RealTown's RealTalk

Recently, in several postings in realtalk, various contributors have discussed whether there is
value in paying for clicks with google or yahoo in order to acquire leads (buyers and sellers).
 
Several years ago, I use to spend between $100 and $ 200 /month paying for clicks with both of
search engines.  Then, I discovered that having a good blog could quickly raise my position
on the first page of both google and yahoo search results (free side).  Free is always better
than paying.
 
I also realized the tremendous value of signing up for and completing NAR's e-Pro
certification course online.  It gave me more skills in using email and websites to promote
my real estate business.
 
Spiders sent out by various search engines can't distinguished between websites and blogs.
Many websites are static and don't change often.  Blogs on the other are vigorous and
vibrant and rich in content that quickly attract the interest of these spiders.
 
Another great company to be involved with is point2 websites.  What differs with this
firm is the ability of even novices to the internet to get a rich, high quality website
up and running in less than a hour without the need for a webmaster. 
 
Don't spend your precious financial resources on pay per click services.  Become an
epro professional first, get a free blog via this course and become a participant in
a point2 website.
 
If you desire more information on anything that I said in this posting, please contact
me offline.
 
John F. Maniec, LLC  e-Pro certified trainer and licensed real estate broker
Serving the Northeast section of Queens County, NYC
http://JohnManiec.Point2agent.Com
http://JohnManiec.InternetCrusade.Com
mailto:john@johnmaniec.com
http://realtown.com/johnmaniec/blog
cell: (917) 750-7842
 

John,

I have found that few of my clients have the time to spend on a blog.
Perhaps they are already too busy to squeeze in one more task, or
perhaps they don't like to write. Perhaps they can't think of ideas.
Whatever the reason, blogging as an SEO approach is suitable for
relatively few REALTORs(R). For those people, paid SEO and PPC are
more realistic approaches.

A few suggestions for your Point2 web site:

--Point2 sites "straight out of the can" as yours is, rarely do much
to generate leads. Consider replacing the content provided by Point2
with original content.

--Consider blogging directly into your Point2 site so that you get the
SEO benefit of your blog applied to improving your site's rank in the
search engines.

--Consider applying a domain name to your Point2 site; it will never
do much in the search engines as a Point2 subdomain.

--Consider downgrading your subscription to either a Standard or
Professional site as it doesn't appear that you are using the Premium
features. Most agents get along fine with a Professional site.
(Professional and Premium sites come with a built-in blog.)

--Add a full MLS search either with an iframed MLS search provided by
your board or with a commercial IDX service. The listings available
through Point2's NLS system and handshakes are not a complete
representation of the listings available in your area. You need to
have all the listings available in your area available for searches,
not just the Point2 NLS listings.

Suzanne

Suzanne Hathcock Stephens
Point2 Design Partner
http://www.SuzStephens.com
Phone/fax: 360-666-0881

On Apr 28, 2008, at 12:21 AM, John Maniec wrote:
>
> 00C7BI
> Recently, in several postings in realtalk, various contributors have
> discussed whether there is
> value in paying for clicks with google or yahoo in order to acquire
> leads (buyers and sellers).
>
> Several years ago, I use to spend between $100 and $ 200 /month
> paying for clicks with both of
> search engines. Then, I discovered that having a good blog could
> quickly raise my position
> on the first page of both google and yahoo search results (free
> side). Free is always better
> than paying.
>
> I also realized the tremendous value of signing up for and
> completing NAR's e-Pro
> certification course online. It gave me more skills in using email
> and websites to promote
> my real estate business.
>
> Spiders sent out by various search engines can't distinguished
> between websites and blogs.
> Many websites are static and don't change often. Blogs on the other
> are vigorous and
> vibrant and rich in content that quickly attract the interest of
> these spiders.
>
> Another great company to be involved with is point2 websites. What
> differs with this
> firm is the ability of even novices to the internet to get a rich,
> high quality website
> up and running in less than a hour without the need for a webmaster.
>
> Don't spend your precious financial resources on pay per click
> services. Become an
> epro professional first, get a free blog via this course and become
> a participant in
> a point2 website.
>
> If you desire more information on anything that I said in this
> posting, please contact
> me offline.
>
> John F. Maniec, LLC e-Pro certified trainer and licensed real
> estate broker
> Serving the Northeast section of Queens County, NYC
> http://JohnManiec.Point2agent.Com
> http://JohnManiec.InternetCrusade.Com
> john@johnmaniec.com
> http://realtown.com/johnmaniec/blog
> cell: (917) 750-7842

I have a question about pay per click too. So what if I lived in a state that got lots of internet activity like Florida or California and I put a real estate pay per click on the google search for Disney World or things to do in California? Are those kinds of pay per clicks more beneficial? Certainly most people are going to those sites with no intention of moving, but some may be. My feeling is pay per click is nothing more than a fishing expedition and I would be paying for looky loo's who were click happy. The average person has no idea that by clicking on that link they are costing people money I am sure of it. (If this all runs together I apologize... when I am typing it it looks just fine but when I re-read it as a post it has no paragraphs and my signature doesn't come out right :(( Gloria Handley, CRS, GRI RE/MAX Achievers Chandler, AZ

I am not sure if a "PayPerClick vs Free Search" argument is the right
way to approach the role of Internet Marketing for an agent.

This is not a contest, nor is it a religion...It's about what works
best for a particular agent.

In some cases, PPC may be the most effective marketing buy, in terms
of return-on-investment. For agents with new websites and no
rankings, PPC provides a means to get traffic immediately, while (if)
they plan to get their search optimization in order. It can also be
used to test traffic-to-lead-conversion strategies on a site. But, at
all times, caution and careful oversight is advised.

I was an advertiser in GoTo.com (the precursor of Overture/Yahoo PPC)
back in late 90s, when the bids were 1 cent per click. That was
shooting fish in a barrel. Times have changed.

Be aware that PPC in large metro areas or places where agents compete
aggressively, like resort areas, can be very expensive. If your site
is not in order and well-tested, are you are not converting the
traffic, it can be a complete waste of the investment. You'd better
know what you are doing to be a dominant PPC buyer in those markets.

There is one overarching rule in PPC...at some point, someone,
somewhere, through sheer ego, misguidance (or possibly by using
well-executed conversion methods that force competitors into a box),
will bid it up to (and beyond) the point that all of the profit for
most bidders is effectively transferred to the PPC company. If you
want to work for Google for slave wages, after all your costs are
applied, then jump into a PPC bidding war.

The PPC newbies with egos and money to burn usually don't last long
in the PPC wars. It is the efficient traffic converters that end up
determining PPC prices, over the long haul. They are also the ones
who closely review PPC bids, traffic, costs, etc. It takes time to do
that. No free lunch.

I know a lot of agents that use PPC effectively, and I know others
that have abandoned it, due to bidding wars and return-on-investment
considerations. There is no one size that fits all.

On the SEO side, those who paint only a rosy picture are also
misguiding us. It is very easy to overspend in a misguided manner and
achieve very little, in terms of results. Some markets are already
very competitive, and they require a well-focused SEO effort to get
anywhere. Smaller markets still very easy to nail down.

When site traffic is virtually free, on an incremental, per-click
basis, then the return-on-investment can be astounding, and
compounding. Again, there are also the ongoing investments of of time
and money, in order to continue to compete effectively, in the form
of link building and content development.

One challenge with "free" search traffic is that the site owner can
easily ignore their traffic-to-lead-conversion strategies, since the
traffic is not costing them money directly. PPC veterans can't afford
to ignore conversion.

On the SEO side, self-education is the best weapon that an agent has
when it comes to competing for free search results. Here's a
multi-page document that was specifically written for real estate
professionals, using real estate examples: Search Engine Optimization
Basics For Real Estate-Related Websites
http://www.domaindrivers.com/seobasics-realestate-main.htm

Also, for both PPC and SEO campaigns, you can create your own
optimized pages easily with our new landing page tool, here:
http://www.domaindrivers.com/pagegumbo/pagegumbo.asp

But, more than just PPC vs free search, agents need to look at their
websites in the whole scope of what is possible and what it can and
should do for their whole business. Are you using email effectively?
Are you servicing the leads that you have?

Offline advertising can drive traffic, when done properly.
Promotions, information, and community involvement can drive local
site traffic that would NEVER materialize via search traffic. You
have to be involved in your community to get it. In small towns, this
may be easier to do than in large metro areas.

A lot of non-profits do not have the website help that they need.
Agents with the ability to add pages and content quickly to their
sites can become de-facto "webmasters" on behalf of local non-profit
organizations (within reason), posting news and announcements for
them. These pages will get referenced in the non-profit's press
releases, newsletters, email, etc., creating and expanding circle of
links, traffic, and awareness. Blogging and posting on local forums
can drive traffic, as well. A community newsletter focusing on events
and charities is also a possibility that wraps around all of this.

A website is a tool. Those who use them most effectively as more than
just brochure-ware, will generate traffic.

Each agent has various needs, conditions, ability, and capacity. Two
agents in the same market can take completely different approaches to
Web marketing, and each might well achieve dramatic results.

Best regards,

Dirk Johnson
Partner - Operations
DomainDrivers LLC
djohnson@domaindrivers.com
703-406-4698
http://domaindrivers.realtown.com
We're an approved RealTalk/RealTown vendor:
http://DomainDrivers.InternetCrusade.com

At $3 per click PPC can drain credit card limit very quickly.

Pay-per-click works when it is done correctly. You can find seminars through both Google & Yahoo that are cheap to attend and will save you thousands of dollars. Blogs are IMPERATIVE for the agent who wants to stay moving forward with our technology. It only takes a little time each week and if you find something that you enjoy talking about, like eco-friendly products that relate to home buying, you will have fun! Blogging is free and should be an important part of your online marketing efforts. Understanding how to take a blog to the next level is also a blast when you see comments that you have made getting spidered quickly, and getting precious backlinks that so many agents paid for dearly in the past. Real Town has a free blog, and I highly recommend using it. Even one sale from getting found in the search engines will pay for the time that you invest in your online business.

Keep your ppc ads directed at real estate.