Comes news today that a keyword-packed fake weblog is every bit as attractive and satisfying as an inflatable spouse. I don’t doubt it for a minute, but if the objective is to snare random morons by deception, I think a “stealth” web site is a better-yielding joy-doll.
I swear to god it’s Groundhog Day in the real estate industry — 1974 every damn day, over and over again. Does real estate weblogging offer a path to transparency? Not if it’s just another sleazy gimmick.
Technorati Tags: blogging, real estate, real estate marketing
Brandon Kitchen says:
I love this post! I think the title humor may be lost on some though 😉
I just started reading BHblog and love it. As a fellow ‘introvert’ tech geek turned real estate broker, I identify closely with a lot of your opinions on technology and the real estate business.
July 27, 2007 — 7:39 am
Tim says:
Back to the future was a big hit, too. And the re-runs still pack ’em in. Why change when the way we’ve always done things seems to work just fine–after all it’s only a movie (an the Internet is just a fad).
July 27, 2007 — 5:20 pm
Sock Puppet says:
The first link was to RSS Pieces talking about the Long Beach Real Estate Blog getting some great lead generating results. The two bloggers in question being Laurie Manny and Brian Brady. I hardly think they justify being lumped in with phrases like “fake weblog” and attempting to “snare random morons by deception”.
Also those inflatable spouses you linked too are only 3ft tall, are impossible to clean and tend to develop slow leaks in the early models.
-Athol
July 27, 2007 — 5:39 pm
Greg Swann says:
> I hardly think
I believe you.
July 27, 2007 — 6:34 pm
Jay Thompson says:
First sentence in current post:
“Well, today’s Long Beach mortgage rates report begs you to deal with experts when buying a home in Long beach or refinancing your Long Beach mortgage.”
Must admit, I’m a little surprised to see this out of Brian. But it’s Laurie’s blog (and Brian’s?) and hers/theirs to do with as they please.
July 27, 2007 — 10:49 pm
Sock Puppet says:
Just sounds like you’re complaining about SEOed titles Greg.
I agree with Jay that Brians first sentence is stomach churning, but once you’re past the titles it’s mostly pretty straightforward reading.
I thought the “Search for Homes Now” and “What’s My Home Worth” buttons are pretty good ideas.
Just sounds like you’re pissing on someone getting results from blogging.
-Athol
July 27, 2007 — 11:59 pm
Kris Berg says:
Athol – Down, boy! I have to agree with Greg that making this kind of keyword rich content your primary goal is the tail wagging the dog. I happen to be a big believer of delivering a message first and worrying about SEO later – or never. I love a good Google ranking as much as the next guy, but it is the couple around the corner, not the couple in Atlanta, that is my target audience. So, SEO be damned. I will continue to write what I write, I will pick titles and posts devoid of the big-fat-important keywords if it makes sense and amuses me, and if I accidentally accomplish both a strong LOCAL following and some search engine ranking, yippee for me!
If I want to dominate the first page of Google for “San Diego Real Estate”, I would have to completed compromise my content and, more importantly, my style. Which brings us to the point of Greg’s follow-up post. Who are we trying to please here? It is my style, for right or wrong, which allows people who just might need an agent someday to make a connection, not the number of times I used the words “Best Realtor in San Diego”.
July 28, 2007 — 1:43 pm
Sock Puppet says:
I agree there are style choices to be made Kris, but it just seems to be that Greg’s response to RSS Pieces saying someone in their stable is getting a goodly supply of leads from blogging is loosely summed up as “oh yeah, well you guys suck”.
I thought that was called an ad hominem argument on this blog.
July 28, 2007 — 3:32 pm
Laurie Manny says:
Yawn…………..
What is your San Diego home worth? What a buyer is willing to pay.
This “week”: How to TP a Scripps Ranch Home and have fun
Ask the Brokers – Exterior maintenance of my San Diego condominium is not my problem… Or is it?
A Longer Look Back – San Diego and Scripps Ranch Market Trends (Hurry Up, Altos!)
You want “pizazz”? Scripps Ranch real estate trends revisited.
Scripps Ranch Quick Stat’s for May 2007 (per SANDICOR)
The San Diego Union may turn their back, but my San Diego Blog will be still be here
How is the Scripps Ranch real estate market? Just great, and different.
Sigh……..
July 29, 2007 — 12:16 pm
Greg Swann says:
> Yawn
> Sigh
Shoe pinch? That’s the threshold to self-improvement. I’m sorry you were misled, probably at considerable expense. Now that you know you were, you have a chance to learn to do better. Projection solves nothing, although it’s a common-enough vice. Pointing you finger back toward yourself will serve you better, but that’s your business. My own concern is that other people don’t get the idea that spamvertising is a viable marketing strategy. It isn’t — as you acknowledge with this affected pose.
PS: You could not have picked a worse target for your bogus comparison. Kris Berg writes for BloodhoundBlog because she writes better than anyone I know.
July 29, 2007 — 1:04 pm
Brian Brady says:
This hypocrisy is astonishing !
All of the critics have used this strategy within the past six months. Now, sitting on top the heap, they attempt criticize those who have achieved success from it.
Greg, this is “Intellectual Socialism”, and you know exactly where I’m going with this.
PS- Kris is a great writer, who is extremely effective at using keyword rich content in her titles and articles.
July 29, 2007 — 1:19 pm
Greg Swann says:
I can’t tell if you’re joking, Brian.
Am I to understand that you don’t understand the difference between using proper nouns and keyword-packing?
Is there some difference in your mind between “Long Beach Home Kitchen Remodels” and ordinary kitchen remodels?
Moreover, have you overlooked the fact that the content under discussion is created for no purpose other than Google-spamming?
We are talking about a philosophy of fake weblogging purveyed by a vendor. Laurie Manny is an unfortunate victim, but neither she nor you advance her interests by insisting that she hasn’t been sold a bill of goods.
July 29, 2007 — 1:30 pm
Kris Berg says:
> Yawn
> Sigh
Ouch. And to think, this wasn’t even my post. Aside from the fact that your remarks were kind of mean, let me point out why they were misguided. First, my comments to Athol had absolutely nada to do with your blog or your approach to blogging. I did not attack your philosophy; I shared my own.
>PS- Kris … is extremely effective at using keyword rich content in her titles and articles.
Not entirely by accident, but mostly. If we write an article on Scripps Ranch (a distinct zip code) housing trends, would it make sense to title it anything else? And, yes, sometimes I throw “San Diego” or “Scripps Ranch” in the title because that is my audience for a particular post. Yet having done that, I give absolutely zero thought to repeating the keywords in the body. If they come, they come naturally and because they make sense. If you don’t believe me, go play “count the keywords” yourself. I fail miserably under your model. So, Brian gives me far too much credit.
Laurie, you have found a recipe which works for you, and I applaud you. Our styles are different, and that is what makes the world go ’round. Now, pick on someone else, please.
July 29, 2007 — 2:46 pm
Sock Puppet says:
I don’t think Laurie was trying to pick on you Kris, just defending her position.
Considering Greg called her work a fake weblog, compared her site to a cheap sex toy and said she was trolling for morons, I think Laurie has been pretty restrained.
-Athol
July 29, 2007 — 3:46 pm