How Ranking for Keywords Has Changed

Optimizing your blog post to rank high in search engines used to be straightforward: pick your keyword and make sure you use it in the title and a few more times in the article. If you picked the right keyword (and if your blog was well-established and referenced), you were most likely to rank somewhere in top 10.

Keyword research has quietly changed over the past few years. First, search engines like Google have become much more sophisticated when it comes to understanding what “high-quality content” is. It’s not only about how well your article is optimized: it’s also how in-depth, useful, and comprehensive it is.

Second, the competition is growing: most bloggers know the basics of search engine optimization these days. It’s harder to stand out and get ranked.

Here’s how you can get ahead of your competitors.

#1: Include More Keywords

The days when you wrote one blog post per keyword are gone. Google (as well as your audience) now looks for more in-depth long-form content that features a varied vocabulary including synonyms, related phrases, and concepts.

The following tools will help you expand your keyword lists:

Seed Keywords helps you crowdsource your friends and followers into suggesting related keywords for you. The tool creates shareable mini-surveys for your followers to help you brainstorm more ways to search for your topic.

Soovle will generate keyword suggestions from multiple sources (Wikipedia, Amazon, YouTube, Yahoo, Answers.com, and Bing), giving you a good overview of how people search for your keyword on different platforms.

Another tool that does the same (but supports fewer sources) is the Google Keyword Suggest Tool. It generates suggestions from Google, Bing, YouTube, and Amazon and it digs very deep, so you’ll get hundreds of phrases to work with.

If you’re looking to optimize your existing blog posts, use Serpstat to go through your site, pick the most powerful pages, and suggest a list of “missing keywords.” Essentially, these are words your competitors are ranking high for, but you’re not.

Connection Strength refers to the number of competitors that rank for the keyword that you don’t have on your page.

Now all you need to do is go back to your articles and optimize them for those missing keywords to increase your ranking.

An easy way to optimize existing content for new keywords is to add new sections (with subheadings) targeting those new words. This helps content get more comprehensive over time, which naturally results in more social media shares and backlinks.

#2: Refer to Notable People, Places, and Brands

One of the biggest changes in search engine optimization is Google’s focus on understanding entities. “Entities” are related notable people, places, organizations, brands, etc., which associate in some way with your keyword.

For the easiest way to demonstrate how entities help in ranking your content, read this awesome case study by Bill Slawski. Bill took a well-optimized piece and rewrote it the following way: first by making it much longer, and second by including notable events and people. The result was astounding. The article started to drive referral traffic from people linking to it, and return visits. And yes, better search rankings too!

Google pays special attention to entities when trying to understand how concise and useful your content is. Google has had years to learn to understand entities, concepts, and their relationships.

Google pays close attention to entities and how they relate to your content.

Google’s Knowledge Graph is an entity graph. Search for any notable name you’re aware of to see how Google structures and relates entities.

To research related entities, use your own common sense. Chances are you already know a lot about your content’s topic. Next, search Google. In some cases, Google suggests related concepts while you’re still typing your query.

Google uses entities to verify how concise and useful your content is.

Run content that ranks well through an entity extractor. Pick a few in-depth articles on your topics and run the content through AlchemyAPI (alternative tools: TextRazor and Open Calais). AlchemyAPI extracts entities from the content using color-coding to markup sentiment.

Run several long-form articles on your topic through AlchemyAPI and you’ll have a solid list of related entities.

#3: Answer Niche Questions

Another area Google focuses heavily on days is measuring the ability of content to answer popular niche questions. You might have noticed Google’s “quick answer boxes” each time you type a question

Is your content answering popular niche questions?

It’s important to make question research part of your keyword research each time you’re writing a blog post.

The aforementioned Serpstat does question-focused keyword research, too. There’s no visualization, but it returns unique results, which are free.

This is a whole list of content ideas for you to use!

Answer The Public is a cool tool for content inspiration and question-focused keyword research. Type any word into Answer The Public to see a visualization of various types of questions people ask using that word.

The question modifiers are: which, who, what, when, why, how, are, and where.

Answer The Public is great for content inspiration.

Another trick is to research niche questions using Twitter Advanced Search. The search won’t deliver as many content-worthy results, it will help you research and use natural language (which is something Google is focusing on as well, especially for mobile search).

To find questions on Twitter, search any keyword with a question mark placed one space away, like this: “keyword?” This filters Twitter search results to those containing a question.

You can search Twitter for updates containing questions.

You can use Cyfe to monitor and archive the Twitter search results.

Cyfe searchable Twitter search archives can provide inspiration when you’re stuck.

Conclusion

Keyword research has evolved, and it’s definitely more complicated. At the same time, though, it’s also more diverse. It encourages you to create in-depth content and works wonders for inspiration.

What do you think? Are there any unique keyword research tools you’d like to share?

Need help staying in contact with all the leads that will soon be coming your way? REVStaffing can gladly assist you with those tasks! Let REVStaffing help you to achieve your goals and increase your potential! Complete a complimentary needs analysis survey, send us an email, or call 855.REVS.VA1 today!

Regular readers of our REVStaffing blog know that we focus a lot of time and energy on getting our clients successfully ramped up and firmly positioned in their use of social media. And while the needs differ from one client to the next, but the bottom line is always the same: We work hard to make you THE local expert.

If you’ve been holding off on getting started with social media, here’s our advice: Don’t wait any longer. Social media isn’t going away – it’s getting bigger. And it can be one of YOUR greatest marketing assets as you head into 2019…if you make it work for you.

The best part? Social media is, for the most part, free. Yes, there are fees associated with some things…and there are things for which you’ll probably want to pay a small monthly fee (like a public Active Rain account). But you don’t have to pay to use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn, and they’ve been proven time and time again to be among the best (free) marketing tools at your disposal.

There are a lot of myths surrounding the use of social media. These include the idea that social media is overwhelming, and you have to spend hours and hours every week keeping things up to date. Or you may have heard that it’s a waste of time, and doesn’t really generate results. A lot of people think that there’s no way of gauging your success.

We get it. Myths are generated when people are uncomfortable with something, and need excuses for not dispelling their discomfort by learning about the thing they fear. REVStaffing wants you to know that there’s nothing to fear in the prudent use of social media! The savvy and timely use of social media isn’t hard, especially with REVStaffing’s crew in your corner. You are in total control of when, where and how you use it. We do it all for you, and you reap the rewards.

Whether you’re already a REVStaffing client or considering becoming one, you know that we’re dedicated to helping you to grow and nurture your successful business. We encourage you to fill out our free needs analysis; we’ll be happy to discuss ALL of your unique business needs! And be sure to visit our website, and “like” us on Facebook.

Bookmark this page to return for regular updates. If you need assistance in the meantime, please contact us by email at info@revstaffing.com or phone at 855-738-7821, X700.

Recently, the I’d Rather Be Writing blog addressed the subject. They quoted Scott Abel, who put it perfectly: “In order to develop an active and engaged audience, you have to publish as much interesting and informative content as possible — as often as possible!” Scott noted the incredibly short shelf-lives of tweets and blog posts. The fact is, you have to keep publishing all the time:

“… Add to the mix the sheer volume of information on socially-enabled sites around the digital globe, and you’ll soon realize the best strategy for getting noticed is to publish as often as possible, 24 hours a day, especially if you are trying to reach a global audience.”

So how do you decide? First, you need to understand the difference in terms. A content creator is someone who identifies their audience’s needs, then moves to meet those needs by creating original and highly relevant content. This can be a listing blog, or it can be an informative narrative blog. When you create useful and valuable content, that content is not only absorbed and appreciated, but shared and re-shared – driving your readers right back to you.

A content curator is someone who sifts through the Web to find and deliver the most relevant content for their intended audience. A thoughtful content curator is more than just a broadcaster of information. In our marketplace, a content curator can regularly broadcast status updates – information about their market that’s useful and informative to their target audience.

The idea is to position yourself as a trusted resource online. Start by formulating a content strategy. Whether you are creating or curating, you can be sure that the content you share is valuable and useful to your intended audience.

When it’s time to choose your mode of operation, take your time and be open to the possibilities. Our social media specialists at REVStaffing can show you how you can expertly balance created content with curated content. Remember, the more you share ANY valuable content about your market, the faster your reputation as your market’s trusted adviser will grow.

REVStaffing‘s virtual assistants are professional users of a vast array of CRM tools. If you’re not yet a client, give us a call for a free needs analysis; we’ll be happy to discuss your unique social media needs! Be sure to visit our website, and “like” us on Facebook..

If you need assistance in the meantime, please contact us by email at info@revstaffing.com or phone at 855-738-7821, extension 700.

Strong Social Media Presence

By creating a Facebook page for your business you can advertise your services and by following a few easy task attract a following. Try using the following tips a guideline and you can learn to drive traffic to your real estate Facebook page more efficiently.

Link Posting to Your Website
In a business Facebook page one of the main purposes is to get people to use your services. You want to direct your followers to your website, this is done by link posting around your page. By posting links on your page to specific pages on your website saves your followers time by going directly to that area in your website.

Make Followers Experience Personal
You want to keep your followers coming back so it is always good interact as much as possible. You should initiate conversations with open ended questions such as “What do you look for in a home?”, and create questionnaires or quizzes on your page.  These things allow your followers to become involved and continue visiting your page and website. You should also join in on conversation, respond to feeds that is related to your business and be sure that you reply to your follower’s questions and comments on your Facebook page.

Create Interest with Visuals
By integrating pictures, videos, and interactive content with your post. By doing this regularly keeps your followers interested and informed, it also breaks up to the having too much text. Post your links with attractive pictures of homes and their surrounding area to entice your followers to see what other homes that you have listed on your website.

Share Content on all Platforms
On your Facebook page and your website make sure that you make use of share plug-ins, so your followers can link from one to the other to access information on both easily. You should also connect with any other social media pages (Pinterest, Twitter, etc.) that you have to fully reach a wider online audience.

It’s a competitive market out there so let REVStaffing get you ahead of the game. Start preparing now.

Call REVStaffing today at 855-738-7821 or visit our website at www.revstaffing.com.

If you would like to discuss any possibly need you may have and would like REVStaffing’s assistance, click here to schedule an appointment.

What do you think LinkedIn is for? Is it just for people who are trying to find a new job? Should you only visit it if you want to recruit somebody? Or is it one of the best ways to grow your real estate business? If you chose the third option, you are correct. In fact, HubSpot, reports that LinkedIn is three times more effective at generating business leads than Facebook or Twitter. And since leads result in more sales and more money in your pocket, it is clear that LinkedIn cannot be ignored.

Here are 10 ways real estate pros can effectively use LinkedIn to increase their online exposure.

Remember, It’s Not Facebook
First, you should realize that LinkedIn is not like your other social networking sites. LinkedIn is all about business, and you better keep things professional. So no sharing that funny meme your Aunt Linda showed you, and no posting pictures of what you are eating for dinner or your funny cat. There are plenty of other sites for that.

Make Sure Your Profile and Company Page Are Complete
Since you are a real estate practitioner and independent contractor, you have your own professional brand, thus, you should have both a personal profile and a Company Page. Each one should be filled out completely. Not only should every detail be included—like your website, links to your other social media profiles, any awards or certifications you have, and past companies you have worked for—but it should be displayed in a way that is easy to read and engaging.

Include Keywords
Just like you do with your website and blogs, your profile and Company Page should be keyword rich. When people want to find a “real estate agent in Massachusetts,” for example, you want to make sure you show up.

Share Plenty of Content
When you are deciding which content to share on LinkedIn, always have the goal of helping others, but make sure the type of information varies. On one day, post an informative article on a new development in real estate, and on the next, share an opinionated blog post about what agents are doing wrong. Make sure you’re not just sharing your own content. Those who are successful in social media understand that it can’t always be about YOU.

Publish Directly on LinkedIn
Not only should you be sharing loads of information, you should also be writing your own. One thing that makes LinkedIn unique is that it allows you to publish your content for all of LinkedIn to see. They are referred to as long-form posts, and you definitely need to be taking advantage of them. Not only does it make you look more credible when you have them on your profile, but they are searchable both on and off LinkedIn. People do not have to be in your network to view them, and they are able to connect with you directly from the post. This is an invaluable tool for growing your network and establishing your expertise in the real estate industry.

Study Your Analytics
LinkedIn is very generous in the amount of information they provide to you. They tell you exactly which of your posts received interactions and which ones didn’t. You should study these analytics thoroughly so that you can capitalize on what people like and avoid the stuff they don’t.

Connect with Everyone
There has never been, and never will be, a rule that you are only allowed to connect with people that you know on LinkedIn. You should do searches for locals in your area, other agents, home appraisers, mortgage brokers, and anyone else you want. The thing is, there is no such thing as too big of a network. You never know where each connection will lead you. Over the years, I have seen some really shortsighted agents who say, if they don’t know them then they won’t connect. This might be prudent thinking on Facebook, but not on LinkedIn!

Capitalize on LinkedIn Real Estate Groups
One of the hidden gems on LinkedIn is the group feature. They are the difference between agents who really drive traffic back to their website and those who don’t. However, there is a proper way to use them.

You should look for groups within your industry—or groups that contain your target niche or market—that have enough members to get you exposure, but not so many that you get lost in the shuffle. Aim for between 1,000 and 5,000 members. You can also join a few of the larger groups for when you are sharing something of a more general nature.

When you interact within the groups, remember that you are there to add value. You should respond to others’ questions, give your opinions, share advice, and ask questions that make people think. You should not post links to your site unless it is something of value.

Don’t try to be active on too many groups at once, or you will not be able to provide anything useful to any of them. Instead, choose three or four that you really think could boost your exposure and make sure to check-in with them several times per week. Some excellent real estate groups to take a look at joining are The National Association of REALTORS®, Real Estate Professionals Group, and Real Estate Professional Referral Group.

Once you are part of a conversation, don’t leave it unfinished. Always go back to see if anyone has responded to what you said.

After you have established yourself within the group, you can start asking your own questions and solicit feedback. If you ask one that garners a lot of attention, you will even be featured as a top contributor within the group, increasing your visibility tenfold.

Start Your Own Group
If you are really ambitious, it could be time to found your own group. This puts you in the driver’s seat, and, if done correctly, can really catapult your recognition in the real estate industry. In order to set the precedent, you should set up an auto-email that goes out to all new members welcoming them to the group and setting the ground rules (like no soliciting). You can also let them know that you will be sending out weekly or monthly emails with industry resources and tricks of the trade.

Help Others
Finally, you should take a few minutes each day to endorse and recommend other people. They will appreciate the gesture and may even return the favor.

If you need help with your LinkedIn and other social media marketing let REVStaffing help you to achieve your goals and increase your potential! Complete a complimentary needs analysis survey, send us an email, or call 855.REVS.VA1 today!

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Women in the U.S. were granted the right to vote on August 26, 1920.  That’s when the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was signed into law.

The woman suffrage amendment was actually first introduced to the U.S. Congress in 1978, but took 42 years before it received approval from both the House of Representatives and Senate.

In 1971, Congresswoman Bella Abzug introduced a resolution designating August 26 of each year as Women’s Equality Day.

 Every president has made a proclamation for Women’s Equality Day since 1972.

Need help with your real estate business? Give us a call at REVStaffing today at 855-738-7821, or visit our website at www.revstaffing.com.

If you want to find out how REVStaffing can help you with your real estate business, click here to schedule an appointment.

Real estate agents who use the Point2 Agent marketing system are able to enhance their web presence in numerous ways utilizing the impressive websites, broad listing combinations, and brilliant lead management results.

Aside from creating a platform for the modern real estate agent. Point2 also provides up to minute data information essential for the consumer, property managers and the investor alike. Giving the homebuyer and real estate professional’s knowledge and a competitive advantage in the marketplace.

Point2 Agent system is mobile friendly and is easily accessible for anyone to use, they have tech support and is available to use Monday thru Friday from 8:30 am to 8:30 pm CST.

The Point2 Agent is a marketing tool for those in the real estate industry who want to expand their business into the ever growing social media market. For more information about Point2 Agent, please call customer support at 1-866-977-1777 or go to  http://www.point2.com.
 
Need help staying in contact with all the leads that will soon be coming your way? REVStaffing can gladly assist you with those tasks! Let REVStaffing help you to achieve your goals and increase your potential! Complete a complimentary needs analysis survey, send us an email, or call 855.REVS.VA1 today!

Since starting her real estate career just over 10 years ago, Bird has consistently been among the top producing residential Realtors in the state of South Carolina. She has now won RE/MAX’s Chairman’s Club Award five times, won RE/MAX ’s Platinum Club Award four times, was given a RE/MAX Lifetime Achievement Award (2102), and was inducted into the RE/MAX  Hall of Fame (2008).

Before becoming one of the country’s top Realtors, Bird was well-known for her golf skills. While attending Coastal Carolina University on a golf scholarship, she was named the 2002 Big South Conference Player of the Year. Since graduating college, Bird has worked as a golf professional at Legends Golf Resort and The Classic Swing Golf School, and still teaches annually at golf schools.

Just as Bird showed focus and dedication to excel in the game of golf, she now shows the same focus and dedication to her real estate clients. “It was an incredible year! I am so thankful for my client’s confidence and trust in me to handle their transactions!” says Bird.

REVStaffing wanted to take this opportunity to congratulation Paige. She has been a client with REVStaffing for 1 year.

Paige Bird accepting her latest award
from RE/MAX  CEO and co-founder Dave Liniger

5 Tips to a great Linkedin photo

1.  Always use a photo

People want to make sure that they have connected with the right person so it is important to put a face with your name.  Often times, there is more than one person with the same name on Linkedin so pictures are important. 

2.  Use a Recent picture of yourself

We like to post photos that we like of ourselves but make sure it is a recent photo.  You don’t want to meet someone in person and have them think you look a lot older or different in person compared to your profile.

3.  You should be the only subject in the photo

It’s your professional profile picture, so the focus should be on you.  Do not include group shots, photos with your significant other, child or pets.

4.  Wear appropriate professional or business casual attire

It is best to appear in the photo as you would be seen in a business environment so dress accordingly.  We all have a favorite sports team or heaven forbid bathing suit but let’s keep our Linkedin photos professional. 

5.  Don’t use your company’s product or logo as a photo.

People who are searching for you on Linkedin want to o connect with you, so avoid displaying your company’s logo — unless it’s your company’s page. Once     they connect with you they can learn about your product and company from your profile.

The REVStaffing team has experience creating and maintaining successful Linkedin pages for our clients.  Please call (855) 738-7821 or email us at info@revstaffing.com