How is the Top URL for Colorado Springs Realtors ranking for that term?

[NerdsOnCall]

Allright, I have 2 suggestions. In addition to working on your ratio of route domain links, try to localize your link campaign.  It's hard to say, without doing some digging, but your competitors site may have a lot of links from other local businesses and websites. Google is becoming increasingly localized, so having links from other local sites will bennit you. You can try to increase your links from other local companies, or if you already have those links, try adjusting your keywords to be more locally focused.

#2 Get as many reviews on review sites as possible. if you can rank on local business listings sites, this will translate positively to google results.

-Bryant

[RobertFisher]

OK, I have spent a bit of time on this one and I have to ask.......why does it matter? First, I looked at both sites and see some things that they are doing that you are not and I think even though you have higher page and domain authority some of your links are just a bit questionable. In fact, I wonder if you have not overdone it. But that is not the issue.

You are worrying about a single search term: Colorado Springs Realtor that is not one of the better queries for real estate. (Yes, I currently build and manage RE sites, but not exclusively). In Colorado Springs real estate type queries for today the term you used here has 8100 local (US) queries on average. they are ranked 1st on that term and you are ranked 11th.

Better terms are Colorado Springs Homes - 74,000 They rank 1st and you are 2nd!

Colorado Springs Real Estate -  33,100 They are first your are 19th

Homes for sale Colorado Springs - 18,100 They are 23rd you are 7th!

I really think the difference is they researched their keyword terms before writing content and their site is really designed toward someone who is looking for a home. Theirs has Co Springs addresses yours doesn't. Etc.

I think too often we spend time worrying about who ranks higher when worrying about having people come to sites and then turn into customers is more important. Look at what the two sites offer side by side (OK have someone unemotionally involved do it) and ask yourself this question: If I wanted to buy a home in Colorado Springs, what would I type into the search bar and what would I want to know or see.

Best of luck.

PS All of the page ranking is from Google and was established by way of SEOmoz Rank Tracker.

[Media317]

This post is deleted!

[SL_SEM]

This is a guess, and I appreciate any input, but it seems like google is listing the "real estate" sites just as well as the realtor sites.

So I went over to google sets, did a quick check on "Colorado Realtor" and the only other related term that google notes should be part of the set is "real estate"

As someone else mentioned "Real Estate" shows to get more searches in adwords estimating as well. This makes me wonder if google's algorithm thinks the real estate terms are really what the user wants to see. So I ran the search for "Colorado Springs Realtors" with the quotes around it and that site dropped out of the top 10, and it only shows up with it's page that actual focuses on the term "Realtors".

So this seems less like it is about anchor text, and more about Google's algorithm trying to predict what will be more useful to the user. I am not sure how you would combat something like this other than to perhaps include more "real Estate" terms intermingled in your content with "realtor" terms, but that leads to diluting your focus too

Not sure this helps a ton, but figured I would put that observation out there.

[johnshearer]

Yes on the social signals...now included in opensite explorer.

[johnshearer]

Rodney...thanks for posting that Seer link...good stuff

[HunterW]

I did a quick check and you have approximately 8,000 pages indexed by Google (and only 4 according to Yahoo Site Explorer)  whereas they have 37,000 indexed by Google (and 2,000+ in Yahoo).

Given the smaller database size of OSE when compared to Google and Yahoo I have to think this plays into the factors as well.

[Seoxpert]

I agree with you... Its one of the most important factors which is usually ignored. More indexed pages mean more backlinks from internal pages.

[juliemarg]

Have you tried getting links from the online sites of your local major media? For example, Gannet has a nationwide program called My Neighborhoods and they accept press release type stories for their site.  Here's an article they did about a class I was teaching http://eastsacramento.news10.net/news/fun/90193-foursquare-checking-future-customers

Try Patch from AOL, your TV stations, radio, newspapers etc.  and write a story about what's going on in the Colorado Springs real estate market.

[nyanainc]

I see that you are not Guru for nothing!Keep going the good work man!

[Geordieromer]

I agree with Ken's tip here about Active Rain. There is a lot of great link juice to be had here. You can choose good anchor text and create some deep links to neighborhood specific pages that can be really helpful.

[AgentsofValue]

Hi there,

I know the question was posted in 2011 but for the purpose of giving some useful insights to cases like this today, I guess this response still matters.

I would just like to give some useful statistics in response to your case.

Creation year:

http://www.springshomes.com/ - 1997

vs

http://www.cheriseselley.com/ -  2000

http://coloradospringsteam.com/ - 2008

Number of indexed pages ( Google) as of June 2012:

site: http://www.springshomes.com/ - 12,300 results

vs

site:http://www.cheriseselley.com/ -  2,820 results

site:http://coloradospringsteam.com/ -  11,300 results

Number of pages linking (Google) as of June 2012

link:http://www.springshomes.com/  - 37 results

vs

link:http://www.cheriseselley.com/ - 2 results

link:http://coloradospringsteam.com/  - 43 results

Generally, your competitor's website dominates yours across different criteria.I think that is enough to explain why spinghomes is still beating your websites.

Regards,

Roy

[clotairedamy]

Hello from Colorado Springs,

14 years... the website gained a lot of PR from the age of the domain also they are targeting the area more effectively, make use of the On Page report and Social Media, you can target an audience at city level...

[DougHoltOnline]

I agree with the response to utilizing social media - especially Google+. This has provided a noticeable increase in traffic for a local real estate agent in our area as well as utilizing Google Maps.