Update on the NEW Classic 3.0 Release

Two weeks ago we announced the release of the NEW generation of web design for REALTORS® - called Classic Package 3.0.  The response to the new Classic 3.0 has been phenomenal.  We have been inundated with requests to upgrade and the process has been going well.  We appreciate your patience with us as the heavy volume of upgrade requests has slowed down our response time slightly on your emails to our Customer Support department.  We are working overtime hours to accommodate the extra workload and expect to be back to normal very soon.   

If you have already upgraded, you already know that the programming in the NEW Classic 3.0 is COMPLETELY different than the previous version.  In the following weeks, we will be highlighting different sections of our new Classic 3.0 so you can take advantage of power you have to enhance your website.

Remember, our NEW Classic Package 3.0 is a FREE upgrade from your previous Classic Package version. Your new program is backed by the same friendly and efficient service you've always received from our Customer Support Department. 

If you haven’t already, simply fill out the form below to notify us that you would like to upgrade to the new version, and you will be placed in our "Upgrade Queue."

Due to volume of upgrade requests we expect to receive, we are estimating your site should be transferred over to the NEW version within 3-7 business days. You will be emailed by a Customer Support Representative as soon as your new site is up and running, with more specific instructions. 

After your site has been upgraded to the new version, you may need to wait 24 hours to see your new website and login to your new Virtual Office. Your password will still be the same. It will take some time as such changes require an update of DNS (Domain Name Service.)

The NEW Classic 3.0 ~ Making your Site Beautiful

Our Template Manager has been completely rewritten and modified in Classic 3.0.  The Template Manager is located in the Design Center section.  In our Classic 2.0 package, you could choose from any of our pre-made templates and color choices we created for you. 

Now your home page can be completely customized, with ANY color under the rainbow, your own graphic images inserted into the design, button choices, backgrounds and more. Below is a sample of some of the changes our Beta Testers have made, including adding their own custom graphics, to the design of their home page.

MORE NEW STYLES have been added to our collection of attractive templates - each is completely customizable…from the colors and graphics to the type and style of the navigational buttons.  Be on the lookout as we continue to add new styles during the next few months.  

Here's how to Create a Beautiful Home Page Design:

First, login to your Virtual Office.
Click on 'Design Center'

The Design Center has several different categories with new programs you may want to explore at a later date.  For now, click on 'Template Manager'.

The template you currently have selected will be listed in red and will indicate ‘Currently Selected’ after the template name. 

If you just upgraded to the Classic 3.0 package you probably have the standard template.  Click on 'Edit' to see how much more you can change in the home page of your website.

Each template has a different editing screen.  At the top of the editing screen you will see a diagram with a legend for the color, text, or image you have the ability to change. 

Depending on the template you are working with, you may have the ability to edit and change images, colors, and text to display on your template.  View the diagram for this particular template at the top of the page.  It will tell you that Image1 corresponds to a particular image on the page, or color1 corresponds to a particular color for the template.  When you change any of these items, your image, color, or text will show up in that spot.   

The possibilities are endless in the type of custom creation you can produce with Classic 3.0. Be sure to check out these wonderful new features to modify your site to make it your own unique design.

Also, any template you create will then be saved in your Template Manager, until you decide to delete it.  This means you have the ability to create customized templates and save your work if you ever want to exchange templates. 

We hope you enjoy your NEW Classic Package 3.0 program. As always, we welcome your comments and suggestions, and thank you sincerely for your business and support.

The November Google Update

The search engine world was stunned on November 15th when Google made a massive update in its algorithm without notice.  This change in algorithm, known as “The Florida Update,” caused a huge upheaval in the ranking system, resulting in many of our clients’ positions in Google results being lowered.  The Florida Update stimulated news publications to write articles to review and comment on the changes.  If you belong to Inman News, you may find these articles of interest:

www.inman.com/inmannews.asp?ID=38708
www.inman.com/inmannews.asp?ID=38632

(Please note to view the articles above you must subscribe to Inman News.)

Search engine changes often occur without warning, and are harsh and frightening, disrupting rankings earned with hours of hard work.  Many of your relocation leads are derived from the search engines.  When you are no longer enjoying top rankings your leads can be diminished.   We strongly suggest you continue to advertise your website through more traditional channels, and wait for Google to adjust their algorithms. 

At this point, we are in the third week after the primary Google change.  Many of the previous updates required more than a month for the algorithms to shift to a more normal position.  Although it may be painful, we still advise you to wait a few more weeks before making any drastic changes.  Continue to add content to keep your website as fresh and relevant as possible.  Also, feel free to visit the Advanced Access Forums where the discussion continues under the 'Search Engine' category.

The following article gives an impartial review of the Google changes:

Google's Florida Update
by Jim Hedger, SEO Manager - StepForth Search Engine Placement

The impact of Google's Florida Update has not been fully realized yet but, with reports from some of our clients who have been hurt, the damage will be extensive. Literally hundreds of thousands of websites have seemingly disappeared from Google's listings, most of whom enjoyed a Top10 placement before the massive update which started on November 16th. Like most retailers, ecommerce sites that have faded from the listings needed a good Christmas season to remain viable into the next year and many of them staked their sales plans on a their previously strong placements at Google. The fallout will be noticeable, particularly among small businesses whose advertising options were limited by small business budgets. Small businesses, however, will not be the only companies facing an uncertain future because of the Florida Update. When the SEO community starts receiving calls from the mainstream media and people who are not clients, asking what is wrong with Google; one knows that Google itself has a problem that goes far beyond their data centers. As one of the pioneers of the web, Lee Roberts of The Web Doctor points out, "It was word-of-mouth that generated their popularity because people could find what they were looking for. Now, we only find sites with less quality content and less sites that offer what we want."

The Florida Update encompasses the most substantial changes to Google's famed ranking algorithm in the young company's history. There are several theories as to why Google forced this update. Some say that Google is trying to force small businesses to join their highly profitable AdWords program by making such a comprehensive update just before the Christmas shopping season. Others say that Google has always used the weeks around the US Thanksgiving holiday to make changes in the hopes that the sudden decrease in traffic over what is often a 4-day weekend will give their engineers enough time to introduce a new algorithm, (and fix any minor errors), without causing massive disruptions to their normal users. A third theory, (the one I lean towards), states that Google was simply tired of being gamed by the growing cadre of less ethical players in the SEO sector and has simply changed the rules overnight by applying this new algorithm. Whatever the reason, the damage is being done and now advertisers and web-users want to know what to expect next. Unfortunately, that is not an easy question to answer as Google does not comment on any changes to their algorithm, therefore the only thing we can do is offer experienced and educated guesses.

I suspect that the folks at Google know they have a major problem on their hands and are working to fix it. We have seen MAJOR spider activity from Google-Bot in the past 48-hours and see evidence that another Google-Dance is currently underway. We have seen updates to the algorithm in the past. The most recent happened earlier this summer and the one before that was in October 2002. Each time Google augmented its algorithm with a new feature or filter, massive dislocation was temporarily felt across the commercial web. Both times, however, Google began producing relevant results within a matter of weeks. The new filters added to this update were too comprehensive and penalized sites that Google couldn't have been targeting on purpose. Again, I suggest that Google's engineering staff knows this, and if they don't, their customer relations and PR departments are most certainly telling them. I expect to see parts of this filter retained and applied to the formula that eventually evolves into their new algorithm but I simply can't see Google keeping this algorithm, continuing to serving up spam, and throwing its hard-earned reputation out the window. Regardless of the number of MBAs they have on staff, Google's brain trust is simply too smart for that.

Google is not in the business of driving websites out of business. Google exists to make money by providing the most relevant listings possible, a goal they are clearly not achieving. As Lee Roberts stated above, Google was built on (and, implicitly can be brought down by), word-of-mouth advertising, a fact that can not be lost on the management at Google. Google is not in the extortion business and has in fact, built its reputation on being above reproach in the separation of paid advertising (AdWords), and the general free listings. I have a difficult time excepting the theory that Google is simply trying to increase AdWords revenues, or increase its own perceived value before issuing the expected IPO next quarter. In reality, what I think we are seeing is Google trying to reclaim its power when it comes to choosing how it will rank websites. Think about this update as a pendulum. Before the update happened, the pendulum had swung to one extreme where, with enough hard work, some could make Google do almost anything they wanted it to. Now, with the application of the Florida Update, Google has pushed the pendulum back to the other extreme. Eventually, and based on past observation, the pendulum will find its way back to the middle. As for those of us adversely affected by the Florida Update, we best advice is to continue making minor changes to your site as normal. We do not advise a full reoptimizaton at this point, a task that would not likely produce strong results before the end of the purchasing season anyway, until the SEO sector has an honest handle on what is happening at Google. As a wise and wonderful person recently told me, "... you can't push a rope."


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Jim Hedger is the SEO Manager at StepForth Search Engine Placement. Jim has over years 10 years of Internet experience as an entrepreneur and over 3 years as an Internet marketer. When not working on a computer, Jim can be found playing with his nine-week old kittens or trying to save the world in one way or another. Jim welcomes questions about search engines, and search engine marketing. He can be reached at jim@stepforth.com

"Well it looks like Advanced Access has hit the bulls eye...First a superior product, but most importantly a new account specialist who can take the techno-gee wiz jargon and make it palatable to a non-techie. Ms Jennifer Davis who is the best of the best....This developing talent should be carefully groomed for advancement and promoted immediately. I am sincerely impressed from her excellent and professional customer service demeanor. Ms Davis must be the jewel of the Advanced Access Fleet, and for me this professional is "solid Gold" in my book."

Best Regards & Much Success in the Future.

Bob De Young

"I enjoyed reading the informative e-mail you sent to me. I am looking forward to using the new 3.0 Program you are introducing. It looks like a great deal of hard work and effort was put into it. I enjoyed seeing the faces with the names of each team member responsible for creating this new edition. I even found myself laughing out loud when I read the part about the design members needing to fuel their think tanks with Mountian Dew, pizza and whatever else. You guys seem like you love what you do. Keep up the good work."

Lindsay from Kevin Smith Realty

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