I just read a blog, about how a couple spent $5K to have their site optimized with no results. It brought a question that I've long struggled with. When we hire an expert, how do we know that they know?
This isn't an idle question. We Realtors rely on referrals for our business, and so do the experts. Yes, this couple called several references. All the references said good things, yet they still wasted their money. I'll add my own philosophy on this later (for those wanting to the article now).
SEO companies are all over the place. We have to ask the right questions, and understand enough about the subject to know if we get good answers. Once upon a lifetime ago (last year...), I designed my own site. Looked very pretty, operated well, good showcase. I got no traffic, and few leads. Fighting my own pride, I went with a template site. Tried 3 before I ended up with Z57. My site (http://www.realtyworldwichita.com/) doesn't look like most Z57 sites, because I spent a great deal of time adding a whole lot of unread content to the front page. This is an old principle, and not weighted as much as it use to be, but so many Real Estate sites are so poorly optimized, it still works. I now have an 8% lead capture rate on my site. With this experience, I'm going to suggests what to ask.
Domain First: Like everything else, start at the top - .com's are still king. All the other .xxx (biz, net, etc) are still being confused. EVERYONE will assume that your site ends in .com. Don't believe me? How many have visited www.IRS.com and realized they really meant http://www.irs.gov/? The .com site is a tax preparer, for money. Not what you're looking for. Next, Domain age and longevity mean a lot. If someone suggests you get a new domain over one you've owned for 10 years, ask why. I have 3 domains pointing to the same site. I will someday dump an old one, but not until the new one catches up. Buy your domain for a long time forward (5 years or more). Search engines like stability.
Keywords - Use the force: Google adwords has a great and free tool. It helps you with how many keyword searches last month, and how many pages are competing for that phrase. This tool also helps pick other words and show you the same info. When someone is suggesting phrases, ask them the search data and competition for those words. Better yet, go to Google first and know before they start telling you. Different places have searches. Our number one phrase is "Wichita Kansas Real Estate". Most areas abbreviate the state, but not so much here. BUT - I showed good search numbers with the state abbreviated, so I optimized for those and rose quickly.
PPC is bad, right? Yes and know. Depends on how you use it. Organic searches is what we're all about. But, I've used Homegain with their PPC program - Because, they are high up the organic search. If they weren't, they would be useless to me. If you do a PPC thru the search engine, you may or may not get clicks, or qualified leads. Homegain is on the first page of some phrases in my area. By doing the PPC, and having a landing page, I'm able to see what leads and phrases brought them to my site. Most good SEO companies should recommend a balanced PPC and organic budget. The PPC part is easy, ask them how this will bring you up the organic list
Submit your site - submit often - NOT: Resubmit? You can get banned from too much submission. Sitmemaps. Now this is submission. I update my sitmape periodically. I have it registered in my Google account, and my Yahoo account (both free). I check how often they download my site map, and any errors in it. This is better submission. Yes, your site should be submitted once, but all the search engines tell you they will find it eventually. Make sure the SEO company uses XML sitemaps for the search engines.
Link to lots of other sites: Well, this has been abused so badly. I get Link invites often. Those invites want me to link to their front page. I check where they are putting their reciprocal link, and find the page they want to link to isn't visible to the public. The page always has a low PR (Google Page Rank). Linking a site to one with a lower Page Rank can hurt your site. No links are better than bad ones. Good links come from sites that aren't a link farm. sites that have to do with Real Estate, or the City your from. These links lead to your credibility. SEO pros that want to link you, ask about the quality of the link, and how they intend to attract them.
References: Yes, ask for them, but ask for some that didn't work out too. I did, and called people both good and bad. I listened to both sides of the arguments, and made my own decisions. As a Broker and Realtor, I've had bad customers. I'm confident enough to tell the story, and how I could've made it better. These companies should be too.
Do it yourself: Yep, I did. Taught myself to play piano too. Learned computers by doing, photography as well. It can be done if you have the right tools, and take the time. I used Google, SEOToolset, http://www.xml-sitemaps.com/, www.SEOChat.com, and more. I'm still learning, and I'm still making mistakes. But one thing I know, I've learned enough to know when BS is hitting the fan, and when I'm getting the right story.
Greg Fox
;)
;)
Greg,
You make a lot of good and valid points. Websites are to be useful, not just pretty. A day does not go by that someone wants to charge me gobs of money to maximize me.
What for, we can accomplish the same with a little effort on our own.
Thanks
Tom Braatz
tom@tombraatz.com
http://www.tombraatz.com