The dynamic nature of a networked web, the constant modification of search engine ranking methods and the random competitive activity surrounding local real estate content online makes organic search results unpredictable. So, the answer to ‘Can Anyone Promise Top 5 Organic Search Results?’ is probably “no.”

If anyone does guarantee top organic search results we might ask what proprietary information they have about the constant adjustments made to [content] ranking search algorithms. We might also ask, what – exactly - do they know about our competitors’ day to day online activity.

Even if there were proven techniques, the reality of the environment we compete in is… it’s never standing still. Logic would have that Google needs timely content from geographically relevant real estate experts for their search indexes. Logic would have Google wants to protect the quality of their search results by reducing the weight of signals that might easily be used to manipulate them [i.e. abusive meta data or non specific back links.] Logic would have that consistent relevant & timely content, and detectable activity stemming from that content, achieves & sustains organic search optimization.

And even beyond search, because RSS enables a blogs’ content to go wherever it is needed, Internet optimization should be our ultimate goal! Examples beyond search discovery include content that moves direct to subscribers, direct onto other sites and/ or direct into various social networks.

In an environment where our future customers leverage random resources online to research & discover, it is relevant & timely content activity that will:

1. generate more qualified search discovery;
2. generate more voluntary RSS subscription;
3. generate more links, bookmarks, forwards, recommendations;
4. differentiate as dedicated, knowledgeable, trustworthy;
5. establish unique marketplace brand and
6. generate lead opportunities!

Yes we need good blog solutions, but Google discloses good site standards for better indexing. Better blogs are a matter of site design & architecture, site maintenance and site advancement work. If you want to capture and funnel traffic into MLS Search/ lead capture based websites, blogs are still the cost effective way to do it.

Good active on-topic blogs make great search results possible; they achieve them sustainably and they make top organic search results cost-effective!

Is Blogging a form of SEO?

If you listen to some of our clients you might think so:

Bryan Bomba Hinsdale IL, “The search engine optimization realized from blogging is the best value for the optimization dollar.”

Judy Kunisaki Malibu CA, “My clients are constantly saying they found me via, or that they have read, my Blog.”

Artur Ciesielski Phoenix AZ, “…so far the results are page one placement for many of our target terms, direct contact from readers and 3 ready and qualified buyers.”

John Toner Howard County MD, “In my first 30 days I had two new clients and should close at least 8 sales my first year. If only all my marketing gave me this $150 to $1 return!”

Connor MacIvor Los Angeles CA, “It does not seem that they [SEO Guys] can compete with the power of a consistent – on topic blogger. I wrote two posts – within 48 hours I am the top of page two in Google when running the keywords REMAX Relocation. That was only 2 posts!!!”

For the record, we’re not SEOs. We are a marketing/ advertising services firm. We help clients create the content that can lead to new business. We build and manage branded [open source] blog platforms so clients can publish for their marketplace. We continually inform and educate on the platform, it’s features & additions, on search engines, social networking opportunities and on better blogging techniques. Why? The organic search engine results pages are arguably the most relevant modern day advertising medium. Nowadays, it’s a world where consumers research product & service providers online prior to actually pursuing them. In fact we follow many SEOs for their insight, but we have always said good blog solutions & good blog content is *the purest, most cost effective way to become relevant online and in the search engines.*

Be careful: what Google does with its algorithm is proprietary [unknown] and they change it almost every day… so SEO is never exact. No no one knows exactly what tomorrows’ search engine results will hold. Google’s Udi Manber says, “The goal is always the same: improve the user experience. This is not the main goal, it is the only goal.”  Part of Manber’s point is, despite how some may suggest you can manipulate search results, Google uses its’ resources to level the playing field for good content. They fight to find, to index and to organize the right content every day. And by the way, Google’s vast data shows them that the highest quality organic search results foster higher search loyalty. More searching at Google, as opposed to the competition, fosters more pay per click – the primary source Google’s revenue.

So, is Blogging SEO? Sure, we think it plays an important part. We believe in content, in trade coverage for a marketplace, in being informed about how to create content and in having the best blog platform to format & publish content. We know blogging is a cost- effective and sustainable approach with limitless potential. Our clients prove that blogging can be SEO every day!

The optimization of your real estate video content for search engine indexing has become a much more relevant exercise…. and your real estate blogsite will help! The reason centers around Google’s stated commitment to direct some of their search engine results page [SERP] focus on to non traditional forms of content, such as video [see- Google’s Universal Search ].

Here are best practices for improving your real estate video content’s search engine indexing:

1. Obviously, create good real estate video content! For instance, make sure the video represents your service accurately. The more viewing activity and organic back linking the better the chances are for search visibility!
2. Create a video library in YouTube… and upload all videos to it. While some quality may be at stake, YouTube adds simple embed code for other usage and tracking. Youtube is where video search and consumption is happening; however, because embed code enables the Google algorithm to count and compare total viewings [regardless of where they occur], get the [embedded] real estate video content in front of any audience you can!
3. Use relevant local real estate keyword titles, descriptions and tags wherever possible. This enables a search algorithm to understand and index your unique real estate video content.
4. When you save a real estate video file for future web usage, add targeted keywords to the video file name… other words change ABS.wmv … to Vail_CO_Luxury_Home.wmv
5. Use your real estate blogsite posts to upload embedded real estate video content. Blog posts can go a long way, so consider surrounding your real estate videos with on page copy OR even a transcript of any audio that describes it. Ultimately, use relevant blog title, content and also tags that can increase Google’s understanding of the content.
6. Consider creating a real estate video library page [with anchor text based deep internal links] on your real estate blogsite. Be sure to have video site map recognition so that both humans and search spiders can find it.
7. Keep real estate video content short and to the point… [re]searchers often have short attention spans and you want them to watch and react to it.
8. When relevant to other blog posts, leverage anchor text based deep internal linking to your real estate video content.

Leveraging Target Topic Keywords

So, now that you have established your target topic keywords, you need to leverage them for better blog- post search engine optimization [i.e. SEO]. For starters, using keywords you’d like to have favorable indexing for should be a priority and a discipline. Those same keywords aren’t always going to support what you need or want to blog about [timely events not centered on targets, yet important to an audience will come up], but lets assume your targets should be used more often than not.

Blog Post Titles

It is certainly believed that Google likes to see similarity in blog post titles, post permalinks and post title tags. While you must write post titles in ways that will capture a home buyers attention, they should also help a search engine spider to see what the post is about. For SEO to occur, post titles should include targeted keywords and key phrases. If the blog is well designed, blog post titles will directly influence the blog posts URL, also known as its permalink, and what you see in your browser. Simultaneously, it should influence the blog posts header tag, which you see above your browser. There are meta tagging solutions that allow for some rearrangement of post titles in URLs & Header Tags, but either way this is where a search engine spider can identify immediate emphasis.

Blog Post Text

It is well documented that when a search spider crawls into a post or a page’s content it will look for keyword or key phrase consistency and then also density. It’s good practice to reiterate keywords used in post titles high or early on in the actual post’s text. Using keywords a few times throughout a post isn’t bad practice; however, overdoing the density [i.e. keyword stuffing] in a post may be detected by filters, which are believed to be tuned for the identification of keyword stuffing or gaming. Ultimately, use common sense and keep it real – your readers want good content too!

Blog Tags & Categories

Search engines and humans view content in different ways, but the fine line you draw in the content is important to your business. For instance, adding the most important key words and phrases from a post to its tags adds emphasis for those search engines that are crawling for them. Google is an exception, believed to place little to no emphasis on these types of manually added tags; whereas, Technorati is an aggressive user of them. Categorization can help a visitor drill down or back in time to points of interest in a body of work, but it can also add useful text indicators for spiders seeking that keyword emphasis.

Stay tuned as we continue our series of Real Estate Blogging Best Practice posts centered around some of the basics useful to competitive search engine optimization. We’ll expand on many more useful disciplines in the coming weeks. And then, you’re always welcome to get in touch if you have any questions or are interested in a service that drills down on all things new and old in ‘best blogging practices.’

I thought this piece in Search Engine Watch on the value of links was very informative and important to pass along:

What’s a link worth? The answer often seems riddled with secrets that aren’t secret and lies that are. Don’t listen to the false promises of secrets. Don’t get taken in by the lies.

See this Matt Cutts interview [particularly part II] and note Cutts’ recognition of a common Realtor reciprocal- linking tactic. It seems Google is asking, "Is it valuable to the searching home buyer or seller if a Realtor shares links with several other Realtors in completely different areas of the country? And if not, why should the Realtor benefit?"

At Real Estate Blogsites, we’ve always emphasized consistent on- topic content and great technology. We’ve also been very careful to recognize linking strategies with a ‘heads up’ approach:

This is certainly not to say you shouldn’t recruit and provide relevant links. You should; however know that it’s not the simple exercise it once was and that you should be very concerned with the quality, as opposed to sheer quantity, of your links.

In all, consistent on- topic content will maximize indexing, search visibility, human interest and it should be priority number one. Good technology is also very important and can offer incremental advantages. Links, particularly inbound, should actually occur naturally and as a result of the good content. Links can certainly project search engine relevance, but recruiting or trading them requires knowledge and a healthy respect for the risk involved in having the wrong links.

One of our newest features is called Tag Cloud, also known to us as a “Real Estate Blogsites’ SEO Supercharger”.  Real Estate Blogsites incorporates a keyword tagging system into each and every platform. 

Each time you write content, you are asked to associate a set of keywords with that post. Once published, this set of keyword tags becomes part of a growing family of word links known as your Tag Cloud.  Every time you tie new keyword tags with articles you publish, your Tag Cloud grows. 

Think of it as an internal search mapping system for content throughout your entire blog.  In essence, it is much like having your own real estate blogsite search engine.  Search engine spiders tend to flag these tags for continued cataloguing.  As a result, this vehicle not only helps drive your content in the search engine indexes, but it also presents the information in an organized fashion.