Blogging for Business 2006-11-12T17:14:17Z Or, how I learned to stop worrying (about SEO) and love the Blog tag:daar.choice3realty.com,2007://34 Movable Type Copyright (c) 2006, Merv Forney It's a Realtionship Business. Isn't It? 2006-11-12T17:14:17Z 2006-08-14T13:36:00Z tag:daar.choice3realty.com,2006://34.685 2006-08-14T13:36:00Z Ask yourself these questions... Merv Forney http://www.choice3realty.com admin@choice3realty.com 1. Introduction Q I want to increase my business. After family, friends, neighbors, my "sphere of influence", past clients and referrals from all of these, then what?

A Create relationships from other places. If over 75% of all consumers use the web for whatever reason to get real estate related information, why not start there. It is a huge pool of potential clients!


Q How do you create a realtionship on the internet?

A First, potential clients have to find your Website.


Q I have a Website but so do over 1,000,000 other real estate agents and they all look the same...how do I differentiate myself from the crowd? I've thought about pay for clicks, but it is costly and I'm not sure it is effective.

A Website content. Is your content you? What are you saying to over 75% of all consumers using the web before contacting an agent? If they CAN find you, what is it about you that generates a contact?


Q Content? I have content...my picture, my awards, my experience, I'm honest and full of integrity, client testimonials, MLS search, my featured properties, buyer and seller info, school reports, community info, About Me...why isn't that working?

A It is not you. The real you. What you think. What you believe. What opinions you have. People want to know the real you. Your content needs to express that.
]]> Blog Power 2006-11-12T17:14:08Z 2006-08-15T21:08:16Z tag:daar.choice3realty.com,2006://34.666 2006-08-15T21:08:16Z Blogging is rapidly becoming the "next new thing" real estate agents are exploiting to gain exposure for their business and, in many cases, their clients. Merv Forney http://www.choice3realty.com admin@choice3realty.com 1. Introduction BLOG: WEBLOG or online journal
  • The "Next New Thing" that's not that new
  • It can be free (or cost very little)
  • Provides worldwide exposure for your business
  • Only requires your commitment and time
  • Enhance your search engine rankings
  • Develop on-line relationships that turn into...
  • Leads from serious buyers and sellers
There is a not so new tool available to every one of us; it can be free, it is a creative outlet for many of us, it can give you wide (as in worldwide) exposure for your business and, it only requires your time, personal interest and experiences. It is online journaling, or Blogging.

Blogging is rapidly becoming the "next new thing" real estate agents are exploiting to gain exposure for their business and, in many cases, their clients. We will demonstrate Blogging through real examples, how it works and how much it cost. We will also explore why Blogging increases website ranking with search engines. Most importantly, we discuss why the leads that you receive through your Blog are serious potential clients.

Learn how this one simple tool can and will enhance your real estate business.
]]> Trends 2006-11-12T17:14:08Z 2006-08-16T22:14:46Z tag:daar.choice3realty.com,2006://34.667 2006-08-16T22:14:46Z Highlights of Blogging growth. Merv Forney http://www.choice3realty.com admin@choice3realty.com 1. Introduction Any way you look at it, the numbers are simply astonishing!
  • Technorati now tracks over 50 Million blogs
  • The blogosphere is doubling in size every 200 days
  • It is now over 100 times bigger than it was 3 years ago
  • On average, a new weblog is created every half second of every day
  • About 55% of bloggers are still posting (publishing new content) 3 months after their blogs are created
  • Technorati tracks about 1.6 Million new blog posts each day, about 65,000 per hour
Real estate Blogging is only about 18 months old and growing rapidly.


]]>


Data and charts provided by David Sifry, founder and CEO of Thechnorati, from his Blog about Blogging and the data his company tracks.
About Technorati:
Technorati is the recognized authority on what's going on in the world of weblogs. We help people search for, surface, and organize bloggers and their daily posts.
]]> Search Engine Optimization (SEO) 2006-11-12T17:14:10Z 2006-08-18T02:12:42Z tag:daar.choice3realty.com,2006://34.671 2006-08-18T02:12:42Z How does search engine ranking work today? Merv Forney http://www.choice3realty.com admin@choice3realty.com 1. Introduction WHAT'S YOUR GOOGLE RANK?
If you don't know, you are not being found. Do you have the Google Toolbar in your browser? You can have it here.

OLD SCHOOL SEO

  • The URL rules supreme (eg; www.realestate.com)
  • Search engines use META Keywords to index websites
  • Keywords in webpages
  • Lots and lots of reciprocal links to other Websites

NEW SCHOOL SEO

  • New Content, new content and more new content
  • Fresh, frequent new content
  • RELEVANT links from high ranking Websites
  • Your links to other RELEVANT Websites
  • The RELEVANT TITLE of every page
  • Keywords in web pages
  • Longevity (develop a track record)

WHAT's RELEVANT IN YOUR CONTENT?

So, CONTENT AND RELEVANCY are key?
YES!

Blogging with good, frequent, relevant content will enhance your ability to be found by search engines! Why? Because of the New School SEO rules. Bloggers satisfy all of the above. No pay for clicks. No paid advertising to get seen on the "advertised links" area. You don't get a better ranking for advertising with Google or paying Google for any of their products or services. No tricks. No trying to beat the system. No paying a third party to "guarantee" high rankings (these schemes don't work in today's web search ranking world and may even penalize you). Google just looks for fresh, relevant information.
]]> Examples 2006-11-12T17:14:10Z 2006-08-18T09:31:00Z tag:daar.choice3realty.com,2006://34.682 2006-08-18T09:31:00Z Here are four blogs created at about the same time: Early 1995 Merv Forney http://www.choice3realty.com admin@choice3realty.com 2. References Here are four blogs created at about the same time: Early 1995.


Rain City Real Estate Guide

Author: Dustin Luther
Location: Seattle, Washington
Focus: Real Estate Technology, Law and Real Estate Issues
Guest Contributors: 9 (Tech, Legal, Agents, Lender)
Google Rank: 5/10
Blog Rank: Consistently in the top 5 nationally

Real Central VA

Author: Jim Duncan
Location: Charlottesville, Virginia
Focus: Land use and development, General Real Estate
Guest Contributors: None
Google Rank: 5/10
Blog Rank: Top 20 nationally

Toronto @Home

Author: Fraser Beach
Location: Toronto, Canada
Focus: General Real Estate
Guest Contributors: None
Google Rank: 6/10
Blog Rank: Top 10 nationally

Northern Virginia Real Estate Guide

Author: Me
Location: Leesburg, Virginia
Focus: Market data and trends, General Real Estate
Guest Contributors: None
Google Rank: 4/10
Blog Rank: Top 20 nationally
Unique visitors/month: 5,000+
Visits/month: 14,000+
Page views/month: 65,000+
]]> Blog Rolls 2006-11-12T17:14:17Z 2006-08-19T13:06:18Z tag:daar.choice3realty.com,2006://34.683 2006-08-19T13:06:18Z Favorites I read Merv Forney http://www.choice3realty.com admin@choice3realty.com 2. References Best of the Best: Guide Favorites
]]> Blogs about Blogs 2006-11-12T17:14:10Z 2006-08-20T13:16:14Z tag:daar.choice3realty.com,2006://34.684 2006-08-20T13:16:14Z Links to reference material about Blogs Merv Forney http://www.choice3realty.com admin@choice3realty.com 2. References

Good Reference Material

]]> What is RSS? 2006-11-12T17:14:17Z 2006-08-21T14:13:12Z tag:daar.choice3realty.com,2006://34.686 2006-08-21T14:13:12Z All about RSS feeds. Merv Forney http://www.choice3realty.com admin@choice3realty.com 2. References

Really Simple Syndication

Do you use myYahoo? myMSN? myGoogle?

If yes, How do you select the news/features for your personal page?

All news outlets provide feeds using this simple technology. Bloggers have the same capability built into the Blogging platform they use.

Example: myYahoo

This is how you can feed your Blog to the entire Internet world!

Good references on RSS:
Many people use RSS news (or feed) readers and several are available for free. A topic at another session.

]]> Getting Started 2006-11-12T17:14:17Z 2006-08-22T15:18:40Z tag:daar.choice3realty.com,2006://34.687 2006-08-22T15:18:40Z Many Blogging platform alternatives. Merv Forney http://www.choice3realty.com admin@choice3realty.com 3. Tips There are many Blogging platforms available and many are free. Here are the most popular:

Blogger by Google (free, hosted)
TypePad by SixApart ($49.50/year, hosted)
WordPress.com (free, hosted w/fee)
WordPress.org (free, unhosted)
MovableType by SixApart (free for personal use, unhosted | $150 for business use, one time fee, unhosted)
blogging systems Specifically for real estate. See web site for programs.

I use MovableType (as a business user) and host it on my own URL web servers.

]]> Do's and Don'ts 2006-11-12T17:14:17Z 2006-09-04T16:57:03Z tag:daar.choice3realty.com,2006://34.692 2006-09-04T16:57:03Z Blogs are a reflection of their authors. Merv Forney http://www.choice3realty.com admin@choice3realty.com 3. Tips Blogs are a reflection of their authors. What you do, what you say, your opinions, sharing of experiences, providing content that consumers want and need and how you present it are the most important factors in a successful Blog. Here are the do's and don'ts from some of the best:

The Do's...
  • Write from the heart.
  • Be open to criticism (you'll probaly get some).
  • Express your honest opinions.
  • Find a niche.
  • Use keywords in your article titles.
  • Read other Blogs and comment on them (provides links).
  • Get listed in Blog aggregators (Technorati, del.icio.us, etc.)
  • Be patient, it takes time.
  • Frequent short articles are better than an occasional long one.
  • Have a long article? Break it into shorter tidbits.
  • Make your topic categories keywords.
  • Write a series...keep readers coming back for more.
  • Read...then comment on what you read...in your own words.
  • Link to other Blog articles you read and publish an article on it with your opinions.
  • Start a Blogroll of your favorites.
  • There's s lot more...research the web for blogging tips

Then the DONT'S...
  • Don't self promote! This isn't the place for it. Consumers want to get to know the real you through what you provide in your Blog articles.
  • Don't use canned content...it's not unique and not you.
  • Don't copy others content...bad...bad...bad. Respect © notices.
  • Don't do property advertisements...this is debatable (I do).
  • Don't censure...people won't comment
  • Don't publish multiple Blogs...do one outstanding Blog (I violate this one)
  • Don't wait too long between publishing articles...Blogs get stale fast
  • Do not name names in negative context...use: "a recent client" or "an agent I recently dealt with."
  • Don't have others write for you.
  • Don't give up.


A final note: Blogging is not for everyone. It takes a tremendous amount of effort, stamina and creativity. Blogging is hard work. I have seen many blogs started and then abandoned after just a couple of articles. It was either too hard or the return was not immediate.

Here are a couple of good links to read from ParticleWave:
Why Start a Real Estate Blog? and
Promoting a Blog on the Search Engines. ]]> The Northern Virginia Real Estate Guide 2006-11-12T17:14:17Z 2006-09-04T18:13:52Z tag:daar.choice3realty.com,2006://34.693 2006-09-04T18:13:52Z Looking at the elements of success from the Northern Virginia Real Estate Guide. Merv Forney http://www.choice3realty.com admin@choice3realty.com 4. If we have time Here are some statistics and a series of links to our Blog (s) illustrating our results from the past 17 months:
  • 283 articles that generated 143 comments, about a 50% comment rate. About 16 articles per month or one every other day on average.
  • Google rank of 4 out of 10. Good but not great (5 or greater would be considered great for a real estate website). Nonetheless, we had over 5,000 unique visitors, over 14,000 visits and nearly 65,000 page views in August. The graphs are here.
    • >
  • We are receiving 2 to 3 SERIOUS leads a week. People are asking questions about buying and selling. Of the last three listing appointments, two were from the Blog and one referral.
  • We are constantly creating and changing content. Example: The Daily Market Watch and the associated graphs for Loudoun and Fairfax Counties.
  • How do you know where visitors are coming from, what they look for and what the are viewing? A simple, inexpensive tool like Site Meter imbedded into your web or Blog pages.
  • The Blogging platform is also used to create a Raspberry Falls community Website. We created a Renowned Properties portal showcasing our unique and/or high end properties on the web. Here's another example of a very unique property with a dedicated Website.
If you are interested in assistance getting started with a Blog or additional Website capabilities, I would be happy to help. ]]> Summary 2006-11-12T17:14:17Z 2006-09-04T18:37:54Z tag:daar.choice3realty.com,2006://34.694 2006-09-04T18:37:54Z This has been a whirlwind tour of Real Estate Blogging. We have just scratched the surface. I could probably spend an entire day providing much more comprehensive information including showing you how easy it is to setup a Blog.... Merv Forney http://www.choice3realty.com admin@choice3realty.com 5. Summary This has been a whirlwind tour of Real Estate Blogging. We have just scratched the surface. I could probably spend an entire day providing much more comprehensive information including showing you how easy it is to setup a Blog.

Here's what we covered in a little less than 45 minutes.

  • Introduction to Blogging including trends
  • Handy resources available to you
  • Getting Started
  • My current results

The conclusion: Blogs are an excellent way to create web-based relationships that can feed your business.

I am sure there are many questions. I can take a few now, or you can post your questions on any topics of interest in the "Comments" of the article pages listed in the "sidebar" on the right. If you post them, I promise to answer all of them. If you would rather have a private discussion, I can be reached at:

by email, or
703-431-2145 by phone.
]]> Blogging for Business September 5, 2006 2006-11-12T17:14:17Z 2006-09-04T19:14:35Z tag:daar.choice3realty.com,2006://34.695 2006-09-04T19:14:35Z Merv Forney http://www.choice3realty.com admin@choice3realty.com 5. Summary Blogging is the next new thing capturing a growing share of real estate agents across the nation. To learn more, click here. ]]>