Our friends at Google are constantly developing new tools for online business use (and new ways to rule the world!).  But seriously, these free tools can be an invaluable addition to your online marketing efforts – they are worth your time to setup.  Need the power of Google but don’t have time to set up or install the tools?   Contact us today and we can help.

Google Analtyics – Free analytics tracker (www.google.com/analytics).  While Google analytics is not as robust as VisiStat (we offer this as a paid service, $15/month), it does a pretty good job with the basics.  You’ll get access to data such as: visits, page views, bounce rate, avg time on site, pages/visit, visits based on country map, traffic sources, popular pages, and popular keyphrases.  All you need is a free Google account to utilize this tool.

Google Webmaster Tools (www.google.com/webmasters) – Another free analytics tool which tells you what the Googlebots think of your sites.  You’ll have access to data such as: web crawl errors, top search queries, what Googlebot sees, index stats, crawl stats, link stats, sitemap submittal and more.  Again, you’ll need a free Google account and you’ll also need to verify your sites by inserting a meta tag into your header.

Google Custom Search Engine (www.google.com/coop/cse/) – Have you ever wanted your own search engine?  This one is super cool – it allows you to create a search box (which can be placed on your sites) that will search your websites and blogs only!  For those of you with multiple websites and blogs – this is a great way to bring them all together into one big promotional vehicle.  Also – just a mention, Google wants their piece of the action on this one.  To get a search engine with no Google Adwords interspersed you’ll have to send them $100 directly each year.  This interface also gives you the ability to directly submit a sitemap.  The functionality is well worth it!  This takes a bit of work to create; we can install this function for you or provide you with the code to have installed on all your sites.  Please contact us for more information.  See an example: top left tan box – http://blog.topagent.com/

Google Local Business Center (www.google.com/local/add) – Do you recall seeing maps and business listings in the result sets when you’re searching for something in Google?  These things are recommended via the Google Local Business Center.  It’s free to sign up your business and map your location.  Very valuable tool, check it out!

Google Chrome (www.google.com/chrome) – That’s right, Google has developed a browser.  It’s reportedly faster (less of a memory hog) and more efficient.  I use it as my default browser these days, the installation file was less than 500k and took no time to install.  Check it out!

Gmail (www.google.com/mail) – Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock for ages, you already know about Gmail.  It’s a free online email interface offering reliability and lots of data storage.  A great way to create emails on the fly for use in specialized campaigns.

Google Buzz (www.google.com/buzz) – This is an add on to Gmail that allows you to share photos, videos and conversations publicly or privately with your network.  It also allows you to import your content from places like Twitter, Picasa, Google Reader and Flickr.  And, you can put it on your phone – neato!

Google Website Translation Tools (translate.google.com) – Did you know that you can get a free language translator placed right on your website or blog?  Yep, Google provides that too.  Translate to other languages in real time.  Highly valuable and again – free!

Google Maps (maps.google.com) – Not only are they fun to play with but you can embed custom generated maps into your websites and blogs.  You can also get your business mapped via this interface.

All of these online business tools are free or offer a free version.  Some are a bit technical to install but ultimately there is no reason NOT to have them all working for you today!  Need the power of Google but don’t have time to set up or install the tools?  Contact us today and we can help

This is a very new application introduced by Google called Goggles that may become immensely supportive to your real estate business.

Ben Rosales over at Agent Genius strikes again suggesting, “…it is a tangible way for consumers to get up to the minute property data, but even more importantly, an even better way to preview property listings that are from other brokers. Say you’re in the car touring property, and a client asks about a sign not belonging to you, simply snap a photo of the property, or even the yard sign and view the agent and property details instantly providing you with a warm on the fly opportunity to present a property the buyers are interested in. Imagine a client driving by your bus bench (I know, lame, but now made cool by Goggles) who snaps a photo and instantly obtaining your contact details along with everything you want them to know about you is now right there at their fingertips. The same principle applies to billboards or anywhere else you’ve plastered your logo (or face). The post cards you’re mailing are no longer useless to consumers in the sense that they throw away things they don’t want to store, they can now snap a photo and register your data right there in their phone, and the same could apply to a photo snapped of the front page of your website- hey, it’s you on the go!”

‘Google Insights’ Supports Better Real Estate Business Blogging Results

Let’s say you’re a real estate agent selling property in Grand Lake OK and you’re looking to capture as much search traffic as possible with your blog. There are many things you’ll eventually need to understand, but none more than the identification of the most relevant key words & phrases. Starting there is sound strategy!

The first question you might ask yourself is, “If home buyers were looking for property, homes or real estate in Grand Lake  how *exactly* would they search?”  You could certainly use logic based upon ‘in the field business experience’, but that would be short of *exact*… and anything less risks your valuable time, effort and money. A better course, and best real estate blogging practices for that matter, might be to look for facts surrounding Grand Lake OK search activity.

Google Insights Search: Grand Lake OK

A great place to start is Google Insights where, rather than guessing, you can identify a lot about what people are looking for in Grand Lake OK. Ultimately, successful search visibility amongst the most qualified buyers and sellers requires targeting the right real estate topics with your real estate business blog.

Google Insights is a powerful tool, requiring some investment of time to truly tap its potential, for finding a depth of insight into where, what & when people search.

Let’s simply start by looking at top level insight into what people interested in Grand Lake OK have been searching. For starters, by solely searching Grand Lake OK without 1) comparing other terms or 2) the use of geographic limits or 3) andy date range … we find that the lion’s share of that search traffic is looking into Grand Lake OK Travel, Local & Recreation.

One might conclude that many of the people searching consider this to be a resort area; however there’s more immediate insight front & center, including that the traffic is all US based. Understanding that international buyers are probably not a target, one could use the geographic filters offered to see where in the US interest is based. Doing so shows that interest is coming from KS, MO, AR & TX based searches. And what could that tell us about future geographically based posts we could write for potential KS, MO, AR & TX second home buyers?

Going further, target key words & phrases is where we get the most useful information and Google Insights delivers both the top search terms and also the fastest rising search terms:

Top Grand Lake OK Search Terms

The key words & phrases are here and they should be cross referenced with business goals in order to determine which might be best emphasized in future real estate business blogging.  Some additional observations might include that Grove OK, Resort, Rentals, Casino & Cabins are sought after, and that they should be looked into as potential target topics.

 Rising Grand Lake OK Search Terms

Some additional observations here might include that Monkey Island & the Marina in addition to Grove OK, Resort, Rentals, Casino & Cabins are becoming sought after. Clearly, they should also be paid some attention in terms of their value as target topics.

Comparing Search Terms

The above identifies Grove OK as a related area of interest, so it is certainly useful to search it versus Grand Lake for further insight. Low and behold, Grove OK is actually generating more searching…  making it an important key phrase to dive into for further insight.

Bottom line, ‘Google Insights’ supports better use of key terms and phrases. Spend some time and you’re guaranteed to improve your overall insight into what search activity amongst qualified home buyers is how future real estate business blogging can bring you more success!

It’s a good question. I mean I still check to see where we are for certain target topics. I do it despite the fact that I know search results have been personalized, meaning today’s’ algorithm offers bias toward my personal search history. What I’m seeing is likely to be different than what the consumer [I hope will see] will see. I also know core search results are ever changing… and for good reasons.

Yet, it doesn’t make me feel any better if I’ve come off page 1. Why should a client feel any different? 

The fact is, no one knows exactly what tomorrows’ search results will hold. What Google does with its algorithm is proprietary. Scott Huffman, Google Search Evaluation, “It’s essentially impossible to make a change that is 100% positive in all situations; with any algorithmic change you make to search, many searches will get better and some will get worse.”

He goes on to share that nowadays:

• “…There are several dimensions to “good” search results. Traditional search evaluation has focused on the relevance of the results, and of course that is our highest priority as well. But today’s search-engine users expect more than just relevance.”
• “Are the results fresh and timely?”
• “Are they from authoritative sources?”
• “Are they comprehensive?”
• “Are they free of spam?”
• “Are their titles and snippets descriptive enough?”
• “Do they include additional UI elements a user might find helpful for the query (maps, images, query suggestions, etc.)?”
• etc., etc.

In the end, advertising has changed. Because of search, subscribe and social media it’s less in your control. So, you may move on and off of page 1 quite often. Be assured people are looking for what you have to offer, but they are less and less aware of advertising that interrupts them. Today’s’ modern advertising can’t be measured like it used to be. Unlike with traditional, your message is no longer limited in time OR in space.

Blog to create good consistent content coverage for your marketplace. Blog to differentiate yourself! While you have no guarantee [no advertising ever has!], the potential to attract qualified consumers is limitless!

Why Won’t Google Sell Their Organic Search Results to the Highest Bidder? Why not influence the results for advertising dollars? It’s a question brought on by fear. The fear a Real Estate Business Bloggers’ hard work to be visible in the SERPS could be wiped out by a manipulation of the organic search results.

Google could do it; however, the way we see it they won’t!

They won’t because anything less than the best organic search results and searchers will go elsewhere. Google’s vast data shows them that the highest quality organic search results foster search loyalty. The more searching at Google, the more pay per clicks that occur.

Search consumers don’t visit Google for the ads, but 1 in 10 click on them …and Google depends on it. Anything less and consumer trust lessens, search traffic drops, ad revenue generating clicks decline & Google’s business spirals downward.

Loyalty can be fleeting and for search it depends on the quality of organic search results!

A quick heads’ up on your web presence, blog posts, Google and what I believe is currently the case with duplicate content.

If you have content that is duplicate to other posts or pages elsewhere on the web you should edit one carefully… or you may hurt yourself in Google’s search index. Now, Google isn’t everything for everybody. Brand, trust or direct subscriptions are certainly very valuable and Google can’t give them. This post is certainly not meant to say “don’t publish similar content in different places.” On the contrary, as a marketer you should go anywhere there is an audience and advertise your business knowledge!

This is *NOT meant to be the alarmist* either, but if you’re goal is search findability do not underestimate Google. They have a giant business to protect and going against their grain may put your past and future online presence at stake.

Google has suggested they never want to police duplicate content. Rather than police or penalize for it, they’d just as soon allow their algorithm choose the best of duplicate pages for their index and throw the rest out. I won’t point to it here because the goal may not be search indexing, but I know of at least one instance where over 4,100 blogs have the same exact posts and only one of those blogs gets indexed by Google. Clearly they’re capable of eliminating duplication from their indexes. And why wouldn’t they when their business depends on 1) being the best conduit to good answers on the web and 2) to having the most satisfied loyal searchers?

Ultimately, it appears the ill effects for duplicate content identification include:

1) you waste a spider crawl of an otherwise useful page,

2) you waste any good key phrase indexing from those duplicate pages,

3) you lose potential ‘key phrase findability’ from those duplicate pages,

4) you throw out all back links to the duplicate page, otherwise favorable to your overall page rank,

5) and recently I’ve seen speculation over the belief there may be a bad behavior signal in the works.  If so, it may eventually have some kind of a trust penalty versus your overall rank.

Also worth adding, some believe Google’s filters are set to detect 50% + duplication on a page or post before dropping it. Is it 50% regardless or in exact succession? Probably succession, but who’s to say. Again, be careful when so much is at stake!

Related Posts:

1. Are there consequences for Duplicate Content?
2. What does the Google Crawl mean to your business and how will your Business Blog help?
3. The 5 Most Negative Factors Influencing Your Search Engine Page Rank

Get an Advertorial Business Blog!

So, what is it that gets you favored search engine indexing, rank and content relevance? What we do know [per the below Google quote] is that your web presence is being scrutinized competitively in over 200 different ways. So, does a search engine care about your site, or just about its’ pages? Is it the back links that do the trick? Is it the relevance to your subject matter of back links that really matters? Is it the rank of those back links? Can a search engine detect paid or recruited back links and ignore or penalize for them? How about date of creation stamp- have you been there longer? Is it how fast your pages load or, at least, the content on your pages? Is the amount of search activity going to your site a competitive signal? Has an ability to track your RSS subscription numbers become an important metric? Is it how focused and consistent your content creation is? Or better yet, how strong is the competition for each of the topics you target on each of these signal points and the 200 other we may or may not know about?

The truth is [per the below Google quote], no one really knows… and it changes all the time. As a firm, we believe it’s probably all of the above and then some *but mostly we believe it’s about your content.* Versus technology or link optimization strategies, which may get you somewhere temporarily, content is the sustainable logic in a world where search engines need loyal search in order to succeed. Specifically, *search engines are either the best conduit to answers OR searching consumers will move on, leaving pay per click models short of the click revenue needed to succeed.* And by the way, approximately 9- 11% of all searchers will click on the pay per click advertisements… leaving 90% for the organic content creator.

Regardless of what we believe, one can draw their own conclusions from what Google itself says, as follows:

• VP of Search Quality Udi Manber, "The goal is always the same: improve the user experience. This is not the main goal, it is the only goal.”
• Udi Manber, “…surprisingly little is known about ranking at Google. This is entirely our fault, and it is by design. We are, to be honest, quite secretive about what we do. There are two reasons for it: competition and abuse…"
• "We’re constantly experimenting with our algorithm, tuning and tweaking on a weekly basis to come up with more relevant and useful results for our users."
• Mr. Singhal [current master of Google’s ranking algorithm] has developed a far more elaborate system for ranking pages, which involves more than 200 types of information, or what Google calls “signals.” Page Rank is but one signal
  • "Page Rank relies on the uniquely democratic nature of the web by using its vast link structure as an indicator of an individual page’s value. In essence, Google interprets a link from page A to page B as a vote, by page A, for page B. But, Google looks at considerably more than the sheer volume of votes, or links a page receives; for example, it also analyzes the page that casts the vote. Votes cast by pages that are themselves "important" weigh more heavily and help to make other pages "important." Using these and other factors, Google provides its views on pages’ relative importance."
  • "Some signals are on Web pages like words, links, images and so on. Some are drawn from the history of how pages have changed over time. Some signals are data patterns uncovered in the trillions of searches that Google has handled over the years.”

Amidst all the above there have been two Google algorithm changes fairly recently, where top websites and bloggers saw dramatic changes [some up, some way down] in their indexing and their page rank. It’s common and it isn’t ever going to be a static environment, so suggesting there are sure- fire technologies and linking strategies runs counter to Google’s need for the best and most timely answers [or content] possible. Careful, it’s unlikely anyone is outsmarting Google’s army of engineers.

Our focus remains on bringing people the most user friendly optimized blogging software possible and on teaching leading content creation technique that stimulates both search engines and humans

From TechCrunch: Google Declares Jihad On Blog Link Farms

Andy Beard: Digg Favorites Slapped by Google

Careful folks: recruiting links is a dangerous game. It requires knowledge of what is & what is not a quality link and you should have a healthy feel for the risks involved when investing your limited time & resources. Approach it with a respect for the fact that Search Engines have an interest in their own business, which is answering search queries accurately. They will always strive to analyze content, including the contents’ link structure, based upon its’ actual value to a consumer.

Portfolio.com has a good article and an interactive feature breaking down Google’s system.

Have fun with it

Google Maps has seen many useful mashups in the last few months including Street View and integration with third parties such as Craigslist. Now it is Google Earth’s turn. Google is allowing for a Google Earth/ YouTube Mashup with video’s geotagged and viewable from within Google Earth’s 3D view.

Geotagged video’s on YouTube viewable by location via Google Earth will combine satellite imagery, terrain and city buildings. When a video is uploaded on YouTube the option of adding an address to the video is available.

This could have a fantastic effect on using YouTube videos to showcase property as a Real Estate video could be geotagged when uploaded to YouTube. The user could watch it whilst looking at that neighborhood online.