Search Like They Search

WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

If you wanted to know about real estate values in San Diego what search term would you use?  

1. San Diego
2. Waterfront homes in San Diego
3. San Diego Real Estate

WHAT MOST PEOPLE DO

Checking to see how many people requested a keyword search term in the past 30 days, the results are:

1. San Diego – 135,336
2. Waterfront homes in San Diego – 0
3. San Diego Real Estate – 39,889

WHAT IT ALL MEANS

It means that if you are a real estate agent and want to be on page one of the results when someone searches for Waterfront homes in San Diego it will probably be pretty easy to get there but who cares since nobody is using that search term.  It also means that it should be a little easier to get on page one for San Diego Real Estate than it is for San Diego AND the good news is that the narrower search probably weeds out a lot of people looking for rentals, boating info etc.  Now, I’m not saying that any of this is all the EASY or inexpensive if you decide to use pay per click, but that you need to think like your prospects think if you want them to find your Website.

Let’s use the same kind of technology to discover what sellers are most likely to do online.  If you were thinking of selling your home in San Diego and wanted to get some information on the Internet, what you search for?

      1.      San Diego home selling tips
2.      Home Selling Tips
3.      Selling Home 

DO YOU THINK LIKE A SELLER?

Checking to see how many people requested a keyword search term in the past 30 days, the results are:

1. San Diego home selling tips - 0
2. Home Selling Tips  - 2,264
3. Selling Home  - 103,084

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

It means that if you want to target sellers with your Web strategy you will need to Think like a Seller and address their needs.  It means that the Web strategy that you put together to target buyers will not produce many seller leads.  It also means that if you put together a Web strategy to target sellers, it will not produce many buyer leads.  Can you do both?  Of Course!

The Quick Answer

1: You need to know what keyword phrase prospects use to search for real estate information in your area.

 2: You need to know what is required for Page One Placement on the Major Search Engines.  Being There is a MUST! 

3: You need to have the goods on your Website so that serious people will contact you and want to do business with you. 

KNOWLEDGE OF KEYWORDS IS KEY

There is widespread mis-information about keywords and keyword phrases.  Many agents tell me they are giving up on the Internet because they have paid good money to get their Website ranked on page one for a keyword phrase that nobody…and I mean NOBODY…ever searches for.  It is not the fault of the Internet when an agent fails to research what his/her prospects are searching for before spending time and/or money to promote the site.

TOO BROAD, TOO NARROW, JUST RIGHT

Baby Bear in the tale of Goldilocks and the Three Bears found some things too big, some too small and some just right. As a Keyword phrases go,  “real estate” is too broad, “home on First Street” is too narrow but “River City Real Estate” is just right.  Very few people use search terms such as River City Vacation homes or waterfront homes.  Of course, when using pay per click placement, sometimes it is possible to get out there for less popular keyword phrases and at least have a seat at the table, so to speak. 

So, OK, you know what your keyword phrase or primary search term is now how do you get your Website to show up on page one of the search engines for that search term?   For that, you need to know what the search engines require.

PAY PER CLICK

Both Google and Yahoo offer placement for Sponsored Sites on their search results.  The Sponsored Sites have, of course, agreed to pay the search engines so much money every time someone clicks on the Website. The top Sponsored Websites on the page pay more than those that are placed further down on the page.  Competition for top placement has caused the overall cost for pay per click advertising to increase almost as fast as gasoline prices so you had better be prepared to “Give Generously” if you want good pay per click placement. Then there is the issue of "Click Fraud" when these companies are unable to detect it when your competition stops by and clicks a few times to run up your bill. Just one more reason to consider....

FREE SEARCH ENGINE PLACEMENT

This is the Brass Ring that everybody wants and has wanted since the beginnings of Websites and search engines.  The very idea of getting a Website placed on the first page of search results without having to pay so much as one penny for it is terribly appealing.  And the fact that it is TRUE and achievable for anyone who follows the Search Engines’ Guidelines should cause happiness and joy throughout the land.  Instead, there is much consternation and gnashing of teeth by those who cannot accept the fact that they must…

FIRST – Read the Directions!

SECOND – Follow the Rules!

SIMPLE RULES

In order to obtain good placement for your Website in the Free Section, your Website must have good content pages.  Content is the subject matter, the gist, the substance of a Website.  In addition, search engines judge you by the number and quality of Websites that link to your site. There are a few other criteria that most Web designers seem to include but these are the two main criteria and in order to meet these standards, you need a custom Website that is optimized for the search engines.  We can help and to start with a Free Custom Web Plan visit me online at   http://www.sellrealestate.net/FreeWebPlan.asp.

Signs of Distrust 
In Person

Whenever any of us come face-to-face with a salesperson certain defenses kick in.    If you are experienced, you have learned to recognize many of the defensive signals that prospects exhibit in person and you are probably pretty good at allaying their fears.  However, most people have not had so much experience in recognizing distrust signals online and do not have a good plan for overcoming prospects’ natural defense mechanisms.

YOU HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS

As a person who has bought a house or a car or a cruise to Alaska, you have your own set of defenses that work for you when you come face-to-face with a salesperson.   As a real estate sales person you have also watched the defense mechanisms of prospects who want to buy a house or list their existing house and they want your help but they are wary nonetheless. Let’s look at some of the typical defensive mechanisms you have encountered and experienced.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

ONLINE DEFENSIVE SIGNALS

Does your Website get a number of visits but no or very few actual contacts?  Do you receive requests for information from prospects visiting your Website but find that these people never respond to your efforts to provide the information they requested?  Do people request information from you but include a phony Email and/or phone number?  These are typical defensive strategies that online shoppers use that indicate a level of distrust.

DO NOT CLICK HERE!

Surveys now show that most online shoppers do NOT use the sponsored sites because they perceive those sites as ads whereas they perceive the Websites in the Free section as more informative and helpful.  Would you click on a Website if you knew it was an ad?  So what does this tell us?  It tells us that people have a high level of distrust for Websites that use pay per click.