As of January 1st, 2017, Point2 will be moving all of its clients away from their in house blog to a WordPress model. Like any change, it has has pros and cons. The purpose of this blog is to help you understand what will be different, and how to get the most out of your new Point2 WordPress blog.
How will the New Point2 WordPress Blog affect you?
One of the most important things to know, is that the new blog is a completely separate site. For example: CyberKazoo.com and Blog.CyberKazoo.com. Even though the URLs are similar, Google and other search engines does not consider them the same. This is very important!
The old Point2 blog used an automated feature which reposted new listings, using the listing description for the text of the blog. Because the blog is now a separate site, it must have its own original content. This means that using the same listing description from your main Point2 site may be frowned upon, or even penalized by search engines.
Another thing to consider, is that posting text, images and other resources in WordPress is a little different than in Point2. It will be important to learn how to navigate the new tools, or to have access to a professional who can guide you through the process. For those of you who would rather stick to selling houses, CyberKazoo offers blog upgrades, professional training, written resources (like this blog), and sponsored blog posts. Check out our Point2 WordPress Blog Portfolio to see some examples of our work.
What is the Best Blogging Strategy?
To get the most out of your Point2 WordPress blog, keep these key points in mind. These habits will make your Point2 Blog a useful tool for traffic generation.
Google has raised the bar web search. They will only point their users to the best sites, based on SEO best practices. Here is a list of what you can do to get the most of our your Point2 WordPress blog:
- Post at least once a month, preferably 2 or 3 times per month. Search engines want to see that your site is regularly updated. Posting regularly will help improve your ranking for your area and keywords.
- Post quality, original content. This means that copying and pasting a listing description is NOT the best strategy. If you want to promote a listing, write a fresh description for the blog, then add your best images and link to the listing page.
- Tag images, embed videos, use market specific keywords, and link back to your site. All of these things will keep users engaged. They will also help generate traffic for other pages that you have.
- Promote your Blog via Social Media. Experiment with creative ways to drive traffic back to your blog and your site. Like social media, your blog can discuss more than just what you have for sale. It is a good way to connect with your audience on a human level. Talk about local festivals, events and the reasons why people like to move or retire to your area.
The goal of the blog is to drive traffic to your main site and improve its reputation in search engines. Search engines are always improving their standards for what is considered quality content. Following these guidelines, or working with a team that does will help improve your results.
How do I post in my Point2 WordPress Blog?
At the bottom of the online office page there is a WordPress blog section.
Within the blog dashboard you will select the Posts tab in the left column. Under Posts there is an Add New button that will allow you to make a new blog entry.
When choosing a title for your blog, make sure to use some keywords that your target audience will be searching for. For Example: “Beautiful Beachfront Home in Puerto Vallarta!” Or “Why More People Choose to Retire in Puerto Rico”.
You can add your own images or videos using the Add Media button. Remember to add a short 2-5 word description as well as a image alternative tag. Both of these should include the same keywords you are using for the blog entry. Once you have your desired photo with both a description text and alternative text. select Insert into post button lower right corner.
When creating content, there is a visual tab and a text tab. The text tab is made for people who understand and wish to use HTML. The visual tab is for those who prefer to just type and have WordPress add the code for them. A better result can be be achieved if you know how to use HTML, but WordPress makes it easy for a non-technical person to post.
The final step will to select a featured photo for the new blog post. The featured photo is the image that will show in the preview on your main blog page. To select a featured image you will need to Featured Image widget on the right side of the page. Select Set Featured Image. This will allow you to choose from all uploaded blog images. Your featured image should already be uploaded and have the description and alternative text. If not, upload it now. From there you can select the desired image and save.
Want to Blog Like a Pro?
CyberKazoo specializes in all things Point2. The Point2 WordPress blog is one of the many ways we can help improve your brand and web presence. If you are ready to take your blog to the next level, look no further. Contact us today!