Here are the Questions and Answers from the July 7^th FREE Blogging Webinar hosted by Mariana Wagner and Jack Miller of MAPS @ Keller Williams

1.       What will the MAPS Fast Track Blog Coaching Cover?
This course will cover the basics of blogging, how to increase the SEO of your blog, how to write an effective blog post, how to promote your blog and many other tips and tricks on how to have a successful blog without spending too much time on it.

2.       How much is coaching?
The Keller Williams MAPS Fast Track Blog Coaching is a 6 month course with two 1-hour sessions a month and additional free-form call-in sessions for $99 a month.

3.       What is the Fast Track Blog Coaching Schedule?
The following Thursdays at 2pm CST, 1pm MST, Noon PST or 3pm EST:

·         July 24

·         Aug 14

·         Aug 21

·         Sept 4

·         Sept 25

·         Oct 2

·         Oct 16

·         Oct 30

·         Nov 6

·         Nov 20

·         Dec 4

·         Dec 18

4.       How does information on my blog differ from information on my website?
There are 2 parts to this answer:

·         Search Engines: Websites are predominately static and can bel ignored by search engines, whereas blogs get search engine recognition much quicker and easier.

·         Functionality: It is much easier to publish information to a blog than it is to a website. From there, you can set your blog up to reflect the information that you have on your blog.

5.       How do search engines know the difference between websites and blogs?
Blogs and websites are set up differently from the back end and search engines understand that difference. Additionally, blogs are generally updated more frequently than websites, which get the attention of search engines faster and more consistently.

6.       How long does it take the search engines to start ranking a blog for certain keywords?
This depends on which keywords you are trying to rank for. The more competition for these keywords, the longer it may take. On the other hand, niche keywords may take less time to rank. There are ways to make your blog rank faster, even for popular keywords. We will go over exactly HOW to do that in the Fast Track Coaching Sessions.

7.       How many leads should I expect from my search engine placement?
Once you begin ranking high for certain keywords, the amount of leads that you will get will be determined by HOW you capture and cultivate those visitors. Blogging is predominately just a tool to help you get visitors/traffic. What you DO with that traffic is up to you.

8.       Should I link my blog to my website?
Definitely. You should have a link from your website to your blog and from your blog to your website. You can also syndicate your blog posts to your website, which we will explain in the Fast Track Coaching Sessions.

9.       Is it better to have a blog instead of a website?
No. For most real estate agents, a blog is designed to support your website. Eventually both your blog and your website will "rank" in the search engines.

10.   What are ideas of things to write about?
The Fast Track Blog Coaching sessions will include an intensive list of content ideas. However, the main things that you can write about are:

·         Market reports

·         Neighborhood profiles

·         Buyer and Seller FAQ's

11.   How much time per day should I spend blogging?
You can spend as little or as much time as your schedule allows. But remember, the more well-structured, relevant and interesting blog posts that you write, the faster you will start seeing results in the search engines. I recommend spending 5-6 "off-peak" hours a week and posting 2-3 blog posts a week on your blog.

12.   How long is a typical post?
A blog post is as long or as short as you want it to be. However, 1-3 paragraphs is a good target length. The Fast Track Blog Coaching courses will go over how to put together a great post, and will include information on HOW to find the perfect length for you and your blog.

13.   Can we delegate blogging?
If you have someone that you trust to write competent and valuable information for your blog, then yes. However, part of the success of blogging comes from the personality behind the blog, which for the most part, should be yours.

14.   Can other people, besides me, write on my blog?
Definitely. You can add to the content of your blog by having "Guest Bloggers" write articles on your blog. Guest bloggers can be anyone that you trust to write quality and relevant information, and can include, lenders, appraisers, inspectors, bankers and other real estate professionals that may specialize in areas that you do not.

15.   Which platform should we use?
Your eAgentC website has a Top Producer blog ready to be attached to it. It is FREE, based off the WordPress platform and easy to use.

16.   Do I have to have a Top Producer account to use the Top Producer Blog?
No. This is a free blog that Keller Williams has made accessible to KW agents whether you have a TP account or not.

17.   Should we have multiple blogs?
No. Unless you decide that you LOVE blogging, one blog should be sufficient. Should you decide that you LOVE blogging, you could eventually make separate blogs for the different niche markets that you work.

18.   Do we need a separate domain name for our blogs?
Yes. Initially, your eAgentC blog will have a domain name that includes "featuredblog" in the URL. You can purchase any domain name that you want and point it (or redirect it fir a small fee) to your blog. This way when anyone types in your newly purchased domain name, it will take them directly to your blog.

19.   How do your check your traffic?
There is a "statistics" tab in your blog that will give you information on your traffic. Additionally, you can set up "Google Analytics" to track your traffic as well.

20.   Are the eAgentC blogs search engine friendly?
Absolutely. In fact, we have seen some of these blogs get search engine placement in less than 3 months.

21.   How do we find images for our blog?
Most images on the internet are copy written and you cannot use them in your blog without getting in trouble and being assessed fines. We will go over different resources for great, usable photos in the Blog Fast Track Sessions. However, for now, the best resources for images that you can use are:

·         Photos that you take yourself

·         Microsoft Clip Art

Royalty free stock photography that is licenses for online usage

22.   Should we add video?
If you want to add video then definitely, but it is not a requirement. If you DO add video, make sure you have plenty of written content as well. Even though visitors will love the video, the search engines do not acknowledge video as content.

23.   What is the reason for BOLD text in a blog?
How you format your blog posts is extremely important. BOLD text does have a significance, but you have to use it correctly. We will explain this (along with other formatting tools) in great detail in the Fast Track Blog Coaching.

24.   Can you use information on your website on your blog?
Absolutely. I would take each thing that you already have on your website and write a post about it… expand it out.

25.   Should I post the same blog in different places?
 There are exceptions, but for the most part, no. Your content should stay on your blog. If you have another place that you want to share a blog post that you wrote, then share SOME of it and include a link back to your blog so that readers can "continue reading" or "view the full post".

26.   I have a blog on Active Rain. Should I get an additional blog as well?
Yes. Blogging on Active Rain is a great place to start and get your feet wet with blogging. But remember, you are blogging amongst all your competition and it is very easy for a visitor to wander away from your posts to your competitions' posts.

27.   Does Active Rain have a higher ranking than a personal blog?
Everything is always changing, but Active Rain will rank higher than a new blog, but in most cases, if you are dedicated to your blog, you will eventually outrank Active Rain.

28.   What about the new Active Rain "Outside" Blogs?
Those are nice, but there is a severe limitation as to how you can customize it to serve your business needs (you cannot add separate pages, nor set it up to be a great lead capture machine like you could your own blog) and there are still links that you CANNOT remove that lead to your competition.