Giving Gratitude to the Google Gods

June 14th, 2007

I’ve been keeping an eye on re:PDX’s Google ranking, which recently had begun to make some serious upward movement.

Search “portland oregon real estate” and there it is: re:PDX, bottom of Page 1, Number 10.

“Big whoop,” you say. Well, I think so.

In the eighteen months since I started this site, my intent was to create a real estate commentary about Portland that would both provide a creative outlet for me and reflect my values of transparency and consultation. I was inspired by the thorough and prodigious efforts of another local agent, Susan Marthens, whose movingtoportland.net site was (and still is) the definitive resource for Portland-area real estate information.

My blog has generated press interviews and other promotional opportunities. And importantly for my family, it has generated business like the first-time homeowners/schoolteachers from the Bay Area, a retired couple from Sacramento, and most recently, a pediatrician and social worker relocating from remote NE Arizona, who are among the countless delightful relationships developed from the notes and calls I’ve responded to.

I haven’t paid for any online advertising, I haven’t hired a search engine consultant, or engaged in any real link-baiting or contentious arguments that tend to drive traffic. So, getting to Google Page One results by sharing real estate news, thoughts, market activity, and occasionally some humor, is gratifying. Especially when you’re ranked ahead of large agencies that spend huge amounts on their online presence.

Granted, I have some work to do. Try “portland home search” or “portland real estate agent” and the results slip a bit. And it also inspires me to improve my content quality and increase my writing frequency.

So, thank you, my frequent readers, linkers, and traffic contributors (you know who you are) for doing whatever it is that Google believes is important when it comes to providing useful search results.

Enough bragging. Other real estate bloggers drive more traffic and are far more interesting. But today, I feel validated, just like Navin Johnson.

YouTube: Steve Martin in The Jerk

Technorati Tags: Google, page rank, search, Portland, Oregon, real estate, agent, The Jerk

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Entry Filed under: General