Real Estate SEO and the Wizard of Oz
Remember the Wizard of Oz? That little guy who hid behind a curtain pulling levers and pushing buttons that made him look like a wizard?
Sometimes I think a lot of Realtors® think it takes someone like that (not the little guy, the “real” wizard) to optimize their real estate website for good search engine rankings.
Folks, it’s just not true. You can do it yourself, provided you take some time to get the basics under your belt.
It is time well spent, because search engine optimization is a leveraged activity. You do the work and get the benefit again and again and again…
Here’s a reprint of an email I sent today to RealTalk, the listserv sponsored by the folks at Internet Crusade.
Here’s a tip I learned years ago. It has saved me hours and hours of wasted search engine time trying to “keep up” with everything and I really believe has in part led me to where I am today. I hope it does the same for you.Of course, it’s your choice to believe this tip, not believe it, or argue with my conclusions. You can find someone somewhere to do all three… What I can tell you is that I know it works. This tip has earned me a lot of money.
The tip is to see search engine optimization for what it is: a simple set of principles. That’s it.
Let me explain…
- There are basic principles of search engine optimization. You can learn them very quickly. The principles haven’t changed. Some of them are: focused niche + valuable information for that niche + basic knowledge of where to put keyword phrases + inbound links = good search engine ranking (eventually).
- There are many “tactics” that change often based on what Google and Yahoo! had for breakfast each day. They require study and keeping your eye on the market. Based on the particular tactic, the investment might not be worth the possible return; or it might pay off big time.
- So many real estate web sites are not taking full advantage of even the most basic of principles of search engine optimization – The ones that you can learn in an afternoon at a book store or online.
I am not completely sure why this is, but it is my hunch that it might be because people believe that the world of search engine optimization is harder and more mystical than it really is.
The problem is that you do need to get the basic skills under your belt if for no other reason than to evaluate your “hiring” decision should you ever decide to go out and get someone to do SEO work for you.
Search engines are not continuously changing what they are looking for. They have always been looking for good information to give to searchers. What IS changing is their ability to do just that…
What is also changing is the number of sub-niches, which keeps growing by leaps and bounds. For example… Five years ago, a Realtor® might have successfully dominated a niche as broad as “chicago real estate” online. Fast forward to now and you would be crazy to target a market of that size on the internet because there are hundreds of “sub-niches” that have blossomed under it.
So start with the basics. Then you will be in an excellent position to either do the work yourself or to make the right hiring decision for you.
