A dance is a way to describe a search engine's change of search results algorithms. Search engines change their results criteria for a variety of reasons, from foiling search engine optimization companies to encouraging commercial sites to advertise instead of rely on the free search engine placement results.

Google recently changed its algorithms which knocked many Realtors out of the top-ranked positions they once enjoyed, causing them to scramble and try new ideas to get them back on top again.

Google isn't about to let on what its new search results algorithms are, but that doesn't stop search engine placement experts from figuring out strategies on behalf of their clients.

Grant Gould, vice president of direct sales for Superlative, Inc. says that Google hasn't changed its algorithm, but has only laid a filter on top of it. "There's a way you can get released from the filter for one search," says Gould, "revealing the results without the filter. To see this, go to www.google.com and enter a search for 'san diego real estate.' You will then see the results that Google is displaying using the filter. Next, perform the same search, but this time include '–mt -tb.cgi' with a space following the search term; i.e. 'san diego real estate –mt-tb.cgi.' You will then see the results before the filter was put up.

"What this means is that Google has not made a permanent change to their algorithm; they are only filtering out preselected sites on search terms they have selected for reasons one can only speculate," says Gould.

Trainer Allen F. Hainge has a partnership with Sizzlingstudios.com, run by Web designer and site placement specialist Sandy Teller. According to Allen, Sandy says, "No one outside of Google really knows what's going on, but much of the speculation is that Google has seriously penalized many commercial search terms including 'real estate.' Many of the SEO (search engine optimization) gurus believe the reason for this is to push commercial sites into paid advertising using Google's AdWords program. Since Google is preparing for an IPO, generating cash would be beneficial from their perspective. However, the search results returned to users have been seriously compromised and are in many cases no longer accurate."

Hainge quotes Teller, "The sites that seem to have been most affected are those that were 'overly optimized,' sites with many incoming links containing the exact keyword phrase, domain name and title tags using the exact keyword phrase, alt attributes containing the exact keyword phrase, very high keyword phrase density, internal links containing the exact keyword phrase, etc.

"If you want to see how your site was affected, you can do so at www.scroogle.org," suggests Teller. "Enter your keyword phrase and click on 'SEARCH.' When the results appear, in Internet Explorer click on 'EDIT' (upper left) then 'FIND.' Type your domain name in the box and click on 'Find Next.' The top half of the page contains the 'old' results (sites removed from the top 100). The bottom half of the page shows the results as they are now, after the algorithm change."

Advises Hainge, "The consensus amongst the experts seems to be: don't panic and rush to undo all the optimization (unless you have been spamming or doing something entirely illegal!). Wait to see what happens when Google settles down. The last major update at Google took several months to stabilize. It always has been and always will be about making your site the most informative, user-friendly, and content-rich it can be. Just move forward in improving your site without any tricks or deceptive practices. And be glad you aren't a retailer depending on e-commerce for the Christmas season! A lot of those folks have lost the biggest selling season of the year."

Lawrence Schoeffler, COO and VP of marketing and product development for Best Image Marketing, says, "Search engine optimization is only one of the strategies we employ to generate traffic to our clients' webites, which include pay-per-click, banner advertising, listings distribution, directory placements and more. Consequently, queries to our database show overall lead generation across our network of 1500 client websites has remained stable during the ongoing Google 'dance' -- as these changes are called. In addition, traffic across our system has also remained stable, staying within seasonal variations for this time of year. We'll know more after a couple additional weeks of data. And the current Google dance is still evolving.

"Our sites are optimized deep and wide (multiple relevant search terms and phrases across all major engines using a broad array of proven techniques)," explains Schoeffler, "as opposed to shallow and narrow (few terms and phrases targeting one or two engines using one or two questionable techniques). We've been doing this since the mid-90s so we are experienced with the constant ups and downs of search engine changes. I've had many conversations with our search engine analysts about the latest Google dance, and read many formal and informal communications on the Web about it, from optimizers in the trenches to agents in the dumps."

He reveals, "Some are doing better as a result of the latest change. Many are saying all the small independent sites have vanished. Many are saying the results themselves appear to have suffered in overall quality. Some say the changes are only being applied to the most competitive and/or commercial phrases. Some are saying Google is switching from 'Page Rank' to 'HITS' ranking algorithms."

Glenn Sanford, a Realtor in the Pacific Northwest says that for all the hoopla, his sites have continued to do okay on Google.

"I believe there are a couple of reasons why Realtors were dropped off of Google," he says.

1. "All of the reciprocal linking was done with other (out of area) real estate agents. As a result, the search term real estate is relevant, however, the prefix (city name) isn't since other city name sites are not typically linking in any quantity to the website.

Sites like the local newspaper which have real estate listings in their classified sections as well as sites like Yahoo! which list multiple agents for a given city tend to get better linkage since there are typically a number of hobbyist sites in the area who link to these sites.

2. Google also has an installed user base of Google toolbar users. It is speculation, based on how some of my sites have moved up and down the Google ladder, however, it seems that the sites that have the most repeat visitors tend to move higher in the engines and those that have a lower number of repeat visitors have moved down the list. Ultimately sites like Realtor.com have moved up the list as well as sites which centralize a number of relevant links to the community."

Sanford says, "I have faired very well during the Google shake-out. I still retain the number one position in Google for the search term "Bellingham Real Estate," whereas my local competitors who were in the number two and number three positions on Google have completely dropped off the list. In my opinion the replacement sites are less relevant then my previous competitors, so right now I'm a happy camper.

"It looks like the template-based websites have been some of the hardest hit. Sites provided by some companies seem to be relatively nonexistent and those without IDX capabilities are gone in almost every major market," observes Sanford.

Published: December 10, 2003

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Blanche Evans is the award-winning senior editor of Realty Times, the Internet's leading independent real estate news service. She is featured daily on the Realty Times Video Network in the "Realty Viewpoint" segment. Blanche has been named one of the "25 Most Influential People In Real Estate" by REALTOR Magazine, and has been twice recognized as a "notable." In 2005, she was named "Top Reporter Covering the NAR" by Delahaye-Bacon's. Blanche is a renowned author of five real estate books. Her newest, Bubbles, Booms and Busts: Make Money In Any Real Estate Market, McGraw-Hill, was rave-reviewed by The New York Times. She was also selected from hundreds of real estate experts to contribute to Donald Trump's book, Trump: The Best Real Estate Advice I Ever Received: 100 Top Experts Share Their Strategies, Rutledge Hill Press, and is featured on page 68. Order Now Review - Honors In 2006, Blanche was selected among scores of candidates to author two consumer real estate guidebooks for the National Association of Realtors: The NAR Guide to Home Buying, and The NAR Guide to Home Selling, Wiley & Sons. She is currently planning two new books for the NAR and its members.       Known for her keen insight into real estate industry issues and for her ability to make complex subjects easy to understand, Blanche is a sought-after keynote and continuing education speaker. Real estate organizations from MLSs, to brokerages, to franchisors, to associations hire her to provide up-to-the-minute analysis of real estate industry news and advice on how to improve revenues. Her passionate delivery, peppered with stinging wit, is a huge hit with audiences and fans. Don Klein, CEO Greater Nashville Association of Realtors, Blanche Evans, Richard Courtney, president 2007, GRAR "The GNAR membership meeting last week featured Blanche Evans as the keynote speaker. Her comments and insights resonated extremely well with those in attendance and we have had many requests for copies of her PowerPoint Presentation. She was a terrific part of the membership meeting and convention program!" - Don Klein, CEO Greater Nashville Association of Realtors Coverage from WSMV, Nashville - 8-14-2007 That Interview Guy - Get Inside The Head Of Today's Generation 2007 AE Institute Session - To purchase 2006 AE Institute Session - Parts 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 HouseValues Mastermind call - Parts 1 2 Blanche's fireside chat with Jeremy Conaway, HAR - Click here. To contact Blanche, email her at . For more articles by Blanche, click here.