Several weeks ago I was asked to activate a plugin under the pretense that the plugin made RSS feeds Google friendly. I activated the plugin but have since found out the plugin actually is designed for something different. It syndicates content from other blogs and websites into one of our free blogs by linking to the content on the other blogs and sites.

This pretty much turns a free blog into a link farm with links going to other  sites designed to boost the ranking of those other sites and blogs in search engines. There is no original content on the free blogs as far as visitors and search engines are concerned and once set up it is on automatic. Since all of the content other than a sentence or two is actually viewed by readers on other sites, the ads which support the free blogs are bypassed.

This is contrary to the purpose of the free blogs and the terms under which they are offered. As per the post of November, 2010 – “One of the stipulations is that any blog here would have to have actual content on it pertaining to real estate and not just be a link farm. You will need to actually write in the blog on a regular basis to appreciate results. Free blogs that have been ignored for a long period of time may be considered abandoned and could be suspended or deleted. You can’t just start a blog, put up a post and a few links back to your website and then forget about the blog. The blog has to be used on a fairly regular basis.”

I am disabling the plugin that enables the syndication.

“One of the stipulations is that any blog here would have to have actual content on it pertaining to real estate and not just be a link farm. You will need to actually write in the blog on a regular basis to appreciate results. Free blogs that have been ignored for a long period of time may be considered abandoned and could be suspended or deleted. You can’t just start a blog, put up a post and a few links back to your website and then forget about the blog. The blog has to be used on a fairly regular basis.”

In other words, do not treat the blogs like an article site where you write one post that links back to your website and never return. If you do, you are wasting your time.

I will be uploading a tutorial on setting up Simple Twitter Connect in the near future.

The vast majority of blogs have just one post or worse – none. I have been a bit surprised at how few people actually complete the “About” section to change the generic instructions into information about themselves. Even those who have made a post or two have neglected to personalize the information.

As I mentioned in the initial posts about the free blogs being made available, you will need to actually write in the blog on a regular basis to appreciate results. Those who set up a blog and make one post and leave it at that will not see that post ranking in search engines and are really just wasting their time.

I get the feeling that many are treating the free blog as a way to make just one “doorway” page that targets a specific key phrase. That will not work. Neither will setting up the blog and waiting to see if it will rank before personalizing it and writing posts. Once again, you will need to write in the blog on a regular basis if you want to see results.

The 5% or so who are using the free blog the way it should be used are seeing results. Their blog posts rank on the first page in Google even for highly competitive and somewhat generic terms that are hard to rank for.

Because Real-Estate-Blogs.com is considered to be an authority site, it is easier to have a blog and articles within the blog rank highly in search engines. This site allows your efforts to be rewarded in a greater way than on any other real estate blog site and faster than if you developed your blog in a unique new domain yourself.

One thing that is apparent is that the vast majority of REALTORS may not have the knowledge and/or time to really make their blog and blog posts rank in search engines. At a minimum, some thought has to be given to the titles used for the blog and articles and the “About” section has to be personalized.

Some have expressed demand for a monthly paid option that offers help in setting up, managing, and optimizing the blog and having posts optimized on an ongoing basis. We are getting closer to offering that option as the need is definitely there. Those using the fully managed option would then just have to concern themselves with writing a few paragraphs on a semi regular basis to enjoy the benefits of being a successful blogger.

Why would a REALTOR or someone in a related real estate business want a blog here? For many reading this post who are familiar with Internet marketing – the advantages are obvious and no explanation is necessary.

For those who are relatively new to marketing themselves on the web, here is what you need to know. This site is search engine friendly and has ranked at the top of search engines since its inception for real estate blog related keywords. Google has given the site high Page Rank and some of that is passed on to your new blog. For those unfamiliar with the concept that is an important factor in allowing your new blog here to rank quickly. You begin to see traffic to your blog a lot quicker than if you started a new blog in a new domain or on another blog site.

The links on this site can also be followed by search engines which allows you to use your blog to better promote any other sites you may have.

Unlike other real estate blog sites, we do not aggregate posts from the blogs into a common site blog because doing so creates duplication issues which inhibit your search positions and ultimately the results you enjoy from your blog.

The blogs here use WordPress which is considered to be the best blog software available. They are search-engine-friendly, have excellent spam control, and it is easy to back up your content and move it elsewhere if you should choose to do so.

The template we are using for the blogs allows you to make a regular blog post or post a property listing with pictures and full property details. Multiple property listings can be featured on your main blog entry page using the Featured Content Gallery.

The blogs are free because they are supported by advertising. A monthly paid option without the ads and with help setting up and maintaining the blog may be offered in the future.

One of the stipulations is that any blog here would have to have actual content on it pertaining to real estate and not just be a link farm. You will need to actually write in the blog on a regular basis to appreciate results. Free blogs that have been ignored for a long period of time may be considered abandoned and could be suspended or deleted. You can’t just start a blog, put up a post and a few links back to your website and then forget about the blog. The blog has to be used on a fairly regular basis.

I haven’t had a chance to work out more stipulations yet but they would all be along the lines of allowing REALTORS and businesses affiliated with real estate to promote themselves while keeping out the blatant spam. For example, if you create a blog here promoting hotels it will be deleted as travel is not real estate – so don’t waste your time.

Creating a blog is simple – just click “Register” at the bottom of the column on the right. Fill in your desired user name and email address. Keep in mind that your user name will be in your blog url so choose wisely. Your url would be real-estate-blogs.com/username

Once you create your blog here, one of the first things you should do is list it in the directory (the link to the directory is at the top and bottom of this page). You will need to sign up separately for the directory. When you list your blog in the directory you will be asked for the location of a reciprocal link. You can use your blog url for that.

Once you have done that you can begin personalizing your blog and writing your articles. The WordPress format is pretty intuitive and there are good support resources available. You will be an expert blogger in no time!