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Rebecca the only thing I would change is move your categories above your recent posts on the sidebar. I personally like to get an idea of what people blog about and your recent posts and right in front so move it down and let me navigate faster.
Otherwise I pretty much ditto Mike. You can set on IDX broker when you will ask for registration. I don't ask for it upfront. I think mine asks after about 10 listings or so. As a consumer I would see the registration form and not even go there, but if you let them see a few first before, then they might.
Silverfall-
Great point on moving the the category section UP. I will definitely change that. I also just changed to a "no registration required" format but now use the IDX Search template that points out the benefits of registration.
Also, since the topic of blogs has come up - I've wondered for a long time why so many C-D real estate agents have a C-D blog but with only 1-2 entries. Is the C-D blog mainly done to get SEO and link juice by having more than one site? Or is it a matter of time and energy because it's just too much to keep multiple blogs? (I noticed C-D requires that your C-D blog have content that appears nowhere else and I think AR does also.)
My website is only 3 months old and so far, all of the content is original. It has taken a TON of my time to create the content so I totally understand if people just dropped out after a while.
Status:
"Made the Retirement Run in under 12 parsecs!!!"
(set 12 days ago)
Location: Cary, NC
43,144 posts, read 76,719,434 times
Reputation: 45473
Quote:
Originally Posted by LawoftheLand
Silverfall-
Great point on moving the the category section UP. I will definitely change that. I also just changed to a "no registration required" format but now use the IDX Search template that points out the benefits of registration.
Also, since the topic of blogs has come up - I've wondered for a long time why so many C-D real estate agents have a C-D blog but with only 1-2 entries. Is the C-D blog mainly done to get SEO and link juice by having more than one site? Or is it a matter of time and energy because it's just too much to keep multiple blogs? (I noticed C-D requires that your C-D blog have content that appears nowhere else and I think AR does also.)
My website is only 3 months old and so far, all of the content is original. It has taken a TON of my time to create the content so I totally understand if people just dropped out after a while.
Anyone care to enlighten me?
I am a huge believer in the SEO benefits to the blogger of duplicate content.
That CD does not allow duplication of content is a disincentive to blog here with serious material.
AR certainly allows duplicate content. I copy stuff to AR, or copy my AR stuff to other blog sites. GOOG doesn't care if I have the same stuff in a few places. GOOG will just show the content in the first place I put it, if it spots duplication. So the strategy is to put it on MY site first and duplicate it to AR, Featured Blogs, maybe Trulia and American towns.
I flip-flop on blogging on CD because of traffic, but losing ownership of my material usually persuades me to take it elsewhere.
Status:
"Made the Retirement Run in under 12 parsecs!!!"
(set 12 days ago)
Location: Cary, NC
43,144 posts, read 76,719,434 times
Reputation: 45473
Quote:
Originally Posted by Brandon Hoffman
Never really occurred to me to link it to AR. I rely on bright people like yourself for those kind of brilliant ideas and it will soon be linked to my page. Would you suggest rather than a blog on my website it would be just as practical to blog on AR instead?
Brandon,
You are already linked to AR's Homepage. I would redirect that to your personal profile or directly to your blog.
I just don't care for that strategy of hosting the blog on an entirely different third-party platform off your site.
Bottom line: Not a Z57 fan when WP.org is so simple to have established with blog, IDX plugin, etc.
If you take a peek at my somewhat dysfunctional site, you will see that it is entirely wordpress-based, with the IDX tacked in.
Ergo, it will be unique, custom, and SEO strong. When I pump it up a little.
I am a huge believer in the SEO benefits to the blogger of duplicate content.
That CD does not allow duplication of content is a disincentive to blog here with serious material.
AR certainly allows duplicate content. I copy stuff to AR, or copy my AR stuff to other blog sites. GOOG doesn't care if I have the same stuff in a few places. GOOG will just show the content in the first place I put it, if it spots duplication. So the strategy is to put it on MY site first and duplicate it to AR, Featured Blogs, maybe Trulia and American towns.
I flip-flop on blogging on CD because of traffic, but losing ownership of my material usually persuades me to take it elsewhere.
What he said. My blogs go on my WP site first, then AR and Trulia from there. That way Google sees my WP blog as the originator of the content.
Brandon,
You are already linked to AR's Homepage. I would redirect that to your personal profile or directly to your blog.
I just don't care for that strategy of hosting the blog on an entirely different third-party platform off your site.
Bottom line: Not a Z57 fan when WP.org is so simple to have established with blog, IDX plugin, etc.
If you take a peek at my somewhat dysfunctional site, you will see that it is entirely wordpress-based, with the IDX tacked in.
Ergo, it will be unique, custom, and SEO strong. When I pump it up a little.
Thanks Mike. I meant change the link to my profile page even if it's not what I said. The only thing I like about the Z57 over other sites is the realtytrac partnership. I get decent leads from the buyers that are interested in foreclosures. Unfortunately, our MLS isn't agent friendly in regards to IDX.
You can find every ones website in their profile, and mine too.
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