Content Is King

It is imperative to have good, quality, unique content on your web site…especially the home page which tends to be the page often used by the search engines to rank your website. The search engines…and especially Google…have tremendous appetites. They actually want more than we usually want to give them

Since many agents are often too busy to supply us with good quality content when we build out your home page, we will use some standard filler text, tweaked to the agent’s area. This is a good starting point, but it is very important that each agent modify the verbiage to be more original and reflect themselves in it as well.

Do not write junk or filler content, or copy someone else’s. The search engines are very smart and can see through that. Create or modify to your own content. And, it is important that you use the keyword phrase(s) within your content. Don’t get too carried away and use your keyword phrase too many times though…as it could be considered spamming.

A good rule of thumb for keyword phrase usage would be top of the page, middle of the page and then wrap up with it again at the bottom of the page. A good test would be to read it out load. And if it sounds good go with it. If it sounds different than you would use in a normal conversation, then change it. Search engines are into proper syntax these days as well.

Feel free to develop additional pages within your site as well. Good for the engines. Good for you. Write about our real estate industry. Write about your services. Write about something you do better than the other guy. Be sure they have the appropriate keyword phrases for the page content.

By developing your site with more content, your visitors have more to digest, the search engines have more to confidently rank you higher…and everyone is the winner.

The phrase has been around for a long time…and it has been used a lot…but it is still true…CONTENT IS KING! For a more detailed article, click here.

Sales History on your GD Site

Post All of Your Most Recent Sales to your WebSite

You are able to provide your “Sales History” on your GraphicalData web site. What is cool about this is that it can be not only your own listings that have sold, but also any sales that you have made (since you own half that side of the transaction).

This is easy to set up. Just create a new page. Select the “Sold Listings” module to reside on the page. Then insert the mls #s for any of the sold listings. You can name your button/page “Sales History”, “Sold Listings” “Recent Sales” or anything that works for you.

This feature will hold up to 40 sold listings, and will keep them for as long as they are in the MLS database.

You Are Notified by Email When a Visitor to Your Site Creates a User Account

You Have Just Received The Message: “New Website User Account Created on Your Website”…What does this mean???

You have just had a visitor (in your website) create an account for themselves to either save a search, favorites, or save online school or neighborhood information. This is the notification to you that they have created an account.

This is pretty cool actually...however is very sensitive issue to them as this point. They are using your site (that's good!), however they probably think they are flying below the radar and perhaps are not yet really ready to reach out to you.

So, either just let your visitor do their thing...or at the very most, send them a low level, non-threatening email along the following lines: you noticed they were taking advantage of your site and that is great...you won't trouble them again...but if they should have any questions or need help, you are there to assist them…they can contact you any time.

Now that you know what it means, let’s look at two VERY IMPORTANT PIECES OF INFORMATION:

1). Since they have created an account in your site, you should turn on their VOW (see this article “Did you know you have VOW on your website?”).

2). Understand clients visiting your site and the timing involved in contacting them (see “Working Internet Leads”).

Schools and Neighborhoods Can Be Added to "Favorites"

The new interface for the school information and the neighborhood information modules in GD websites that was implemented mid-June provides for a great presentation. It shows more data and is presented in a more contemporary venue, as well.

In addition to this upgrade, a visitor can now save a neighborhood or school to their “favorites”. Visitors have always had the ability to save their “favorite listings” and their “searches”. Now, when they have drilled down to the actual neighborhood or the actual school in which they have an interest, at the top of the page next to the school or community name is a link to “add to favorites”.

Of course, they need to create their own account, or have already created an account, to save this or the other products for future review.

A side thought here: If you have a client, you can certainly create an account form them…save a search with their criteria…opt them in for notification of new listings by email…and if the neighborhood or school is known, save it in as well. Then pass your website address on to them along with the user name and password you have created for them. A great service you can offer them…and it may help keep them out of your competitor’s web site as well.