Search engines go to great lengths to keep their search algorithms a secret. But several companies try to sell you on the fact that they can instantly boost your search engine rank. Many times, those companies use techniques that try to trick the search engine into giving you a top rank. That hurts rankings, rather than helping them.

The most reliable way to help your ranking is to fill your site with content that is unique and specific to the areas that you appraise in. XSites give you the tools to easily customize your content so you don't have to rely on expensive, risky schemes to get your site ranked.

What do the search engines look for?
Search engines crawl your XSite and index the words you have on your pages. The more specific you are, the higher your chances of being ranked at the top of a consumer's specific search. For example, there are thousands of sites out there that talk about "real estate appraisers". If your content is that generic, you'll be competing with thousands of other sites and you probably won't ever get in the top rankings like you need to be. The more specific and relevant your content is, the better your chances for getting a top ranking.

It's easy to add relevant content to your XSite
The XSites content editor works just like your favorite word processing programs. All you have to do is type the content you want to use and hit save. But before you get started, you'll want to remember a few things that will help your rankings:

Write from the consumer's point of view — It never hurts to claim something generic like "Central Florida Real Estate Appraiser" as your expertise, but you also need to list the particular counties you work in. A consumer wouldn't search for "central Florida real estate appraiser" on a search engine. They would use terms like "Orange county real estate appraiser". While including generic content won't hurt your rankings, be sure to include the specific hooks that appeal to the specific searches you want to be identified with.
Write multiple pages of content — Search engines index more than just your home page. So you should use multiple pages to talk about several popular appraisal topics or maybe even the types of appraisals you specialize in. You'll reap the rewards by climbing the ranks in multiple keyword searches.
Update your content often - Search engines record how often your site is updated so they know how "fresh" your content is. Try setting aside just 30 minutes each week to update your site. It's really easy to do and you'll be glad you did when you see your site climbing the search engine ladder.

Get Started Now!

	Log into your XSites admin area using your username and password and Click on the XSite icon at the top of the My Office screen. You're now on Step 1 of the XSites Wizard.
	Click the "My Content" link on the left side of the screen. It's about halfway down in the navigation list.
	When the content list opens, click any of the content links to edit our pre-written content. Or click the "Your Custom Pages" tab and then click "Add New Page" to create completely new content. You can type as much content as you want. Remember, unique, specific, and relevant is best.

More tips coming soon
There's a lot more to the content editor than just simple word processing. You can set page descriptions, meta-tags, and keywords in the content editor, too. We'll talk more about those tools in the near future.

If you want to learn even more about search engines, visit our Appraiser Training page and get registered for the online webinar class, "Driving Traffic to your XSite" on July 26th at 7:00 PM Central time. If you have any questions about other features, you can always contact our tech support department toll-free at 1-800-211-4514. We're here for you 24 x 7 x 365.