Are we are our own worst enemy???
Do you link to any lead generator sites?
How many directory sites do you link to?
Have you ever wondered why a directory or lead generator site has better ranking than you?
By linking to directory sites or worse lead generators (like Home Gain) you are helping them outrank you and many other agents. Most directories have a paid link option, this allows you to get the link you want without helping the directory rank higher. Even better, you now have a one way link.
I know many of you are saying, but these some of these sites are huge and that is why they rank. Sure size does help, but without links they can’t get to the top. Without agents giving them valuable home page links they wouldn’t be able to rank for so many terms/cities.
If you are linking to HG or any other lead generator the only question is WHY? Get rid of the link it isn’t helping you and worse you are promoting a site designed to take money out of your pocket. On this same token, if you link to a directory that is designed to send leads to HG or that links to HG you are now helping two sites get ahead of you. Agents alone can’t stop HG 100% as they pay for tons of links and have their own network of sites, but every little bit helps and if they move down one spot for even one term it is worth the effort.
Maybe it’s time that when we exchange links we also point any agent that is linking with these types of sites to this post. We suggest that the agent removes these links and if not maybe just pass up linking with that site. If you are tiered of being outranked by directories and lead generators share this information with as many real estate agents/webmasters as possible.
Stop complaining and start taking action.
Now I must add that there are a few exceptions to these opinions and if a real estate directory is going to send you real traffic (true leads) and there isn’t an option to pay for the link then you might want to consider linking to that site. Any site that has real estate agents in mind (ie designed to send traffic and a quality link to agents) are worth linking to or supporting by paying for a link. That said there are only a few directories that actually send real traffic that I know of so 95-99% of the directories out there are worthless. They will become even more worthless if agents learn to stop linking to them.
I would never put a link on my website’s homepage to a directory. It looks ugly and offers no value. PERIOD.
Ten times out of ten I choose the pay option to be inlcuded in a directory so I can benefit from the one-way link. And normally this only costs $20-$50/year, so why not?
I mean, why should they get a homepage link when my link on their site will be many clicks away from the homepage and on a URL that has many other outbound links? No value there. With small directories, I sometimes have had success contacting them and explaining that I would be happy to link to them from one of my inside link pages… afterall, some of them even have a PR4… and it’s only fair since they are not going to return the homepage link.