Search Engine Optimization: Getting Real Estate Websites High Ranking In Search Engines Part 1

February 23, 2011

Part 1 – Search Engine Basics – Getting Started

What Are Search Engines?

The easiest way of understanding internet search engines is this: they are today’s evolved Yellow Pages and White pages rolled into one.  For decades people used the traditional print Yellow Pages directory for finding businesses and the White Pages (IE phone book) for finding people.  Today, most people rely on search engines for finding virtually any information they want.

Why Are Search Engines So Important Today?

Ssearch engines are now the world’s most popular means of finding virtually any information.  They’re now far more popular than traditional print directories like the Yellow Pages.  In fact, the major search engines like Google and Yahoo are the largest repositories of information the world has ever known!

Therefore, it’s of the utmost importance for today’s real estate professional for understanding what search engines are, how they work and utilizing them cost effectively for your real estate business.  Attaining SEO for your real estate website is really the cornerstone of what we call a Smart Agent: a real estate professional utilizing the latest technologies for increasing their business.

Too many real estate professionals still have not understood the internet’s amazing potential for building your real estate business.  Some old model, pre-internet ways of doing business in real estate still work, but you simply must incorporate new model, internet based ways just to remain competitive today.  In recent times the real estate professional’s competitive edge is eroding due to industry deregulation, so it’s now even more important to stay abreast of the latest technologies such as search engines and make them work for you and your business.

Let’s illustrate how important having a strong online presence is today.

About 86% of people use the internet nowadays for their home searches.  That number is even higher for people under 40 years of age.  Of that 86%, 80%-90% of them use search engines in their real estate search.  So about 7 out of every 10 people who look for a home both use the internet for their home search and use a search engine.

Filed under: Marketing Tips,SEO For Realtor Websites

Tags: branding, Google, Google AdWords, marketing, real estate internet marketing, real estate internet marketing tips, real estate internet training, real estate search engine ranking, real estate search engine training, Search Engine Optimization, search engine training, SEO, website training tips