Should You Create Your Own Website Content? Part 3
Writing for the Web
Reading on a computer screen differs from the way people read print publications. Reading a computer screen causes more eye strain than reading something in print. Consequently, many people skim through online writing rather than reading every line.
By breaking up content into small paragraphs with headlines for each and using double spacing you can make it easier for people to read and prevent them from missing anything important to them.
Here are a few additional tips: (more…)
Add comment August 19, 2010
Should You Create Your Own Website Content? Part 2
Write something and have a few friends and family read it. Let them judge whether your writing skills are sufficient. If they aren’t, hire someone who has these skills.
If English is not your first language and you immigrated from a foreign country in the past 5-10 years then you should definitely have someone who speaks English as their first language take a look at your writing. In most cases you will need to hire a writer. (more…)
Add comment August 17, 2010
Should You Create Your Own Website Content? Part 1
With all the many tasks involved in your real estate business, not all of them should be done by you personally. Some tasks you’ll always need to do yourself, but many others can and should be outsourced to others. Some tasks in your business are worth far more per hour than others, so you want to do the most revenue generation activities yourself and leave the less revenue generating activities to others. For instance, spending time on the phone following up with past clients and prospects is a high level, revenue generating task. Doing paperwork for closings is not a revenue generating task, though it’s obviously an essential part of your business and must still be done.
If you’re building your business online with your real estate website, you really need to take an inventory of yourself and think about whether you should create your real estate content, have someone do it for you, or a combination of both.
If you have a lot of experience in your specialty, and your writing skills are excellent, content creation will be a simple matter of sitting down at your computer and letting the ideas flow onto the screen. But if you aren’t such a person then generating material for your site may feel like having a tooth pulled without anesthetic!
But don’t despair. There’s something for everyone on the Net. Before you decide to create your own content, here are some things to consider: (more…)
Add comment August 16, 2010
Understanding Search Engine Optimization (SEO) For Your Real Estate Website Part 3
Reputable companies usually avoid gray hat SEO, but those who don’t know the search engine rules and some agencies will occasionally use one or two of these tactics for getting ahead further with their SEO. Grey hat techniques include: (more…)
Add comment August 13, 2010
Understanding Search Engine Optimization (SEO) For Your Real Estate Website Part 2
Black Hat Techniques To Avoid
Keyword Stuffing – this is deliberately planting extra instances of certain important keywords in your writing beyond what is warranted with what you’re expressing. For instance, if your farm area was Toronto and you wanted to be ranked under searches for “Toronto real estate” a black hat method would be using the word “Toronto” an excessive and gratuitous number of times on each page in your writing (eg. more than 10 times). Your readers will simply recognize this as poor, annoying writing. (more…)
Add comment August 12, 2010
Understanding Search Engine Optimization (SEO) For Your Real Estate Website Part 1
The internet is like a continent sized forest, and things like search engines and social networking sites are like park rangers or guides. If these people can’t find your website, then your website is like a billboard in the middle of these woods. No one will know it’s there.
Search engines endeavor to have the true authorities in any subject matter at the top of their search results. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a many faceted discipline that includes unique, compelling content, listings, blogging, press releases, article submissions, and other activities. Consequently, with so many options you must build a content strategy. (more…)
Add comment August 11, 2010
Branding For Success In Real Estate Part 9
Some of the old fashioned ways of marketing are often still effective. Be sure to send fliers to your farm area at least once every 2 months. The more often, the better. Distribute promo products with your logo on them. Drop them off at local stores or deliver them to your top prospects. Companies like VistaPrint offer a huge variety of highly customizable, inexpensive promo products with consistent branding you can distribute to prospects and past clients alike. (more…)
Add comment August 10, 2010
Branding For Success In Real Estate Part 8
If you have a limited advertising budget then pace yourself with your advertising. Don’t blow it all on one campaign and expect prospects to start breaking down your door! Rather, like with your branding message, consistency with advertising is crucial. It’s far better to contact 500 people 10 times with a flier than contact 2500 people twice or 5000 people only once.
Hopefully your advertising budget won’t run dry before you see some monetary return from your investments. If you do run out of money, you can start working with free advertising methods such as writing your own blog, commenting on other people’s blogs, getting writeups on your business and expertise in print media, and so on. (more…)
Add comment August 9, 2010
Branding For Success In Real Estate Part 7
Every couple of years you should re-visit your marketing materials’ color scheme and change it up. Just make sure you keep the same sort of look and feel. If you don’t, you’re going against your own branding you’ve built up. When people visit your revamped site with radically different colors they may not even recognize it. When that happens all your branding efforts are nullified.
You can get more information about color palettes and suggestions on COLOURlovers . It’s a creative community where people from around the world create and share colors, palettes and patterns, discuss the latest trends and explore colorful articles. (more…)
Add comment August 6, 2010
Branding For Success In Real Estate Part 6
A graphic designer needs to be able to translate your ideas into images, so be on the lookout for a designer who can listen well. This is crucial. Some designers will just quote you a price and that’s it, take it or leave it. Avoid such people because they’re often not all that interested in helping you get what you want. They just want to make something that looks decent and be done with it. Work with someone who makes a sincere effort in getting to know you, your business, and your needs. They’ll be the ones that will get you the logo you want with fewer iterations between you and them. (more…)
Add comment August 5, 2010
