BuildRealEstateWebsites.com Blog

Visit Our Main Blog!

I've tried to keep up with this blog, an Active Rain blog, and our main blog.  Some time ago, as you can tell from the last post on this blog, I gave up!

If you're looking for a Real Estate Marketing Blog offering tips and tools that will give your real estate business a competitive edge...

Need Help with Blog Topics?

Thanks to Jay Thompson, I came across a great list of real estate topics that you can use to provide inspiration for writing blog posts, and to increase the stickiness of your website and provide powerful interlinking opportunities between your blog and your internal website pages.

Check it out - you may never be speechless again!

Dealing with Web Theft

It's unfortunate that we have to worry about other webmasters stealing content from our sites.  But, it happens all the time.  Sometimes the person stealing the content thinks it's public domain content because it's on the Internet.  Guess they don't notice the copyright information at the bottom of each page!

And, sometimes people steal because they want good content, but don't want to create it themselves or pay someone else to do it.

In either case,  I advise everyone to do something about any instance of theft you identify.  Visit our main blog to learn more about How to Handle Internet Theft, and to learn about concrete steps you can take when your website's content has been plagiarized.

Balancing Real Estate Web Development

Many of the Point2 members I speak with are very focused on the design of their site.  They've spent countless hours perusing various Point2 websites, trying to identify how they can make their site stand out from the rest.  Here are some basic truths to keep in mind:

1. To be successful on the Internet, there are a number of issues you need to address.  The graphic design portion of your real estate website development isn't even the most critical!
2. Your visitors will not spend hours looking at Point2 websites to figure out if they all look the same or not.  If you work at Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and reach the front page of the search results, you won't be there with 9 other Point2 Agent websites.  I promise.  So, keep in mind that while you may think all Point2 sites look the same, it can be your secret.
3. If you spend your entire Internet marketing budget customizing the look of your Point2 website, you aren't creating a successful Internet presence.  And, you may end up among the ranks of the real estate agents who are convinced that it isn't possible to use the Internet as a lead-generation tool.
4. Those cute real estate websites that are centered in the middle of your computer monitor aren't making the most of your website real estate.  Point2's full-screen format and customization options give you a lot more flexibility than a site that is limited to being 800 pixels wide.

So, my suggestion is that you create an overall budget.  Apply your resources to things that will make your website work as a lead-generation tool first.  Then, make the design as amazing as your budget allows!

Less is More for SEO Optimization!

Using Tags on Point2 Blogs

To me, the term Tag normally indicates a keyword-type identifier.  However, for Point2 blogs, I'd suggest that you use Tags as categories, not keywords.

After you've used your blog for a while, visitors will hopefully want to read more of your posts than what is shown on the home page.  In addition, you may want to direct someone to a set of posts on a particular subject.  That's where using the Tags as categories can be very helpful.

As categories, you need to think carefully about the Tags you create, and organize your posts by topic.  Don't add Tags unless you are posting on a new topic, and you anticipate adding more posts on that same topic in the future.

For example, you might want Tags for Market Conditions, Things to Do, Community Information (or different Tags for different communities), New Listings, The Listing Archive, and so forth. 

You'll probably also need a Tag for "Everything Else" or "All Other" or "Deep Thoughts"  - depending on how you use the blog.  Then, only add a Tag if you are sure you're actually starting a new topic category.

You'll be glad you did when someone wants to look at all your market condition posts, and all you need to do is send them one link!

Introducing: Integrated Blogs from Point2 Agent

Well, Point2 has done it again!  They have integrated a blog with their real estate websites.  This capability will make it much more convenient to manage a blog on your real estate website, and should have a positive impact on your search engine rankings!