We have updated a number of marketing documents in our CMA Software for use with listing presentations. The following updates have been made in the RE/MAX Marketing Materials area of our CMA download:
Learn more about our CMA Software
Did you know that Google is making significant changes to its privacy policy? This article is a good summary of what you need to know:
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2012/02/what-actually-changed-google's-privacy-policy
PageRank is an important concept to be familiar with if you are trying to improve your SEO. Here we're going to discuss how you can use the Business Directory page of your iMax site as one way to build PageRank, but first let's have a brief refresher on PageRank itself:
What is PageRank?
Much of Google’s formula is built upon their “PageRank” concept. PageRank is based upon other web sites indicating to Google whether your web site is valuable. How does this happen? Basically, if another web site links to yours, Google gives your web site one vote. If a really important web site links to your web site, Google might give you 10 votes. A higher number of votes signifies to Google that your web site has value and you will be moved up the search results accordingly.
Here is Google’s own explanation of PageRank:
“PageRank relies on the uniquely democratic nature of the web by using its vast link structure as an indicator of an individual page's value. In essence, Google interprets a link from page A to page B as a vote, by page A, for page B. But, Google looks at more than the sheer volume of votes, or links a page receives; it also analyzes the page that casts the vote. Votes cast by pages that are themselves ‘important’ weigh more heavily and help to make other pages ‘important.’
“Important, high-quality sites receive a higher PageRank, which Google remembers each time it conducts a search. Of course, important pages mean nothing to you if they don't match your query. So, Google combines PageRank with sophisticated text-matching techniques to find pages that are both important and relevant to your search. Google goes far beyond the number of times a term appears on a page and examines all aspects of the page's content (and the content of the pages linking to it) to determine if it's a good match for your query.”
So increasing the number of web sites linking to your web site is important if you want have better search engine results.
Build PageRank with your iMax Business Directory
You already know your iMax Business Directory is a great referral generating tool in keeping with the principles taught by Brian Buffini. But did you know your Business Directory can help you improve your SEO? Here's how: Your Business Directory, of course, is a web page where you provide your customers with the names and contact information of people and businesses you recommend. Part of the information provided for each business that you add is a link to their web site. What we recommend is that once you have added a business to your web site, call them and let them know that you are recommending them to your customers and have added a link to their web site on your site. Ask them if they will reciprocate by adding a link to your site on their web site. The more businesses you work with that will add links to your site, the more it will help your PageRank. This is what's known as a "link exchange." Many web sites have to build a web page from scratch to do this, but the iMax Business Directory makes it easy to do with its built in features.
To start taking advantage of the Business Directory today: Login to your web site, click the "Web Site" button in the upper left, then choose "Business Directory" in the right hand column. Once you're finished creating your Business Directory, don't forget to add a link to it on your homepage or sidebar or web site navigation.
The team at iMax wishes you and your family a very happy Thanksgiving 2011!
We want to thank you so much for your business.
Have a wonderful holiday!
Our latest video clip in a series from author and social media guru Gary Vaynerchuk's presentation at Crush It for a Cure. Enjoy and learn:
This is a video clip from Gary Vaynerchuk's Oct 7, 2011 presentation at "Crush It for a Cure." In this video, Gary explains why social media is not optional for businesses that want to stay in business. Gary told the packed audience of real estate agents that if they don't put in the time on social media, people like him will, and in so doing, put them out of business.
We at iMax believe that while some agents think they do not have time to regularly create content for their web sites and engage customers via social media, in reality, agents cannot afford NOT to do these things. These two items - creating content for web sites and engaging customers on social media need to be top priorities for all agents.
Here's the video:
iMaxWebSolutions had the good fortune of being a sponsor of last week's ThinkMax "Crush It for a Cure" event featuring author, speaker, and social media guru Gary Vaynerchuk. After the event Gary was kind enough to provide an exclusive video message for iMax customers on the importance of creating content for your web site.
For those of you not familiar with his work, Gary Vaynerchuk is a businessman who "gets it." His message involves leveraging the power of the web and social media to grow your business. To do so, he believes you have to provide content regularly and be willing to work hard to do so - you have to put in the "sweat equity" as he calls it.
Sometimes, real estate agents want their web sites to "automatically" generate leads. The truth is, as with most things in life, success online doesn't happen automatically.
Some real estate agents also believe they "don't have time" to work on adding content to their web site. Ironically, the case could be made that agents can't afford NOT to work on their web sites.
Gary Vaynerchuk is a great example. He was running a wine store in New Jersey. He could have said, "I have to run my wine store - I have to work on inventory, manage my employees, etc, so I don't have time to create content for my web site." Instead, he made time for it, and created video content for his site Wine Library TV every day, thereby growing his business exponentially.
Think about what would happen if boston.com stopped updating their web site. With no new content, would anyone visit their site?
The same is true of real estate web sites - if your site never has any new content, and another agent's does, why would you get the leads? Why would anyone go to your site? As Gary says in this video, "not putting out content in the 2012 world is the quickest way to go out of business."
So you've decided to work on adding more content to your site. Now what?
The iMax blog that is included in your site, is a great way to regularly add new content. If you are not using your iMax blog, you should consider using it as it's easy to use and adds SEO value to your site.
What types of content can you create for your blog and web site?
A few ideas:
• Post market updates using iMax Market Intelligence Reports
• Write articles and posts providing real estate tips or focused on a specific real estate topic
• Create testimonial videos with your clients
• Pass along links to articles (or post full article while giving credit) your customers might find useful
• Create videos and / or written content highlighting towns you sell real estate in and even neighborhoods within those towns
Questions? Send us an email at help@imaxwebsolutions.com
