Focusing all your efforts on long tail search terms would be a waste of time.  Of course, focusing too much on any type of search term could potentially be a waste of time, depending on how it is done.  If, for example, your focus on your top keywords leads you to write very bad copy that is keyword-stuffed, you are wasting time.  

To me, the best real estate blogs have a healthy mix.  They do this because while buyers might not search for long tail keywords, potential sellers just might.  Sellers already live in the area.  They have little need to search for things like “area x real estate,” or “area x homes for sale.”  They do, however, search for information that is relevant to where they live.  In this respect, posts that aren’t totally about real estate, and instead are intended to be community resources could most certainly be beneficial.  If members of your community recognize your site as a source of information that they cannot otherwise find, guess who just might get a call when those people need real estate help?

Do what it takes to make your site interesting, informative, and sticky.  If writing a few long tail posts enhances those qualities, go for it.  I believe it was Ben Franklin who said that we should practice moderation in all things.  There is no be-all-end-all method.

Very well said!  Thanks for explaining this.  I was beginning to wonder about the whole long tail phenomenon with so many talking about it lately.  I never could quite understand what all the hype was about.  If I’m trying to sell real estate in Myrtle Beach, I want to attract visitors that are looking for what…real estate in Myrtle Beach!

Really?  Seriously? Online Real estate search marketing is all about the long tail. That is unless you are in the top .0001 percentile and can get a top three ranking for a short tail term like “Seattle real estate”. The reality is that most of those terms go to long established domain names.

Bob and I were just talking about a post that received a customer call 18 minutes after being posted on ActiveRain for a search term along the lines of “real estate within walking distance from the University of AZ campus”.

Here is a link to the post: http://activerain.com/blogsview/359215/Single-Family-Home-by

And here is a link to the post where the blogger talks about it:http://activerain.com/blogsview/469970/Zero-Comments-Three-New

And regarding the quality of long tail searches: they are generally much higher quality than the short tail searches.  Which search would you rather find your blog:

“Seattle real estate” or “Seattle Queen Anne condo specialist”?

btw: The top two result for “Seattle real estate” are long existing home listing websites.

The top two results for “Seattle Queen Anne condo specialist” are both blogs. One: Raincityguide and two ActiveRain.

I have never spent time chasing the long tail, it just did not seem like a thing that would really result in sales. Though I will take any long tail traffic that happens to come my way just because you never know.

Ne,

Exactly- The long tail exists and it can drive traffic- but to chase it down is a pointless endeavor.

I agree with everything you have to say.  My point exactly is that the locl real estate terms are already so far down in the tail that chasing antyhign beyond that is like chasing your tail.

Hi Mary,

 I have to throw in my two cents, I’ve been online with a real estate web site for about 10 years,am set well on the first page on my city main search term #2 under victoria bc real estate and under 8 under victoria real estate and I have been there a long time.

 I can say a lot have changed, especialy as you know Blogging posts which get listed in Google immediatley for your title and content. Just a little off the RE subject for a moment, I have a client who called to discuss some gardening ideas for him this Summer, as his yard is small. I asked if he liked to grow potatos, he said yes, but thought his yard was two small. I suggested growing them in a barrel, he said he had never done that, how can I find out how to do it? I said to search Google “how to grow potatos on a barrel” (long tail discription) look for it yourself. The top of the page are instructions on growing potatos in a barrel, he also tried just growing potatos but nothing about how to growm them in a barrel.

I submit long tail keyword titles in my blog posting and immediatley get number 1 or close in Google, for such titles as Victoria bc luxury waterfront homes for sale, James bay homes for sale, or post a property as starting with the address in the title then with a long discription such as 303-139 Clarence street two bedroom condo in james bay, I quickly get top position, Which do you think a serious buyer will search Victoria real estate or two bedroom condo in james bay. I have to say I have two listings this month  from using longtail key words. One cancelled his listed after two weeks with another large firm, as the seller could not find his listing online. I was all over the Google page with my long tail key words under james bay real estate for sale.

My main intent is to not only find serious buyers but have a unique listing tool too,I copy my postion on Google and show it at my listing appointments

I think it’s a great listing tool doing long tail key word marketing, sure we need short tail, but the results are not the same, I get a lot of tire kickers from my short tail search term listings on Google

Excuse any typos, have a great day!

The SEO application for long tail theories simply means that you go for less competitive terms.

The reason it is given as generic advice is that in most industries it is good advice.  (if you sell shoes or  wallets or stationary or accounting services….). Real estate agents probably think long tail naturally because they are often localised, so pushing them further in that direction is not a good idea. The limitations of generic advice I suppose.

However, I think that all this still ignores the interesting part of long tail theory in its application to real estate agents, particularly those expiremental enough to be writing a blog (well).

That is reaching the long tail of the market.  Instead of selling a service to the main bulge of the bell, do something else. How many great customers does one agent need? the kind that sell 5 or ten or twenty times per year? the kind that send friends and colleuges to the agent cause ‘she knows her stuff’. the kind they put on the market

That I was able to find this post without remembring who wrote it or when I came across it is a testament to google. This may be of interest to your readers: http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2008/02/advice-for-real.html probably sums it up better then I would.

More speccifically about this topic

Another thing to not is that long tail is about where the center of your focus is. It was (and is)  common for  mainstream  companies to put their main effort on the center of the market and proportonally less effort on the fringes. That is not long tail marketing.

So while having a page on your site and an occasional post about (what is here called) “body corporate with possibilty to subdivide” may not be very unusual to find on a site, it would be uncommon to find a whole site/blog (and coresponding real estate agent) about it. I would assume that someone looking for that sort of a thing (or at least taking note if they do come accross it) is the kind of person who would regularly read a blog, have her own regular real estate agent and  be looking into the finer points the sort of details that require either of these

Mary~

Excellent explanation.  I don’t consider myself an expert in SEO or Web 2.0 by any means.  But I do make it a point to learn and educate myslef as much as possible.  There is a vary large misconception that the “long tail” of searches is nothing other than just a long, descriptive key word string.  My understanding of the long tail WAS very similar to that, until now.  Thanks.  Judging by nothing other than the title of this post I would have initially said your crazy! (I mean that in the best way) :>).  After having read the article though I can’t agree enough, with the exception of optimizing for particular addresses and streets that are hotspots and/or listings that one may be promoting.  Anyway, thanks again for the clarity.  Bookmarked Ya!

Historically, I have been a terrible blogger with lack of focus and lack of keywords targeting.  Recently, I have done slightly better at focuing on the short tail.  About two weeks ago I decided to go far “Woodstock Real Estate”.  At the time I was about 60 on the Google list.  Today I come up #17 and hope to be on Page 1 soon.  Granted it’s not “Atlanta Real Estate”, but I do primarily serve the Woodstock suburb of Atlanta.

I suppose I am just babling at this point, but would like to conclude that blogging for the short tail seems easy enough if your goals are not “mega city real estate”.

Good post and great comments by everyone!