One of the best ways to kick start your website in the search engines is to let them know that you exist! Here are 4 places that you must submit your website to, in order to be found.

1. Google - www.Google.com/addurl
2. Dmoz.org - This open directory project is a must have! - www.Dmoz.org
3. MSN - They are quickly growing their search engine and you will definitely want to be a part of the growth. - http://search.msn.com/docs/submit.aspx
4. Yahoo - The number #2 Search Engine can't be ignored. They have some great products to help you, but make sure you start by submitting to get listed - http://help.yahoo.com/help/us/dir/suggest/index.html

If you at least get started with these steps, your real estate search engine marketing results will start off strong.

Labels: real estate search engine optimization, search engine optimization strategy

Choosing a company to help you with your real estate agent website shouldn't be difficult. Although there are many different vendors out there to decide from, the best part to decide first is what you will want out of the company. Here are 5 quick checklist items that you should think about when deciding on who to choose for your real estate agent website.

1. Will you upload new content pages for FREE? - Some vendors like Advanced Access will post up new pages for you if you send them the content for no charge. As you will want to stay up to date this is a good question to ask!


2. What features are must have on my website? - Items like MLS Search and a form for Sellers to give their address for a CMA are must haves, but you may not need the FSBO listing tool. Write down which features you want on your website so you can see which vendor has all of the items you are looking for.


3. What type of customer support is available? - Are they available only on week days or on weekends too?


4. How long is the contract for? - Is it a set-up fee and the month to month? Am I locked in for a year? Find a vendor that is flexible for you and meets your budget constraints.


5. Do they offer additional services? - Do you want to company that offers Search Engine Optimization services or search engine marketing services? Will they explain what they are doing and how will they be held accountable for the results?

Consider these 5 questions before you decide on the vendor to host your website. You will more than likely be with that vendor for quite some time so it is ok to take time to decide which will be the best fit for you.

Labels: real estate agent website, real estate search engine optimization, search engine optimization strategy

In order to maximize your search engine optimization strategy for your real estate website you will want to have other wesbites link to your website. Increasing your inbound links is a way to increase your organic results in the search engines which will help in your overal search engine optimization strategy so you can generate more leads.

This sounds simple in principle, but it often seems difficult to know where to start to get websites to link to yours. Here are a few ideas:

1. Directory Links - There are some wonderful real estate directories out there, like www.realestateabc.com and others where you can pay a nominal fee to have a link to your website placed on their site. We get traffic every month from www.realestateabc.com and others.
2. Recriprocal Links - This meams to "trade" links with sites. If you link to them, then they will link to you. Make sure to keep within the same industry for maxmium impact. The effectivness of these links is steadily declining, but it can still help.
3. BLOG Posts - Posting on BLOG forums demonstrates your expertise. Often your profile on the BLOG shows about you and a link to your website!
4. Press Releases - Sending out press releases online can be a powerful medium. It gets your information out there and often they will want to say more about the author with a link to your website. Try http://www.prweb.com for your press releases online.
5. Community Websites - Participate in community websites where they feature additional information about those who participate. A great example of a site that started as a real estate BLOG but has a local area is www.ActiveRain.com which has a site www.localism.com where your posts about areas are read by consumers!

Try these 5 tips and watch your success in the search engines!

Labels: BLOG, inbound links, real estate search engine optimization, recriprocal links, search engine optimization strategy