Linking from your posts to your IDX home search site should be one of the primary strategies you employ as you create content for your blog. How you create these links and where you send the person clicking on them could make the difference in how your readers interact with you. The proper implementation of this strategy could be the difference between converting your blog readers into clients and ultimately business and simply being someone providing information out of the goodness of your heart.
Remember, you should be blogging for business!
It is no secret that consumers want the information they are after in the easiest, most direct fashion possible. One need only look at Google's insane traffic numbers to prove that point. Google does a great job of letting consumers search for exactly what they want and returning results that are relevant to the search they just did. Are you employing a similar technique when you create links on your blog posts? In most cases the answer is NO.
Sometimes the answer is no because you don't know where you should actually be linking (or maybe even that you should be linking at all) and sometimes the answer is no because even if you wanted to, your site doesn't allow you to link to the right place. In a lot of the cases I come across on ActiveRain it's probably a combination of both.
So first let's deal with where you want to be linking when you create links in your blog posts. You want to send the person to the exact information you just told them you were going to provide with the link you created. Does that make sense? Let's do an example:
The correct way:
(Click on the link below and see where it takes you. DO IT, I'll wait! Now once you are taken there, pay attention to the URL that we land on. It is specific to the exact link that we created, and more important takes to the results that we said we were going to deliver)
Affordable homes in Bellingham under $200,000 with 3+ bedrooms
- sends us to: http://www.bellinghamrealtyexperts.com/listings/areas/29127,29128,134715,136174,29129/community/Bellingham/maxprice/200000/beds/3/ See that URL? It's exactly what we just said we were going to send them to.
Maybe our blog post for this specific search was referring to affordable homes for new families in the Bellingham area. New families need at least 3 bedrooms, and they generally can't afford much more than $200,000. So does it not make sense to send them to a SPECIFIC search on your website that delivers the information that your reader thinks they are about to find?
The way many people are doing it:
(In this example you can only mirror the wording for the above link if you can create a unique URL to a search of that nature. Otherwise, you are simply sending them to a page where they expect one thing, homes for sale in Seattle under $300,000 with 3+ bedrooms, and they get something else.........the home page of your website or a search page where they can then do that search on their own)
Affordable homes for sale in Belligham
- sends us to: http://www.bellinghamrealtyexperts.com/ See that URL? It's the home page of the site. Now she has to depend that the person will actually perform the search once they reach the site. Her site makes it really easy to find that search function. It's right there, at the top left of the page, the place a person's eye naturally falls so she has a better chance of them performing the search then most people do.......but why even take the chance if the post they were reading was about affordable homes for families buying their first home?
Biggest Folly I see when people include a link: Linking to your home page
What if, unlike our home page above, the home page of your website doesn't make it so obvious how someone actually searches for homes? Here are three completely random examples that I just pulled from ActiveRain members in Seattle:
- Affordable homes for sale in Seattle (http://www.murphybrown.com/)
- Affordable homes for sale in Seattle (http://www.seattlecondohotline.com/)
- Affordable homes for sale in Seattle (http://mssold.net/)
Please click on those sites and you tell me how long it takes you to actually get a list of homes for sale in Seattle? 5 seconds? 30 seconds? you couldn't figure it out? (I'm dead serious!! This is important!! Do it! Click on those links and figure out how long it takes the consumer to find homes for sale in Seattle) How about on your own website? It's going to be hard to judge your own website, hopefully you know how to quickly access your search feature. Have someone else try it then, your spouse maybe or a friend. Stand and watch them do it. How long did it take them?
"Remember, consumers have an average attention span of 3-5 seconds. When they’re scanning your website for an answer to their question or problem, they want to find it quickly. An effective website doesn’t force a customer to frantically search their website." Is your website consumer focused?
The better place would be to link them directly to the home search function on your site:
Most of you have the ability to do this with your site. For the three examples above, here are the links to the home search portions of their site:
- Affordable homes for sale in Seattle (http://www.murphybrown.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Listing.SearchPropertyNeighborhood&st=wa)
- Affordable homes for sale in Seattle (http://www.seattlecondohotline.com/Seattle_WA_listings/index.shtml) This one was actually tough. I still couldn't really figure out how to access a complete home search and I've seen way more real estate websites than any consumer
- Affordable homes for sale in Seattle (http://lakere.com/search/property_search.php?county=no_king) This one redirects away from her site to what appears to be the brokers site. I wonder if it tracks that traffic as having been sent from her and if that consumer registers does she get the contact?
The best place to link them is directly to a specific search that best matches your blog post:
Of these three completely random sites, none of them have the ability for you to create custom URL's out of the search functionality. They all use database queries to pull up the results that you search for. Anytime you are searching on the murphybrown.com site, you remain on that same URL and the home search results load in a framed solution. There is nothing wrong with that per say, but if you are writing a blog post about Affordable homes in Bellingham under $200,000 with 3+ bedrooms, the only options these sites provide for linking out of the post to the home search is to drop the consumer on the front of the home search page. And if that's the case, can you really make your link say 'Affordable homes for sale in Bellingham under $200,000 with 3+ bedrooms' if the link actually takes them to a default home search page?
What kind of options does your current home search solution give you?
If a consumer is reading your blog post, chances are they are already a highly targeted visitor. Does it make sense to take a highly targeted visitor that knows they want to look at affordable homes in Bellingham under $200,000 with 3+ bedrooms and send them to a page that forces them to figure out how to actually navigate a search to obtain the information they desire? Remember above? You have 3-5 seconds.
The site I was using above in the example is a site developed by Market Leader, bellinghamrealtyexperts.com.
You can have a Market Leader representative contact you about trying out there IDX product by going here.
(Disclaimer: I only used $50,000 in the title line to grab your attention. I don't know how much you will add to your bottom line. The more content you produce the better your chances and the more targeted your links the better your chances of adding real dollars to your bottom line.)
Friends, followers, and connections are the way of the future.
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Find Foreclosures in Wallingford Seattle
Home in Green Lake with a basement
I hear, I hear and I will start to do that. Next!!!
Bob,
Another wonderful post. Great ideas and very helpful tips.
Thank you.
Bob you are so right. It is a bad habit that I must break. I am trying to convert all of my links for searching to the Vision links. My companies IDX just can't get me more specific. The more specific you can be the better.
Bob...
Excellent post ... I think that people try to paint with too broad a brush when a finer line will do so much better!
Jo,
You have a large volume of content already. I would strongly encourage you to go back through your old posts and determine where you may be able to switch out existing links to something more specific. I bet that in doing that, you will also find lots of places that you could add an additional link or three as well.
This post doesn't even touch on the SEO benefits of having these deep links back to your site, but there are benefits.......
Great post Bob - we're working with our site engineers to enable the entire address to show up in the search bar so that we can use it as a link.
WidowMaker...
Really good stuff you have here. I'd tell BB to go through his blog but I'm pretty sure he already did. He hates it when I boss him so he does a wonderful job keeping one step ahead of me :)
TLW...ROAR!
Bob,
This has been a real eye opener. Thanks for such a great post now I have a ton of work to do.
Shhhh - you are giving away secrets here LOL - just kidding. I have been doing this for quite some time already and it is paying off. :) Rita
Thanks for the post. I've been wondering how to set up my site. This will make a diffrerence with how I drive and keep people on my site.
I think I just received my inspirational moment for today's blog post. Thanks Bob! And- I'm glad to say I can make the very link you're talking about too! Whoo Hoo! :-)
Great advice. I don't think I can do this with my current IDX link. What company are you using?
I was always jealous of agents that had an IDX system that allows them to do this...mine can't. I agree that it is a great thing.
Great information...thanks for sharing...I need to follow up on this.
Hey Bob!
I just signed up for the Vision package, I am very happy with the deal and that we didn't have to sign a contract. When I get access to it I will follow your words with precision! Can't Wait!
-Lisa
These are some great ideas! Thank you!
Matt Scanner
Mike Jackson,
I don't currently use any company.....I don't sell real estate. When we used to sell real estate with our brokerage prior to founding ActiveRain, we had our own IDX solution that we built from scratch that functioned in a similar fashion to what I describe in this post.
However, we are offering an IDX solution in conjunction with Market Leader. That product is called Vision and you can learn about it by clicking on either of the links at the bottom of my post.
This is excellent advice! I actually needed a refresher course. Now I do embed deep links to my site, all through my posts. But sometimes I get lazy, or am not really thinking it through. So thank you!
I've been doing this fairly consistently but I'm going to go back to some of my old posts and make sure they are also pointed in the right direction. Thanks for the great examples.
Bob, I am guilty. I link to my home page but I will remedy that immediately and at least take them to the specific community about which I am writing. The problem I have,(at least I think it is a problem ) is that in Cleveland agents are not allowed direct access to the mls. On my own website, my designer had to frame in the company website. Because of this rule, I require that people register before their search. Even if I could link directly to the search site, I wouldn't because then I don't think I'd ever see a lead.
You just made me look at things from a new prospective! Thanks You guys ROCK!!!
Bob - I tried it, (your links that is) and ran out of time, had to get back to work. lol~ Point well made! Excellent post buddy!! :-))
Hi Bob - what a great way to incorporate my new Growth Leader site into my recent blog series about McKinney's different neighborhoods per price point. I'll be updating this info soon!!
Excellent info and yes now I have one more thing on my to do list! Thanks for tips and sharing!
Take Care ^ Fly High In 2009!
Thanks Bob, you taught me this as I was making the same mistake.
I was wondering how to make this happen just yesterday. I'm pretty new to all this stuff so it's tremendously helpful to me. I'm hopping around trying to digest as much as I can. The one thing I don't know is how and where do you store the specific search? I don't think our MLS saves as a hyperlink. I'm sure by this question you can tell I'm not the one who does most of this stuff but I love learning.
Thanks Bob.
I will try this myself! Thanks! I agree with the premise whole heartedly.
Great information! This is something I've been doing for a while and see great results from it.
Bob I wonder something. I guess the reason most people drive links to their home page is that its more general such as they can see about you or what you do and from your home page it should be SUPER SUPER easy to find the search. It should be poking out their eyeballs from the home page and not hard to find. I understand what you are doing here and yes it makes sense but since the pages you are linking to are either like a database or they are pages that dont necessarily have content so it might not be a page you want a link building campaign set up for. Yes its good to have deep links but I wonder from an overall standpoint if for example that specific blog post it works great and from there you are sending them to a specific point but as a landing page that page only works coming from that blog post, from any other direction its almost too specific and then having that page might not make sense or at least not make sense to have links built to it.
Or... having specific pages like that could work and only building a small number of links I guess it might not ever rank that well but it would work good as a specific landing page.
Does that make sense? I guess I dont know what to think.
wholy smokes. I get it! thank you kind sir!
OK Bob.... Guess I need to take note here and work on changing a few post.... Thanks for the update on how to increase my bottom line..
Very nice Bob - AS soon as mine gets built - I will be on my way and Thank You so very much...
I love new products!!!!
CONNOR WITH HONOR
Shane,
You said: "I guess the reason most people drive links to their home page is that its more general such as they can see about you or what you do and from your home page it should be SUPER SUPER easy to find the search"
The problem is that most sites don't make it SUPER EASY to find the search. If yours does, then that's good. However, if someone was just reading your blog, they already know what you do. My point was that the more specific you are able to get with your links, the more specific you can get with them. I'm not suggesting every link you create be one of these deep links to a specific search. What I am suggesting is that if you are writing about something specific in your blog, the more closely you can mirror your links to what you are writing about the better chance you will have of converting that traffic once it hits your IDX site.
From any other direction, you may very well be better off sending them to something less specific. But still, if your link is a link to 'Homes for sale in Seattle'......you are better off landing them on a page where the search is already performed and the results already being displayed then you are landing them on a page where they have to then perform the search to get the results they thought they were going to get by clicking on the link.
I'm actually sitting here racking my brain for why you would want to send someone to the home page of your site. I wanted to try to validate your point by saying.......if you wanted someone to see (fill in the blank), then send them to your home page, but I can't think of anything.......can you help me out here?
Heyyyyyyyyyyyy, that bullseye with the Benjamin looks familiar. Have you been reading my blog? =)
Good advice. But, what about capturing? Does it do this?
Great post. Sometimes I try to drive them to a specific page in a site that I actually want to push to a higher web position as opposed to the direct IDX search. I love having my internal pages indexed very high as well as my main web page. Each page is specific to a particular topic. Lake Lanier homes for sale may drive higher long term traffic than the IDX search of Lake Lanier Lake properties. Sometimes the decision on how and what I link is made where I feel I need the most juice.
Anna Banana,
You wrote: "The one thing I don't know is how and where do you store the specific search?"
This is a function of your website and you may or may not be able to do it. I just went over to your site to try to determine if you have that functionality but I didn't get past your registration page. When I attempted to search listings I was met with that page. You can call me if you want and we can try to determine if your website has this ability.
Maggie,
I got that image from iStockPhoto but of course I read your blog every time you post. I read everyones blog :-)
Linda,
You wrote: "What about capturing?"
I assume you mean capturing leads. Yes, the vision sites that I gave brief information about at the bottom of my post capture leads. The purpose of driving traffic to your website (In my very rarely humble opinion) should be to capture leads. (Some people disagree with me but this is my blog, haha).
Jim,
You make a great point! The fact that your site has the ability to do what you do means you are way ahead of most agents (I'm pretty sure you know this though). That first page you linked to has a lot going on. I must admit that it took me more than 3-5 seconds to actually find homes for sale in Lake Lanier. But if linking to that page as a part of your overall SEO strategy is pushing you higher in the SERPs at the expense of a few people who may land there and leave because they don't know what to do next, then it could certainly be a decent trade off.
But again, both of your examples are more flexibility then most agents have.
Great advice we have tried to link to the location they want to go but maybe we need to be more specific. Thanks for the blog.
Bob - Excelent coaching. Thanks!
Bob - I am not only starting to do this in the neighborhood specific posts but I have also added links broken down by price range for the past couple of market reports I have written. I plan on going back into any of my other posts where I can incorporate this strategy. I've also added the IDX link to each specific market area I service to my listing router free and paid campaigns.
Bob - Rock on !!! Great point and great illustration. I agree that the "search for homes" must be easy to find and easy to get to from a navigation standpoint.
Yea this is the good stuff thanks for the post. I enjoy the informational post and useful info. Thanks again.
Bob I guess I was thinking to send them to the home page and let them decide where they want to go. Some might be going to hire someone to sell their house. Others might be looking to buy a home. I guess I dont know but if they hit your home page I would hope they can easily find whatever it is they are looking for.
I totally get what you are saying and that makes much more sense. Some just put a link to their site but if it isnt relevant to the subject matter then it doesnt make sense. If you are writing about the tax credit send them to a page for more information and hopefully thats a page on your site. But if your link goes to your home page and your site doesnt even have info on what your blog was about then you are going to get a click back and a high bounce rate as a result.
Good info and its great to be thinking about your visitors to your blog and your site and to be writing to make people want to click. The more relevant you can be the better.
Bob - As always, good advice and "how to" information. I've been watching how consumers react to various links and I definitely agree. The more dead on the link - the more likely they are to stick around and look deeper into the site. I've had to learn to think more like the average internet user (something that I've struggled with) as I am more likely to read the entire site looking for the information (I like the hunt). Its been a battle, but I'm getting better at it everyday.
I found a way to intergrate an IDX frame directly into blog posts for certain neighborhoods & have the data feed for the frame for only listings in the community, but the viewer can edit the search and move the map around.
Bob.... I love you man..!!! I am still getting the hang of this blogging thing... yes, I know it's a business..(or a great place to sound off )
I'm back after reading Shane's first comment, which I had to read several times LOL. We are getting absolutely awesome results using very specific landing pages and those links rank high on google as well. We do very specific long tails and first I was surprised to see how even the links get placement, and especially so high on google. Certainly all links are not super super deep, but many are and they are working phenomenal. Users stay on the site quite a long time.~Rita
Bob, I did my first "deep" link last week here, after speaking with you. You are a genius :) Hubby has created even MORE search options on my web site. Getting pretty exciting around here!
I'm going to go through my old posts and see what deep links I can create, as you suggested to Jo! Thanks for the great info, as always!
What great information. I'm just getting started and this is a great tutorial. Thank you so much for sharing. Idaho land is what I'm interested in, but there's lots of affordable land out there for the taking.
I'll just sit over here with Melina and whine about my inability to have an IDX search on my site...
I have done something like vice versa like last week. Only if I would've have been doing this ever since I joined this site. Great post Bob.
Bob - UH HUH LOL
Now let me stop being so rude and comment on your post. Well done! But then again, anyone whose infant can sneak off to the computer and write so eloquently about his diaper changes has got to have some mondo writing skills =)
Fab points...bookmarked!
Thanks for the very informative and detailed post on links. I was hoping for a quick $50,000 but I guess I have to work for it.
Bob - The coaching is well appreciated. For many of us who already have a lot of content going back and making these adjustment can make a big difference. Thank you.
Great post, I have been trying to get my company idx website to set up links like this. They only show a general URL for each search. Very old school.
I need to figure out how to get those links to the site for my company. I never use our home page to search for properties so I will have to start exploring that.
Bob- I just got home from the Prudential National Sales Convention and the best piece of information I gained this week is from your post. And it cost a lot less ;-)
When I've included a link to search the MLS/IDX, it does go directly to a search page, but I hadn't considered targeting to a refined search. Thanks for a great suggestion for future posts and targeted links.
Very insightful. Thanks for taking the time to share your knowledge.
Bob, great information - thank you for your explanation. I really need to get a handle on utilizing links and this really makes sense; finally I get it. I only wish that my MLS board; Realtor Association of Greater Ft Lauderdale had a relationship with Market Leader as I tried to get involved yet couldn't. Perhaps it will be coming soon.
Thanks for the info i am going to give it a try
Bob, Great post, great info, will do...
Oh Bob, I need you! And I say that is the most respectful way....How do I figure out if my site does this or not? I have a Superlative website. My website has slipped in the ranking badly in the last month and I'm trying to figure out how to fix it. Any help would really be appreciated.
Hi Bob -- Sound, easy to implement, easy to read, and as a result, easy for anyone to understand and implement. Thanks!
In response to the question of whether to link to deep pages or one's landing page, I say do both! Why not juice you primary landing page with some well anchored text and point very specific terms to related pages. If the text is specific and relevant to the page it links to, people will either click on it or they won't. Either way, the people who skip the link were not likely to be compelled by your real estate message anyway. But if you have several options (e.g. "Buying a home in today's Columbus real estate market", or "Buying a rental on OSU campus"), those who click on the links are alreeady interested in that particular page's message and you can appeal directly to what you know they want.
Shawn
Bob,
Using the advice you gave me the other day, I used this on somebody who emailed me about one of my listings but gave me no phone number. I sent a link to similar properties on Vision, and the prospect is now signed up for listing alerts.
Thanks,
Well that was an eye opener! Thank you for great info and tips
Makes good sense to me. Our company has a very visual and unique way of searching that is very sticky. In fact the average stat for people visiting our website is 12 minutes. I think that's probably pretty good. But I am going to see if i can integrate your idea. http://ron.hawaiilife.com
Bob
Thank you for the informative post. Appreciate the insight.
Wayne
Bob this makes sense to me, and I am one that has been guilty of doing this the wrong way. Thanks.
Thanks for bringing this to our attention. I was hoping I was linking properly all this time
Thanks Bob,
I have bookmarked your post and will read further when I can give it full attention. Thanks for the assistance.
Kathy B
I totally understand what you are saying and am wishing that I could link directly to a specific search...can't do it yet. The best I can do is change my link from my home page directly to the search page. Thank you!
Excellent information, Bob, and very clearly presented. I know I've been lax in this area and need to work harder to drive people to my website and then keep them there. Thanks,
Mike
Our board only allows us to link to our brokers site. My brokers site only allows me to send to a general page from what I can see. I gotta do what I gotta do. Maybe I will call our company help desk again today to see if there is some way I can do it.
YMMV (Your market may vary.)
Hi Bob, thanks for the tips. Does it help if you posy member only posts too?
Great post! Really helpful information. I'm going to give it a try!
Bringing the customer straight to your IDX search without having to navigate to it from your home page is definitely best. I like your idea of linking them to a more specific home search "Affordable homes in Seattle under $300,000 with 3+ bedrooms" That is a great idea!
Bob - Thanks for teaching! Great information...so obvious and simple that we don't think about it! I would love to have it but Okla City MLS doesn't participate in it! Bummer...
With smiles,
Bo
Bob - All I can say is "AWESOME!" Thanks for pointing out my mistakes, heading over to make the corrections.
Bob, thanks for this post explaining the best way to link. We don't have IDX here in our little world, but I am learning how to work it somewhat anyway and listing router is doing well for me - thanks.
But I see now where I can do some things better/smarter - thanks for the post!
A great post. I bookmarked it and I'm trying to figure out what IDX solution I want to incorportate this.
Thanks for the tip! I link to my homepage too much. I'll start being more specific.
What a great reminder - I need to dial this in a little tighter myself. Thanks for the reminder.
OK, the spammers around here are freaky good!! I am a huge shoe fanatic and Jordan's are my favorite kind of shoe.........and the spammer just hit right at my sweet spot....AMAZING. So much so that I almost want to keep the link there. I just can't decide......
LOL WidowMaker...
My vote is to leave it there. Seeing as how you have a shoe fetish and all :)
TLW...ROAR!
Bob - WOW, a big giant light bulb went off on this tip. I better get to work and REFINE my linking!
Bob - I must become a real student of your blog. I have much to learn. I am willing.
Bob
I think your suggestion is great . . . but I can't seem to do it. Perhaps you've already addressed this and I missed it, but when I put a very specific search link on my post, it links back to the first page of the search where the customer still has to input all the information. At least it's not the home page, but I would love to have the deeper link that you are talking about.
Any suggestions.
Thanks,
Bob - great information. I believe that I will make those changes this week. Thanks.
As usual an interesting post relevent to the subject. Thamks again.
I have my home search function at the top of my page. You only have about 5 secs. to capture the attention of a buyer.
HI BOB!!! so what happens if you set it up and save the link...it works for a day then goes back to the generic search page...??? That is what happened to mine when I saved Bonney Lake homes $250-$300,000, make sense?
Krisy,
Call me. I'd have to see exactly what your home search is doing as a query in order to figure out why it may be resetting on you. I have a guess, but let's chat and we can go through it and see what's happening.
Bob - I made that change on my site and for each blog I am now changing the search criteria. This is an excellent post! And you are right, there is a small amount of time to capture that person!
Bob, you read everyone's post? You must be the speed reader of the century! lol - Seriously, links to nowhere are one of my pet peeves. I don't like it when I'm casually reading about something and it's really annoying when I'm trying to research for business.
Thanks Bob, I will definitely keep this in mind when planning posts. Powerful info!
Bob excellent post I think often times agents miss the mark with what they are trying to accomplish and often times put a simple click here missing out on all that google juice and someone actually making it to their search.
This is a great tip, but remember kids, lets not over do it. Make sure that you vary your anchor text ;)
Hi Bob, I'm just reading this, great post!!! Great info about the links!! I have work to do!
I'm tempted to see if Vision IDX has more and better capabilities than the current one I am using.
Bob -
Great stuff. I'm learning new things everyday. Thanks.
Bob,
I wasn't yet part of this great community when you posted this but you taught me this technique during the Hit Router Webinar.
FYI - Affordable homes under $300K, 3-bed link and url no longer valid. Didn't check others. You are MORE THAN WELCOME to replace it with the targeted link I used today in hyper-localism. Highland Lakes vacation homes between $100000 - $200000. Just trying to help. ;-)
Bob.. thanks for the reminder... again... I have to dust of this post (on my to do list) and implement this stratigy...
Great tip and thanks for sharing
Bob, I get what you're saying, but your links seem to take me all to the same place... justlisted.com ??? What's the deal?
I think of link specificity in terms of a large shopping mall. You can drop someone off in the parking lot outside and hope they wander in, or you can bring them directly to the section in your store that has what they're looking for, along with a very helpful salesperson.
Bob It's in every one of posts - even if it isn't subdivision specific.
Brian said it right - all going to Just LIsted.com?
Great, Bob - and great timing because another agent contacted me today to ask how to target IDX searches on my blog post. I told hm I use ihomefinder, and I'm linking people to THE customized search, if not a great URL. 'Think I'll email him again and refer him to your post, since it's right on target.
@Irene - You are so helpful! LOL
Bob- I just spoke with someone from Vision who may have the capacity to add Wellington to Vision. I can not even get a search drilled down because the Vision system won't let me get that specific. I think we are making some progress to being able to have Wellington in our Vision system. I also like being able to put the search tool right into the blog post on that specific neighborhood etc. We get a lot of organic traffic and good leads through letting them search right on the post itself. Katerina
Bob- We also set up a page with its own URL on our website for short sale information. We link directly to that page so the person does not even have to go to our home page first. This helps tons with SEO for our short sale terms. We do get a lot of online and offline traffic to our short sale page. So you need to do this with more than just home searches especially if you are a listing agent. Alot of the IDX links are to benefit buyers and buyers agents and I know that is because of the focus of building the localims posts like you said in your last post. If you are a listing agent and don't work with buyers then your strategy needs to shift a bit.
This is a very informative post and very helpful. I was trying to figure this out on my own and had limited success. It's time to go back to the drawing board.
Bob,
Thanks for the reminder. I need to start using this more consistently rather than just linking to my site or my generalized IDX search.
Ok. I have to admit, I don't think I have ever spend so much time on a blog.... I certainly clicked on every link. Extremely informative. This will take a while to digest, integrate, act on. Thank you very much.
Good advice -- think we mostly have done this on links -- but worth a double check on our end for us.
Bob - Wow are your posts getting the comments or what? Very cool post... I have learned and will listen. Will try this tomorrow with my IDX link. Excellent idea..... Keep em coming dude!
We just got started with the vision trial- so far we like the product- we just now need to work on integrating it into our blogs.
Bob can you please teach me how? I am still a newbie when it comes to this. Thanks for sharing. Have a great weekend. Great post.
Great tip. Thanks!
You are so right link to your IDX and use a landing page if possible. It will bring you leads.
Thanks for the tip...cheers to linking!
I usually link to several pages on my site, and I include an e-mail link. But when linking to listings, I link to my own. AND, I get more listings than buyers! And this is what I want. I suspect that clicking to the IDX link will attract buyers. I've always wondered why I get sellers when everyone else gets buyers. I promote myself as a Daytona Beach native, which I am, and link to my listings, and the page about me. And I get more listings. I think I'll stick with my system and maybe I'll give the IDX link a test drive, but my focus is sellers. Period.
It seems logical for us to point people where they want to go instead of having them find there way around. Most people just want the info quickly.
Dagnabbit, Bob. You just made me go back and put a pantload of links into the post I just did... Thanks.
This is soo funny. I sent Margaret Woda a request for this specific info last night when I read her comment on your last post. Now, what I need to know is this: for our websites, are we logging into our own websites and then creating a series of searches for each area we want to link to? Or, is there a way to create those searches without being our own customer?
Have been doing this and will continue - it works magic! It helps when I'm able to create snippets for any specific searches on our site. ~Rita
Oh, followup to last response: what if you can't set up a search for specific neighborhoods, because there are multiple neighborhoods in a zip code?
Hi Bob -- I agree totally. Two things: 1) When I click on your links above (Seattle under 300K), it takes me to the generic justlisted.com. and 2) Say the blog post is generic for the county, or the metro area, not city/neighborhood specific, would you then link to the main mls search page so the user can choose the community, or is this too one step too removed?
Bob, I just clicked on the first link in your article and landed on Justlisted.com. (How does that happen?)
I get the gist of what you are saying though, and will strive to make sure that my IDX links go directly to a specific search for consumers. I haven't been that careful about it, and your post does make one think...thanks.
Bob, this is a great post ! How do I book mark it ??!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Also are you using Market Leader as your primary database ??Pls. post this on the MMF on Market Leader !!!
Hi Bob, good information. We haven't switched over to a IDX system yet... not sure if that is good or bad.
It's time for me to make some changes. I have been just linking to my site but not telling people to search for homes there. Thanks!
I never even thougth about doing this in this way, what a great idea. Another example of how AR helps us build and grown our busines! YOu can always tweet those links from time to time to capture more leads...
Bob - this is excellent advice adn a helpful description of what we should be doing instead of what we may be doing that is not an effective. I can get better at this. But I do have a link on my posts to my speciufic search page. But for communities I write about I need to see if I can link to those searches. And RealBird offers the opportunity to add this search to the individual posts.
Jeff
Hi Bob,
I clicked on the first two links in your post and they both took me to http://www.justlisted.com/. I didn't think they were supposed to, though. Anyway, your point it clear and a good one. I have a link to several different searches on every one of my posts. Traffic to my website has increased since I instituted those changes and I notice that every time I write a new post, hits on my website spike upwards for a day or so afterward.
Love your posts -- great advice as always. Will take this into account for my Hyper-Local blog tomorrow!
Hi Bob...Good Advice for us all, Keep them Coming :O)
You'll be the go To Guy Here :O))
Bob - I agree, it's important to provide a link directly to what your reader will be looking for, otherwise they'll just move on to the next site. And it makes sense to target specific market segments with your blog posts and the related searches. Good info.
Dang...I took off for a few weeks and came back to find this and some other great ideas. I'm on it and glad to be back! Thanks again I am going to tailor mine to my specific market!!
Hidden Lake Estates Green Oak Township Michigan is my latest post
Everyone,
The links on this post were going to an old website that is no longer active. I need to get the links updated, I just haven't had the chance. The point of this post was that the links were going to SPECIFIC pages on the person's website.
This is a great example on Courtney Cooper's website:
http://www.servinglynnwood.com/listings/area/lowerqueenanne/
That link takes you directly to homes for sale in the Lower Queen Anne area of Seattle. If I was writing a hyper local post about Lower Queen Anne, I would be using the link that takes a consumer directly to the lower queen anne area on her site and displays homes from Lower Queen Anne.
The point is, can your site do this? If it can't and you are trying to convert leads on your website, you may want to find a company or IDX provider that has a site capable of delivering your consumer to EXACTLY what they are looking for.
Makes sense to point people to the exact information they were looking for. Great detail in this post Bob.
Bob - I am one of those not fortunate enough to have an IDX that I can have a post link directly to a specific search. I am not even sure how to set that up, but would love to have that ability. Hopefully I will be able to figure out how to do this in the future, as I do understand what you are saying and believe it would be beneficial to securing clients through the internet.
Ok, so I know I'm really late with this one, but I was just going through your blog when I noticed this post. Great idea. I do link directly to my property search page, BUT I need to be better about a couple of things:
1. Consistenly placing links to my site in all of my posts that are public...
2. Posts I made about specific areas...I should look into linking to a search that fits the search criteria of the area I'm talking about.
Again, thanks for the ideas Bob! Have a great one!
Chanda Panda
Bob, just came across this post again - we definitely need another IDX. Ours is from the dark ages. It's one thing that made Rainbird so attractive - the ability to add targeted searches within a post.
Sharon
Bob, thank you thank you. I honestly don't really "get it" all yet. Today's homework for me is to devour this post and put it to work. (The more I hang around here, the closer I come to the current century)
Hey There Bob: This is a fabulous blog post and thank you for writing it and sharing with us.
With approaching 1150 AR blogs, have done a slew of them to use over and over and as a resource in more than attracting buyers for the subject blogged on. Example, have an older Maine victorian to sell and instead of just promoting the bells and whisles, charm and originality for some family needing a five bedroom home...pushing it from story to put the buyer in a "is this you" situation. This can be sent out as an example on what to do with this home but also to explain the scenario of if you wanted to run your own small small scale "diner in your home" and what it involves (handicap baths, sprinklers, licensing, zoning). http://activerain.com/blogsview/1299387/your-dad-was-a-chef-you-feel-pretty-darn-comfortable-with-a-kitchen-skillet-in-your-hand-too-
In emails you can answer questions or point out options with a place and then "read more here" link in the email so you don't duplicate the same answers to the same questions. A well crafted blog is a tool in the box. That is the beauty..blog on areas you can repromote, that never go out of style and always have worth. We save them as favorities in our tool bar, and when say a a prospect knows nothing about Maine land value..a seller or a buyer, we tap out an email with today this or that is happening land wise, with property like you are looking for, or consider selling and for more on land in Maine, read further here link inserted. This blog is used over and over and if well written upfront, you don't need to duplicate writing another one over and over. It is a good overview of land in Northern Maine.
http://activerain.com/blogsview/987981/what-s-does-maine-land-cost-an-acres-in-aroostook-county-anyway-
Here is an older blog about you want to be on a Maine farm but what do you do for a living..consider growing dry beans..and the blog is about the process, the lifestyle..not selling them a farm..just showing what you could do with one from experience growing up on a farm that grew potatoes, dry beans, etc. So this information what kind of farming could I do..is a link in our emails to show what to do with the farms we list, promote, sell.
http://activerain.com/blogsview/356753/owning-a-maine-hobby-farm-have-the-tractor-like-the-outdoors-but-
Or a blog entry not selling anything but explaining the Maine moose/deer/game hunt. The person emailing us for land, we include a link to this so they can get excited about recreational property and with information on the Maine moose lottery system. At the bottom of the blog, it just so happens the real estate broker that taps out the post might have hunting property to sell. It gets seen, put on real estate radar by google robots. Providing informatin first and foremost approach. But you also using the blog post in emails during hunting season to get them following your blog. To answer questions about the Maine moose lottery. I'm not a hunter, but a segment of my audience is so blog about it, like Maine snowsledding, skiing, golf, schools, banks...the local turf, the "localism".
http://activerain.com/blogsview/1262376/maine-s-first-six-day-moose-hunt-underway-gun-toting-hunters-invade-aroostook-county-
Or when getting an inquiry about the local Houlton Maine rental market..how many units, etc and state laws, we quickly ship them a link to this blog after giving them a paragraph lead in...this blog never wears out and does touch on the not so comfortable aspects of renting, being a landlord and what causes them. Rental 101 in our small market..what applies, here and what generically goes hand in hand with rental property. We can go back and update figures, add information, helpful links. Each blog post is like a stand alone website broadcasting information, an information transmitter. Set up many of them all over the interstate.
http://activerain.com/blogsview/335937/small-town-houlton-maine-has-560-apartment-rentals-with-2-vacancy-rate-
If you only blog about real estate listings you don't give the reader information on that type of real estate. If you post blogs on all the areas you serve, all the property types you sell (59 of our 170 listings are just land..everything is not homes, homes, homes) then you educate them on that type of real estate and later sell them something.
They want info first..not whipping out the check book at the onset usually. Think long term, marathon and what you would need to know if from out of state and with no knowledge of running a Maine diner, buying Maine land, buying Maine rental property, running a Maine farm, etc. These blogs, vidcast, videos that do the same thing in a different method but with same theme do it. The surfer wants area information, not just real estate propaganda.
Bob,
This is a great post. I am learning. If a person's attention span is only 3-5 seconds, it makes sense to direct the search to the actual page.
Great post and a source of useful information! Thanks for sharing
Great information. It's useful to put us in th eyes of a consumer sometimes. We take for granted a visitor will know exactly what to do but most often they don't.
Wow! Thank you, Bob, for this very useful tip! I just tried it, and it works great with my IDX search (Wolf Net)! Now on to blogging!
Bob - I changed idx providers last year so that I would have the ability to this kind of specific search to use in blog posts and neighborhood pages on my website.
thank very nice article and idea
Hi Bob...Once again you deserve a big thank you for providing invaluable advice. I will follow it the best I can.
Kate