Author: Paul doCampo

  • We Analyzed the Top-Ranking Carrot Sites: Here’s 7 Things They’re Doing Right

    We Analyzed the Top-Ranking Carrot Sites: Here’s 7 Things They’re Doing Right

    Carrot SEO Rankings

    Struggling to rank your real estate website in competitive markets? You’re not alone. SEO can feel overwhelming. So, instead of sharing opinions on what it takes to rank, we thought we’d let the data speak for itself.

    We analyzed the top-ranking Carrot sites across 8 markets (6 large, 1 medium, and 1 small) for the most competitive keyword “Sell my house fast [location]” to answer this question: What specific actions are driving their high rankings?

    Click Here to See the Full Report

    Note: It should be no secret today that SEO leads produce the highest ROI for investors/agents and even produce higher profits than other deals—check out this post on how Carrot leads convert at a 7x higher rate than others and with 2.5x higher profits!

    Table of Contents

    Unlock the Secrets of Top-Ranking Carrot Sites: 7 SEO Tactics to Rank in Your Market

    A Preface: Time — It’s not what you think

    Before listing the items for ranking, let’s clear the air first.  Most people think that it takes YEARS to rank. 

    That’s not necessarily true. 

    See the image below, and you’ll notice that 45% of the top-ranking sites we analyzed are less than two years old, and 15% are less than one year old. So, the old adage “It takes years” wasn’t true for almost half of the sites we looked at. 

    So, if your SEO journey is starting, there’s hope,. That means the only reason those new sites are ranking (even in competitive areas like Dallas) is that they implemented these 8 factors. 

    [NOTE: We’ll list off in order from easiest/fastest to implement to hardest/longest]

    1) About Page

    This is the easiest and quickest thing you can implement today. All of the sites we analyzed had custom About pages. They didn’t use a generic one. You can find a complete guide here to create your own About Page.

    Here are some quick tips for creating a stellar About Page:

    1. Add a short bio and images of the team.
    2. Be honest and accurate.
    3. State your mission and core values.
    4. SEO optimize your About Page for your company name and location.

    The bottom line is to ensure you have location pages for each city/area you buy houses in.

    2) Leverage Many Location Pages

    All the newer sites that are ranking had this in common: They had many location pages. 

    What are location pages? 

    A location page is a dedicated website page that targets a specific geographic area, also known as a “city page.” These pages are designed to target users in that particular location.

    Example of location pages 

    For example, let’s say that our main URL and home page are “CarrotWillBuyYourHouse.com.” However, we’ll also have a page with a URL Auto Location Tool

    Carrot has a feature that can automatically create these location pages for you with a button click. 

    Here’s a quick video on how to activate your location pages in minutes: 

    3) Video Marketing

    All the newer ranking sites we analyzed have videos throughout (with the exception of one; however, that one made up for it with lots of organic keywords — more on this later). 

    What type of videos? 

    1. Home page video — In the hero section or right below is a video of the owner/team that summarizes what they do.
    2. Video testimonials — Powerful social proof. Capture your sellers on video saying great things about you.
    3. VideoPosts — You can post videos in the blog section instead of text blogs. Here’s a guide on creating and publishing video posts.

    Google is giving more credence to websites with many videos; it’s what their users consume. It might seem daunting, but it can be as easy as pulling out your phone and hitting “record.”

    At Carrot, we’ve published a Playbook on Video Marketing for investors and agents here. 

    4) Organic Keywords

    These analyzed sites had a large number of organic keywords on the website and content. This does not mean you “keyword stuff.” Google will fiercely punish that. See our SEO Basic Guide on On-Page Content.

    Keywords do one thing: They help the user and Google understand exactly who the website is for and what it does.

    So, how do you add organic keywords (without “stuffing”)? 

    1. Use Carrots Keyword Bible to get an idea of ranking keywords.
    2. Fit in keywords naturally — in all the content, naturally “talk” about what you do. You don’t have to force keywords. Make it sound natural — Google can tell.

    Publish frequently—Google loves active sites. That means publishing blog content regularly (at least once a week). Blog content will naturally contain these organic keywords.

    All the high-ranking sites had these two things in common: 

    Internal links & Backlinks. 

    Let’s break down each of them: 

    Internal Links

    Internal linking is a crucial part of SEO that involves linking one page of your website to another page within the same site. Effective internal linking can help improve your website’s navigation, distribute page authority, and enhance the user experience. 

    You can accomplish this today by making sure the content on your site links to other pages and pillar content naturally. 

    At Carrot, we have a Niche Authority Builder tool that does this for you. 

    But here are some tips for internal linking:

    1. Use descriptive anchor text — For example, if linking a “Foreclosure Pillar Content” within another page, use the anchor text “Foreclosure”, and embed the link within. Make sure the link and the anchor text accurately represent the content of the linked page to enhance both user experience and SEO.
    2. Link deep within the site — Don’t just link to the homepage. Link to other location pages and pillar content.
    3. Have pillar content. This means that only one core page or parent article talks about “Foreclosure” and another about “Probate,” etc. (for example). Don’t confuse Google by linking the same topic to multiple pages/articles throughout your site. We do this automatically for you in our Niche Authority Builder.
    4. Don’t overdo it — Like keywords, don’t stuff the same article/page linking into content.
    5. Use different formats — You can link within text and images.
    6. Don’t force or confuse — Make sure the linking is accurate and matches the content. For example, don’t use the anchor text “Probate” and then link to an article on foreclosure. 

    Backlinks

    Backlinks are like votes of confidence from other websites. When another site links to yours, it tells search engines that your content is valuable and trustworthy. The more quality backlinks you have, the better your site can rank in search results.

    In all of the websites we analyzed, the top-ranking ones had, on average, over 600 backlinks with over 160 referring domains (other sites backlinking them). But don’t get too buried in the number of backlinks because the key here is quality. One high-quality backlink can be worth 50 low-quality ones. So it would help if you always aimed for high-quality backlinks. 

    What’s a high-quality backlink? 

    • Any site that has a Domain Authority (DA) of 70 or higher. Use tools like Moz.com to see the DA score of a website. For example, Forbes.com has a domain authority of 94: 
    Domain Authority (DA)
    • Is relevant — The more relevant the page/site, the more SEO “juice” it gives you with a backlink. For example, getting a backlink from Realtor.com would be great “juice.”
    • Has quality traffic — Hard to measure without tools, but backlink from a site that actually has users and quality visitors is a good quality backlink (Google can see if the site is just a “link farming” site where it’s only goal is to bring traffic (no matter the quality or intent of the traffic) for backlinks.

    The more of these higher-quality links you get, the higher your Domain Authority score. The higher your domain authority, the more Google trusts you enough to rank you high.

    How to get backlinks

    If you’re saying, “Well that’s great, but HOW do I get a link to my website from a quality site like Forbes?”

    Well, that’s where a backlink strategy comes in handy. 

    All the websites we analyzed have intentional backlink strategies. 

    Here’s a guide on creating your own backlink strategy. 

    Here are a few ways to create your backlink strategy:

    1. Local Citations: Get listed in local directories to boost online presence and local SEO — here’s a guide on gathering local citations.
    2. Use HARO: Sign up for HARO (Help a Reporter Out) to get quoted by journalists and earn backlinks.
    3. Become a Local Expert: Offer free consultations, host seminars, contribute to local charities, and participate in community events to build authority. For example, you are a part of your local REIA. 
    4. Share-worthy Content Creation: Regularly publish highly valuable content that makes others want to link back to your website. This could be controversial content, data, guides, or newsworthy pieces. In SEO this is referred to as link bait.
    5. Guest Blogging: Write guest posts on relevant websites to gain backlinks and exposure.
    6. Broken Link Building: Find and replace broken links on other sites with links to your content.
    7. #Journorequest: Use this Twitter hashtag to find journalists seeking expert contributions.

    Top-ranking sites typically hire agencies or have an in-house marketing team to gather monthly backlinks.

    6) Testimonials

    Every top-ranking site had testimonials. Google wants to ensure that it only sends its users to trusted sources. And the more natural testimonials you have, the more trusted you look. It didn’t matter if it was only text testimonials or videos, as long as you have a specific place where you house the testimonials.

    At Carrot, we make getting testimonials on your website incredibly easy via our Testimonial Page. 

    Here are some tips for gathering your testimonials: 

    1. Call back old sellers/clients and ask — It doesn’t hurt to call back the old sellers/clients and ask them about their experience and if they can give you a review.
    2. Gather both text and video — you can ask for both from the same person to double up the content.
    3. Add it to your process — Make sure that every time a deal is complete, you have it as part of your process to ask for a review/testimonial.
    4. Include a drip—One of our go-to copywriters and the founder of OmniDrip adds a drip sequence for his clients that asks for reviews and referrals. 
    5. Ask for a Google review—If they’re willing to give you a review, ask them to leave stars and a review on your Google page.

    Create a case study — Case studies can be a part of your content strategy to showcase social proof. Create a case study for every time you get permission to share a review/testimonial.

    7) Have quality, authoritative content

    The last piece of the puzzle, but the most important piece, is content. 

    Google has gotten really good at recognizing what good, trusted content looks like. The top sites all had very high “EEAT” scores (all above a “B”). 

    What’s an EEAT score? 

    An EEAT score stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. It’s basically a measure of the quality and trustworthiness of the content. It’s a framework used by Google to assess the quality of content and its creators. Here’s a breakdown of what they look for:

    1. Experience: The site demonstrates first-hand involvement or personal experience in the subject matter.
    2. Expertise: Shows a high level of knowledge or skill in a specific area.
    3. Authoritativeness: Reflects recognition from others as a leading source of information.
    4. Trustworthiness: Indicates reliability and accuracy, often bolstered by transparent practices and verified credentials.

    How to increase your EEAT

    Want to increase yours? Simply follow steps 1-6 in this article. 

    By simply following these steps already laid out for you above, you’ll naturally increase your EEAT score in Google’s eyes. Let me summarize it: 

    1. Have details and a custom “about” page
    2. Use location pages
    3. Have videos
    4. Use lots of organic keywords via authoritative blogs
    5. Gather quality backlinks
    6. Have testimonials 

    By following these steps, you’ll quickly raise your trust in Google’s eyes and start ranking in your competitive market.

    Conclusion: Unlock Your Real Estate Domination with Carrot Websites

    To rank higher on Google and attract more qualified leads, you should focus your efforts on creating valuable and relevant content, building high-quality backlinks, and ensuring your site showcases your credibility & expertise.

    And of course, do this on a platform that is SEO-optimized, has the tools to help you get all of this done in a fraction of the time, and is proven to get more #1 rankings than any other website provider in our industry, even against custom websites.

    Hopefully, this gives you a clear roadmap to outrank your competition and generate more motivated leads through SEO.

    We know that implementing these strategies takes time and expertise. Ranking #1 takes work. That’s why our platform and the team that comes with it are here to help you every step of the way.

    Carrot websites are specifically designed to help real estate investors like you achieve top rankings and dominate their local markets. Our platform integrates all the SEO best practices you just learned, including:

    • Customizable About Pages: Showcase your expertise and build trust with prospects.
    • Automated Location Pages: Capture leads in every city and neighborhood you serve.
    • Seamless Video Integration: Engage visitors and establish yourself as a local authority.
    • Built-in SEO Optimization Tools: Optimize your content for organic keywords and maximize search engine visibility.
    • Backlink Tracking: Learn how to attract & analyze high-quality backlinks that boost your domain authority.
    • Testimonial Management System: Showcase positive client experiences and build trust easily.
    • High-Quality, Authoritative Content: Access a library of proven content templates and writing guides.

    Ready to gain a trusted partner in your SEO efforts and start attracting more highly motivated sellers?

    Get a free Carrot website demo today and see how we can help you stop losing deals to an underperforming website!

  • The 90/10 Rule for the (Beyond) Full-time Investor

    The 90/10 Rule for the (Beyond) Full-time Investor

    When an entrepreneur with a family and a full-time, W-2 job says he’s “busy,” that’s an understatement.

    It’s probably one of the less ideal situations to be in when taking up a business venture. I know, because I’m there. It’s difficult on the family as well… if you don’t do it right.

    So, how does the head of the family, who is paying the bills, raising his children, and sharing the responsibility of the household, all while trying to get a “side-hustle” going, manage everything?

    Well, the simple answer is the 80/20 rule.

    10 Game-Changing Business Leadership Statistics

    What is the 80/20 rule?

    The rule itself is pretty simple.

    Pareto Principle

    Also called the Pareto Principle, says that 80% of an output constitutes 20% of an input. It’s an observable theory in nature. For instance, you can find that 80% of the land in a certain area can be owned by 20% of the population. Or 80% of sales in a company come from 20% of the sales staff.

    So, because we know this is often the case in our daily lives as well, you can control this and achieve better and higher output by focusing on that 20% that is actually producing most of the results. For example, if most of your deals come from door knocking then it would be wise to focus most of your energy on that. If 20% of your friends are the ones that give you 80% of your happiness, then you should hang around that 20% more often.

    Of course, this rule can be difficult to practice consistently in real life, especially for those with lives that are extremely busy like a father with 3 kids, a husband, and a job that demands 50-60 hours per week.

    The 80/20 rule should be 90/10 rule

    The Pareto Principle goes even further.

    You can even find in some areas that 90% of results come from 10% of output. I first saw this principle in Perry Marshall’s book “80/20 Sales and Marketing”

    Realistically, the 80/20 rule should be 90/10 for those that are extremely tight on time. Because even that 20% will be hard to fit into a life of work and family. So we have to restrict even further in order to have happy lives at home.

    For those of you in that chaotic reality like me, a lot of online entrepreneurial advice can be dangerous. Especially advice on “grinding it out” non-stop, or quitting a w-2 job (thanks, Gary). I’m not the one to give any more advice other than my opinion on that issue, because I haven’t quit my w-2 and don’t plan on it anytime soon. But I can give advice on how to make a more efficient use of your restricted time, to actually drive you toward your goals… while having a happy life at home.

    So, the below advice isn’t a “how to quit your job for your business” type of article, but a how to use the 90/10 principle and apply it to your busy-as-heck-family-man entrepreneurial life piece. So, from my experience, my trials and errors, here are 3 important things you can do to practice the 90/10 rule when time is a constraint and have a happier, less stressful time at home.

    8 Real Estate Lead Generation Ideas That Will Change The Way You Do Business

    1. Get Rid of What’s “Important”

    The number one advice for forward progression in your business without increasing your stress levels is to get rid of stuff in your life.

    My wife is very into the “minimalism” movement. Basically, minimalism teaches to get rid of anything that you don’t love. It lessens the amount of stuff you have and teaches you to enjoy the things you love. The same lesson can be taught in business.

    When you ask an entrepreneur, “What’s the most important task right now?” They can rarely choose 1-2 things. That’s because “everything” is important. But that kind of thinking ends up cluttering priorities, overwhelming the host, and stalling business growth.

    Focus on what’s important.

    What’s amazing about our brain is that when you focus on one thing, the outside peripheral world disappears so that we can solely focus on the target. It’s a built-in evolutionary trait of survival. There are many exercises that show how when we focus on a single image long enough, peripheral images start to disappear and the focused image becomes sharper and clearer.

    This phenomenon is called the Troxler Effect. And the concept applies to business as well. I learned this from Gary Bencivenga –“the greatest living copywriter” – in his teaching at the Titans of Direct Response seminar. He said that when we focus our attention on ONE thing/desire/goal/task, then our brains use all mental energy to solving that ONE thing; even doing it at a subconscious level (if you’ve read “Think and Grow Rich” you know what I’m talking about).

    The completion of that one thing is smoother, sharper and faster. This is the essence of the 90/10 principle.

    Instead of trying to do everything, ask yourself, “what are the 2-3 tasks that make me money in my business?” After all, you’re an entrepreneur (whether you like it or not) and “making money” is your primary goal.

    To do this, you have to start with what’s not the most important tasks.

    This takes hard thinking. Because everything at first is “important.” However, ask yourself, “What are the tasks that aren’t driving my business forward?” For instance, learning how to manage an AdWords campaign is probably not the best use of your time. It takes time to learn, and for a family person, time is the most precious resource. Same with trying to learn online marketing (very few investors become successful with online lead generation right from the beginning as a newbie entrepreneur).

    So, if your primary goal is to find deals, then focusing on the tasks that get you in front of sellers is the only task you should be worried about. Even at the expense of not going to meetups, not browsing Biggerpockets, not building a Podio system, and not learning new things in Real Estate. This is, of course, assuming you already know what Real Estate strategy to venture in, and you know how to analyze deals. If you don’t know, then that’s your focused task for a period of time.

    Take my plan of action in my business, for example, the info-publishing industry. Because I’m a father of 3 and a husband, as well as a passive investor, I need to eliminate the unnecessary tasks and focus on what moves my business forward which is creating content weekly. That alone drives my business forward each time. Creating content has the most impact because it contributes to traffic and product development.

    2. Choose the Most Impactful Task

    Like the most powerful task in my business, so should you choose the task that has the most impact. In your real estate venture, it could be door knocking or cold calling. This does two things; it gets you in front of sellers faster than any other marketing media, which means getting a deal faster, it gets you to practice and learn how to negotiate and build rapport the quickest.

    I know this sounds elementary, but we get so carried away with petty tasks that don’t move you forward. You should be choosing tasks that have an impact. Tasks that accomplish multiple things (if possible) and that get you to your primary goal the fastest.

    3. Set Controllable Goals

    This isn’t another “10x your goals” advice. There’s plenty of articles on how you should dream bigger. Instead, we should be reducing our goals.

    It’s ok to have massive goals. But having that big goal does nothing. It sits there, making you upset when you don’t reach your “millionaire status” in one year. Instead of huge unattainable goals, turn those into small bite size goals you can actually control.

    Here’s what I mean.

    You can’t really control if you’re going to flip 12 houses this year. You can’t even necessarily control if you’ll get a deal this month. But you are in complete control of the tasks that can get you to that goal. Once you figure out what the most impactful tasks are, those tasks will be your new “bite-size” goal.

    For example, let’s choose door knocking as the most impactful task. Let’s say that on average you (or people in your industry) get a deal after 200 doors knocked. Well then, that’s your new goal. Spread it out evenly to 50 door-knocks a week, and now you have an attainable and realistic goal for the week.

    At the end of the week, when you accomplish those 50 doors, you don’t have to worry about hitting that bigger goal of getting one deal a month anymore. You did all you can for the week and went after your goal while achieving it. If you finish early and you have extra time in the week, you can either spend it with family or choose some other impactful task for the business.

    What if you don’t reach your bigger goal of one deal a month? Well, first off, you’ll be less stressed and upset with yourself because you did all that you expected yourself to do (door knock 50 doors a week). Then you need to re-evaluate your small-bite-size goal. Is it too small of a number? Are you door knocking in the wrong places? Are you losing deals because of your lack of skill?

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    More Time Doing What You Love – Less Guilt While Doing it.

    As I mentioned, this isn’t a “how-to-quit-your-job” or “how-to-be-successful” piece. And, the 90/10 rule doesn’t guarantee any success. But it does guarantee that you spend more time with your family (or whatever matters most in life to you) and live stress-free not worrying or getting overwhelmed.

    It also guarantees that you focus on moving your business forward. “Forward” doesn’t necessarily mean success, but it does mean constant progression which leaves you with a much better chance of success than stagnation and distraction.