I am sure everyone has heard by now that Wordpress blogs draw huge traffic compared to websites. And the truth is, they really do.
A client contacted me to do SEO work on her site and I suggested that she should scrap her current site and start over with a WP blog. She didn't want to hear this but it is what I recommended.The site was not a performer and the cost to optimize would have been substantial just for the onsite SEO work.
After a few months I convinced her to let me set up a blog for her and compare the traffic. (I did it for free to prove a point)
Guess what...my new blog on a new domain KICKED her site's butt. (And that was before she had me do SEO work on the blog!) Once I started doing SEO work, her traffic INCREASED 400% the first month!! Each month the traffic is growing as I continue to optimize the site.
A few reasons for a Wordpress blog:
- SEO Monster
- Ease of use - no more .ftp / .html software or paying $$$ for changes
- Easy to customize with adding and dragging widgets
- Plugins abound - there are so many to make your site robust for your reader and you
- Cost
- SEO Monster....oops, already said that
- Use as a site / blog or stand alone blog
Do you have a Wordpress blog? If not - - - - why?
If so, what has been your success?
Billie Hillier - Las Vegas Real Estate Agent working with sellers, buyers, and renters. You can read my full bio here at Billie Hillier.
______________________________________
Below are a few of my favorite links and tools to help you find your new home.
Las Vegas Real Estate Tools
· Las Vegas & Henderson Homes with Pools
· Retirement Communities Las Vegas
Las Vegas Real Estate
· Arlington Ranch Homes in Las Vegas
· Canyon Gate Homes in Las Vegas
· Centennial Hills Homes in Las Vegas
· Coronado Ranch Homes in Las Vegas
· Desert Inn Country Club Homes in Las Vegas
· Elkhorn Ranch Homes in Las Vegas
· Iron Mountain Ranch Homes in Las Vegas
· Las Vegas Country Club Homes in Las Vegas
· Mountains Edge Homes in Las Vegas
· Providence Homes in Las Vegas
· Queensridge Homes in Las Vegas
· Rhodes Ranch Homes in Las Vegas
· Silverstone Ranch Homes in Las Vegas
· Southern Highlands Homes in Las Vegas
· Spanish Hill Homes in Las Vegas
· Spanish Oaks Homes in Las Vegas
· Spanish Trail Homes in Las Vegas
· Woodcrest Homes in Las Vegas
· Henderson Real Estate
· Anthem Heights Homes in Henderson
· Black Mountain Vistas Homes in Henderson
· Calico Ridge Homes in Henderson
· Green Valley Homes in Henderson
· Green Valley Ranch Homes in Henderson
· Green Valley South Homes in Henderson
· Inspirada Homes in Henderson
· Lake Las Vegas Homes in Henderson
· MacDonald Ranch Homes in Henderson
· Seven Hills Homes in Henderson
· Sun City MacDonald Ranch in Henderson
· Whitney Ranch Homes in Henderson
Las Vegas Condos
· Wimbledon Tennis Club Las Vegas
Summerlin Villages - Las Vegas
· The Hills South at Summerlin
· Red Rock Country Club at Summerlin
______________________________________
For market reports: every effort was made to make information as accurate as possible - while deemed reliable, not guaranteed. All stats are through GLVAR.
I know, I know... I have been kicking my own butt to get started. What are your thoughts on scrapping the AR blog for a Wordpress blog? Secondly, I have heard that the search engines don't think kindly about syndicating the same posts from one blog to another. Thoughts?
Hi Billie,
I just started setting goals on wordpress blog posts. Ten unique content posts per week to start, along with my Active Rain commitments. We shall see where it takes me!
Best regards,
I had 2 websites and one was not pulling a lot traffic. Billie created a blog for me (no, I am not her example) and the first month I received 2 listings and 2 solid buyer leads.
We still have a lot of content to add to our site and I know when I do the traffic stats will increase even more!
I too am a believer that they do attract more traffic than a website and it's so much easier for my staff and myself to control on the backend.
LOVE IT!
Melinda - I personally don't suggest using duplicate content from AR to your personal blog. I know sometimes it cannot be helped (you can only write a market report in so many words). My advice is to use duplicate content sparingly - as needed. And if you do use it, you can block it from being crawled and recognized as dulicate content and your readers on the personal site will get the benefit from it. Also, you can always modify the article so it isn't 100% duplicate - more work I know but something to think about.
Judi - great committment! Keep it up and you will see the results.
Leslie - great to see you using ActiveRain. Like Wordpress, you will see a big difference it will make once you get it going and maintain it. :-)
Billie - I've been thinking about starting a wordpress blog for the last few months. I guess I just need to sit down and start one. I just don't know where to start.
Robert: Advice is always free - give me a call and I can discuss the planning process, etc.
Also, beware there is Wordpress.com and Wordpress.org. I wrote an article on the difference (some people don't realize there is one and start with a .com version) - read here for more information http://practicalrealestatemarketing.com/wordpress-com-vs-wordpress-org-wait-theres-a-difference/
I am excited to start using the power of ActiveRain to build my business. Thank you for introducing me to the possibilities!
I love my WordPress blog... there is a learning curve though.
Maureen - if you have questions, let me know. I have a video library on "how-to" for just about everything wordpress related.
Don't take this personal, but I somewhat disagree that having a wordpress blog is what gets you traffic. I really agree with you that is it very easy to use versus a website and there are plugins that can help the average joe do seo to help rankings and traffic, but if you put the same content from a typical website to a wordpress website I do not think you would see a difference.....in my opinion.
On another note, I have been looking for a wordpress plugin that allows people to enter their email address to get email updates of posts to the site. Do you know of a plugin that does that? I found one, but it had a couple of links back to their site under it, which did not look too great and took up a lot of valuable space in my sidebar.
Rob - my test site for the client I used the duplicate content from her site. With the plugins that are available, it's much easier to optimize (site maps, Google integration, ALT TAGS, descriptions, etc.) and THAT is what draws the traffic. It's all the work that anyone can do that makes a WP blog better than a traditional ".html" website
Rob - Your feed that is one your site allows people to sign up for post updates and comments. Do you not have one listed?
Rob - and, with the fresh content that the blog offers....the search engines love that too.
Billie, I tried to start a Wordpress blog last week and I received a message that I alread have a blog using the same email address, which is my business email. I guess I set one up and never activated it but now I want to set one up and can't unless I use a different email address. I emailed the help and so far have not received any response by email. Do you have any suggestions?
sounds like you are using a Wordpress.com blog and not installing the software on your own domain. While .com is OK, I HIGHLY recommend installing the software on your own domain.
do you have a domain in mind? what about hosting - do you have a current service?
I just took the plunge and got a wordpress site...agentpress from studiopress. I have a current site, but I also want to compare traffic between the two. the problem is, i thought it would be easy, and apparently I haven't even uploaded the themes correctly to wordpress because the site doesn't look right. I'm waiting on info/help from studiopress and hopefully it comes soon. However, if anyone knows how to get the site right I would appreciate any help because I can't go further with it until it's correct. looks like there's going to be a huge learning curve. thanks in advance.
Just spent the day getting my WP blog up and running at Ask the Virginia Beach Home Inspector. Just getting started, so I look forward to learning a lot from this group.
I just started Wordpress.....the learning curve is slow. I wish they would set it up and just let me add posts. Eventually I'll get it.
Kay - if you need help, let me know....what is the link
Billie, You demonstrated what a Pro you are on WordPress. I am just getting started with this. I am looking for some clear direction on which path to take WorkPress.com or .org and then what ... Any advice
Troy - don't waste your time with .com - .org is so much more powerful and you truly own it.
Stuck? Call me...
Billie - I just decided that I was going to start a WordPress blog and my head is already spinning from all the information. So many agents on AR say they have one and after reading your post: http://practicalrealestatemarketing.com/wordpress-com-vs-wordpress-org-wait-theres-a-difference/ I think a majority of them have a .com, not a .org.
I'm assuming .org will bring more traffic since it's more customizable???
A friend up north recommended using HostGator, which you also mentioned in your blog. I guess I'll have to take this one step at a time and learn as I go.
Are you how to videos on AR?
Thanks!
HostGator is great for many reasons.
Yell if you need help - I can talk you through it.
Interesting! Thanks for the post, I'm working on a new site and need all the info I can get.