The first month of your real estate blog's life is actually the most important.  What you do during this period of time can affect the way Google will see your blog for the next year, so it is vitally important that you build hyper local, keyword rich content in a structured and cohesive way. So, the following is a step by step guide to building your first month's worth of blog content.  So, I thought I would put together a fail safe way to construct content that is hyper local, rich in information and will form the foundation of a successful blog.

How to use this guide:

I basically provided 31 exact blog titles for you and where I felt my intention might be unclear- I detailed how the post should be constructed. To use this guide, you want to start posting between 3-5 times a week.  Select 1 topic from the first section (About Me) on Day 1.  On day 2, select one topic from the second section (Neighborhood Information) and so on, until you get back to the top About Me section again. Work your way down the list on each of the sections and by the end you will have a full blog of hyper local real estate content that WILL get you found on the search engines.

THANKS TO VANCE SHUTES OF SALINE MICHIGAN BLOG I WANT TO CLARIFY THAT THE BELOW OUTLINE CAN BE DONE IN ANY ORDER AND AT YOUR OWN PACE - YOU JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE YOU HIT ON EACH OF THESE TOPICS WITHIN YOUR FIRST 60-90 DAYS.  THE MORE CONTENT YOU BUILD FASTER, THE BETTER.

* FYI: when I type FARM AREA, that means you insert the town, city, neighborhood where you sell.

Read also: Formula for a Successful Blog Post

This post is a MUST READ that will give you a proven formula that uses proven SEOed copyrighting techniques to help you build a perfectly structured blog post that will get the attention of both Google and readers.

Read also: 365 ¼ ideas for real estate blogging

Running out of ideas?  Here are a whole year's worth.

Read also: Real Estate Blog Content

Think writing real estate blog content is like pulling teeth?  Then check out this post on the 6 steps to building fail proof real esate blog content that generates leads and search traffic.

Category Recommendations:

I suggest creating the following categories if you don't already have them.  These are probably the most standard and universal categories on real estate blogs and the following content will fit nicely into one or more of them.

I. About Content

Build the necessary About Content first since you want it show up last on your blog.

1.       About Me/Us

Read also: How to write a killer real estate blog about page

2.       About Our Team (if applicable)

3.       How to choose the best FARM AREA Realtor for your next home purchase or sale

Most consumers, especially first time home buyers don't know the first thing about how to select a Realtor, so get down and dirty in a specific how to post that details what to look for in a Realtor, why a buyer/seller needs one and what to do if they find themselves in the wrong Realtor relationship!

4.       Testimonials

Read: Generate leads from testimonials on your real estate blog in 5 simple steps

5.       Boast posts: this is my favorite way to let you boast about your talents while couching it in an example and expert advice.  As a Realtor, you have the unique ability to solve problems most people feel are overwhelming. Talk about your past experiences. People like to know that not only do you understand their problem, but that you have solved the very same problem for other clients. Example marketing helps you to establish your position as an expert and problem solver while also emotionally connecting with potential clients that share a similar problem. 

The topic may vary but here are a few ideas:

a.       How I helped a FARM AREA seller out of foreclosure

b.      Sure fire ways to overcome a low FARM AREA appraisal

Appraisals are a part of the real estate business and every now and again an appraisal comes in that threatens to kill a deal.  Talk about it.  By covering a topic like this in depth you establish yourself as an expert and often can help work a buyer or seller through how to overcome a bad appraisal to salvage the deal.  A post like this can be a beacon of hope to a nervous client.

c.       How your FARM AREA Realtor can sweeten up a sour seller

II. Neighborhood, Subdivision, Community, Suburb Information

6.       Neighborhood profiles

Profile each and every neighborhood you serve, be sure to include a photo, a brief description of the neighborhood and some general demographics like median age, income, etc.  Average or median home price is also valuable.  It might even be a good idea to list what types of homes can be found in this neighborhood, subdivision or suburb. These make great spider posts.

Read also: Spider Posts: How to write efficiently on your real estate blog: make one blog post last for a week

Example: Dayton Ohio Real Estate Blog

7.       FARM AREA New Home Builder Profiles: (spider post candidate)

8.       FARM AREA Condo Profiles (spider post candidate)

Example: San Diego Condo Blog

III. Cornerstone Buyer/Seller/Investor Content

Flagship/Cornerstone content should actually make a readers life better, richer, easier, faster... Something that they search for in Google to find you by or something that directly benefits them. According to CopyBlogger, Cornerstone content is "something that is basic, essential, indispensable, and the chief foundation upon which something is constructed or developed. It's what people need to know to make use of your website and do business with you." 

Read also: How to write cornerstone and flagship content

For Investors

9.       The secrets of zero down investing in FARM AREA (people love those commercials - so capitalize on them by generating traffic from people searching for zero down investing)

For Buyers

TIP: Buyers tend to only spend an average of 15 seconds on a single post before they click on your call to action to go search properties, so it is not necessary to post long, voluminous articles for them.  Easy to read, scanable text like list or tutorial posts are best when targeting buyers.  That said, you do want to have a few (around 5, built over time) longer ultimate guide type posts for Google to latch onto.

10.   FARM AREA Home Buyer Resource Guide

You can publish this as an eBook (pdf) and create a little linkbait.   Every state has different housing, taxation and mortgage regulations.  By creating a very specific, step by step guide to buying and selling in your home state, you can build instant credibility and become a referenced resource.

11.   How to compare two FARM AREA homes/condos to determine the best bang for your buck

12.   How to buy a home in FARM AREA for $x under market value.

13.   Ultimate guide to closing on your FARM AREA home in 30 days

TIP: Realtors, I know you know things that average home buyers like myself are just in the dark about... Share them. People like to think they are getting "exclusive" or "secret" information. Doesn't a secret peak your interest?

14.   Secrets of painless closings for FARM AREA real estate

15.   A FARM AREA Realtor's secrets to buying homes for less

16.         The secrets to negotiating like a FARM AREA Realtor

17.   What to do when a FARM AREA home seller refuses your offer

TIP: There wouldn't be a show called Mythbusters if people didn't like their myths busted. So, bust those myths.  It makes for a fun, informative post.

18.   Myth: I'll get the best deal on the FARM AREA house if I call the agent listed on the For Sale sign

For Sellers

19.   FARM AREA Home Seller Resource Guide

Just create an ultimate guide that will help your fist time seller go through the process.  This is an excellent place to plug yourself, tell the seller what you will be doing to market their home, what they can expect when you show the home, how to handle and open house and what to do when an offer comes in and finish it up with explaining the closing process.

20.   Considering a FARM AREA short sale?  What you should know before you dive in head first in the deep end

In a tough market like this, there are plenty of people facing foreclosure that could greatly benefit from a well executed short sale.  Explain how a short sale works and what a seller can expect from their lender when entertaining a short sale to avoid foreclosure.

21.   How to stage your FARM AREA home for sale

22.  TIP: Nothing engages people more than the fear that we might lose something. So, from time to time, create a little fear when blogging to sellers. Make people feel like if they don't read this their entire buying, selling, investing future is in jeopardy. Sounds crazy but the fear of loss is a compelling reason to dig deeper into some topic.  Consider that sellers spend more time on your posts than buyers, so you may want to spend more time engaging them and showing your expertise. 

23.   EXAMPLE: Check out Aaron Dickinson's post chronicling how a bad seller almost ruined a closing or this post by Jay Burnham on avoiding the 5 pricing pitfalls.

24.   Top 10 things you might be doing that prevent your FARM AREA home from selling

25.   5 Things that will ruin you're FARM AREA closing

26.   Are you preventing your FARM AREA home from selling?

27.   Myth: Our new FARM AREA kitchen is a great improvement and will improve our home value

Build Mortgage and loan Information

28.   What are your FARM AREA mortgage options?

This is such an easy post to put together.  Just list out and profile the various mortgage options for buyers.  This makes a great spider post as you can break out the various options and turn them into posts of their own later and link back to the large compendium post.

29.   FARM AREA Mortgage Rates Report, Month Year

TIP: Instead of doing this yourself -  Brian Brady syndicates his content and he does monthly mortgage reports and if you ask him nicely, I'll bet he'd be happy to lend you his content for a slice of your blog.

Build Real Estate Market Information and Listings

30.   Blog your listings!

TIP: That's right, post your listings right in your blog.  Your blog gives you the opportunity to give additional information, pictures, video, etc. about a listing and link out to other local resources.  It's a good way to how sellers you are marketing their home while it can also offer buyers more info than the MLS.  Be sure to turn comments off on a listing post as you certainly don't want disgruntled neighbors telling the world about the sewer problem or a jilted agent talking trash about the seller.

See how this New Hampshire Real Estate Blog handles listings.

31.   FARM AREA Real Estate Market Report, Month Year

TIP: Market reports are HOT.  They give a bunch of info for both buyers and sellers.  Provide market reports for each neighborhood by using your MLS data.  Show how many homes are on the market, how many have sold, what the average home sales prices are and how long they sat on the market.  This makes a great spider post and can often be used in your seller presentations to give them an accurate representation of the market so they know what to expect and how to price their home.

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