Search has come a long way.  And the big question is, how do you keep you page ranked well in the search engines?

There is no magical, instantaneous formula, but one thing to practice when working on your website or blog is to simply write for your readers — home buyers and sellers.  Don’t write for the computer algorithms (that change regularly) that figure out your search ranking.

After you’ve carefully crafted your web page content, ensure that titles to pages and URL addresses contain more keywords and less “gibberish.”  You’ve probably seen a web page URL that goes on like this:

www.site124.com/XH*&YHJuh121_78129dsfijsdB

Ask your web designers to ensure that your web page URLs are more user friendly as well as search engine friendly, containing real words — and keywords — most often.

What tips and tricks have you found to keep your web page ranking high?

When you visit a website that asks you to register before you can read anything of value on the site, what do you do?

When you visit a website that asks you to register after you’ve started to read an article, but won’t let you read more until you register, what do you do?

When you visit a website that never asks you to register, but has an option off to the side to get more info, what do you do?

It depends. However, think about your experiences as a consumer on various websites. What makes you leave a site? What makes you feel good about a site? What makes you desire to get more details and share your contact info even when you aren’t prompted?

Take those cues and put them into practice on your own website. Keep consumers happy on your website and they’ll reward you with more business.

Share with us what you’ve discovered with asking for registration on your website.

And, when it comes to real estate, they want someone who is going to help them achieve all these goals…and then some.

The way that home buyers and sellers are looking at real estate transactions has evolved over the past year or so. These buyers and sellers are not likely to return to the previous purchasing and selling methods — both by choice and by the industry (tougher lending requirements, buyers wanting more for their money, etc.).

Where do you stack up?

One place that these consumers flock to is the web for reviews, comparisons, to simply check out services and compare different professionals to find one that answers their questions and concerns. They can’t compare you with other real estate professionals easily on price, but they can on how you present yourself and what you give to buyers and sellers — on value.

One way to make home buyers and sellers stay on your site and earn their trust is to pack it with relevant content that services their real estate needs. Guides to how to buy a home, how to sell a home, how to save money doing either, etc. are the type of information these consumers (your clients) are looking for when they land on your website. They want answers to their questions quickly, easily and completely.

You often can’t compete on price as you’re not selling a product. But, you can compete on service and how well you communicate, educate and inform buyers and sellers who are searching for a real estate professional to help them buy or sell a home.

Where do you fall during these consumer-directed searches?

The reason for this is that a recent Harris Poll finds that Internet users are spending an average of 13 hours a week online.  Almost two full hours per day on average!  Usage has almost doubled in 10 years; in 1999 Internet users spent, on average, only 7 hours per week online.

What does this mean for you?  Be connected.  Often.  Respond quickly to inquiries and emails.  Use your smart phone to be available. 

Secondly, your website is you.  Whatever it says about you is what visitors are taking to be you, the real estate professional.  If your website isn’t what you want it to be or it’s not bringing in the business you want and need, it’s time to rethink your site to capture more interest—and more business—from the myriad of people online. 

Additionally, check how your website looks when accessed from a mobile device.  Check several different brands of phones (those of friends, relatives, colleagues) to see if there are differences on how your site appears.  Ask your web designer for advice in optimizing your site for mobile users.  With 32% of web use occuring “at another location” instead of at work or home, smart phones are helping Internet browsers collect and find info…and you!

Lastly, consider all the ways you can be “seen” online besides your website.  Are you involved in social networking?  Consider connecting in new ways in the new year if you haven’t already – LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc.  It’s another way for buyers and sellers to find you.

 Don’t miss out when so many are online for such a huge chunk of their time each week.  Let us know how you’ve worked your online presence to bring your more business.

So when I recently came across an article by Todd Kashdan (twitter @toddkashdan), author of Curious? Discover the Missing Ingredient to a Fulfilling Life, I again thought about relationship building.  In his article entitled “Five Tips for Creating Happiness and Fulfillment,” his first tip is, “Nurture meaningful relationships.” 

Thinking on excellent customer service, I can’t help but think about intertwining meaningful relationships with getting to know the customer more to serve them well.  Getting to really know the customer of course means listening to the customer.  Listening means understanding their concerns and problems and trying to help solve these issues.  All obvious things. 

He continues under this first tip, “As soon as we think we know everything about someone, we stop paying attention.”  I think this is a point that needs to be examined in the real estate realm as it’s not obvious. 

We’re all guilty at some point of over-generalizing and putting all buyers into the same category and having the same concerns.  We do the same with sellers.  Yes, we do sub-categorize them slightly at times:  first time buyers, move-up sellers, relocating buyers, motivated sellers due to a job change, downsizing buyers (or sellers), investor buyers, distressed/pressured sellers and so on. 

However, every single buyer and seller is different.  Think for a moment about the same home buying family that is looking for a three bedroom, two bath home.  You can show them a myriad of houses with that spec, but different homes appeal to different people due to who they are, their needs, their wants.  Some only want ranch-style homes, some won’t look at a home on a busy street, some desire the kitchen configured a certain way, others only wish for the house’s front door to face east, etc.  How did you learn these things?  You listened.  Closely. 

Think more about how you’re building relationships with your customers.  It will help you personalize your service, solve your customer’s problems and meet their needs.  Whether you’re face-to-face, deep into social media (or just getting started), returning a phone call, answering an email inquiry, or advertising anywhere, you need to examine how you pay attention to your customers.  Don’t be quick to categorize and never stop paying attention.

One simple way to provide answers to visitors’ questions reliably is to create links on your site to quick and easy-to-use online calculators and other financial tools. 

In exchange for access to linked pages, the consumer completes a brief contact and real estate needs form.  The most popular calculators for buyers and sellers help figure home equity, costs of selling, moving, and renting versus buying, as well as trade-up and down-payment analyses.

Tip: Examples of popular relocation calculators analyze affordability, prepayment, payment, net proceeds, capital gains, home estate tax.  Other useful tools are ones that give extensive data on a community, salary calculators for relocating families, moving cost calculators, cost versus value information (for those thinking of remodeling before listing or those looking to remodel after buying), etc. 

Share with us what tools you include on your site and how much usefulness they provide and how much value they give to your business.

New Rule:  The best websites deliver leads and customer service.

If a boost in the quantity of leads is all you’re looking to gain from your website, aim higher.  Now, more than ever before, the consumer-driven Information Highway is a two-way street, and a well-planned website provides almost limitless opportunities to grab quality prospects with information and services – before they contact the competition.

Every web visitor today has a purpose, something they want to accomplish because surfing today is no longer fun, it’s work.  The secret to capturing these task-oriented visitors is to offer solutions that meet their immediate, up-front needs, then follow-up with concrete evidence of your professionalism using on-the-mark targeted information and personal service.  Customer satisfaction – and loyalty – begin with this offer-and-response strategy.

Share your thoughts on how you best serve leads that arrive on your website.

One way to build up a relationship is to create a home for customers on your website.  Give clients reasons to visit your site frequently, even after their transaction is completed (just sold market updates are very popular).  Give each one an exclusive folder or private page on your site that only they can access with a password (save their home’s virtual tour here to share with their friends). Clients can have as many folders within your website as you want for as long as you need.  Use this advantage to steer each client through the home buying or selling process, then shift gears to pertinent homeowner topics that will show your satisfied customers that you care about them even after their transaction is complete.  Again, relevance is king.

Be relevant and continue to build relationships with your clients.  You’ll reap more business, more referrals and more friends too!  Let us know how you keep past clients in the loop.

You need to be sure to have out the welcome mat.  Once they visit your website, maker sure it is easy for visitors to navigate your website.  A truly customer-centered website is organized to solve customer problems, not promote you personally.  Practice the two-click-maximum rule of good web design: One click on subject, one click on destination.  Put the customer first.  Position your “About Us” section at the bottom of your navigation.

Can they find out if you are on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn easily and quickly?  Do you have direct links to these communities prominently displayed on your website or blog?

How is your blog laid out?  Do you have an easily searched site where visitors can find answers to their real estate questions quickly?  Be sure to include your contact information somewhere visible on your blog.  And, don’t forget to mention all the other places you can be found in the social media realm. 

When the people you have relationships are ready to make a move, they are likely to check out your professional online presence first.  When they confirm you are who you are — and satisfied that you know your stuff about real estate — they’ll be ready to talk business with you. 

How do you present yourself online?  And, how do you show up when you Google yourself?

Capturing leads must be a primary goal for your website.  Turn visitors into prospects with consumer-centered interactive features to capture leads and send prospect information right to your database.

• Offer free items and services in exchange for contact information. 
• Ask for feedback. 
• Use a variety of interactive web forms that focus on consumers’ needs and harvest leads at the same time. 
• Send automated follow-up e-mails to lock in satisfied prospects. 

 The secret:  Focus your site’s interactive power to capture leads and send prospect information right to your e-database. 

How compelling is your website content that buyers and sellers leave their contact info?  Share what you’ve learned building your customer base from your web leads.