To blog, or not to blog, that is the question.
Every time I mention blogging this is the reaction I get…
“Do I have to?”
Chances are, someone has suggested a blog to you before. Empty your cup for a second and hear me out.
My suggestion is to create 3-5 foundation blog posts. These posts can elaborate on who you are, what you do, and how you do it. That’s a “good” place to start. Foundation blog posts are “evergreen” — content you create that never gets old.
What does this include?
Elaborate on a success story or case study.
What are people consistently asking you? Craft a post to answer FAQ. (Yes, you can include this info on your website but you can also consider to elaborate on FAQ in a blog post).
Write about your approach and/or what makes you unique. This is an opportunity to position yourself as an expert.
Show off your chops in a post! Nerd out and dive deep into a topic.
Other blog posts could include:
Press
Relevant news
Past or upcoming event s
Why I’m I doing this again? Benefits of a blog:
Keeps your website active for search engines
Gives you the opportunity to use more keywords for Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Contributes to web traffic
Helps you become an authority to Google on your area of expertise
Increases links on your site
Gives people a reason to link to you
Positions you as an expert in your field
You will be pulled in many directions. Let’s chat and make a plan together.
Anatomy of a good blog post for SEO
So there are books and tons of articles written about this so I’m offering some basic guidelines. Here are some basic guidelines:
Keyword or phrase used 3-6x times or 1-2% of text
Images with alt tags integrating keyword or phrase
2 subheadings (one with keyword)
300+ words
3 links to other urls
Avoid “stop words” in the page title (a, the, of, for)
A description of the post integrating keyword
Keyword used in the beginning of the post
Page title with decent length (around 6+ words)
Make sure paragraphs are not too long
Aim for 20 words or less in each sentence (at least 25% of the time)
Best practices for frequency
Good: 5 foundation blog posts that speak to who you are and what you do.
Better: Foundation blog posts AND 1 monthly blog post promoted via email to your contacts.
Best: All the above and 2-4x monthly blog posts promoted with email and social media
Quick tip: You can easily cut and paste your blog post and create an “article” on LinkedIn.
Building authority links
Search engines use links to discover new web pages. Building authority can help determine how well a page should rank in their results. Quite simply, it can help put you ahead of your competition.
Link Building
Building something genuinely worth linking to (products, services, opinions shared by industry and peers)
Backlinks
Links from webpages relevant to your niche
Link from a ranking webpage (someone who has a lot of authority)
Blog Strategy
Spend an hour to investigate what your competitors are doing (competitive analysis)
See what is popular, write about it or update the info!
Utilize keywords mentioned previously or any relevant Google trends
Include a link to your blog posts in your newsletter – this will lead people to your site!
Include content upgrades – a link to a freebie (eGuide, worksheet, info) to get people to sign up for your email list.
Blog Ideas for Real Estate Professionals
Highlight 5 neighborhood businesses and/or people
Highlight architecture and history of neighborhood (including park and views)
Feature a seller success story
Create a market report
Design ideas and tips (staging, etc.)
Invite a guest blogger to share their content
Get inspired! Find blogs you like related or unrelated to your area of expertise. What do you like? What don’t you like?
Need support setting up your blog or creating ongoing content? Contact me today.
