Internet Marketing for Real Estate Agents, The 7 Figure Agent Approach

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Author: JP Richards

Article source: http://www.articlecity.com/. Used with author's permission.

So you have a website, how come it's not making you any money? It's your real estate internet marketing solution.

I've concluded that 99% of real estate agents' internet marketing challenges are either: a) a lack of "targeted traffic" b) ill-defined "BIG actions" c) both.

Furthermore, only 1% of real estate agents solve both of these challenges, not surprisingly they are also a part of the top 1% of commission earning agents. By the end of reading this internet marketing for real estate agents article, you will have two simple solutions for getting "targeted traffic", and one simple solution of turning your website traffic into leads.

Typical Internet Marketing for Real Estate Agent Approach:

WEBSITE + NO TRAFFIC = FANCY BROCHURE

Top 1% Internet Marketing for Real Estate Agent Approach:

WEBSITE + GOOGLE + BIG ACTION = NEW BUSINESS

WEBSITE. If you have one, I'll let you in on a little secret, it doesn't matter what your website looks like (within reason), all that matters is getting "targeted traffic" and having clearly defined "BIG actions".

NO WEBSITE. Before you hire anybody to design it, consult a website design company that specializes in real estate agents and internet marketing because they will be able to incorporate the next three solutions.

GOOGLE. What is it and why is it so important? Google is a search engine, where people search for websites, information, videos, etc. It's important because "67% of U.S. adults use search engines as a research tool before making a purchase decision*." When potential clients (targeted traffic) search for the keyword "your city + real estate agent" (example, "Miami real estate agent") wouldn't it be great if they found your website?

(*iCrossing, "How America Searches: Online Shopping", August 2005)

If you're not found in Google™ for terms such as, "your city + real estate agent", and within the first three pages of results, it's like a selling a home without putting a "for sale" sign on the lawn or a listing on MLS, only a select few are going to know it's for sale. Getting ranked in the first three pages doesn't just happen, you need to incorporate two simple solutions: Google pay-per-click (PPC) advertising and search engine optimization (SEO).

SOLUTION #1: GOOGLE PAY-PER-CLICK (PPC) ADVERTISING.

Pay-per-click (PPC) is an online advertising format, where you buy web traffic that's 100% customer targeted. Immediately (within minutes) after signing up with an account, your Ads will be placed on search engine result pages (SERP) for the searched "keywords" (phrases) relevant to your business.

The best part is that you only pay when someone clicks on your ad and not for the number of times (impressions) it appears on the screen. Secondly, because it's a bidding system, you only pay as much as you want to, with no monthly minimum. To set-up a Google Adwords account go to: http://www.google.com/intl/en/ads/

SOLUTION #2: SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION.

Instead of paying for being in the "sponsored links" portion, you could appear in the natural (aka organic) portion of the search engine result page (SERP), internet marketers use a simple and powerful marketing concept called search engine optimization (SEO). There are two forms of SEO techniques, I only recommend using "white hat" (ethical) SEO. The other form called "black hat" SEO, will most likely get you banned from search engines and tarnish your brand image.

How to search engine optimize your website is well beyond the scope of this article, entire books have been written on the subject of SEO. I highly recommend Michael Wong's "Search Engine Optimization Strategies" eBook.

SOLUTION #3: BIG ACTIONS.

What is the one action you want a first time visitor to take at your website? How are you going to get their email address or phone number?

A "BIG action" will answer both these questions. Here is a sample list of "BIG actions" for real estate agents' websites:

-- Call for a free "property consultation"
-- Sign-up for new housing listings
-- Sign-up for home buyer and seller education
-- Sign-up for a free "current market assessment" (CMA)
-- Sign-up for free virtual tours of property listings
-- Sign-up for a free "property consultation"
-- Sign-up for a free "first time home buyers" eBook

What your website's "BIG actions" are, needs to be the #1 answered question. If you don't know what your "BIG actions" are, then a first-time visitor to your website won't know either. If you have a "BIG action" it also needs to be up front on your homepage and limited to a maximum of three "BIG actions".

Define and implement up to three "BIG actions" today, get their email and follow-up with automated emails, and get them to call you or sign-up for a "property consultation", it's that simple.

JP Richards is a Google™ Qualified Adwords Professional, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Consultant, and the founder of Toronto SEO Company.

Sign-up for your "free SEO site evaluation" ($120 Value) at http://www.toronto-seo-company.com/internet_marketing_real_estate_agents.htm