimize your site.

It is a great idea to become an educated consumer and get familiar with how search engines work. Check out this link:

• Google 101: How Google crawls, indexes and serves the web.

Some questions to ask any potential SEO company:

• Can you show me examples of your previous work?
• What kind of results do you expect to see, and in what timeframe?
• How do you measure success?
• What's your experience in my industry?
• How long have you been in business?

• Beware of SEO companies that send you junk email.

  "Dear John,
  I looked at your site and saw that you are not listed in most of the major search engines and directories..."

  It is unsolicited email. You should ignore it.

• No one can promise a #1 ranking on Google, it doesn't work that way.

  Beware of SEOs who guarantee rankings, or advertise a "priority submit" to Google. There is no priority submit for Google.

• Here are a few warning signs that you are dealing with a fraudulent SEO company.
  
  If you have any doubts, you should trust your instincts.

• has had domains removed from Google's index or is not itself listed in Google
• requests your FTP account information or root access to your server

Lastly: If you feel that you were ripped off by an SEO company, report it.

In the United States, the Federal Trade Commission takes complaints about shady and unfair businesses.

To file a complaint, visit: http://www.ftc.gov/ or call 1-877-FTC-HELP

I recently tuned in to a new story talking about officially hitting the "bottom" of the housing market. Due to the rising amount of foreclosures as well as short sales home prices have fallen and its no big surprise. Apparently analysts feel that this trend has bottomed out and will not continue to rise.

Are you prepared for this news? What this means for many potential homeowners, is a rush to buy before prices begin to trend upward. This means buyers who have been watching this market and waiting to "strike" are now ready to move forward. This means the time of multiple offers and careful counters is again upon us.

As with the stock market, the general public reacts on emotion more so than logic. That emotion is telling many that they are about to miss the mark on getting the best deal, and that they had better buy or get left behind.

You'd better be ready for this trend. And quickly! Brokers now need to reconsider their initial offers on properties. One needs to start thinking about putting in offers that keep you in first position. This could mean anything from taking on more closing costs and repairs, to putting in multiple offers on multiple properties.

What this also means, is that buyers are going to start shopping for brokers. Many of these buyers have shunned brokers as of late - because they wanted to wait out this market and not to be pressured to buy. But now that they are feeling under the gun, they will be making quick decisions on choosing a broker.

What does this mean for you? It means you need to beef up your marketing, boost your online presence, and also hit your database.

Your database can be the most profitable aspect of your business if used properly. This includes contacting your less than warm clients to be sure they are aware of us being at the "bottom". These folks may not be paying attention to the news as far as housing goes. Making them aware of this development could lead to your next closing. Again, people react to what other people are doing and saying. And now that "mother media" is preaching rock bottom prices people are ready to react. By simply contacting your database to chat about this development you can end up with new and very active buyer clients.

You might consider having them get pre-qualified now, so that if they see a hot deal they are ready to move in on it. You might also chat with them about the crazy-low interest rates right now. Even go further and do a worksheet showign them how much their monthly payments would be on houses at price points of $180000, $200000, $225000, and $250000. Your clients may not be aware that making mortgage payments is likey to cost them far less than simply renting.

By educating your clients to the current market, interest rate, and availability of inventory you can help them to realize that there has not been a time to buy like this in a long long time.

Next your marketing needs to be more visible. This is the time to make sure you have a website, attractive business cards, phone book listings, and social networks. Why? Because people are scrambling to find brokers, and they often search very quickly and choose even more quickly. So you need to be visible. Radio ads would be a fantastic thing to do now. Regardless of the public and their ability to buy now, they are quite interested in what is going on. They pay more attention to real estate news right now than ever before.

This means that they will respond to radio and television ads like never before. They will be looking at online directories of brokers, yellow pages, etc. Simply put, they are looking for the most attractive ad campaign.

Brokers would do well to heed the advice above. While in the past year many have scaled back advertising, now is the time for this to end. Just like the stock market, you need to be ahead of the curve if you plan to have an advantage over your competitors. You need to be ahead of the curve. You need to strike first.

Its simple, you just need to be ready. Many brokers are calling me now to have me design business cards or design websites, and they are spot on. There has never been a better time to invest in your marketing. If you would like a free consultation from an experienced graphic designer contact me now. I can make this more affordable than other designers because I have no overhead. Other designers simply cannot compete with my prices or my quality. And even more than that, you need a designer who understands real estate. I urge you to act now, before you find yourself wishing you had.

Tired of your boring business card? So are your clients. In a modern world where everyone has a business card it is important to stand out from the crowd. Your business card is like a first impression. A poorly designed card projects a sloppy attitude when it comes to attention to detail. It shows your clients that you are happy to do the bare minimum.

A client assumes that you will handle their properties or purchases well. But if they see that you fail to even properly market yourself, why would they want you to represent them. Many clients assume that you will pay the most attention to marketing yourself and your business as a Realtor. They will look at your personal marketing as an indication of how well you can market. In this day and age, you need to impress your clients from the get go. Handing them a boring business card is a quick way to become forgotten.

When you hand out a properly designed business card, it's a work of art. It's impressive, it makes a statement about your level of professionalism, and it's memorable. These three traits are vital if you plan to stand out to your clients. In addition, your business card will tell your client that you care about marketing yourself, your business, and your listings.

Affordable business card design can be hard to find. There are a lot of $20 specials out there which leave you with a generic and watered down design. Remember that you get what you pay for. Trust an experienced graphic designer who knows real estate.

See some examples of my designs, and get a free quote at:

www.mattjameson.com

You need affordable graphic design, you need an experienced graphic designer, and you need a designer who delivers quality work at reasonable prices. Take the first step and visit my website today.

Check out my testimonials section to see what my clients are saying about my work. Discover why my entire design business is built around referrals, and why my clients are happy to refer their friends and family to me. Enhance your brand and get noticed!!!

Its starting to warm up around Southern Oregon, and it's not just the weather! We're now seeing more buyers asking for assistance than in many months past. So how does one take advantage of this?

Well, for starters - you've got to go and get them. Buyers are like free giveaways- you've got to go out and get them if you want them. Most buyers are busy enough trying to search the market on their own, to really stop and think about how they should choose a Realtor. They often don't realize that finding the right Realtor with the best experience for the type of home they are seeking - can significantly shorten the home buying process.

Going out to get buyers can seem like a daunting task - but really all a good Realtor has to do is to identify their own specialty. For example some Realtors are far more experienced with properties in town than rural properties. By thinking about what deals you are best at brokering - you can find your own niche market to corner.

Start by asking yourself what kind of buyers or sellers you work best with. What type of people do you most enjoy doing business with? These questions can help you to feel less apprehensive about targeting buyers. Each one of us has a specialty. By capitalizing on this, you can help yourself to sound more assertive, and more experienced when talking to prospective buyers. When you approach buyers from a place of comfort, you sound more knowledgeable and more natural. Buyers are looking for that. Buyers want to feel like they are being represented by a competent professional, and one they can trust.

Another thing to consider is community involvement. Get yourself signed up to volunteer for local organizations such as CASA, Habitat for Humanity, of the Humane Society. As the weather gets better more people come out to volunteer. You might be surprised at how many great connections you can make by doing this, and aside from all of that - it feels great to give back to your community. Perhaps you might organize a car wash to help raise funds for a local school's sports team, or have a bake sale to benefit charitable causes. Whatever you choose, try to pick something where you can get outside and meet a lot of people. Everyone is in a better mood when the weather is warm and the sun is shining.

Casual conversations can quickly evolve into: "Hey what do you do for a living?", or "How long have you lived here in Southern Oregon?" Conversations like these can lead to friendships, networking, referrals - and the ideal outcome - a dedicated buyer client who feels comfortable working with you.

Also by doing positive things within your community, it helps the people you meet realize that you are interested in enriching the community - as opposed to just selling a piece of it. Get yourself out to the local community events, shows, fairs, and park related activities. You'll have fun, get a nice tan - and most importantly you will get more in touch with your community and the people who live in it. Offer to sponsor events, so that all involved realize you are a Realtor. Talk with your Principal Broker about sponsoring sporting teams through your office. The more people know about you, the more likely you are to be successful.

The bottom line: With a little sunscreen, a little motivation, and a little time to give back to your community you can quickly improve your client base at the same time as experiencing the fantastic feeling you get by volunteering.