Happy Birthday Phoenix Area Real Estate Blog

It has been exactly one year since the first post here at the Phoenix Area Real Estate Blog.  To be honest, it feels like much longer than just 1 year.  This blog started on somewhat of a whim.  I was a bit bored, to be honest, as my normal marketing approach was to send printed newsletters out, which at one time resulted in approximately one new listing per month.  That’s what had always worked in the past, but suddenly I had gone 6 months with 18,000 newsletters sent, and the phone had hardly rung, much less had I managed to secure a listing.

At the same time, my very lame “business card” web site (now defunct) had yet to result any type of measurable business, although there were occasional visits from readers of the newsletter.  An article in REALTOR magazine regarding blogging intrigued me, and I thought, “what an interesting way to help boost my lame web site”.  (Although at the time, I had yet to realize it was so lame).  I didn’t actually know anything about blogging, but I had my own server, an internet connection,  and figured, “your smart, you’ll figure it out quick enough”.

As has been the case throughout much of my life, I made good decisions when presented with choices, based on very little experience, knowledge, or even research.  I call it intuition, combined with luck.  I was lucky that I chose to use WordPress (the only blogging platform offered by Debian Linux).  I was lucky that I chose Chris Pearson’s Cutline 3 theme (which was the first and currently only theme I’ve used, although I’m considering changing it to Chris Pearson’s Thesis).  I was lucky that I linked out to other bloggers on my 2nd post, when I had no earthly idea that this could cause them to notice me (which they did), and offer to take me under their wings (for which I’m ever thankful).  I was lucky to avoid egregious blunders, like finding the ire of those whom shall be left nameless, while befriending those who deserve far more than my thanks. And I was lucky that while I still don’t consider myself a writer, that I write well enough that a few people read this.

And so it is that the first year has passed.  During that time, I managed to write 226 posts.  Those posts attracted enough attention to garner 507 comments, for which I further thank each and every person that took the time to comment.  These days the blog is averaging just over 100 visitors a day, which boggles my mind, quite frankly.  As a real estate agent, if you were to consider talking to 100 people a day, as a prospecting activity, you just couldn’t do it.  Yet this blog manages to do just that.

Over this last year, the #1 most read post isn’t a post at all, by a page on my property management services.  It recently passed up the 4th of July post, which managed 1506 viewers in 3 days time. Short sale posts are also quite popular, as is this post about Dan Majerle’s new restaurant at Chandler Fashion Center.  I now know it’s writing about Dan Majerle that keeps folks coming back for more.  I really should do it more often.

By far, more people visited the blog as a result of Twitter than any other referral source.  Although Trulia Voices and StumbleUpon certainly should be thanked as well.

I can’t ignore Google, as I consider whom to thank, so what do you figure the #1 search term used to find the blog was?  Why Saguaro of course.  That’s followed up by Dan Majerle, TPC Champions Course, and Smartphones.  Variations of Phoenix Real Estate actually rank about the same as Saguaro…but that’s not as fun to mention.

In summary and in conclusion (to steal a line from Saturday Night Live), I’m not much into prognosticating for the next year, but here goes:  I’ll try to write more often.  I’ll try to link out more.  I’ll always try to be relevant.  Happy Birthday!

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