How to Blog to Get Real Estate Business
The title of this post really should be why so many bloggers on Active Rain fail. A few years ago I used to be extremely active here. In fact I was on the top 20 list of most subscribed bloggers for years. This was until I realized that having my own self hosted real estate blog was a far better option.
Checking in at Active Rain has become a far less frequent occurrence, as Massachusetts Real Estate Exposure has become my focus. Every so often I do make an appearance to comment on a topic that holds some interest. Recently, I have seen quite a few posts about the length of blog posts and their corresponding comments.
What has become brutally clear is most people on this platform are either here for fun or have no idea in the world how to blog to get real estate business!
Most people understand the concept that in order for your message to be heard it needs to be seen. This apparently escapes most of real estate agents here on Active Rain.
How do I know this? Simple - every time a discussion comes up about how it is important to have well developed content the vast majority of Realtors start babbling about how they can't write lengthy blog posts. There are some who proudly proclaim it doesn't matter because nobody reads long blog articles.
If there is anything you can take out of this article is that these people are completely WRONG!
Here is what the people who make these comments are missing. Waking up in the morning and checking in at Active Rain to look at blog posts is completely different than someone doing an internet search on a topic they are trying to find information about. These two things are night and day!
While you may lose interest in reading about your favorite blogger who has written a lengthy post, that is not what happens when consumers do an internet search.
Here is the perfect example: Up until last year short sales were a common part of the real estate landscape. This was a highly searched topic from numerous people who needed financial help. When someone searches in Google "what is a short sale" or "how do short sales work" do you think they want to see a 300-400 word article that says a short sale is when you sell your home for less than the mortgage balance?
What's is far more likely is this person would like to not only know what a short sale is but will also want to know things like:
- How does a short sale impact your credit?
- How does a short sale debt get released?
- Will I still owe the lender money in a short sale?
- What are the tax ramifications of a short sale?
- Do I continue to pay my mortgage while doing a short sale?
- Do I need a hardship in order to short sale my home?
Answering these kind of questions can be done well by creating a 1500-2000 word article explaining the short sale process.
Do you really think that someone who is in dire straights financially is not going to soak up every freaking word? Dam straight they are! They are going to want to have a thorough understanding of how a short sale works from top to bottom.
What do you think Google is going to show a 300-400 word article that has been barfed all over the internet a thousand times on this topic or someone who has taken the time to write a master piece explaining everything you need to know about short sales?
Folks the saying content is king comes from the fact that people want to read exceptionally well written detailed articles, not some mindless dribble. Did you know that the average length of an article appearing on the first page of Google is over 2000 words? It makes sense doesn't it? Why would Google reward anything but the best content? It is awfully hard to do much of anything well when you don't have a well thought out explanation on the topic you are writing about.
Why Active Rain Blogs Never Appear at The top of Search
Do you know why the vast majority of blog posts written on Active Rain for anything competitive are never found at the top of SERP? You might want to put your hands over your ears because I am going to be brutally honest - They SUCK! Yes that's right 95% of what is written is garbage. It is the same stuff that has been written over and over again with no imagination. All fluff - no creativity.
I know some of you are thinking to yourselves this isn't true my articles appear at the top of search. WHOA hold on for a minute! There is a big distinction between blogging about your favorite park in Austin Texas vs something highly competitive.
Let me show you what I am talking about. Here are ten random topics that I am quite certain get quite a few real estate searches. These would be considered competitive searches and hard to reach the first page of Google.
- Are Zillow values accurate?
- Tips to sell a home in the fall.
- How to negotiate a home inspection?
- Do open houses work?
- How to interview a real estate agent?
- Things to do before selling a home.
- Best tips on how to move.
- How to sell for sale by owner?
- Best improvements to help sell a house?
- How to beat a cash real estate offer?
Active Rain has been around for quite a while has it not? There are thousands of bloggers who post articles ever week is there not? Wouldn't you expect that there would be Active Rain blog posts that appear on the first page of Google for topics like these? I hope you are shaking your head YES right now.
Without even checking I am sure of a couple of things:
- There are countless bloggers on Active Rain who have written about these subjects.
- There no Active Rain blogs that appear on the first page of Google for each of these ten search phrases.
Don't you find that amazing? According to Moz SEO tools Active Rain has a domain rank of 89! Not to get too technical for those who don't know much about SEO but domain rank is a measuring stick of the authority the site has in search.
All things being equal, what this means is that if you create a quality piece of content, regardless if it is competitive topic or not, it stands a good chance of ranking well. This of course will only hold true if the content is exceptional.
So the next big question that comes to mind is are you here just to have fun and mess around with your fellow agents or are you here to gain business?
I know some of you are blogging and commenting just for thecamaraderie so if that is the case you can stop reading now! You might want to stop anyway because I am now up to 1150 words and I know you only read up to 500:) For those of you who are here for business continue to follow along.
Before I finish with my thoughts go check and see if I was right - do you find any Active Rain blog posts for any of the above mentioned topics while logged out of Google? If I am wrong let me know in the comments.
Outstanding Real Estate Content
Folks when consumers go online and do real estate searches they do read! How do I know this? Easy - most of my blog articles are between 1500-2500 words. They are jam packed with helpful information that buyers and sellers can learn something from. Occasionally I will also write articles that help real estate agents as well.
Some of you may be thinking boy this Bill Gassett is a pompous ass for saying that most of what is written on Active Rain is junk.
That could not be further from the truth! I have written this as wake up call for those of you who want to step up their game and blog to actually get business!
Those that remember when I was an active member probably realize many of my posts were helpful to other Realtors. Hopefully you understand this is my intention with writing why so many real estate bloggers fail.
Real Estate content that rocks!
Here are some examples of content that I have either written or have found to be well written by other terrific real estate bloggers. I am going to give you the estimated word count with each of them. Take a look when you get a chance and see if you don't want to read each of the articles. Trust me consumers will not be snoozing like you think they will.
How do you go about preparing for a home inspection?
One of the most vital parts of a real estate transaction is the buyers home inspection. The home inspection is the buyers opportunity to make sure the home they are buying is sound and does not have any building code violations. From a sellers standpoint knowing how to prepare for a home inspection is super important. This is where more real estate transactions fall apart than at any other point in a sale. This article is exactly 2500 words.
What should I know about jumbo loans?
Anyone who is considering the possibility of financing with a jumbo mortgage loan should know what the pro's and con's are for this type of financing. This has to be one of the most exceptional guides I have seen explaining what you need to know about jumbo loan products. The article is easily over 2500 words.
Is Framingham Massachusetts a good place to live?
If you are a real estate agent this is probably the type of question you get asked a lot about your respective city and state. One of the most important things a Realtor can have on their website is real estate community pages. A real estate community page shows off your expertise and gives consumers confidence you know the area. If someone was looking for a Framingham Massachusetts Real Estate agent by searching online and saw this page my chances of getting interviewed would go up exponentially. If you don't information on your website like this you should!
How does a real estate agent build a tribe of followers on Google+?
Are you using Google Plus as part of your social media business strategy? Do you want to learn how to build a Google+ real estate following. If you are just getting started with Google+ or have have using it for a while with no luck this is will be worth the read. This article is over 1700 words.
How can a real estate agent use Pinterest for business?
Have you heard about Pinterest being a great market tool for a real estate agent? Did you know that many real estate agents are reporting that Pinterest is easily the number one source of real estate traffic to their website? If you are a Realtor who wants to increase your online visibility read this guide on using Pinterest as a real estate agent. There is no doubt you will see a tip or two that you did not realize. This article on using Pinterest properly is over 1600 words.
How important is your flooring when selling a home?
When you are selling a home how important are the floors? Are hardwood floors an amenity that buyers love? Are there flooring selections that make a buyer want to cringe? Could this particular kind of flooring make a buyer pass on a home? These were the kind of questions that were answered along with others in an interview done with Debbie Gartner about the importance of floors when selling a home. This article on flooring selections is over 1400 words.
How to buy your first home?
Buying a first home is an exciting time for sure but can easily become filled with pitfalls if you are not careful. There is quite a bit to know as a first time home buyer. It is super easy to make mistakes if you are not guidedproperly by a professional. Here are some exceptional first time home buyer tips and advice that are worth reading. The first time home buyer here is over 1500 words.
All of these articles in my opinion are well written and if you look at the social signals have been very popular in all of the social channels. Folks people do read content that interests them!
Venture Beyond Active Rain and Step Up Your Game
Maybe the problem with some is they don't venture beyond the walls of Active Rain. There are a lot of exceptional real estate blogs out there people! If things like points and featured articles are your focus you will never do what's necessary to capture bonafide buyers and sellers who pick up the phone and call you for an interview.
If the social media icons on your site and blah blah about how great you are take up more space at the bottom of your post than the actual article, chances are good you will never get any business either.
If every other sentence in your article has bold print you are not doing yourself any favors as it looks completely ridiculous. There is a reason you will NEVER find people doing this on a respectable website! Can you imagine going on Fortune, Mashable or any professional site and seeing every other sentence in bold?
What you should ask yourself is do you want to continue to look like an amateur or a professional? Stop listening to that person on Active Rain who you think is an SEO guru - they are not!
If you want to learn how you can step up your game and become a better blogger, Chris Miller a member here wrote an excellent featured article over at Inman News that provides tips for writing longer blog posts. You have a choice folks. You can continue to mess around and have fun or make blogging an actual way of getting business. The choice is yours what will it be?
