Archives

posted by: John Jantsch

Last week Google announced an official update to Social Search – something they’ve been playing around with for some time now. The idea behind social search is that if a Google account user does a search for something they will get the most relevant results according to Google now mixed in with results that Google determines are important from those in your social networks.

The news for anyone thinking about SEO is summed by this statement from Google – . . .relevance isn’t just about pages—it’s also about relationships. Google has officially moved from playing with social search to altering the SEO landscape with it.

While the newly socialized results are dependent upon the surfer being logged in to their Google account, the significance from an SEO standpoint is potentially game changing. As Google continues to advance this type of thinking when it comes to placement of search results it will bring the online acts of content creation, network building and social participation to new heights.

Consider the images below – the first is a search for the term “social media system” while logged out of Google and second while logged in. The results are dramatically different. (Click to enlarge)

Results while logged in 

Results while logged out 

I’ve been begging and pleading with small business owners for the last five years to create and use blogs, claim all the digital real estate and profiles they could and get active building social networks like LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. While this is behavior that has long influenced organic search results in a more mathematical way, social search highlights the direct impact this behavior has in ways that should open some eyes.

The good news is that people that have participated fully in social media, network building and content creation may have just received a very positive jolt in the search game. There is still time to adopt this behavior because it may be years before this social search function becomes fully realized, but there’s no way to deny the need to make online network building and participation a primary business practice.

Now, this doesn’t mean that good SEO practices of link building and content creation around keywords goes out the window – those factors will remain extremely important, but social network participation just got a raise in terms of becoming a ranking factor that isn’t controlled by traditional SEO practices.

Here are a couple unscientific initial thoughts:

• You can’t play without a Google Profile – if you have one go update it now and add more connections
• Sharing content from your Google Reader account seems to get high marks right now
• Twitter results are being adding pretty quickly
• With Google and Facebook locked in war for social, don’t expect Facebook results to matter as much

You connect accounts that you want to be part of your public profile using the Google Profile tool, but you can also connect account privately through your Google Account. (Google is choosing your networks through the Social Graph tool.)

Results will be spotty and odd for some time now, but it’s still time to rethink your entire approach to SEO.

It’s January 2011! What are you going to do different than the previous years?

• Build a website?
• Build or Update your Blog?
• Join Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, ActiveRain?
• Make a Plan to maintain contact with your Client Data Base?
• More?

Great Plans! Super Goals!! How are you implement them?

Do you plan on doing all the work yourself? And if you get busy, how will it get done? How much time would it take for you to build a website …. build your blog? How much time would it take to put together your Social Media Campaign – and again, if you get busy how will it get done?

Doing it yourself may not be as cost effective as hiring a professional to have it done for you. If you hire a professional, your projects will be designed quickly, effectively and it will look how you want in – without the headaches!

The Great thing? It’s by project only! No long term contracts! And while you’re busy listing and selling, your project  is still being worked on. And it will be done when you need it!!! It won’t be that project you’re always meaning to get finished. Additionally you will receive support and tips while you’re learning how to use your blog and social media effectively!

Now, there’s no reason to not have a working Blog,  have a working Social Media Campaign or to maintain contact with your clients!

For a Limited time, I’m offering special Project Pricing which you can have a basic blog built AND your social media designed for less than $300!

Find out more!

When you are organizing your blog post, you have the option to insert “Tags”.

Tags are short labels that group posts together by key phrases or single words. If used consistently readers can find similar articles. However, you do need your blog theme actually displays your posts’ tags at the end of each post. Depending on how you post your tags, tagging blog posts can also boost your blog’s search engine optimization (SEO).

WordPress has a great article about Tags, “MetaTags in WordPress”. Many blog sites have a place to insert your tags. Take the key words out of your article and insert as a tag. This is not a category, but lists more topics of what your content is about.

After you write your blog, pick out some topics and key ideas, inserting them into the tags section of your post. And that’s all there is to it. So not only is your content optimized for SEO, but your tags are as well.

Why should you write (post) on your blog?  One of the goals is providing valuable/useful content which attracts a following who  bookmarks, links to or subscribes to your blog. By creating content your readers like to read and find useful, they get to know you – see you as a friend; as an expert in your real estate business. There may be the one thing you have posted on your blog which sets you apart from the rest of the agents. That one thing may have a website visitor become your client.

The other goal is Organic Search Engine Optimization for your WEBSITE. Optimizing is not only for your blog – your blog should be either WITHIN your website pages or pointing to it. The goal of all this posting and pointing is to provide a visible presence on the world wide web. These links send visitors to your blog and/or website (or squeeze page/s) which introduces your visitors to your real estate business. Ultimately they will become leads and see value of what you offer to them. Ultimately, they use YOU for their resource for their real estate questions ( or best yet? ) use YOU as their agent.

Your website continually needs fresh content. Posting on your blog within your website, allows the Search Engines to see you have fresh content. They really like that – you will be seen and found!

Tomorrow – What to do after your blog is written.

When mapping out your real estate marketing plan, one task you need to incorporate is to consistently write (post) on your blog.

How long does your blog have to be?

How often do you need to blog?

What should you blog about?

Where can you get content?

What shouldn’t you do in writing your blog?

How long does your blog have to be? There is no magic length. You can blog (write) in great lengths, or just a few sentences. Mix it up – long and detailed or short and sweet. Include pictures to jazz it up. But most of all target and pin-point who your audience is and write to them.

How often do you post your blog? Ideally every day. However, we are busy and it’s not easy to sit and write every day. Try every other day or minimum once a week. But do not let it lag or stop. A stagnant blog will not do you any good in your real estate marketing plan.

What should you blog about? Is your audience interested in what is going on in the community? Blog about that. Are they interested in buying or selling tips? Blog about this. Do your readers want to know what is happening in their market? Blog about that. Do they want other tips and tricks? The list is endless and you may want to start a folder (on your desktop or desk) with interesting blog topics. Microsoft OneNote is a super program to organize notes you want to use later. Mix it up so that it isn’t all of one thing.

Where can you get content for your real estate blog? Have you read the articles you have within your website? If your site is a templated site through a website company, more than likely, you have buyer and seller tips. Read those articles for inspiration. Chances are, you aren’t going to be repeating information to your audience.

Your National and Local Realtor(r) Associations have a wealth of information and topics at your finger tips. If you  haven’t started yet and you have a Twitter and Facebook accounts, you should be “liking them” and “following them”. They post at least daily of what is going on in the National and Local real estate market. If there is a newsflash – BLOG IT IMMEDIATELY!

The Realtor(r) Associations have local market stats and trends right there for you to use. Or find your own monthly stats to post about from your MLS. Several searches will show what has sold during that month, for how much and how many. Start tracking and give your own ideas about the market.

The list is endless because your blog is yours. I re-posted a blog on creative ideas recently 9 Killer Content Creation Ideas for Your Real Estate Blog or Website. Read that for a few more ideas and for inspiration.

What shouldn’t you have in your blog? Others’ content. You can repost and give them credit for it, but you are walking a very fine wire of copyright infringement if you post someone else’s content and photos you grab off the internet. If there is an article you really want to share, read it and do a “book report” about it in your own words making references about the author and article. Then track back to the author and article.

Once your article is written, go back to strategically insert key words for Search Engine Optimization including links back to your web site or squeeze page. After you have finished writing and it’s ready to go, post your blog on the real estate agent site ActiveRain, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. (How to do that will be in a later post).

Enjoy blogging!! It gets your audience to get to know you. Sprinkle in some tasteful humor and don’t forget the pictures!