Opportunity Knocks Again

[HHI Golf Guy]

I am looking to exchange links on my Hilton Head For Sale by Owner (http://www.hiltonheadfsbo.net) web site - but with a twist.

Instead of the generic anchor text and description, I am requesting something a little bit different.

Write a short, two paragraph article on your area and or services. You may place one link in each paragraph. For example, in one paragraph you may want to describe your local area and use link text with "your area + real estate".

For a second paragraph, you might want to work in the link "your area + mls". Or if you are describing your own services, you may want to link with "your area + real estate agent".

Please make both links unique.

Take a look at the resources (http://www.hiltonheadfsbo.net/resources.htm) section of the FSBO web site. You will notice that for most of the individual state pages, the Google ads that show up are from that state. Adding your paragraphs (that include the state name) will help add to Google recognizing that page as more of an authority on your state. Theoretically, that should also help your search engine rankings with KW's related to your state. Neat, huh?

Requirements:

1. Your home page must have a Google PR of at least 1 (sorry, no new sites at this time).

2. Your real estate agent links pages must have individual pages for each state. In other words, to include our link you need a South Carolina real estate agents page. We have found that sites that are not categorized in this manner provide very little value to our sites in the SERP's.

3. The page that you place our link on must be indexed by Yahoo, MSN, and Google.

Please send me an email or PM if you are interested. Sen me your narrative as well as the city, state, and county that you service. I will then give you the narrative for our site.

Why do links this way? It seems that the SE's are paying more attention to the words that surround anchor text. I believe that this has far better potential to boost SERP's than traditional links.

More importantly, it's a great marketing tool for people that view the links. I know that our links pages get a lot of page views. Using the two paragraph method gives you a better chance to sell yourself and your services.

[sarahk]

Hilton Head is in South Carolina (http://www.pcpropertymanager.com/wsn18_1display.html) right?

I can give you a blurb about why it's important for investors to choose their analysis and management software well in exchange for a link to either an analysis package (http://www.propertyinvestor.info/pia/) or a management package (http://www.pcpropertymanager.com/). You'd need to create the category, that's all.

I'm offering a similar deal with blurbs with an investing bent. SC is still available.

Sarah

[HHI Golf Guy]

Sarah,

Thanks for the offer, but in this experiment I am looking to only partner with real estate agent, broker, and company web sites. I'm not even including mortgage or financial services in this test.

While there are still plenty of holes in this methodology (for example, IBL's to my site will come from sites with all kinds of links) I still believe that I will be able to draw resonable conclusions, even with a sample size of only 100 or so links to begin with (especially because I can compare results to other sites with different link tactics).

My goal with some of these tests is to see if I can quantify any results regarding link relevance, surrounding link text, etc. and how they may relate to SERP's.

I have a few sites where we can probably swap links. I will PM you when I get to updating those sites.

[billdisc]

We are limited in our exchanging of links to sites that only wish to reach Real Estate Agents.

We receive over 2000 visitors a month at our unique website: www.HomePortraitsOnLine.biz

If there is any interest please contact: billdisc@optonline.net

[gemini]

HHI Golf Guy,

I've been trying to do similar thing with my directory. Each of my listings has detail page (most of them PR3 since the last Google PR update). There is paid option called Featured Areas where realtors can post their own content with links to their internal pages, but this is not what I would like to talk about. Those details pages have very little of content and I just hate to waste all that value, their current and future rankings, so I am providing that space with PR3 for free, but I would like some useful content that will be helpful to our visitors and benfitial to the directory members.

Check it out www.ibsteam.net/wsnlinks/ (http://www.ibsteam.net/wsnlinks/) - you can go to related category and click on "More Info" link under listings to see their detail pages. If you are interested in having this kind of page to yourself with minimum outboud links (I think there are only 5 outbound links by default and a few internal) - I will be glad to look at the content you would like to post. I also would like to have something on your site - link or some content with links. You can also look at the featured areas - similar detail pages but with their own content. You can design your own layout if you want - although my CSS will apply.

Anyone who has real estate related web site can submit their listing for free (free submission requires reciprocation) and contact me - I will review each site personally.

Let me know what you think HHI Golf Guy. If you have any questions I will be happy to answer here.

gemini

[Phoenix Realtor]

Shawn,

That is a great idea! I'll PM you.

Gemini,

Welcome to the forums! Nice site you have there. :D Is it yours, or do you just manage it?

[gemini]

Shawn,
Gemini,

Welcome to the forums! Nice site you have there. :D Is it yours, or do you just manage it?

Thanks Matt.. that is mine and I do manage it - I thought I've seen you already mentioned it somewhere around here :p

[Phoenix Realtor]

:p right back at 'cha.
Say... how did you get that banner on my home page, I never saw that before...

Of course I hope you put my name in the referrer part when you registered here. :D

I haven't had time to check I'm having so much fun Spanking SarahK (http://www.national-real-estate-directory.com/real-estate-forum/showthread.php?p=4642#post4642) over here.

[gemini]

Of course I hope you put my name in the referrer part when you registered here. :D
actually, I was honest about it :p

[Phoenix Realtor]

Max,

I drew you here when I asked you to look at some of the threads we were chatting about.

So I fixed your signature! How you like? The truth isn't always easy to swallow, is it. :D

[sarahk]

So I fixed your signature! How you like? The truth isn't always easy to swallow, is it. :D
No, it's not is it?

Mmm, probably enough of the sig graffitti, we'll let Gemini decide what he wants.

And Max/Gemini, welcome!

Sarah

[Phoenix Realtor]

Sarah,

Max and I are very good friends. :)

[sarahk]

Didn't you see my change?

[gemini]

whatever - I'm not here for the signature links ;) . I actually followed the "sitetutor's" sig link from the DP forum from the following thread http://forums.digitalpoint.com/showthread.php?t=16519&page=2

[sarahk]

Hi Max

Nice implementation of wsnlinks :) We've obviously met before because I'm on your real estate software (http://www.ibsteam.net/wsnlinks/Real_Estate_Related/Real_Estate_Software) page.

I've just suggested that you add a New Zealand category to the International section and added the NZ Property Investors' Federation (http://www.nzpif.org.nz).

Sarah

[gemini]

Yeah, I noticed you're logged in, so I remember now :) the new suggestion has been accepted. Also I see you chose regular link - I'm not sure if you ment it, but it is paid option - only reciprocal link is free. Well, I sent you a message.

[HHI Golf Guy]

Let me know what you think HHI Golf Guy. If you have any questions I will be happy to answer here.

Interesting. Let us know how it all works out for you.

Our strategy has changed over the past few months to steer our client sites away from directory sites (except DMOZ and a few others), and stick with content related sites.

I could be wrong, but I see the need for algo changes in the next few years regarding links from directory sites.

[gemini]

Nice implementation of wsnlinks :)
thanks for the compliment ;) There are many improvements needed, but I enjoy it very much.

[gemini]

I could be wrong, but I see the need for algo changes in the next few years regarding links from directory sites.

I see your point, that's why I'm trying to get away from the general directory "cliche" and make it user oriented not SEO oriented.. well, I guess the second will always have its own affection, but may be not in the manner we used to it. I would rather have exclusive area representatives with useful content and direct links to their most important pages, but I know my visitors would like to have a choice, so not featured details pages (everyone have the same opportunity) could create enough choice. I would like to implement direct contact forms with the listing owners through the directory, but that is just thinking..

[sarahk]

Yeah, I noticed you're logged in, so I remember now :) the new suggestion has been accepted. Also I see you chose regular link - I'm not sure if you ment it, but it is paid option - only reciprocal link is free. Well, I sent you a message.
Hmmm, wondered about that. I admin the site but there's no allowance for links out (unless it's related to content) nor budget for paid links so in 5 days time...

I'll let the guys at propertytalk (http://www.propertytalk.co.nz/) know because I'm sure they'll be interested in an exchange.

[gemini]

nor budget for paid links so in 5 days time...
I'll let the guys at propertytalk (http://www.propertytalk.co.nz/) know because I'm sure they'll be interested in an exchange.

Well, I wouldn't count it as pure commercial project of mine - more like a hobby, so I would be open to any propositions or small non $$ deals - you know, win-win ones ;) Let me know if you come up with something.

[HHI Golf Guy]

I see your point, that's why I'm trying to get away from the general directory "cliche" and make it user oriented not SEO oriented

Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of great directories out there. But there are also a ton of "directory" sites that are junk or a means for people to generate Adsense revenue.

I think that the SE's will eventually discount the value of links from these types of sites. Not penalize, just de-value the link.

Rather than chase what the SE's algos are doing, I hope to anticipate one or two of their next moves without sacrificing current SERP's. For example, I believe that the SE's are beginning to implement changes to their algos and values of links based upon the content of the outbound site to the inbound link. Google went so far as to include that possibility in the update of their patent this year. We adopted this strategy over one year ago.

Then again, I could be missing great opportunities with some directories and create even more work for myself. Only time will tell.

[gemini]

Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of great directories out there. But there are also a ton of "directory" sites that are junk or a means for people to generate Adsense revenue.


I agree. I was looking for Dental Plans yesterday for my wife and myself... I started to believe there are no legit Dental Insurance at all, but revenue generating full of crap directories and discount providers that will full you around. Similar stuff with the RE directories - you won't believe how many submissions I reject and I'm trying to avoid pure affiliate programs too.

[Phoenix Realtor]

Sarah,

No I didn't see the change you made. :p Pretty funny! Glad Max is a good sport or he would've changed it to something mean about me.

Max,

I had no idea you finally came here because of Mike's sig at DP in a thread about my site. I truely figured you had been lurking here since I sent you the link to the thread about a member here named Max Sinclair (http://www.national-real-estate-directory.com/real-estate-forum/member.php?u=95). He's the one who needed help with CSS on his home page. I see he has it all fixed up, did you do that for him?

Any-who, sorry for joking around so much. I honestly thought you were here because of that thread link I sent you two or three weeks ago.

We'll see you around... BTW, HHI GolfGuy (Shawn) is a really good person, I'm sure you two will get along just fine here. :cool:

[gemini]

I truely figured you had been lurking here since I sent you the link to the thread about a member here named Max Sinclair (http://www.national-real-estate-directory.com/real-estate-forum/member.php?u=95). He's the one who needed help with CSS on his home page. I see he has it all fixed up, did you do that for him?


Matt you need to check your emails more often - I replied on your message that I wasn't able to open the link you mentioned. ;) I've seen this forum long time ago when it wasn't this populated yet and I'm familiar with Shawn's sites too. May be you did mentioned it to me before - so I will leave your reference in the sig ;)

[Phoenix Realtor]

My Inbox has 215 messages in it right now, and I weed out all SPAM first thing in the morning, so there is none of that in those 215.

No biggie, either way. Glad to see you here chatting!

I'm sure many will miss this thread so, come over here and say hello Max (http://www.national-real-estate-directory.com/real-estate-forum/showthread.php?p=4685#post4685).

[happy home]

I didn't use it but i'll give a try