4 Key Factors to determine search engine relevance. There was a great post on SEOMoz that I wanted to make sure I could share. It really helps break down the sometimes complex theories of the algorithms of the search engines into 4 simple rules. This post was done by Randfish and I definitely encourage everyone to take some time to review the post. Here is a breakdown of his 4 key factors:

1. Keyword Usage and Content Relevance - He breaks this rule down from the obsolete idea of keyword stuffing to ideas that relate to latent semantic indexing.
2. Raw link Juice - Here you get to understand how high powered sites linking to you has a dramatic effect.
3. Anchor Text Weight - Learn how the keywords that link to you affect how your page is found.
4. Domain Authority - In a nutshell, how long term domains that have been trusted can impact the success of your website.

Take some time to review his post for some wonderful imagery and a great set of detailed explanations on each item.

Labels: anchor text links, keywords, SEO, seomoz

As you are continuing to practice your SEO skills through development of content and use of tools like WordTracker to find the most often searched words, sometimes we lose track of which words are the ones generating traffic and which ones are actually leading to conversions.

Labels: BLOG, conversion words, google analytics, keywords, pay per click, PPC Campaigns, word phrases

If you have a Google (R) adwords account we hope that you have logged in to it in the last several days. What you noticed is a message announcing a change to how Google will determine which ads appear above the search results. So what did they do and most importantly how will this affect you and your ads.

1. The maximum price you are willing to pay for a click will now count! - This is known as Max CPC. Prior to this change your Max CPC did not affect (directly) where you were in the placement. It related only in comparison with your competitors. So the higher you are willing to pay for a click will now add greater weight to were you are placed. You will still only pay more than the person below you and won't necessarily pay your max. You will also never be charged more than your Max CPC.
2. Quality Score still matters the most - This is the secret Google formula. They determine a quality score for your ad. Hint though the better your CTR (Click Through Rate) the better your quality score is going to be. So even if you are willing to outspend all of your competitors if you can't write a quality ad you still will not be placed above them.

So now you can have better control to get the top spot. Now just because you can get the top spot doesn't always mean you should get it. Remember you have a greater likely hood to get more clicks at the top although sometimes it isn't the quality that you would want. There are many times where spot 3-6 are 50% less or more than the top spot and generate you quality traffic and more important customers who are willing to purchase. Keep that in mind as you make changes to your Google Adwords accounts. Good luck and may you achieve your results!

Labels: Google, Google Adwords, google search, Google Webmaster Tools, keywords, real estate pay per click

It is often difficult to find out what keywords are being searched for on the internet. There are free tools out there so you can see what searches are being done, but they often rely with you guessing different combinations of words, which can be tiresome! We have put together a resource on our website so you can learn more Wordtracker with a FREE 3 page report.

If you are taking real estate search engine optimization seriously, then you will want to try a tool like, Wordtracker. They have memberships starting at just 1 week so you can develop a powerful word list! We have been using Wordtracker for quite awhile, and here are some of the highlights of how it works.

• Searches over 300 million searches to determine what searches are actually being made


• Visits 200 related websites based off of the term you type to find related terms


• Gives you the actual search volume of keywords for the last 90 days


• Allows you to save projects so you can keep track of your words while you are developing new content and PPC campaigns

Using a tool like Wordtracker can maximize your SEO efforts for your real estate website. The added benefit is you can use the same words for your BLOG postings and online ads. Give it a try for a week or try their FREE trial and see how many keywords you can discover!

Labels: BLOG, keywords, PPC Campaigns, real estate internet marketing, real estate search engine optimization, SEO