Belfair, WA

How important is the name of your website?

The way that this whole thing works can be super confusing. Do the key words in your WEBSITE name have anything to do with how Google ranks you?

My market is Mason County Real Estate. Specifically Belfair Washington Real Estate. I want people interested in this to find me. I am getting ready to get my outside blog and I want to select an appropriate name for my website. However, my competition over the search engines, have names that have NOTHING to do with Belfair Washington Real Estate.

I have always understood Geographical locations are super important in your name. Then why are these other folks kicking my butt on page rankings?

Websites is something that a some of you guys know about. There are even more of us that are clueless and would love some help.

I am assuming that the content on your site is what gets you these rankings. So I am just wondering what is the importance of having a solid name for your website.

Give some insight on the strategy to selecting a name to your website.

Thanks for your help.

________________________

Josh Murphy

Windermere Peninsula Properties.

Does your niche market reflect in your niche office? Virtual or not? To be or not to be.....

There is a lot of discussion going on regarding whether to be a virtual office or having a standing physical office location. Everyone has a different opinion and strategy and of course I do have my own opinion!

But my humble opinion is based on what has and is working for me. Your office, whether it be virtual or physical, needs to fit your niche market and what works for you, your clients and prospective clients. I am all for keeping up with the times and do implement where and when what works for me.

What works for me, may not work for you.

I think you first need to know who you are trying to target.

• DO you have a niche?
• Or are you looking for that niche?
• Are you looking for "out of thin air lead generation" or producing mass leads that you have to filter through to find "A" buyers and sellers?
• or working from an established database?
• Do your target clients require face to face contact?
• What type of community do you live in?
• What type of buyer does your community draw?
• Are you well known in the community?

There's a lot more to think about as well, but those are partly or mostly going to determine whether you need a physical location or you can be virtual...or maybe both is the way to go?(although I do think no matter what you do you have to also have a good online presence as well).

I am a huge, huge Customer Service person as well as a local resource. Being that local resource, it is important to me that when I am out in the small communities of Belfair, Allyn, Hood canal and Puget Sound, that they KNOW where to find me - whether it be on the internet or IN THE OFFICE. My presence is there for both.

I want anyone and everyone to be able to stop by and see me; ask me about the market, or just stop by for the "hello" and/or to ask a question. I also feel that I have a better chance at them stopping by if I have a centrally located professional office rather than saying "sure just stop by my house"?? Probably very few people who want to physically meet with me are going to come by my house.

And as for meeting in a location within the community, to me I would rather have the resource of an office where I know all of my tools are available and is a professional and quiet atmosphere. I want my clients to be able to focus on the matter at hand, not what's going on around us in a different location.

My niche market (although I like to think of my success market as my "niche "service") brings with it a fairly good following within the Belfair and Allyn community. Small communities also tend to be more "face to face" in general, where familiar faces walk and drive the streets every day- With that said, I base how I run and work my office for that niche.

My main focus is small town "Customer Service" and local resource. Sort of like a "live" person on the phone rather than 400 buttons and instructions to get to MAYBE a live person. If I am only VIRTUALLY out there in this community, I am not going to be very well known or looked for if I don't have a centrally located resource center (that would be my office).

We all have use of pretty much the same tools out there, but its how and what you utilitize that is important and tayloring it to fit YOUR needs and YOUR clients needs - not following what I do.

LEAD your business utilizing the tools that fit it. Just because "virtual" seems to be a wave of the future - don't give up on what actually works for YOUR business.

and that's just my humble opinion....

~~Valerie~~

If you would like more information about the Allyn, Belfair, Hood Canal and Puget Sound area and homes for sale, you can visit me on the internet at : www.valspaulding.mywindermere.com or my blog www.Belfairwarealestate.com; or if you would prefer to stop in and say hello or request some information stop on by at my LOCAL Belfair Office at 30 NE Romance Hill Rd, Suite 102, Belfair WA!

Our journey to The Road to the Sun~Day two -Doesn't bring very much Progress -but it IS progress.

Our first night of camping wasn't as bad as I expected. Except for the downhill slope we were sleeping on (nylon sleeping bags and a downhill slope do not mix), MY worry of the rattle snakes, the wind, and the bird that decided at 4AM it was time to really make some racket, I made it through the night!

Here's the link to the first leg of our trip if you want to catch up to how and why we ended up camping....

The neighbor campers were pretty impressed with the bundle of firewood my husband brought back on his bike (wish I'd taken a picture). There was actually a REAL bathroom too with running water (this was one of my pre-requisites with my husband-no bathroom - no campee for me). Thought the rattlesnakes were going to be a problem, but they kept their distance and I kept mine. We'd definitely stay here at this campground again- Make note Spring Canyon Campground- Grand Coule, WA on the will do again list.

But it's time to go... onward to the next stop and towards our final destination -Glacier National Park.

We packed up the bikes. Amazing how meticulous my husband is and what he can carry on his bike. He is CONSTANTLY reminding me that he has to carry some of my stuff... and yeah he got the tent back in the same little bag that it came out of! MIRACLE! (LOL)...The sleeping bags though seem to take up more room this time packing. Ben and his kitchen sink took a little longer, but with a little help we got all his gear back on his bike as well - bungee cord hell, but dam it was secured. We were ready to roll.

COFFEEE- I NEED COFFEEEEEE!!!!! First mission of the day COFFEE!!!. Course my husband will bypass every coffee shop for miles unless I flag him down or pull over....(I usually get my way one way or another)!

We decided to head towards Bonner's Ferry, Idaho rather than going south and up.This was going to be our stopping place for the night. We didn't want to spend buco bucks on a hotel but we didn't want to camp either. 500 miles later we need a shower and a soft comfy bed....

Only 200 miles today we did. But we were wiped. Figure it was from all of that wind that was beating us to death until we got to the Idaho border as well as the hourly uphill climb trying to sleep. Plus we don't want to ride too late - too many large animals start roaming around near dusk and after...

Time for a good nights sleep on a normal bed with a warm and soft mattress and best of all? A shower and COFFEE in the morning! WHOO HOO. I CAN SMELL THE COFFEE ALREADY! Life's little luxuries!

Cute cute place we find in Bonners Ferry. Log cabin motel. Small family run and recently redone. We hitched our rides up by the hitching posts, grabbed us a shower, some inexpensive supper and kicked back on the patio soaking up the last of the days light. Good drink, good food, good company. Another place to add to our "we can do places" in our journeys.

Tomorrow we should reach our turn around destination Glacier National Park. I hope you'll continue to follow as we share our tale of our trip to "The Road to the Sun" and beyond.

The First Day on the Road to the Sun.....

We left on a Wednesday. Motorcycles packed with tents,sleeping bags, a few changes of clothes and no laptop.... (OMG can I DO THIS???).

A goal in mind.... Glacier National Park - that was the turn around point. We had been waiting for this all spring and it was finally time to go. The weather was going to be perfect if we could get ahead of a day of rain moving into the Hood canal area. The day is June 23rd 2009.

We were on a tighter budget this year (who isn't?). That meant tenting it for a couple of nights (again - OMG can I do this?).

• Camping was not one of my favorite things to do- guess I'm kind of spoiled
• Do you know what its like packing for a 7 day trip on motorcycle and bring a sleeping bag and a tent?
• And trying to to get that dam tent and sleeping bag back in the little bag it came in??Geesh.... Ok ok .
• The tents and sleeping bags were a feat in themselves for me.

First stop : Lake Roosevelt near Grand Coulee Dam....

The first day is awesome. We scoot out of town first thing in the morning, We want to get across the pass before the rain moves in. We'll be free and clear then. We fuel up, stop for a good breakfast and watch the weather as it starts moving in.

Got to go! The smiles on our faces are big and broad. All of the bikes were itching to go with a purrrrrrr (ok more of a roar) breathing easy in the perfect weather...

We take the Kingston ferry to Edmonds, WA and hit Route 2 East from there. I am excited. This is MY first long trip and the "boys" don't think I can do it on my Dyna Low Rider. They said I would have "Monkey Butt" (not sure what that is but that's what they said) and would probably be WHINING to stop. I was going to prove them wrong....

There are three of us -each on our own bikes. Myself on my Dyna Low Rider, my husband on a Harley Ultra Classic ("Cadillac") and our good friend, Ben on an Indian. We have all ridden together before so we know how the other rides. We each have our own "eccentric" ways as well and it will be interesting to see if we can mesh through the whole trip.

My husband and I shake our heads in amazement and chuckle at Ben, who has his bike so loaded down we're not really sure he does not have the kitchen sink with him. He is the butt of our harassment pretty much throughout the trip...but he still loves us!

The weather turns warmer -okay HOT (102 degrees)- as we come into traffic in Wenatchee.

Here's where we have our first foul up of the trip. When in town, I failed to make a left hand turn when the boys did - sooooo needless to say I was "mis-guided" for a few minutes as I tried to find my way back to them through the one way streets. I knew I was in for some razzing.

I am scanning the roadside wondering where they stopped and hearing in my head their razzing comments -especially my husband's - "What the hell are you doing? And you failed to turn - why??? I knew you wouldn't be able to keep up with us." and much much more. My husband doesn't cut me much slack when it comes to riding- figures if I'm going to ride with the big dogs and all, I gotta keep up with them.

I spy them parked in a gas station, acting as if they've been there for hours -hands raised to me in question. Uh oh-they've already started the razzing as I approach. I got a plan though!

I stop my bike - rip of my leather gloves and coat, throw them down on the ground and.....

start CRYING! YES! Razzing stopped!!! Okay-okay okay-so it was a little unfair,sneaky and snaky but hey a girls got to do what a girls got to do!

After consoling me and gathering my coat and gloves back up, we saddle back up (with me in the lead this time-they aren't losing me again), and find our way out of town....

It's all a memory as we make our way along some of the most awesome rodes to ride in the Pacific Northwest- The Cascade Loop and beyond. The scenery spectacular, very little traffic and just us and the puuuurrrrr of our bikes...

Tears gone and smiles on all of our faces as we pull into our first campsite alongside Lake Roosevelt near Grand Coulee...

It doesn't get much better than this we think.... or does it? The days to come will tell.

We rode 306 miles this leg of the trip. Oh and NO MONKEY BUTT FOR ME!!!!

More razzing and fun during the next leg of our trip!

A conversation this past week with a seller, really got me to thinking how we connect or don't connect with our contacts, customers and clients...

How well do you read your contacts, customers and clients?

When I meet someone first off, I try to find a common area of interest to break the ice and use it to help establish a connection. Yeah the "weather" always seems to make topic, but I look for and listen for something that will open the door for me and give me that special connection with them.

I don't mean just listening (although extremely important) to what they say, but noticing what they are wearing, driving, carrying and watching their body language can tell you a lot.

Another agent's seller, who has a Hood Canal waterfront home for sale that I have a buyer for, was dropping off some documentation at my office for us. I was looking forward to meeting him and getting a "read" on both him and his property.

When he came in, I noticed he was wearing a Harley Davidson jacket. We introduced ourselves and I asked him the simple question - "What do you ride?"

He smiled and answered immediately, - "Fat Boy."

I commented back pointing at myself -"Dyna Low Rider."

Smiles broke out - high fives went around.... Ice broken. A connection made... No tension for either of us as we casually talked about Harley's and each of our experiences and rides.

It gave him the opportunity to be comfortable with me and vice versa as we worked our way to the discussion of the property.

It is important to be able to read people whether you are negotiating a contract, or meeting someone for the first time. All of the information that you can gather regarding them, their lifestyle, their interests and MAKING the connection is a great way to gain trust and establish a solid relationship as well as a way for them to REMEMBER YOU and who you are and what you do...

His words as he was leaving were : "See you on the rode!"

But what was more important was the connection we DID establish and I really realized this as I listened to his voice mail message :

"Come in 'Biker Agent'. Come in 'Biker Agent'. Biker to "Biker Agent' - How'd the showing go?"

Now that's a connection. "Read" your contacts and you too will find your connection.

There are No Wrong Turns - just MORE ROAD!