Web Site Marketing – Get Found in Google
In the early days of the Internet, it was easy to get found in the search engines. These days, well, not so easy.
Because Google gets approximately 70 – 80% of all web searches, it’s the search engine that optimization specialists shoot for. The principles and techniques are simple enough, yet getting good search engine rankings can be difficult to achieve, especially in a competitive market like real estate.
The choice keywords are limited, too – how many ways can you say “home for sale” – “real estate” – and the few other search phrases that are the most used by potential home buyers and sellers?
Add to that the fact that prime search engine real estate is the first 5 listings on the first page of a search, we all have our work cut out for us!
Get a Real Estate Website Fast
If you’re looking for a way to get a website for your real estate business fast and inexpensively, check out Web.com.
They have a program called eWorks!XL that sounds like a good option. You’ll get a web site that’s semi-custom, and they promise lots of support from not only techs but designers too. The price is reasonable at $94.95 per month, with no set-up fee and no contract.
Build you own website with just 3 steps at Web.com
The DIY SiteBuilder starts at $11.95, again no set-up and no contract. I wanted to try out the wizard, but couldn’t do that from just visiting the site. However, since there’s no set-up fee or contract, it would be worth the $12 to check it out.
You will also get a Google Adwords credit of $50 and Yahoo search marketing credit of $50 – free PPC advertising is always great to get, especially for the competitive market real estate has become.
Gatorific Web Hosting
When you’re setting up a new blog that is not on your web site, my recommendation is to use WordPress, and have it hosted outside the WP free area. You’ll have more control, can add widgets to your heart’s content, and the SEO benefits will be much better.
There are a plethora (I love that word) of totally free and beautiful WordPress themes on the Internet. One client told me he was close to having a nervous breakdown over choosing just the right one from such a huge number of themes available! To help you out I have a list of wonderful WordPress themes – you’re bound to find the one.
Once you’ve chosen the theme that speaks to who you are, or what you want your blog to be, you need to get a domain name if you don’t already have one.
Hyphens In Your Domain Name
Should You Hyphenate Your Domain Name?
That’s a big question! These days you almost have to put a hyphen or two in your domain name unless you come up with something totally off the wall.
The real estate market is glutted with web sites, many of them old, but they managed to grab the best names in the real estate market, so hyphens often are the only way to go.
I have my own personal theories about hyphenated domain names:
- 2 hyphens at the most, 1 is preferable
- Don’t make the domain name just a hyphenated list of keywords (been there, done that, not good)
- Check the un-hyphenated version of the name to see if you’d be in direct competition with a site that has an already great search engine standing (not a good thing)
You can also buy an existing domain name to fit your real estate market, but that’s another article entirely!
A Rose by Any Other Name…
Creating a Domain Name
If you’ve decided to start a real estate blog, where do you begin?
You’ll need to get a domain name if you don’t already have one. And unless you are a well known real estate brand like Keller Williams or Realty Executives, you need to have at least one of your keywords in your domain name.
This is not necessarily as easy as it sounds, since it seems like all the good ones are taken (I complain about that in my dating adventures too).
Real estate agents are usually S.O.L. when it comes to using the keywords real estate, homes for sale, realtor, real estate agency, and so on in domain names.
There are a couple of sites that will help you formulate a name. I like using Bust a Name because they make it easy for you to combine different words and then find out if they’re actually available. If you find one you like, you’ll get a discount by going through their service, too.
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