2.Google needs to act on all sites that use SEO ‘spamming’ to get higher rankings – Just like they cut-out Meta tag spamming to make their mark on the search engine World. However, now we are now back to the olden days when the sex & real estate sites could spam search results with Meta tags. Highly ranked results for 3 bedroom homes in South Yarra should link to those home listings not to the endless REA and Domain catalogue listings that users still have to trawl interminably. All that is happening at the moment is that REA & Domain are laughing as they pick-up more ad revenue from Google.
Need any more info from an old timer happy to assist for a small fee? Drop me a line.
Sal

If you look at the leading real estate agencies around Australia you will observe one common denominator in that they all run large and successful e-businesses. Each and every day is spent working on their databases which explains ahy the majority classify their own online business first and REA and Domain on the secondry tier.

Which identifies an interesting scenario when Google actually launch here in Australia what direction the current pay to display business models will take. Also, with a large number of real estate agencies closing the landscape is forever changing. Where obviously revenue streams will be on the decline for quite some considerable time to come.

If REA and DOMAIN could sort by Open Home Time/ Suburb then more people would use the portals for OFI’s

My 2.2c worth

Just read back on this forum to the thread called “summary of realestate.com.au e-mail fiasco” and you will see how seriously the real estate agent industry takes e-mail leads. It is obvious to me why Robert, Craig and others were so riled about this.

The fact is that on-line is invaluable.

So I don’t buy the peanuts = monkeys argument.

I suggest that there is a disconnect between the utility of some classifieds products in the market and their comparative prices.

Cheers

There is absolutely no doubt that online enquiries have declined significantly over the last twelve months from the property portals. Buyers have declined as a direct result of global and local financial market corrections.

One significant criticism that buyers tell us of the portals is that today they lack relevance as everytime they go there it “is like reading the same book over and over again.” This is very true as agents keep placing old properties back up in priority placements so it then gives an impression that nothing is happening. I would like to see a trial where each property is given a six week life in priority and see if this changes consumer sentiment.

The portals need to start thinking more in left field as against doing absolutely nothing as presently consumers don’t find the portals all that interesting at present.

Interesting…

Have online enquiries dropped proportionately to the overall drop off in buyer numbers or have they taken a bigger hit?

Cheers

Without print we would be in enormous trouble as at the moment this is without a doubt the dominant magnet for buyers. Yes, we have tried electronic open for inspections only and this failed miserably. When we have a print open for inspection the numbers quadruple.

At the end of the day the agents are the ones at the coal face! Online is cheap there is no doubting that and we all know what happens when you offer peanuts!