Webstarget Blog

See video below of John Riggins interview with Randy Eagar about his SEO (Search Engine Optimization).

As a real estate website positioner (SEO strategist), I’ve got a big pet peeve to unload. After I’ve put my search engine strategies in place and successfully driven prospects to my client’s websites, too often the prospect is disappointed with what they see on the website. So they click away and go to another agent’s site that has more of the features and content they’re looking for.

Now I can make your click-throughs (those people that see your website and send you an email) jump at least 50% to 100%. By asking ten important questions and following some basic steps, you will experience a huge difference in your results. To read more, click here.

The Top Ten Questions
With Search Engine Optimization or Website Positioning, I work with both template and custom websites. Template websites are typically less expensive than custom websites. However it depends on what bundle of features you end up adding on.

While most template websites can be purchased for $500 to $800 or less, they have the drawback of sometimes looking “canned” with no individual personality. A custom website company will be able to give you much more personality and individuality, but it sometimes comes at a steep price. Whichever way you go, here are the ten questions I would ask the website company before signing or agreeing to anything:

1. If you build my website, who ultimately owns it? If you add content or pages, do you own that or do I?Template websites are typically owned by the website company. If you are working with a custom website builder, make sure the words “work for hire” are in your contract. If you decide to change website companies down the road, you will want to take all this hard work and time you’ve invested with you.

2. Do you have access to IDX, or the ability to add my MLS directly as a link to my website? If so, is this an extra cost and how much?Many website developers have already built this cost into their pricing.

3. Can I access my listings myself and make changes to pricing, solds, new listings or delete them myself?This is huge. If you are not able to do this easily yourself, your webmaster may hold you hostage.

4. What “dynamic page” features do you offer? (i.e. calculator page, mortgage finder page, relocation package, free reports, contact page, etc.)
   
5. What marketing features do you offer? (i.e. auto-response forms, free newsletters and/or drip marketing campaigns.)
   
6. Can you put “video tours” of my listings and/or communities on my website?This also works very well for open houses.

7. Will my website include the new Web 2.0 concepts of blogs, podcasting, videocasts, “live chat” and other social networking?
   
8. What kind of content material assistance is there and/or how much does it cost?
   
9. What kind of technical support is there and what are the hours?
   
10. Do you provide web applications that combine data and/or functionality from more than one source? (e.g “mash-ups”.)This might be as simple as placing an MSN or Google Mapping system on your website. Or as complex as combining Google Maps and Analytics with Trulia and Zillow integrated application programming interfaces (APIs).

Your website can be your best revenue source or it can be your boat anchor. The difference is sometimes so subtle. Only you can make the changes by asking the previous questions.

Even I am shocked! Webstarget has achieved #1 ranking status in only 60 days because of our new Gold Masters SEO Plan. And think of this: We beat out 29 MILLION other websites to get there. And the irony is the SEO company that we beat out . . . OURSELVES! That’s right. ComputerCamp.net held the #1 and #2 positions in Yahoo! Now we hold positions #1, #2 AND #3 for “real estate website positioning” (try it yourself).

How did this all happen so quickly? It is all due to Webstarget’s new Gold Masters SEO Plan that utilizes the new Web 2.0 social networking features. At the root of this phenominal ranking (and many other keyword phrases hit #1 as well) is the efficient use of the blog site that Webstarget builds for its clients as well as personalized content. How the blog site ties into the client website is the reason for such fast and skyrocketing rankings . . . and for highly competitive keyword phrases. Below is a list of the Gold Masters SEO Plan features that drive your website to the top of the search engines.

The Gold Masters SEO Plan includes:

• Blog Site Creation & Optimization
• Provided Articles & Promotions
• Online Press Release Promotions
• Social Bookmarking Site Submission
• Personalized Site Mapping
• Competitor Research Analysis
• Link Building
• and much more!

With Us It’s Personal
Only Webstarget.com has the tools to get real estate agents to the top of the major search engines. While there are many other “competitors” out there, only Webstarget handles each client personally, researching their keyword phrases for maximum effect. There is no “template” involved. We say “with us it’s personal” because for 7 years now we have been doing only SEO (Search Engine Optimization) or Website Positioning and not designing websites. Having your website designer also do your SEO is like asking your General Practitioner doctor to do your brain surgery or knee replacement. It deserves a specialist. But the biggest reason why so many major players in the industry are choosing Webstarget is quite simple: It Makes Them MONEY!

 But don’t take our word for it. See our new website at Webstarget.com at look at our testimonials, podcasts and video blogs. Think about it. If we can beat out 29 MILLION of the most influential and knowledgeable specialists in the country who know how to do what we do, don’t you think we can place you where you need to be?

     OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma, February 13, 2008 — Home values in Oklahoma increased in 2007 for the seventh consecutive year, according to a report released today by the Oklahoma Association of REALTORS.

     The average sale price for an existing home in Oklahoma rose by 4.24 percent last year, from $143,669 in 2006 to $149,758 in 2007.

     In 2007, there were 52,170 sales of existing homes in Oklahoma. While that figure represents a decrease of 3.16 percent from the state’s record home sales figure in 2006, the 2007 sales number reflects the third highest year on record for home sales in Oklahoma.

     “While the housing industry in some parts of the country is facing some serious challenges, today’s report underscores the fact that home ownership in Oklahoma continues to be an affordable, stable and secure investment,” said Tammy McCullar, OAR president. “Homeowners across the state should be confident about the value of their homes, given that 2007 marked the seventh year in a row in which home values in Oklahoma appreciated.”

     Since 2000, the average sale price of an existing home in Oklahoma has risen by an average of 4.88 percent per year. The median price for an existing home in Oklahoma in 2007 reflects almost a 40 percent increase from the 2000 median price for an existing home of $107,303.

It’s been said that “whatever you give to people represents who you are”. And nowhere is this more apparent that with your website. Real estate SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the ability to drive prospects to your website by getting your website ranked high in the major search engines.

Yet NAR statistics tell us that fully 80% of all agent websites are lacking in professionalism, marketing and/or substance in general. What most agents don’t understand is that we have shifted from a website passive atmosphere to a website active atmosphere. The difference is with the Web 1.0 vs. the Web 2.0.

With Web 2.0, we usher in the beginnings of instant feedback, collaborative relationships and websites that are the backbone of the marketing efforts rather than the entire marketing effort. I’d like to give you what I have learned over the last 18 years of working with agent websites. Over the last 6 years specifically, I have worked with some of the most productive agents in the country and have worked on websites that are generating over $100,000 just from the website. And that was just from the old Web 1.0. Now with the new tools of Web 2.0, that investment return is soaring even higher.Here is the bottom line. You need to get out of the way of your ego and allow those who do this professionally show you what will make you money and what won’t. So I have decided to attack this piece from the viewpoint of what I would tell an agent who was just now building a new website (or upgrading an existing one) what to do. What follows are the secrets to building successful websites that will generate income.I decided early on that I didn’t want to compete against the website designers that had built my clients websites. This gave me the edge to look into the inner workings of both successful as well as deplorable websites. I found that there was a definite common thread that successful websites had. There were sites that generated $100,000 in revenues or more. And keep in mind that this is passive income. The website is doing all the work.Okay, so here are the 10 website construction steps that communicate your professional posture:

Website Designers vs. Real Estate SEO Experts
Agents making a 6 digit income from their website understand that what makes them money are website designers who design the website and the real estate SEO experts that market the website. Each is a specialty in and of themselves. The website designer can design the website to look professional with all its graphics, text, links and databases. But without the real estate SEO expert, it is just a pretty website adrift in the ocean. The real estate SEO expert takes the website and through the manipulation of source code and keyword phrases makes it “search engine friendly” so that it pops up on the top of the major search engine.

Template Websites
Template websites are typically less expensive (but not necessarily) than custom websites. It depends on what bundle of features you end up adding on. While most template websites are less expensive (some as little as $200 up front) they can look like a “canned” website with no individual personality. If you are contemplating a template website company there are some questions you need to ask before you plunk down your money:

1. If they build your website, who ultimately owns it? (They do of course) But your question must go deeper. What about the content that you add, or the pages that you add? Do you own those? (If you decide to change website companies down the road can you take all this hard work that you’ve done)
2. Do you have access to IDX, or the ability to add my MLS directly as a link to my website?
3. Can I access my listings myself and make changes to pricing, solds, new listings or delete them myself?
4. What “dynamic page” features do they offer such as calculator page, mortgage finder page, relocation package, free reports, contact page, etc.
5. What marketing features do they offer such as auto-response forms, free newsletters and/or drip marketing campaigns?
6. What kind of content material assistance is there and/or how much does it cost?
7. What kind of technical support is there and what are the hours.

Real Estate SEO Questions
After deciding on who can design your website, let’s go back to them and ask the most important questions. Those that will either get you found by the search engines or will block you:

1. Has your company ever been or is it now blacklisted by Google or any of the major search engines?
2. Can I modify or can I have a 3^rd party modify my source code for real estate SEO purposes?
3. Can my Title Code be modified for my home page and each of my “static” pages?
4. Do you offer a Traffic Analyzer tool such as Google Analytics?
5. Do you personalize my keyword phrases to me and my specialties?
6. What Web 2.0 features do you offer (blogs, podcasts, etc.)
7. Do you provide articles and press release promotions?
8. Does the website have a “static” or a “clean” IP address?
9. Do you provide social bookmarking
10. Will your website have personalized site mapping?

What Good Is Your Website if It Can’t Be Found?
Answer these questions before you get started with your website and you can’t go wrong. Or if you already have a website it is better to fix it while you can than wait until later.