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Search Engine Optimization

Many of you contact us and ask “How can I do better in the search engines?” To which we reply, the list…is long. There is really so much you can do to improve your visibility to search engines.  The truth is that this will be a question we'll all be asking for as long as search engines exist...because search engine optimization is always evolving into a new version of itself, and will continue to do so as the months and years go by.  However, we have narrowed it down to a few simple topics for this week to help you on your way.  Just remember to take everything one step at a time.

Do You Have A Search Engine Friendly Website?

Of course the fact that we've posed this question implies that you may have added items to your website or implemented online marketing strategies that could also be detrimental to your placement. So now what?!  One of the most powerful search engine optimization tools is self evaluation.  Sit down and take a look at your site on a regular basis.  Take inventory of what you have on your site, and highlight what can potentially boost your placement, and work on eliminating items that could hinder your progress.

Search Engines are all the same in this way: they want to provide the most relevant results possible for their users. Using unique mathematical formulas, search engines establish the worth of your site to determine where they should place you within their provided search results. To be able to get top placement for your keyword terms, you will need to work toward mastering the following aspects of your website:

What do you have to offer?

The most important thing to remember about your website is that its content will be the strongest factor in how the search engines rank it. No matter how many links you have going to your site (i.e. Link Popularity) search engines will still depend greatly on the content of your website to gauge how well it serves your visitors. Although it is important that you provide information that will help your visitors and gain their interest, without good search engine placement, there won’t be too many people that will see your website in the first place. This is why it is so important that you write your content so that it is valuable to both your visitors AND the search engines.

A search engine automatically “reads” the text on your website to establish what your site is all about. The search engine then follows the links on your site, looking to see what additional information you offer, and whether the content is original or not.  The more links you have leading to other pages on your site that contain solid, relevant, original information, the more a search engine is apt to think that you are an “authority” on the given subject matter discussed on your website.  It is important to note that links going out to other websites for information will not help your search engine placement, or help you to retain visitors on your site.  You need to write your own content that is on your own website.

Since real estate is your primary topic, let's review some examples of content that should and should not exist on your site; particularly your homepage.  A website that has a small amount of homepage content and a link to the MLS or your Featured Listings is simple and helpful, of course. But does it provide your visitor with everything they would want to know about the area in order to make a truly informed decision? Probably not. A search engine assumes the very same thing. Your site is much more likely to receive higher rankings if you provide a variety of information, not just about real estate in general, but about the community in which you offer real estate services! Adding additional pages to your website that offer community history, local entertainment, links to essential resources in the area and other helpful information, will give your potential clients more to consider and the search engines more to credit you for!  You don't need to have everything on your homepage, but links within your homepage text to other sections of your website that provide the additional information is the key.

For search engines, the subject matter of your website determines what keyword terms they rank you for, not the other way around. If your site is about “Jerome Real Estate” and you mention that term within your content, linking out from the text to interior pages about that subject, search engines are more likely to rank you higher for that term. The title tag of your website (located in the upper left of your browser window when on your homepage) helps to let the search engines know what your site is all about, but the subject matter of your content will be the primary factor. Consider this: if the title tag on your website says “Jerome Real Estate”, but your homepage talks about why gardening is such an enjoyable pastime for you, why would a search engine want to give you any credit for the term “Jerome Real Estate”?  In this example, your homepage would most likely not even contain the phrase "Jerome Real Estate".  If there's no evidence that you know anything about Jerome real estate, and you've provided no information that will help anyone seeking real estate in Jerome, a search engine is not going to want to present you to the world as an authority on the subject.

More than meets the eye

We assume that the look and feel of your website are very important to you. We’ve never seen any of you market your site with this slogan: “Hey, go check out my website. It’s horribly ugly, but it’s got great information!”  Design aspects and graphical elements are meant to add to the appeal of your website while not distracting your visitors from what counts the most, your content. Graphics should be placed on the site in areas where it will attract your visitors to the important elements of your website, not to detract from or replace the need for content.  Adding several animated objects or large images to your homepage or other areas of your site will only slow your loading time, and annoy your visitors.

Keep in mind that search engine robots do not see that "cool" slide show you added to your homepage. The cute animation of a dog bringing in the newspaper will not be seen by, nor appreciated by them. They cannot see the text written in your images either.  For example, replacing text links with graphic links will hinder your placement.  Robots scan through your website pages in the most analytical way possible, reading the text and following the links on the site, while skipping over photos and graphics. It’s time to start considering how to strike a balance between what will look attractive to your visitors and what will look informative to the search engines.

The End Result

Carefully considered content and the tasteful design of your website affects all who encounter your site.  If you’re not happy with your website, you won’t market it with the amount of dedication necessary for it to be successful. If the search engines are not happy with your website, they will not rank you high enough to give you the kind of traffic you need for your business to succeed. If your visitors are not happy with your website, they will click on that dreaded “Back” button and seek the next real estate site in line.

What this all comes down to is that you need to provide the most accurate and helpful information possible about your area while letting your visitors know what it is that sets you apart from everyone else. Why are you the right person for the job? What do you offer that will persuade them to go from being a visitor, to a lead, to a potential client, and eventually become a sale? Our best advice to you is to write the content of your website as if you’re speaking directly to a person. Don’t bother with lofty speech and real estate terms that an average person not practicing real estate would need a dictionary to understand.  Speak to your visitors in such a way that compels them to search through the additional pages of your website.  This approach is more likely to get the respect of search engines and visitors alike which is the first step in getting a return on your investment!

Need more help?  Check out these recent Marketing Tips!

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