We service a huge variety of businesses from small mom and pop stores to large national brands and the one common thread is competition.  Each of these businesses come to us because they want an edge getting their product or service found online.  Being found online is key to the success of most businesses.  There are few businesses / industries left that can thrive or even survive without it.

There are a few exceptions though – One exception is Crock A Doodle in Burlington Ontario.

They run a Drop-in Pottery Painting Studio on Walkers Line in Burlington.  Ever since they opened my daughter has been an avid doodler and she just recently had her birthday party there.

They do it right – great service, a fun atmosphere and the kids get to bring home a hand crafted keepsake they made themselves.

Its a good idea right!  Well thought out, well targeted and niche enough that the competition isn’t fierce.  Throw in a well chosen location, signage and the kind of service that spreads well through word of mouth and you have a local business that can thrive without  the help of internet marketing firms like us.

For now

In the meantime most businesses still need to compete.  There is no shortage of other real estate agents, other lawyers, other recruiting agencies, other weight loss products, other doctors, other dentists etc etc.  You get the idea.  As soon as the market becomes competitive, you need to set yourself apart to ensure you get a decent slice of the market.  The better your position online the better your slice of the market, its that simple.

Consumers look online for products and services, especially local services.   When is the last time you used the Yellow pages to find a business?

According to Google, 73% of all searches are locally based.

If your company doesn’t find itself in the enviable position that Crock A Doodle has, then give us a call.  We love to talk shop and we can tell you what works and what doesn’t online.

Contact us for a free – no pressure search engine marketing consultation 1-866-518-1468.

VANCOUVER, BC – JAN. 29, 2012 – With unethical search engine tactics being recognized and penalized by search engines now more than ever, Vancouver SEO Group has launched to offer businesses ethical SEO services that grab attention from both search engines and potential customers. Vancouver SEO Group services include on page optimization, off page optimization, online advertising and SEO consulting.

Google and other search engines penalize certain ‘black hat’ SEO methods by lowering the rankings of websites considered to be using these unethical tactics, which include keyword stuffing, duplicate content and content written for search engine algorithms rather than people. These websites end up getting lost in search results, and are sometimes blacklisted from them altogether.

Vancouver SEO Group represents a return to catering to website visitors by using ethical search engine optimization methods to help them find information relevant to their needs. By making search engine optimization more people-friendly, businesses are connected with higher quality leads, rather than increased bounce rates.

Vancouver SEO Group  helps businesses gain more exposure online with customized online marketing strategies. Services include page optimization, web design, content, keyword research, link building, press releases, AdWord campaign management, lead generation and consulting.  Checkout their website to learn more http://www.vancouverseogroup.com/

Below I’ve put a large selection of themes we have either used for live sites, tested or demo’d for clients.  Review em test drive them and if you have any questions give us a ring – we’re happy to help.

WordPress Themes With Background Image Sliders

http://themeforest.net/item/king-size-fullscreen-background-template-/full_screen_preview/148767

http://demo.duotive.org/?theme=duotive-fortune

http://www.kriesi.at/themedemo/?theme=flashlight

http://themeforest.net/item/mass-ajax-fullscreen-background-slider-theme/full_screen_preview/741414

http://themeforest.net/item/xebax-fullscreen-background-wordpress-theme/full_screen_preview/303988

http://themeforest.net/item/meshable-photography-personal-fullscreen-theme/full_screen_preview/470562

http://themeforest.net/item/studio8-a-creative-minimalist-wordpress-theme/full_screen_preview/691657

http://themes.damojothemes.com/?theme=phazed_wp

http://themeforest.net/item/quality/full_screen_preview/1107203

http://themeforest.net/item/zeences-wordpress-portfolio-business-theme/full_screen_preview/969493

http://redirect.eugeneo.com/?theme=reach-wp

http://labs.burntfeathers.com/?theme=adventure

http://www.codingjack.com/royale/photography/bg_slideshow_with_content.html

WordPress Themes With Video background (they can have either video or image slider)

*note some active backgrounds are not turned on by default but if it’s in this list then we can put any image slide show or video playing in the background

http://themeforest.net/item/black-label-fullscreen-video-image-background/full_screen_preview/336949

http://www.pixedelic.com/themes/delight/background-video/

http://www.renklibeyaz.com/thisway/?preview=19

http://www.renklibeyaz.com/thisway/?preview=20

http://themeforest.net/item/fiat-lux-fullscreen-image-video-background-wp/full_screen_preview/461951

http://themeforest.net/item/apolo-fullscreen-video-image-background-audio/full_screen_preview/938064

http://www.gallyapp.com/tf_themes/?theme=Pluto

http://themeforest.net/item/delight-fullscreen-wordpress-portfolio-theme/full_screen_preview/255488

http://themeforest.net/item/slash-wp/full_screen_preview/701905

http://www.ansonika.com/theme_selector/?t=Creative

WordPress Themes With Standard Feature Area Image  Sliders

http://themeforest.net/item/brix-premium-theme-for-blogportfoliocreative/full_screen_preview/936431

http://themeforest.net/item/rttheme-15-premium-wordpress-theme/full_screen_preview/781397

http://themeforest.net/item/venus-business-portfolio-wordpress-theme/full_screen_preview/1110512

http://www.kriesi.at/themedemo/?theme=propulsion

http://mythemepreviews.com/themes/?theme=Bruan%20-%20WordPress

http://themeforest.net/item/inspiration-premium-wordpress-theme/full_screen_preview/1047959

http://demo.themeblvd.com/?theme=swagger

http://themes.premiumpixels.com/?theme=scope

http://themes.swiftpsd.com/?theme=saviour

http://www.gallyapp.com/tf_themes/?theme=Ovid

http://themeforest.net/item/columbia-corporate-theme-with-showcase-wp/full_screen_preview/140905

http://themeforest.net/item/romix-clean-powerful-business-wordpress-theme/full_screen_preview/285375

http://themes.premitheme.com/?theme=showycase

Misc but good

Car dealer rating wordpress theme

http://themewich.com/themes/?theme=Aware%28Responsive%29

http://themeforest.net/item/photolux-photography-portfolio-wordpress-theme/full_screen_preview/894193

http://themeforest.net/item/kernel-premium-wordpress-blog-magazine-theme-/full_screen_preview/857077

http://themeforest.net/item/crea-wp/full_screen_preview/424783?ref=wpmeta&ref=wpmeta&clickthrough_id=41356180&redirect_back=true

http://themeforest.net/item/clearly-modern-wordpress-by-cudazi/full_screen_preview/148096

http://www.imaginemthemes.com/themes/?theme=Echoes

They have not released information on what factors or weighting have changed. If you have seen no change in your rankings then kudos on creating good content and building a good link network profile. If you got hit then its time to consider a new online strategy. The updates are ratcheting up with the ultimate intent of having the most relevant information appear first for a search.

Ask yourself does my current strategy support that?

The fix & maintenance is the same though. Continue to build out your link profile naturally, organically and produce great content for your site. This strategy will insulate you from the ongoing changes at G.

Thx-M.

Best Regards,

Mike Childs
Managing Partner I Toronto SEO Group, Inc.
P 866 518 1468 I C 289 795 0334 I mike@torontoseogroup.com

Below we have listed a good cross section of the types of WordPress website designs that are available to both real estate agents, brokers and real estate offices.

If you have a need for a WordPress real estate website please call us for a free one on one consultation to see what options are available to you – 1-866-518-1468

Listed in no particular order -

AgentPress – StudioPress

ElegantEstate – ElegantThemes

deCasa – ThemeShift

deCondo – ThemeShift

Real Estate – Templatic

Realtor Press – Mojo Themes

Meadow Ridge, a Genesis Child Theme

Estate – WooThemes

Real Agent – Gorilla Themes

Residence – Gorilla Themes

Broker – Gorilla Themes

Open House – Gorilla Themes

Bel Air – Gorilla Themes

OpenHouse – ThemeForest

WP Pro Real Estate – ThemeForest

WP Pro Real Estate 2 – ThemeForest

Real Estate Theme – ThemeForest

Elegant Real Estate – ThemeForest

QuickStart Real Estate – ThemeForest

Real Estate Gold – ThemeForest

OurHome – ThemeForest

Realist – ThemeForest

ModernRealtor – ThemeForest

Homeowner – Gorilla Themes

Prime Real Estate – Mojo Themes

If you have a need for a WordPress real estate website please contact us for a free one on one consultation on what options are available to you.

1-866-518-1468  Email Enquiry Form

The Website Design Before -

When it came time to develop a new website the family run business found themselves overwhelmed  by the choices in website design that are available.  During a guided conversation with Mike Childs here at Toronto SEO Group, they were able to cut through the noise and see what a great site for their industry and their budget should look like.

Mike visited their office to get a feel for their business and vision.  Being in business for 40 years, most of their sales were through referrals from past satisfied clients.  They had envisioned the new site as an online business card or brochure. While an updated site would be more functional and attractive, it would not necessarily act as a lead/sales development vehicle.  They were interested in exploring internet marketing through the new website.

Mike was able to walk them through their options and suggested a website design with solid calls to action, quick contact forms, testimonials, fantastic visuals and built in search engine friendly design.

The result can be found here – http://www.woodcraftcabinets.com/

The Website Design After -

Wow!!!, what a fantastic site, we are big fans! Have a great day guys!

Inge and Kurt are very happy with the look and functionality of the new site.  There has already been a lot of positive feedback for the new look and the sites rankings on Google are up.  And their business now has an online look and personality that matches their own.

Considering a new site?  Need to update the look and wondering what your options are?  Give us a call we offer high quality sites, reasonable pricing and knowledge of what-can-be-done that you won’t find anywhere else – 1-866-518-1468.

I personally have  been an SEO Consultant since September of 2009. Prior to that, I worked for a private group of companies doing search engine optimization, search marketing, which would be pay per click through ad words and MSN Ad Center at the time. Prior to that, again working for private companies, I did web development, web site design and sales and marketing.

This stretches back to 2000. I have been in the game for awhile. I know what works and what doesn’t. I have worked with a lot of different types of companies, a wide variety of industries and verticals.

I have seen what strategies have worked and what hasn’t. The types of companies like myself that are out there and what they have to offer.

Don’t get me wrong. There are some very strong suppliers and strong competitors of mine that are out there that offer similar or clustered services to search engine optimization and pay per click, internet marketing.

I think where I am going with this is though is you need to have more than one of these companies at the table. Sometimes it’s about right fit with that company and with yours. You are really looking for a SEO consultant, SEO expert company that is going to be able to not only provide you with the results but support you, to kind of hold your hand, to let you understand exactly what they’re doing, be open about it.

Be mindful of what you are actually going after in terms of goals. What are your performance indicators as a company internally? Having your search engine optimization or your internet marketing program in line with that so that the results of your internet marketing program do actually benefit you as a client.

A lot of times I see optimized sites that are very well optimized and the links that are built to them are quality links.  The optimization has done well, but it obvious that a conversation wasn’t had or the right conversation wasn’t had in the beginning.

The keywords that have been optimized do not coney buyer intent. They don’t have the same focus or  interest level. It’s not the targeted client that they could be getting from the search engine optimization or SEO. A lot of it is communication, it’s not that the SEO company didn’t do what they promised, they did.

It’s just,  you can be a little off target and be really off target in results. Anyway if you are looking for someone to sit at the table. To give you a proposal. To talk to you. And you’re in Toronto the GTA, Hamilton, Oakville, Niagara, we stretch up as far as Ottawa and we do do some business in Vancouver and Calgary.

If you’re looking for someone in those areas, to sit at the table with you and to give you a second opinion, give us a call.  We would be happy to do that here at the Toronto SEO Group.

Combined with strategic & judicious use of Pay Per Click online advertising and social media marketing, your law firm can build and maintain a dominant online presence.  A presence that represents your firm, conveys the benefits of working with your personal injury law firm and encourages potential clients to contact you.

Mike your social media advice has really paid off and the site leads are way up…..thank you!

LFT Team

Why Should You Work With Us?

In short we have done it before.  We know the unique needs of personal injury lawyers, what trust signals potential clients are looking for on your site, how to get your site to the top of the rankings and how to improve the conversion of the potentials that click through and visit your site.  We bring experience & results to the table.

If you want to discuss your options or review our past work please contact us for a free consultation – 1-866-518-1468.

To that end we bring great people and well developed processes to the table -

•             A unique method of site & online presence analysis that identifies potentials

•             A proprietary in house developed keyword research program and method

•             A unique keyword mapping & on page optimization process for your site

•             Our link building methods are creative but ethical and industry standard

•             We stay abreast of industry changes and adapt our search algorithms tactics

•             We think out of the box and create problem solving custom solutions

There are often creative ways to increase your site traffic with a non-standard offering.  As an example we have successful recruiting firms that use our hybrid social / PPC model to find candidates through social media.  In all cases this has more than tripled the monthly conversion rates as compared to just a monthly SEO package.  The same strategy can be applied to a number of industries – like trucking firms trying to find drivers – an Oil firm trying to source labor and a niche electronics manufacturer selling diagnostic equipment.

We can chat about the practical steps of moving forward and what that would look like at your convenience.

Talk soon…

FYI – Inbound links to your site are extremely important

Each link that points to your site has a value that it gives to your site and helps your sites ability to rank.

Not all links are created equal and there some that are worthless and possibly damaging though not everyone agrees on that.

Bottom line, you want to build as many relevant quality links as possible to your site.  You don’t want to use link farms, cheap automatic directory submissions or other fairly worthless means to build links.

BUT

These are some simple things that a real estate agent site owner like yourself can do to boost rankings and overall online presence.

@torontoseogroup You guys are ROCKSTARZ!

— Darren Williams (@Darren_Williams) May 16, 2012

On Your Real Estate Social Profiles

Most agents have social profiles on sites like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube & Linked In.  The interactive & engagement value of these social profiles is most important but since 2010 they also have a proven search engine optimization value as well.

• Ensure that you have claimed your Facebook vanity url  (not sure how? Contact me  866-518-1468).  This will make it easier to get your Facebook Fan page to appear for searches related to your brand name.  It also makes it easier to use in advertising should you choose to make FB a bigger part of your marketing.
• Post Links back to your site on your fan page & personal page.  Make sure you do it in a way that will not be perceived as spammy i.e. once a week is good.
• Post links back to your site on Twitter.  Make sure you revert to the old Twitter in the drop down menu, otherwise the link will be shortened!
• You can use YouTube for listing videos, local information or for photo slide shows of a listing.  When you upload the video, make sure you link back to your site at the beginning of the description -

Note – The url shortening is going to continue to be an issue.  Right now if you revert back to the previous version of Twitter, the shortening can be avoided.  All social networks are heading to this though to cut down on link spam.
With any 3^rd party software you will get the same problem.  The only way to ensure a clean link is to do it manually on the social site itself.

On Your Real Estate Blog

While you are writing about relevant information, using keywords related to your focus keywords, why not embed links back to the appropriate pages on your site.  For instance if you have a page targeting Downtown Toronto Condos and you are writing a blog post where that keyword phrase makes sense to use, then link that keyword phrase back to the page about  Downtown Toronto Condos.  Keep it relevant and keep the links down to no more than 3 per post.

On your Real Estate Website

Content content content!!!

I can’t stress enough the importance of fresh quality content.  Think of Google, Bing & Yahoo as constantly hungry for new information.  They don’t want information copied from other sites or regurgitated from other sources.  You need to write fresh industry relevant content that your potential clients would want to read.  If your clients would like it then it’s a good bet that the search engines would too!  Why not use pictures and video as well to make your point.

Remember – always give the content a title that mirrors the subject of the content, ditto for the headings (make them H1 if you know how).

Tip – after you publish your content, post a link to the new page on your social profiles to get them indexed(found) quickly.

Happy Selling -