RealTown's RealTalk

I am just curious if all of this poltical discussion on RealTalk has sold any houses or generated any listings for anyone?

In real estate, I still see hundreds and hundreds of wide open opportunites for applying search optimization principles to get better rankings in search results. Even now, in late 2008, most communities or metro areas have very few serious lcoal competitors for search rankings. The large lead genertion sites (trulia, zillow, homes.com, etc) get the top rankings, by default, because very few agents in that community are taking their SEO work seriously.   

In general , getting good rankings takes a little bit of website writing/editing, and some link building. So it does take time and effort, but it is not rocket science. 

We all get 24 hours in a day. How we spend those hours has a lot to do with how successful we are in business.  

Politics is a fabulously emotional subject that rarely generates any business for anyone, except for the polticians and the political industry. It is just an observation, but if the time spent discussing poltics here was applied toward sorting out SEO issues on your websites, it would likely make a huge difference in your rankings. Thus creating leads and maybe helping to ride out this storm in a successful manner.

Anyone can start to solve their SEO challenges by spending just one hour getting the basics explained, with a document that is extremely fair and non-commercial in nature. You don't have to hire anyone to do this, if you don't have the cash flow. But you will have to divert time from unproductive activities toward this.

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

I hope it helps.

Also, you can create your own optimized pages easily with our new landing page tool, here:
http://www.domaindrivers.com/pagegumbo/pagegumbo-test.asp
http://www.domaindrivers.com/pagegumbo/pagegumbo.asp

The first link is an "example" page, and the second is a live tool that you can use at anytime. The tool forces agents to put more of the secondary real-estate related keywords on their pages.

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
 

Jack Harper brings out a great point regarding the AGENDA of Dirk the Johnson:

"Dirk, I understand that you have a business agenda to get us thinking about your product line issues".

You see Dirk, nobody is really interested in your AGENDA currently.  We are more concerned with the direction of the Country for the next 4 years.  Matter of fact what's your take on the Election, do you have an Opinion?  I might not like McCain but I certainly don't want to see an Obama Presidency.  That would just about sink the Real Estate Business as we know it.  Actually the Internet has pretty much blown holes in the bow of Real Estate for the next several years.  Shorting Stocks at the right time can be very beneficial for the Day Trader, however Shorting Real Estate doesn't produce the same results.  But then who cares as long as we sell houses and make a buck.  Right?  Isn't that what it's all about, selling houses regardless of the outcome?  That's been our attitude since 911.  The Internet just makes it more convenient.  You know the old saying, "when Lenders Compete the Consumers win".  Or is it the Consumer gets the Shaft?  Currently nothing is selling accept Shorts and REOs.  As soon as that cleans out we'll get back to doing what we do best.  Marketing property, taking back our MLS, because it was never designed to operate like Craigs List, Yahoo, Google, Ebay or Zillow.  As long as the market continues to tank the less likely investors will jump at what APPEARS to be a bargain.  The volitiity is way off the charts and that is a real problem.

Jack Harper and Robert took me to task for my post and I fully
expected such a response from some corners. In a certain sense, I was
asking for it, and got it.

I'll skip all of the political discussion that was presented in their
replies. However, it would be nice to hear from someone who agrees
with me that all of this political discussion has no measurable
business value, though.

Regardless of who gets elected, it is up to the agent to get leads
and manage their business. I think that, as a bottom-line influence,
it matters a lot more what an agent does with their own productive
time, than relying on the outcome of an election.

Jack and Robert both accused me of having a self-promoting agenda, I
would like to address that issue. Actually, I do not. Due to changes
in our business focus, I am now much more of an observer in here than
a promoter. You will notice that my posts in RT have become few and
far between.

If anyone really knew the outcome of all my posts here in RT over the
last two years, you'd realize that "self-promotion" is certainly not
my primary motivation. There are a few trusted colleagues in here
that fully understand what I am saying. At this point, my RT
participation is a lot more about education and sharing what I know
than generating business.

These days, I jump in when I feel that I can add something tangible
that matters to an agent and their business. After all, I have about
ten years of experience at SEO work, and that includes over one
hundred real estate sites. I think I can bring some experienced input
to the table.

Second, any agent can skip the need to hire an SEO consultant (us, or
anyone else), if their budget or inclination does not warrant it. SEO
is not about some wizard behind the curtain. Just read our book, and
take action on your own. It ain't rocket science. It's not even hard.
Anyone who can read and write and use a computer can get it done. It
comes down to choices, and priorities, not skill.

Those who have done it successfully are often busy working leads and
making money, even in this market. I see that outcome every day. I
can't tell you all how many agents have said, point blank, that they
are very grateful that they took the time to sort this out. It has
made a huge difference for their business. It does not work well for
every single agent, for various reasons, but, overall, it works well
for most.

Sadly, most agents do not even bother. Most completely ignore search
optimization, and steadfastly refuse to address it. I am just making
the point that, for those in that group, spending countless hours
discussing politics, or any other off-topic subject, is time that
could be applied toward accomplishing a very tangible, worthwhile
investment in their business.

Business is all about choices. The use of our own time is the most
critical, from what I have learned in 20 years of self-employment. So
I ask again...Is Talking Politics Making Anyone Money? Anyone can
take me to task for asking the question, but that does not address
the question.

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

Dirk says:

Business is all about choices. The use of our own time is the most
critical, from what I have learned in 20 years of self-employment. So
I ask again...Is Talking Politics Making Anyone Money? Anyone can
take me to task for asking the question, but that does not address
the question.

I reply:

And again, I ask, why do you feel it is your place to remind us that we are engaging in non-profitable activities? Dirk, did you do anything this week, today, the past couple of hours, that were not income producing? Please, don't be defensive about this question. I am merely pointing out that we each have the right to use RealTalk for whatever purpose we want (of course ethics, legality and civility should rule the day). In any case, I feel you are overstepping your bounds in telling anyone what they should or should not be doing at any point in time, unless we are paying you for that advice or we ask for it. If you were our business coach, you would be within your bounds, as an example.

This time, I will not ask about your agenda. I will only ask why you think we should all be focusing on "P" time all of the time.

P = productive (will likely generate income)

I = indirectly productive (may lead to P time - like prospecting)

N = non-productive (everything else - like RealTalk, eating, showering, church, rest and relaxation. . .).

Dirk, I do not know you and you do not know me. I suspect you are a good guy and we would probably get along very well in real life.I agree with you that business is all about choices. Life, especially balanced life, includes so much more than the pursuit of income.

I have spent the last 25 years of my real estate career - involved locally and nationally but always in real estate - helping myself and those who hire me to advise them that a balanced life is probably the most important first step in setting up their business plan. After all, if we only spend all of our time running after dollars, we will not look back with a smile at the end of the race. On the other hand, if we can look back and remember those whose lives we touched (hopefully for the better) and those who have touched our lives, we just might have a big grin at the finish line. But, this is my personal philosophy. I don't pretend to tell you or anyone else how to live - and I darned sure don't expect that in return.

Have fun,

Jack H

Dirk I don't think anybody in here is trying to beat up on you.  But let me respond to your statement:

"Those who have done it successfully are often busy working leads and
making money, even in this market. I see that outcome every day. I
can't tell you all how many agents have said, point blank, that they
are very grateful that they took the time to sort this out. It has
made a huge difference for their business. It does not work well for
every single agent, for various reasons, but, overall, it works well
for most."
 

Starting with "those who have done it successfully" WHO ARE THOSE PEOPLE WHO HAVE DONE IT SUCCESSFULLY? Dirk!  Furthermore who are the GRATEFUL who found a HUGE difference in their business because they hung in there?  We've all hung in there Dirk.  Unfortunately I think the "successful" are few and far between, I think the HUGE DIFFERENCE is not really there.  So if you are really the observer that you claim to be, then where is the EVIDENCE???  We don't see it!  Dirk!  If our profession is turning into nothing more than an Internet numbers game then being professional has nothing to do with our knowledge of real estate.  All we have to do is be licensed and get on the net and run the numbers.  Am I right or am I wrong?  I do not see the Internet producing more sales and stability in the market.  It may speed things up but the Interent is cold and heartless when it comes to accurate information.  This election is proof positive that mis-information provides poor choices.  The Internet can speed up the negative just as fast as it can speed up the positive.  People believe what they want regardless of the Internet. IDX is the problem and Rouge Affiliates are taking advantage of the misery.  Until we examine the evidence and take back control of the MLS this market will continue to devalue.  The MLS was designed to share information between brokers and their agents regarding AVAILABILITY.  It was never designed to be distributed openly to THE GENERAL PUBLIC!!!  IDX has compromised the original objective.  We are loosing the war all because of bipartisonship between NAR and DOJ!  Our Code of Ethics used to protect all parties in a transaction.  NOT ANYMORE!  It's a turkey shoot now, and the consumer knows it!

Jack Harper said:
" I will only ask why you think we should all be focusing on "P" time
all of the time...P = productive (will likely generate income). Dirk,
I do not know you and you do not know me. I suspect you are a good
guy and we would probably get along very well in real life."

Hi Jack (and Eileen),

As to your second comment, I have no doubt, and I appreciate the
consideration to that effect. We can have good time disagreeing, if
we do it like adults.

May I ask that you go back a re-read my posts on this subject? If you
read me literally, instead of from a "get out of my sandbox"
position, I am not trying to tell people what to do, at all. I
learned long ago that people are going to do what they want. People
can and do discuss all manner of things.

Instead, I am trying to make some people (a few, a couple, or maybe
just one?) think about the time that they have invested in these
political discussions. You will notice that I am not interfering in
any of the actual political discussion threads. I created my own
thread, for just this purpose, and anyone who wants to avoid it can
do that, very easily.

Jack, I have watched the current state of affairs in real estate
develop from the outside looking in. I am not an agent. So I have a
unique take on the real estate industry, from the perspective of a
vendor, with a lot of clients outside of real estate. I watched as
the flat-footed brick-and-mortar retail industry got decimated by
online ecommerce sites, who simply peeled off the best customers.
That war is over.

I have seen first-hand, for years, the successful deployment of
search optimization principles by numerous agents and brokers. Most
of them are not even our clients, but they are often link partners
with our clients. I have talked with many of them. They are amazed
that their competitors are so slow to react.

For many of these agents, good search rankings have almost
single-handedly kept them in business. Not all, by any means, but a
lot of them. That is powerful to observe, and humbling to be a
participant in the outcome. In a few cases, the most successful among
them are getting too many Web leads to manage themselves. They become
"lead distributors".

At the same time, those people are actually a very, very small
minority of the agent population. Even agents who have done good
optimization work are in a distinct, micro-minority. I can still name
countless mid-sized metro areas where virtually no agent in that
community is doing anything significant with respect to proper
optimization. I have had numerous conversations with agents who are
in those markets, explained this all in detail to them, (at no cost),
and they still do nothing about it.

We all hear about agents who are in real financial pain, and they are
looking for something, anything that might help them sort it out.
From my point of view, one solution is right in front of them, it
has been there for a while, and it takes only a modicum of work to
capture it.

I have talked myself blue in the face (here and on ActiveRain) trying
to make them aware of the successful outcomes that I see every day.
They don't need to hire anyone, including me, to get it done. I even
help guide them through the process, with our books and tools, at no
charge. Anyone who wants top search rankings can get them, with a few
hours of concerted effort a month, until they get there. Yet again
and again, the number one excuse that I hear is that they have no
time to apply to this.

So, again, from my perspective, when I see so much agent time being
applied to these political discussions, it is apparent to me that
there just might be plenty of time available. Maybe it becomes a
matter of priority. Choices. Again, people will make the ones that
they want to make.

If we were back in the days of 2004, when anyone with a real estate
license made money, I'd look pretty silly. Instead, it's 2008, and
there are a lot of agents just trying to stay above water. Spending
countless hours on political discussions does little to solve that
condition. I might ask, has any of it changed a single mind in here?
I doubt it. It's mostly hardened talking points, coming from each
side. I fully realize the "entertainment value".

Just maybe there are a couple of agents who will read this and they
will re-think their priorities, curtail their own political posting,
and begin to put their business first. To them, I have done them a
good service, and helped them get on track. Maybe someone just needs
to prompt them to think about it differently.

I've come to realize that it comes down to the individual agent.
Macro-marketing means very little in my business. SEO goes nowhere
until the agents themselves make a conscious, strategic decision to
make a difference with their own website performance. It will never
happen unless they make it a priority.

The rest who could care less about SEO issues can easily skip over
this thread, and continue with their candidate bashing. I will not
interfere. To anyone who has read this post to this point, I think
that I have, at the least, made them think about the value of all of
this political posting to their own current situation.

Jack and Eileen, I think we can have a great discussion here if we
discuss the SUBSTANCE of what I am presenting, and avoid the notion
that I am trying to pi*s in the political punchbowl here. I'm not.
The political discussion threads will swirl around at full steam,
regardless of what I say. I'll gladly stay out of them. I am trying
to provoke some progressive business thinking, in a very tough real
estate market. Jumping into this over-heated political category
seemed like a great place to do just that.

My apologies to anyone that I have offended.

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

I agree with you Dirk....but  I spend time on RT in "off hours" and still get my work done.  If I am busy and can't read RT then I simply delete the email.  It seems right now Paul and  all the others have the helm anyway... and the comments and insight never change...  many are still missing the point. 

As another passion besides real estate I am involved in a boxer (dog:) rescue so between real estate, my family, Boxer Rescue and keeping up my house RT is my down time...  Most of the people who are spending time on RT on a daily basis right now are typically seasoned REALTORS, are passionate for their cause (either way)  and were smart enough to know our current crisis was coming and took appropriate measures.  I live in Metro Phoenix, my partner and I are still busy however  we won't be making any record sales numbers this year... but we're still doing better than most and I feel what time I have on RT is well worth it. 

Gloria