While SEO changes about every 5 minutes it seems there are some things that will never go out of style. How popular your website is or a particular page is going to make all the difference in the world because any search engine is going to rank it well if it’s popular. That’s the whole idea. If a site it not popular, forget it.

But how to do you make that page or site popular? These are the things that vary from year to year or even month to month in the SEO world. Back links matter. A LOT. A good quality back link pointing to a site can be worth a hundred insignificant links. Those back links that matter the most are from .edu or .gov sites but if you can’t get them, just having others link to you can help. You want to get your site out there as an authority on your subject so others come to you for that information then share it with their sphere of influence. This travels and the more exposure something gets, the higher it will rank.

But getting that first piece of information out there in the first place can be the hard part. The plan is to title your blog or page with what someone may actually search for. Whether it’s “finding a home near McChord AFB” or “Being a Smart Buyer in Winthrop“, if you write about it, people will come. And they will continue to come and find you the more you write about AND TITLE these important nuggets of information.

Questions are a big eye catcher and search engine target. People are typing questions into search engines all the time and if you are there to answer their question then just by them finding and reading your article, you will become more important online. But is the goal just to be found? Probably not. You want business too. It doesn’t matter one hoot if you get the world to come read your information, if it’s not putting a penny in your pocket what good is it? This is where you need a call to action. So what if they read about “the Goldendale Observatory State Park“? If you’re a real estate professional and they find this local information on your site, they may remember they have a friend that just mentioned selling their home in Goldendale and this looks like a pretty good brokerage that knows the area well. They may pass on your information. Or perhaps the person themselves is looking for more information on the area they are moving to and now you have just presented yourself a knowledgeable person that knows the area. What a great agent to find them a new home!

But answering someone’s question can really open the door for more. If your pages that are titled the answer to their question, they may click further into your website so long as you have means to do so. If your reader comes to the page they found on the search engine and there is nothing further for them to do, they are likely to click away. But if you have links such as “more information” or a menu with different tools, subjects and topics, they may find themselves browsing around your site for some time. This all means more on the SEO front. The longer someone stays on your site, the better. They are reading, learning and in the end hopefully coming to you for more answers. So make that page title “Housing Market in Gallatin County” an open door to browse listings, get approved for financing and contact you to be their agent.

Get specific with your titles. You may never rank #1 for Montana Real Estate but you certainly can get in the top 5 for a detailed title such as “Land and Acreage for sale in Bozeman Montana“. This is specific enough to get some attention and when someone is really searching for that, it’s typically a guaranteed lead.

So choose your titles carefully. The SEO title can be different than the post title often times so carefully plan out what you want to be found for and make that your SEO title. Answer a question, give a response and get that lead!

Great Titles from Great Sites:

Questions you should ask your agent

The Basics of Selling Alamogordo real estate