Real Estate Marketing Tips

Nuvilla Inc.

2008-01-08T11:45:00.000-08:00

San Diego Based real estate company puts focus on relocation.

Duplicate Content

2005-11-13T19:08:00.000-08:00

If you are not familiar with the duplicate content or content theft issues that are happening on the internet you should tune in. Content theft is becoming a huge issue, not only because it is the complete lack of creativity, but it is also becoming a major reason why websites are falling in the search rankings as well as not getting their in the first place. I want to touch on a couple of different concepts. The first being template websites.

We all know about mass market template websites. Cheap and easy to use they may be, but are they a road to nowhere for a real estate agent. The answer is yes. Template websites are no longer going to hold nor achieve rankings that they once did in the late 90's and early 00' and the reason is simple. Templates are cookie cutter designs which are created only one time and then mass produced in order to eliminate design and coding costs. Not only are they not being recognized by search engines for their design, but the code as well is also mass produced.

With this being said why would a search engine put two websites with the same exact information on the first page of search engines, doesn't that defeat the whole purpose of the internet. Wasn't the internet created as an information source so when you type in a phrase or "search term" you then obtain as much unique quality information available? How long will it take for the 500,000 realtors that are receiving no business from their website to understand that templates are a mean to an end?

On a more technical level here are some examples of source code from 2 different realtors websites:

(Go to your browser after you pull up the example and click (VIEW) then

select (SOURCE) Do this on both examples and then compare:

Example#1

Example#2

Please take time to look at both pages of code and compare them and see if you see a difference between them. You do not have to be an coding expert to see that both of the source pages are exactly the same. If we can see this, why would we think that search engines can’t? It’s time to get smart and set yourself apart from the rest of the world and build your business on something unique and quality!

Want to see if you have duplicate content Click Here

Need a Custom Real Estate Web Design

Re-vamping the Directory

2005-11-08T22:32:00.000-08:00

We have decided to revamp our directory in order to create a more content rich environment and a more powerful directory to help our clients and members. If you are not familiar with our Real Estate Directory the National Real Estate Directory it has been a work in progress in the past we listed realtors with a simple title and small description like any other directory on the web. Now we are implementing a new system. In order to be listed in the Directory realtors will have to provide a 100 word Bio about them self which we will list with their link. Here is an Example of how the directory will be formatted. You can see how it provides much more content then any directory. And it gives the consumer the ability to see a brief Bio about your self helping them make their decision in whose profile best matches their needs. Please feel free to browse through our directory and join.

Audio Blog Example

2005-11-03T18:12:00.000-08:00

Here is a example of an audio blog if you get a chance click on the button below and you can see how it works.

More Localized Results

2005-11-03T14:37:00.000-08:00

As search engines progress and people start using the internet more everyday isn't it true to say that search engines will become more localized. With the launching of thousands of new websites everyday we are finding an overwhelming number of websites that seeing no exposure in any market let alone their local market. In a past article we talked about GPS technology using rover. This was the concept of having local businesses pop up on your GPS screen when you walk in there vicinity. Understanding how this works wouldn't it be safe to say that web results may start becoming much more localized. You see how MSN is trying to create an effective search for local results, but do you know how to get their? Are you not submitting your site in the right places in order to become a part of the local results? Some say it is based on the address information on your website. Some say it will be based on directories like, Yellow Pages, SmartPages, info USA, yahoo directory or possibly even your registrar information. If search engines take a vast turn towards these types of results those who once were may be no more. So remember to structure yourself for the future. If you have questions regarding this ask them at the Real Estate Forum

Audio Blogging

2005-11-03T14:19:00.000-08:00

This concept may be new to most of you, but the real question is how does it work and how can it be valuable to your real estate business. We all know about blogging and the concept of posting endless comments for those to read and comment on, but what about adding vocals to these thoughts. Blogger.com came out with www.audioblogger.com to do just that. You can register your phone number and attach voice over to your blog. Some may use this to help them remember what the photos were regarding or remember specific events for that time in which they wrote the blog. I feel that realtors should start using this as a tool. How you ask? Its simple; first you create a blog for a featured property then create separate entries for separate parts of the house. Like the dining room which would have text explaining some of the details and photos of the dining room. Then instead of leaving it like that why not add some audio. What could be better than having you explain to them the important attributes of the listing right from there computer. Some people would feel more comfortable, because they wouldn't have pressure of the hard sell and you might have to spend a lot less time dragging around buyers all day if they had already talked to you without talking to you....Yah know. So why not setup a blog and really showcase a listing and explain to your consumers what they are seeing. If you don't do it someone else will.

Need help setting up a Real Estate Blog

Hands free search abilities.

2005-10-20T08:50:00.000-07:00

This concept is one of my favorites. I was reading in Scientific American and there was an article regarding search engines, obviously this sparked my attention so I began to read the article, it was talking about futuristic visions of what search engines will have the ability to do. I love the idea of integrating search technology into your PDA or GPS, and the article started to talk about rover, if your not familiar with rover it is technology that intercepts radio signals from across the globe and transports them in to text, video or audio services into your GPS system highlighting certain things in the vicinity that you are traveling. Not only does this technology integrate into your GPS, but it also integrates into your PDA. Imagine going on vacation and not knowing what is what and rover is displaying potential points of interest on your PDA, maybe then you wouldn't miss anything? Now if rover has the ability to intercept a radio frequency and pinpoint such things. Why couldn't rover add search capabilities? For example not only do you get specific locations that may interest you, but maybe it will give you a list of other attractions that you could automatically connect to by saying "connect". I can’t wait until this type of technology is perfected and multiple radio signals can be transported into your GPS or PDA and you can be hands free literally having the ability to tell your GPS to pull up Google. By saying "Google" then say "search restaurants" and it would bring up a localized list of restaurants based on the location of your GPS. I feel this isn't far off. If it happens does it mean it was my idea....haha, I am sure it was thought of by the rover guys long before me.

Check Out Scientific American

Search from Anywhere?

2005-10-18T09:28:00.000-07:00

Recently they have been making it possible for you to have an internet connection available while flying. How long will it be before you have the ability to search from your car? As wireless internet connections advanced through cell phones, how much longer will it be before you have the ability to search from a GPS in a car? I feel that they are waiting to integrate such technology until they can make voice activated search engines work properly. Can you imagine pulling up a Google search bar through your computer in your cars’ dashboard and then say search for "hotels in Atlanta" and then have a list of hotels in the specific area you are traveling. We feel that the realtors that want to survive in this industry better invest their time and money into the internet and those who don't will struggle. You think a large percentage of people are using the internet now wait until it is accessible from everywhere. How much will pay per click cost with this type of traffic being generated, how valuable will organic rankings be?

Specializing in Real Estate Web Design

More information about Search Engine Marketing

Blogger Mobile

2005-10-17T21:07:00.000-07:00

After making it through the dot com bomb and then being acquired by Google, Blogger.com is now going mobile through their new system called Blogger mobile. How does it work? How can it be valuable to your real estate business and how long do we think it will be before people start to use it. We feel that this is just another step in the direction of automation; I mean everything being handheld and wireless. Blogger mobile is another avenue to save time and make it possible to post your blog entries through your text message function on your cell phone or transferring the content from your PDA or Blackberry. I myself think it is awesome, imagine not having to be behind your laptop or find a connection in order to blog entries which in turn means content and rankings. You can have something pop into your head enter it into your PDA or cell phone, transfer it and be on the road to being indexed by search engines. Or how about being on an office tour, touring a subdivision and entering important information regarding properties and having them updated automatically without having to get the data from your PDA or email account then log into your blog and post it. We feel that this type of technology is the future of real estate and the new consumer. We are seeing more and more consumer's start their search via a search engines and that is without the use of blogger mobile and the easy use of internet connections through cell phones. As we progress, the web will be faster and easier to access from everywhere and anywhere. With that being said shouldn't realtors invest in technology before it’s too late?

Think for the future.

2005-10-17T20:09:00.000-07:00

Think for the future is a section of our blog that talks about positioning yourself for the future. Many questions will be asked many will be answered and many will be left until they can be answered.

Questions:

1. Blogging and text messaging.

2. Internet search capabilities in cars, airplanes, etc.

3. Voice activated search abilities.

4. Audio Blogging.

5. More Localized results.

6. Blog search engines.

Over the next few weeks I will be writing my thoughts regarding these topics. Some of the things mentioned will be facts and they will be sited as facts. Other things will be predictions.

Hope you enjoy.

Deep thoughts for realtors 4

2005-10-03T16:25:00.000-07:00

Signs and Street Advertising 101

So I was driving to my office today and I saw some park benches and all I could see was what seemed to be a catch phrase and a huge picture. Right away I knew it was a Realtor. Once I got close sure enough it was a Realtor, however there was something else that I noticed when getting close, I noticed in much smaller print the Realtors’ phone number and in much smaller print I noticed their web address. And then I started to pull away in the distance and the only thing I could continue to see was the catch phrase and the photo. And this inspired my next deep thought for Realtors. What was this Realtor trying to accomplish, I assumed it was to generate a lead or maybe just brand himself. Thinking back all I could remember was the Realtors’ catch phrase. I couldn't for the life of me remember anything other than that. I will agree the Realtor had all pieces of the puzzle he just had them in the opposite order. Why you might ask? Think about this when was the last time that you were able to remember a phone number when driving by at 65 mph. If you are like me you probably ask the person next to you to remember this number and then recite it over and over in your head until you can find a pen or pencil or anything to jot it down. This has to make you wonder how many times has a young couple driven through your farm market and saw your sign writer and then proceeded to go through this same memorization dilemma. (Funny huh) I am not saying you have missed out on hundreds of clients but maybe one or two, which in turn means ‘mucho’ cash. (lol) With this being said make your web address the biggest. Isn't it easier to remember www.davesells.com or sandiegohomes.com or something like that? I know it’s much easier than remembering 858 769 4296 or something like that. I mean...really why do you think people get phone numbers like 1 866 431 LEAD? It is because when adding text to the number it is easier to remember. So brand yourself and think as if you were driving by when deciding your domain name and developing your print advertising.

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Deep thoughts for realtors 3

2005-10-03T16:11:00.000-07:00

"Please get an IDX"

My girlfriend and I were recently browsing around comparing prices between San Diego and Milwaukee, and San Diego and Portland OR. And I almost went crazy. Why you might ask? Well it’s pretty simple; we were finding it difficult to see property. We found it very easy to find real estate websites. There were all kinds from AA to Ihouse 2000 but still no property. 90% of the websites that we came across didn't have an IDX solution and if for some reason they did it was behind a contact form. Putting up a contact form and requiring a consumer to give there personal information is the fastest way to drive away clients from your website. Some people may argue this by saying, "if they were serious, they would fill out the form" I would like those who think this way to stop and ask yourselves this question. When you are in the process of purchasing a car what do you do? Well chances are you probably drive to a car lot and walk around and look at all of the pretty cars and then contact a representative in order to find out the price. Mmmm...If you were to show up at the car lot and have to fill out a loan application before browsing what would you do? More than likely leave the lot. With this being said, take down your contact forms and give the consumer the ability to shop through a MLS search so they can view hundreds of homes, if you give them all the homes in your MLS to browse through why would they leave your site, just like if you were to show up on a car lot with all the cars available in your city you would stay until you found the car your heart desires. So Realtors slow down, and think about how you shop and pretend you are trying to offer a service to yourself.

Get a MLS (especially if you are in Milwaukee)

here is an example of a good Maui Real Estate MLS SEARCH

Deep thoughts for realtors 2

2005-10-03T16:02:00.000-07:00

"Give them what they want"

As the average online consumer becomes more savvy. We should restructure our websites in order to compensate for this change. For example a lot of real estate agents are littering their homepages with all kinds of tools and links. Like school, map etc. In the past consumers may have liked the fact that real estate websites offered these kinds of tools, but now these complicated homepages are drawing the consumer away. If the consumer does a search for real estate shouldn't we give them real estate instead of school info, Map info, etc? If the consumer was interested in map information he or she probably would have went to Mapquest.com in the first place. So with that being said reorganize and simplify and keep the focus on property, isn't that what you are offering anyway, isn't that what they want. With all of this being said, if you are a realtor take some time to think like your clients…and give them what they want.

Specializing in Real Estate Web Design

Deep thoughts for realtors 1

2005-09-30T23:13:00.000-07:00

Custom vs. Template

As search engines progress we feel that they are starting to slowly weed out template websites. There are a number of reasons for this.

Template companies integrate the same information into large numbers of websites creating duplicate content. From a search engine perspective this is horrid. For example if you have a template chances are the majority of your pages are located on some of your local competitors’ sites. Most real estate agents like the idea of having a website published right away, however they are forgetting the fact that the tools and information that they have pre created for them is the same thing that destroys their rankings. When search engines spider websites they are looking at a number of things like unique content good structure, tags and inbound links. If these spiders are crawling through a template website and they recognize a portion of content being exactly the same as a website in the same market who should the spider give credit to. Realtors should take time and think things through before purchasing a template website. Why would a realtor that wants to set themselves apart from their competitors purchase a website that does just the opposite? This defeats the purpose of self promotion and inhibits a real estate professional’s ability to achieve high rankings. I would love to hear some comments regarding this point.

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