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In the
long run, every market becomes a two-horse race
according to Al Ries and Jack Trout in the 22 Immutable
Laws of Marketing. This certainly seems to be what has
happened in the search engine world.
We started out with one or two and quickly jumped
to maybe 10 or 12 engines that had a significant
following. However,
today Google and Yahoo appear to be the front-runners with
Google ahead by a length. And the rest of the pack?
Well, with a couple of exceptions, most are miles
behind.
YOUR
OPTIONS ARE…
Some
search engines are known as Crawlers.
They send out robots to spider or crawl Websites
that they then evaluate and position. Other types of
search engines are human powered, which means that a human
being looks at and evaluates a Website’s relevancy for
the suggested keyword phrase. In addition some search engines offer paid advertising
options that allow you to bid on the position you want for
the keyword phrase that you want.
Google, the world’s biggest crawler also offers
paid advertising. Obviously
the more places where your Website can be found the better
your chances are of attracting buyer leads. For more
information on Search Engine placement visit http://www.sellrealestate.net
/SearchEnginePlacement.htm.
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It may
cost you a great deal if you approach search engine
placement as an afterthought.
The reason for this is simple.
The most economical way to obtain top search engine
placement is to start with an optimized Website.
An optimized Website is one that is created
specifically to get good placement by following the search
engine’s rules for Web design.
If you do not have an optimized Website you can still
get good placement but you will be forced to use the
engine’s paid advertising options and that may cost you
hundreds or even thousands of dollars a month.
In most cases, it is far less costly to start with a
custom Website than to save a few dollars with a template
site but forevermore pay for top placement.
To see how a Custom Website can benefit you visit http://www.sellrealestate.net/FreeWebPlan.asp.
WHAT
SEARCH ENGINES WANT
The kinds of Web design elements we pay attention to
when a client wants a search engine optimized Website are:
the words on the page; the frequency and location of keyword
phrases on every page; the title tag; the use and placement
of graphics; link sharing capabilities; and Website
navigation including html sitemap links.
WHAT
DESIGN ELEMENTS CAUSE PROBLEMS
Frames can kill.
Some of the major search engines cannot follow frame
links. Good
custom Web design will make sure there is an alternate way
for them to enter and index your site, but then with good
custom Web design you would not use frames anyway.
Graphics as Links need support.
Some search engines cannot READ graphics so if the
links to other pages are in a graphical format, many search
engines will never find them.
A good designer will know that you need HTML links as
well.
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The
question that many agents ask, “Is it worth it?”
must be answered, “It Depends.”
It depends on what market you are trying to attract.
It depends on your budget and it depends on the size
of your market. Let’s
start with your market.
BUYERS
USE THE INTERNET
Sellers are less likely to use search engines to find
real estate Websites and connect with agents.
Sellers do like the Internet and they use it but you
are much more likely to attract sellers with Email and local
advertising. But,
if what you want are buyer leads, then search engine
placement should work for you if and that is a BIG IF there
is a market.
THE
SIZE OF YOUR MARKET
Ok, so you want to attract buyers. Are you in an area where buyers want to go?
If you are not in a popular destination point search
engine placement may not bring you the leads you want.
But if you have a significant number of buyers who
are relocating from other areas, the search engines may be
just what you need.
THE
SIZE OF YOUR BUDGET
Starting from low to high, the least costly way to
get good search engine placement is to set up a Custom
Website and go for the Free Search Engine placement.
The most expensive search engine placement options
are the paid options available through Google and Yahoo.
Top placement on the paid engines for a popular area
might range in cost anywhere from $1,000 to $8,000 a month.
Call me toll free at 888-814-5347 if you have any
questions.
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