Let's talk briefly about what SEO is exactly.

From Wikipedia:

"Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the volume and quality of traffic to a web site from search engines via "natural" ("organic" or "algorithmic") search results for targeted keywords. Usually, the earlier a site is presented in the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPS) or the higher it "ranks", the more searchers will visit that site. SEO can also target different kinds of searches, including image search, local search, and industry-specific vertical search engines. As a marketing strategy for increasing a site's relevance, SEO considers how search algorithms work and what people search for."

I couldn't have said it any better myself J

These days, SEO is required for a website or blog to have any success in the search engines, even if it is only a minimal effort. There are a number of ways to properly SEO your site and we will get into all of those methods in future posts. For now, we will start at the beginning with choosing your keywords. As mentioned in the above definition, the goal of SEO is to get your site to rank in the search engines for targeted keywords.  Keywords are the terms that people use in the search engines to find information on the web. The idea when choosing keywords is to select terms that people are already using to find information related to your product or service. By ranking well in the search engines for particular keywords related to your business, it allows people to find your product or service when they want it, therefore giving you an opportunity to gain a lead or even better, a sale. Now that you know the value of keywords, let's move on to how you go about selecting the best keywords for your site.

The first step is to do some brainstorming. Think to yourself, "If I was looking for information about my product or service, what terms would I use in my search to find what I need?"  Virtually everyone reading this will be involved in the real estate market in some capacity. If you are a real estate agent or broker, chances are you are trying to attract buyers and sellers in your local area. Put yourself in your target audience's shoes-what keyword terms would you use to find out about real estate in your local area? For example: I live in Palm Beach County, Florida. If I was in the market for a home, I would probably search for terms like "Palm Beach Real Estate", "Homes in Palm Beach County", "Real Estate in Palm Beach", etc. Write down as many keyword terms as you can that you think your target audience would use in their search.

Resource: Having trouble coming up with keyword ideas? Use the Google Keyword Tool to generate ideas for keywords. Enter any terms you have come up with into the noted area and let Google give you some good ideas. This tool will also show you how often your terms are searched for and how competitive the market is for each keyword.

The next step is to do some homework. Your goal is to determine the 10 best keywords for your site. Why 10? 10 keywords cast a large enough net to get you as much traffic and business as possible. Choose too many keywords and you dilute their effect-choose too few and you may be selling yourself short. When you are researching your keywords, you want to find out which of the terms in your list are the most highly searched. Use the following FREE tools to choose the best terms:

Google Keyword Tool-As mentioned above, this tool will show you how often terms are searched for and how fierce the competition is for each keyword.

SEOBook Keyword Suggestion Tool-This tool will give you the stats not only for the keyword you entered but will also give you related keywords with their stats as well

Keyword Discovery-A good source of keyword stats

Wordtracker-Another great free tool for keyword data

Compare the data you retrieve from these various keyword tools. Try to choose keywords that are popular but keep in mind that the more competitive the term, the harder it will be to rank for it. Once you have chosen your keywords, it is time to implement them on your site. They need to be located in the HTML code on your site in the meta data-contact your webmaster if necessary for clarification. For Dev Element clients, you can change your keywords yourself so email me at njames@develementllc.com for instructions if needed.

In my next post, we will explore some of the many ways that you can optimize your site for the keywords you have chosen. Visit The Real Estate Expert Network often for more great blogging and SEO tips!

  Integrating multiple social tools via lifestreaming is a powerful new way to harness social applications on the web and build your brand.  Take a look at an easier way to manage and gain exposure for your self or organization.

LifeStreaming your Social Content from develement on Vimeo

.

Welcome to the first in a series of posts designed to teach you all you need to know about backlinks and link popularity. How this works: each week there will be a new post giving you greater insight into the importance of backlinks along with the resources you need to get started on your own link building campaign.

The Definition of Backlinks

Backlinks are defined as links on other sites throughout the web that link back to your site.

An example: Aaron Wall is considered to be an authority on SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and following his advice can help your site rank well in the search engines. Visit seobook.com to learn more about his SEO strategies. The link to seobook.com that I placed in the previous sentence is a backlink to Aaron Wall's site.

Having a number of sites that link to your site creates link popularity. Basically, the more sites that link to your site, the better your site's link popularity. Link popularity is of particular interest to the search engines-it tells the engines whether or not your site is considered by others to be an authority on your particular subject, product, or service.

The Importance of Backlinks

Backlinks are a key component in achieving your desired placement in the SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages). The success of your link building campaign can make or break your site. It really makes the difference when trying to place in the search engines for particular keyword terms. For example: Site A and Site B are in first and second place on the first page of Google for the term "Palm Beach Real Estate". The sites are similar in every way with the exception that Site A has 1,000 other sites linking to it and Site B only has 750. Site A is going to be #1 in Google for that term just because it has better link popularity.

Don't be Site B!

Consider yourself lucky if you are #2 in Google for your keyword terms and are vying for the top spot. If you are just getting started, here are a few simple rules to get you on your way:

• Have Content, Will Travel-Make sure your site has a solid amount of content before beginning to build backlinks. If you have a blog, 30 days worth of content is recommended. If you begin before you have good content, you may be wasting your time.
• Slow and Steady Wins the Race-When you begin your link building campaign, you want to be careful not to obtain too many links too quickly. That can seem spammy to the search engines and won't be nearly as effective as creating backlinks steadily over time. 5 to 10 links per day is a good rule of thumb to follow to achieve solid results.
• Patience Is A Virtue-It can take time for the search engines, especially Google, to register the backlinks you have created. Search engine spiders crawl the entire web and that takes time! You can check your progress in Google by typing "links:www.yourdomainhere.com" into the search field. Check in often to see the fruits of your labor.

Recommended Reading

The following are links to some great material that will give you an overview of link building as well as ideas of how to create links. We will get into the various ways to build links in future posts but these articles will get your brain's link building juices flowing!

Searchengineworkshops.com's 125 (Legitimate) Link Building Strategies-This article provides an overview of ways to create links and will be a useful resource in your link building campaign

The Blogger's Guide To SEO by Aaron and Giovanna Wall-Written by one of the best in the SEO business, Aaron Wall, this guide covers not only link building but all aspects of proper SEO for a blog site

LinkBuildingWiki.com-A great resource that compiles the greatest articles on link building ever written

Check in next week for the next post in this series-Basic Backlinking Methods That Get Results

Summer lull sees properties stay on market

VANCOUVER, B.C. - September 3, 2008 - The Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REBGV) reports that residential property sales in Greater Vancouver totalled 1,568 in August 2008, a decline of

53.7 per cent from the 3,384 sales in August 2007, and a 47.7 per cent reduction from the 2,998 sales recorded in August 2006. New listings for detached, attached and apartment properties declined 1.7 per cent to 4,331 in August 2008 compared to August 2007, when 4,408 new units were listed.

"In August, properties on average remained on the market longer than we've seen in recent years," REBGV president, Dave Watt said. "As the market heads into the traditionally more active fall season, we have begun to see property listings recede and prices moderate."

Sales of detached properties declined 58.5 per cent to 535 in August 2008 from the 1,288 detached sales recorded during the same period in 2007. The benchmark price, as calculated by the MLSLink Housing Price Index®, for detached properties rose 1.6 per cent from August 2007 to $737,985. Since May 2008, the benchmark price for a detached property in Greater Vancouver has declined 4.3 per cent.

Sales of apartment properties in August 2008 declined 50.8 per cent to 740, compared to 1,504 sales in August 2007. The benchmark price of an apartment property increased 1.7 per cent from August 2007 to $374,366. Since May 2008, the benchmark price for an apartment property in Greater Vancouver has declined 3.9 per cent.

Attached property sales in August 2008 are down 50.5 per cent to 293, compared with the 592 sales in August 2007. The benchmark price of an attached unit increased 3.8 per cent in Greater Vancouver between August 2007 and 2008 to $463,433. Since May 2008, the benchmark price for an attached property in Greater Vancouver has declined 3.2 per cent.

As of August 31, 2008, active residential listings totalled 17,950 in Greater Vancouver, a 6.2 per cent decline from the 19,138 active listings seen on July 31, 2008.

 Here are all the changes that are making a difference when buying Metro Detroit real estate.  It doesn't matter if you are buying Livonia real estate, a Detroit home, or an Oakland County home for sale.

 I recently read a blog about a guy who wasn't licensed in real estate that I believed was going to take advantage of seniors.  He wanted to have the seniors buy a home with a hard money loan.   He wanted a hard money loan to avoid FHA safeguards and check and balances.  ( Read the rules FHA has about flipping homes below)   Hard money loans usually have interest rates of 12 to 18% rate.  His company or friends would then fix up the house.  Their charges would be added as a second mortgage to the Metro Detroit home.  Then they would "try" to refinance the senior into a reverse FHA mortgage.  Then the senior would own a home that they have little or no investment into, and be able to live in it the rest of their lives payment free.

It is a great plan to buy Metro Detroit foreclosures and Metro Detroit real estate and have them appraise for a lot more when fixed up.  In theory it is great but Banks and FHA are looking at appraisals hard. 

For a home to be resold through FHA FINANCING, the previous purchase of that home must have happened at least 91 days ago. So, if you purchase a Canton home on April 3 of this year, you cannot get FHA Financing for the Metro Detroit home until approximately July 4.

Also any resales that occur between 91 and 180 days after the last transaction (SOLD) date have a 100% stipulation. If the Metro Detroit home is being sold for more than 100% of the last sales price, FHA will require additional documentation (i.e. a second appraisal) to validate value of the subject property.

So rehabbing or "flipping" through FHA is going to become much harder for inflated appraisals.  Homes that are not truly worth the price the rehabber is trying to get are most likely going to be rejected by FHA and the balance checks they have put into place. 

Check out the side categories for more buyers tips, and mortgage information.  Feel free to Search Michigan homes for sale on my other website.