6 Tips To Marketing Yourself Online and Improve Your Search Engine Rank

According to a new report by Borrell Associates, online real estate ad spending will reach $1.719 billion this year. That’s 15% of the $11.698 billion spent on real estate ads each year.

The report predicts that real estate professionals will shift more of their marketing budgets from newspapers to online advertising. This year, it is estimated that newspaper real estate ads will be down almost 8% from last year’s $4.682. By 2010, Borrell predicts that newspapers will account for only 30% of real estate ad spending.

If you’re a real estate agent and you’re not online, this trend should encourage you to create a website and start looking into ways to market yourself online. That said, having a website is not enough. You must find meaningful ways to differentiate yourself from your competition. The best way to do that is to share your knowledge. Here are a few tips:

1. Write Unique Content - Many real estate agents buy website templates complete with articles sections. A problem with this is that thousands of other sites out there have the same content. Search engines penalize sites that are made up mostly of duplicate content - meaning it makes it that much more difficult to get listed in the top of search results.
2. Update Your Site Regularly - Search engines like sites that are updated frequently. Add new articles, tips and listings at least once a week. Not sure what to write about? For the next week, write down every question a prospect asks you. Then write an article answering each question.
3. Start a Blog - Search engines love blogs because they are updated frequently. Readers like blogs because they get to know how knowledgeable, friendly and helpful you are by reading what you write.
4. Interact with Online Communities - Go where potential readers might be and join the conversation. Read the forums and discussion groups they do. Leave comments on websites and blogs. Add your listings to Craigslist.
5. Start an Online Newsletter - If you have a blog, it’s easy to set up a newsletter that will email your posts to readers. Companies like FeedBurner and Zookoda (who I use) offer easy to use services that easily integrate into your website.
6. Get Links From Other Sites - This is easiest if you have unique content that others find valuable. Look for sites and blogs that also talk about your real estate niche and let them know about your new article or blog post. Ask to exchange links on your blog. Keep in mind that not all links are valuable. In fact, there are a lot of spam sites and directories out there that will list your site for free. Stay away from these or search engines could kick you out of their search results. If the site isn’t something your readers and prospects would find useful, don’t link to the site or ask them to link to you.

As real estate professionals start spending more of their marketing budgets online, ads will only get more expensive. These 6 tips will help you improve your rank with search engines and save you money in the long term.