Most Realtor websites (and Realtors) market to targeted areas – neighborhoods, even subdivisions. The Realtor website, unless it is strong enough to rank for a metro geo-modifier, will probably target smaller cities, neighborhoods, and subdivisions.

When people do searches, they don’t usually enter the qualifying information that is needed..usually entering general words like ‘real estate’, ‘home buying’, ‘home selling’.

Since there are so many branded aggregators and then PPC delivers geo-targeted ads, there isn’t a big incentive for searchers to go long tail. I do think that some people go ‘long tail’ but not enough….so you either choose long tail for a Realtor and don’t drive enough traffic to make a difference in the their business OR….

You try to take a Realtor website and actually win some words with volume. This usually takes a website developer, a Realtor, and an SEO who know what they are doing and are willig to put the time and money into a real SEO Campaign.

We have worked with a few Real Estate clients (and website developers) who are committed to SEO…my guess is that this committment….due to time, money, and knowledge is in short suppply…so Real Estate SEO will continue to struggle compared to other industries.

Great thoughts even if they are from 2007. I just landed on you after searching for “small business seo” to do a bit of reading today brushing up on my local skills. I’ve been on the blog for more than an hour now and can say your links, the ‘best of…’ and various other posts have been great reads (& future reads since I’ve printed a bunch of them out).

Just out of curiosity, but do you think the state of the business is still as ripe as you say? I was thinking of doing this before becoming an SEO Consultant this year when I was actually in the business back in 2005-06 (before you mentioned this). I got burnt by some who acted as if they were going to reciprocate after I helped them with their online marketing & decided not to at that time. I’ve grown some thicker skin, built up 2 sites & working on a few more right now & have decided to market to small business niches Real Estate, Insurance & Dentists here on SEM Common Sense. Do you really think Real Estate is still ripe?

Any thoughts on the Dentistry & Insurance fields? Don’t want to attack too many fields at once.

And you’re absolutely right about the possible ROI. I’m no PPC expert, but when managing my wife’s accounts on G and Y, I keep reminding myself … just one sale from a PPC lead has more than paid for all these clicks.

2. Those that pay a monthly fee for a web site they hardly have to manage do so because it is cheap, and they really have nothing to do to maintain it. They feel the template should be just fine and believe the statements made by such companies that the site will achieve rankings and gather them business.

I even read on one such company newsletters that there pre-made web sites are wonderful, need no SEO and search engine placements really will not help them be found any better. Then a month later, that search engine placement is important. I always send comments to editor about how misleading they are and never hear back.

3. Many that I have spoken to do not even know what SEO is or that a person can actually develop a site that can outplace other web sites. They are shocked to hear that this process is available

4. Realtor magazines and such do talk about the need for web sites that are ranked high, but realtors just are afraid to spend the money that it can cost and some have even tried such companies only to be ‘ripped off’

When I work with realtors, I try and place state the fee may appear high but, with just one client gathered from the web site, a sale or a buyer can pay for 10 such web sites….well something in that order. Realtors see everything as a price tag as they make no money with our a close, so I learned to turn around my presentation to bottom line financial lingo and why, such a ‘tool’ is needed. Some take it quickly, others are slow to the trend and then there are those kick themselves when the hear in staff meetings.” I just got a client from my web site and they bought a million dollar home”

I do a special for realtors. web site analysis just to get them to see the issues that keep their site from getting ranked. All have been amazed, critical of themselves for believing the ‘template’ people or other’seo’s they used” but they are so slow to turn around and have it corrected. Actually, of all the analysis done, less then 1 percent will sign up.

Basically, thank goodness for those word of mouth referrals:-)

Bonnie Burns ontheavenues