Today, it seems like everybody and their dog has a blog of some sort. So, you think, what can a real estate blog do for me and my business? The answer is: a lot, if you are willing to put in the time and effort to make it so.
A good blog is, as far as the search engines go, an ever-changing webpage that constantly offers content. This is a great place to be, from a search-engine-optimization (SEO) point of view. A website that is constantly offering new content is a good thing as far as Google is concerned. If you’re offering up-to-date, relevant info about your areas of operation, that’s gold as far as both Google and your readership are concerned. People are always looking for relevant information about their chosen home neighborhood and what’s happening.
A blog that is merely a series of home listings isn’t going to attract much attention. While you can certainly showcase homes you have to sell, try to make them interesting to more people than those who want a 4 bedroom rancher with 2 bathrooms and a charming expanse of front lawn. Perhaps you can talk about this listing’s neighborhood, the history of ranch homes or interesting things people do with bedrooms that are no longer required for guests and family members. Use your blog to capture the interest of people in general, rather than repeat something that is already amply represented elsewhere on your site.
Other topics you can focus on are local housing prices, the economy and how it is affecting home buying and selling in your area, events in your area, tax information/issues, tips for general home buying/selling… the list goes on and there’s plenty of ideas you can get off of the internet. Make it relevant to the times, make it apply to people interested in your area, make it apply to real estate and you will have a good base for a blog. Occasional forays into seasonal-appropriate topics or local news provides some interesting diversions.
This is a project for the real estate businessperson who likes to write or has someone who can write for them. It is not worth starting a blog if you’re just going to parrot someone else’s words, even if they lie in the public domain. It’s already been done before; enough that Google does not reward it with rankings. It also is boring for any human visitor who comes to your site looking for information your competitors haven’t already given them. If you’re just copy/pasting information they’ve seen before, you’re not likely to appear to advantage. Be original.
Spelling and grammar still say a lot about you. Use spell check and grammar checks. Read through your blog posts to ensure that they make sense to other people. Get someone to read them over for you if you lack the skills to do so yourself. The purpose of spelling and grammar is to clearly convey your thoughts on the subject at hand; it is the mark of a careful and conscientious person.
A blog can be a great way of getting yourself and your real estate business out into the local eye. If people are coming to see what you have to say from day to day, they may start viewing you less as just another Realtor and more as someone they can rely on for good information and advice in your area of expertise. That in itself may earn you clients; for the rest, it may open doors to potential clients that have hitherto been closed to you.
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