SEO - Choosing the Right Keyword Phrases

Last updated:12/17/2012

It's important to choose the right keyword phrases to target in the search engines. Optimizing your website for the wrong keyword phrases could waste valuable time and show little or no results.

Don't target keyword phrases that return millions of results. There is just too much competition for these phrases.

Start by optimizing your website for your name and broker company name. These keyword phrases are more than likely easier to target in the search engines and will be used by your network of family and friends to find your website.

Create Long-Tail Keyword Phrases
With the competition for search engine rankings, it is better to target long-tail keyword phrases than short-tail ones. The image below explains.



When creating long-tail phrases, there are two factors that come into play: monthly searches performed and results returned

Sample Phrases as of 3/14/11

Keyword Phrase	Searches / Month	Results
real estate	16,600,000	1,240,000,000
texas real estate	246,000	78,300,000
san antonio real estate	27,100	17,200,000
san antonio homes for sale	27,100	2,720,000
san antonio condos for sale	1,600	785,000
condominiums san antonio	9,900	522,000
condominiums in san antonio tx	2,400	173,000
san antonio condos for sale	1,600	640,000

As you can see above, optimizing your web page for "condominiums in san antonio tx" would be a good decision as there is decent search volume and not as much competition.

To find the number of searches a month and keyword variations, you can use Google's Keyword Suggestion Tool. This tool shows you roughly how many searches were performed last month for your keyword phrase. It also provides variations of the keyword phrase.

SEO - Web Page Optimization

Last updated:12/17/2012

SEO is a complicated subject with over 100 factors going into search engine rankings. We tried to make this a very easy read with simple steps to optimize your website for search engines.

6 Steps to Optimization

1. Choose Your Keyword Phrase(s)
Only 1 or 2 keyword phrases should be targeted per web page. Optimizing your website for the wrong keyword phrases could waste valuable time and show no results. It's important to choose the right keyword phrases.

Choosing the Right Keyword Phrases

2. 300 Words of "Unique" Textual Content
Your page content should contain"at least 300 words of unique textual content". We suggest writing 500 words of unique textual content. The more text, the better results!

3. 1% Keyword Density
Your keyword phrase should appear 1% of the time in your textual content. That is 1 time for every 100 words. So, if you wrote 300 words of text, your keyword phrase should appear 3 times in this text. If you wrote 500 words, then 5 times.

Do not have your keyword phrase more than 2%. This is called "keyword stuffing" and search engines will give you a penalty.

If you have a secondary keyword phrase, then it should have a keyword density of .5%. 300 words = 1.5 times, 500 words = 2.5 times

4. Add an Image
You should have 1 image for every 300 to 500 words. Search engines can't read images. However, you can set attributes of an image that are readable.

Optimizing an Image for Search Engines (Coming Soon)

5. Set Title Tags
Your Title Tag for your web page should contain your keyword phrases.

Optimizing the Title Tag (Coming Soon)

6. Set Meta Tags
Your Meta Tags for your web page should contain your keyword phrases.

Optimizing the Meta Tags (Coming Soon)

SEO - Search Engine Optimization Basics

In the upcoming weeks, Ultra Agent will be releasing many blog posts on SEO.   To read them all, click here.

Optimizing a website for search engines takes time. What you do today will be reflected months down the road. SEO is an investment of time for your website and your business. Search engines like Google like websites that have been around for a long time. Sometimes it can take months for new websites to show up in search engine rankings.

Two Important Factors

1. Website Textual Content
Search engines can only read text. They can't read images and they can't read flash. Your textual content of your website "must include the keyword phrases" you're trying to target in the search engines. If they don't, your website will not be found for those words.

Web Page Textual Content Optimization

With Ultra Agent, you have full control of all the textual content of your website. You also have full control over all the SEO elements of your website including Title Tags, Meta Tags, and Image Alt Tags. We give you control over every area of your website as if you had it custom designed and built. We have many agents who do really well in the search engines.

2. Incoming Links
This is probably the biggest factor with search engines like Google. They like to see incoming links to your website. These are links on other websites linking to your website. Ultra Agent does provide incoming links with our Listing Syndication. So, if you have listings, make sure you insert them and opt them in for Listing Syndication. Social media also allows you to create social profiles and pages and link them to your website. This is another reason why social media has become so big.

CSS - Remove Right Sidebar

WARNING!   DO NOT use the code below for your IDX/MLS Search pages. On your "Home Search" page and "IFramed Pages", there is an "Advanced Settings" section which allows you to set which sidebars are shown.

Remove the "right sidebar" on "all pages".
Paste the CSS below into the "Advanced CSS Control" page.

.center{width:755px;margin:20px;display:inline;}
.right{display:none;}
.body1{margin-bottom:0;}
.body3{background-image:url();}
.body4{background-image:url();}


Remove the "right sidebar" on a "single page".
Go to "Advanced Page Settings" located under the "Select Pages" tab. Select the page you want to hide the right sidebar on. Paste the CSS below into the "Head" section.

<style type="text/css">
.center{width:755px;margin:20px;display:inline;}
.right{display:none;}
.body1{margin-bottom:0;}
.body3{background-image:url();}
.body4{background-image:url();}
</style>


Show the "right sidebar" on a "single page" AFTER you used the CSS code above to remove it across all of your pages.
Go to "Advanced Page Settings" located under the "Select Pages" tab. Select the page you want to show the right sidebar on. Paste the CSS below into the "Head" section.

<style type="text/css">
.center{width:550px;}
.right{display:block;}
</style>

CSS - Remove Left Sidebar

WARNING!   DO NOT use the code below for your IDX/MLS Search pages. On your "Home Search" page and "IFramed Pages", there is an "Advanced Settings" section which allows you to set which sidebars are shown.

Remove the "left sidebar" on "all pages".
Paste the CSS below into the "Advanced CSS Control" page.

.center{width:755px;margin:20px;display:inline;}
.left{display:none;}
.body1{margin-bottom:0;}
.body1{background-image:url();}
.body2{background-image:url();}


Remove the "left sidebar" on a "single page".
Go to "Advanced Page Settings" located under the "Select Pages" tab. Select the page you want to hide the left sidebar on. Paste the CSS below into the "Head" section.

<style type="text/css">
.center{width:755px;margin:20px;display:inline;}
.left{display:none;}
.body1{margin-bottom:0;}
.body1{background-image:url();}
.body2{background-image:url();}
</style>


Show the "left sidebar" on a "single page" AFTER you used the CSS code above to remove it across all of your pages.
Go to "Advanced Page Settings" located under the "Select Pages" tab. Select the page you want to show the left sidebar on. Paste the CSS below into the "Head" section.

<style type="text/css">
.center{width:550px;}
.left{display:block;}
</style>

CSS - Website Font

Change the font used across your entire website.
The font family should be separated by commas. You should have more than one defined. If the users computer does not have the first font, it will try the second. If it doesn't have the second, it will try the third, and so forth.

body{font-family:Trebuchet MS, Georgia, Sans-Serif;}

CSS - Navigation Font Size

Increase the font size for your navigation.
If you want smaller or larger font, change the pixel size from 14 to a lower or higher number.

.nav{font-size:14px;}