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I’ve heard some talk lately from discouraged real estate bloggers that can’t seem to rank well in the search engines. They try blogging for a few weeks and then give up often times assuming that there are simply too many competing blogs and websites in their market area. In most markets, this is simply not the case!
Yes, it is true that there are a few places around the country that have fierce competition. Those would be in places like: Seattle, Phoenix, San Francisco, Florida, and a few others…
But for the most part, there are very few markets that are saturated with multiple blogs. In many cases, there are some fairly large markets that aren’t even represented.
What does this mean for you, the beginner blogger?? There is hope!!
Don’t get discouraged when you see other more experienced bloggers rank ahead of you. There is plenty of room for you.
I can’t tell you how many real estate bloggers I’ve met that have started blogging without even considering their target audience, what they are looking for, or how they are finding it. Often, when I ask a new blogger what their core target is, they just shrug their shoulders.
Understanding your target, and your keywords is key to outranking your competition.
Start researching!
* Decide on 5 primary keyword phrases
* Search for those phrases on Google, and catalog the top10 results
* Take those results and research them with this Page Strength Tool, or the Website Grader
* What do you find? Keep track of your results
* Try Wortracker.com or the free SEO Research tool I offer on this blog
* Try to find those specific keywords that have little competition
But… I’m a blogger in Seattle, and I don’t have any hope of ever ranking well… Nonsense! Here’s what you do:
* Start going niche. Forget the term: “Seattle Real Estate”. You will waste time and energy trying to rank well for that term.
* Choose instead: “Redmond real estate listings”, or “redmond condos for sale”. Yes, they do get less searches, but the competition will be much less.
* And here’s a secret that not many people will tell you: the more specific the keyword phrase, the better your chances will be of converting that searcher into a customer.
* Forget trying to be the top blog in Seattle, start researching and looking for those terms that you can rank well on.
* In my experience, the person that chooses to go niche with their keywords will triumph over the competition that is fighting an uphill battle to rank for the the most popular real estate related keyword in their market.
The quickest way to failure as a blogger is to not know your target.
Related posts:
- Hittail.com: a Revolution in SEO
- Long Tail Keywords vs. Short Tail Keywords
- Is Your Website Eating Itself Through Keyword Cannibalization?
- 8 Unique Ways to Use Google Alerts To Capture New Customers
- The Top 10 Most Common SEO Mistakes
October 3rd, 2007 at 1:02 pm
Justin: You make some great points (as always) for real estate bloggers. Big cities are loaded with communities and that is where I would start building key words and a blogging market. There’s still plenty of internet real estate available.
October 3rd, 2007 at 3:18 pm
Hi Roberta,
Thanks for the comment. Yes, I agree. Actually some of the greatest blogging opportunities today are in the larger markets where you have sizable communities that are completely unrepresented online.
October 3rd, 2007 at 9:31 pm
Great post. I’ve always been more of a website guy, however I do see a need to blog.
October 4th, 2007 at 2:22 am
Justin,
I agree completely. It also takes time. The bloggers that are ranking usually have been at it for awhile.
New RE Bloggers shouldn’t give up. I’ve just started my 4th full time blog and it has taken close to three months for it to start ranking for key search terms.
If you are just starting out; give it some time. Post often and be patient. Rome bloggers weren’t built in a day.
October 5th, 2007 at 7:59 am
Even in Seattle, I don’t think the market is saturated. Even if the number of RE bloggers in Seattle increased by 10 fold, I still don’t think it would be saturated.
Your point about focusing on a niche is why.
October 5th, 2007 at 2:47 pm
Hi Todd,
My point was that there are definitely some markets that are more challenging than others. But you are right, if you can properly pick a niche, you can still find success.
October 23rd, 2007 at 6:00 am
I think that breaking into certain markets (I live in San Francisco) can be very challenging. A lot of people still rely on the local real estate agent.
November 4th, 2007 at 3:36 am
What are some examples of communities that are underrepresented on the net?
December 13th, 2007 at 9:24 pm
Thank you for the great advice. I will for sure take some these points and apply them to what i have already learned
April 13th, 2008 at 5:09 pm
Thanks for the advice. I am beginning to get frustrated in my efforts to rank well in my City State Real Estate search terms. Maybe I can do better if I refocus on other search terms that receive less traffic.