Just wanted to take a quick survey. Do you think the visitors to your website actually read the content or do they go straight for the homes and MLS info?

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jason + associates
DwellAtlanta.Com
Solid Source Realty Inc.
iPhone 404.895.9618

I live and breathe Atlanta Real Estate with a specilization in Buckhead Real Estate
and Atlanta Condos. Your referrals will be treated with the utmost care and consideration and are always greatly appreciated.

I would say out of town people probably do but locals go right to MLS or featured listings.

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Michael Trinchitella
Associate Real Estate Broker
e-PRO certified Internet Expert
RE/Max Classic Realty - Yorktown Heights, NY
Putnam & Westchester County NY Real Estate

Mahopac NY Real Estate | Northern Westchester County Condos | The Preserve at Somers

That is what I was thinking. I am going to put the IDX search at the top with the content at the bottom.

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jason + associates
DwellAtlanta.Com
Solid Source Realty Inc.
iPhone 404.895.9618

I live and breathe Atlanta Real Estate with a specilization in Buckhead Real Estate
and Atlanta Condos. Your referrals will be treated with the utmost care and consideration and are always greatly appreciated.

The way us folks at REW like to do it, is a teaser bit of unique content at the top with a read more link for a named anchor to the bottom of the page, if you have some nice photos of the area, you can use one here, then the IDX snippets, then the rest of the content - here is an example of one I did recently for Eddy Kicker http://www.eddykicker.com/downtown-g...ea-information (Warning lots of custom work went into that layout, you will need some html skill to make it look so spiffy

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Webmasters who spend their energies upholding the spirit of the basic principles [Of Google] will provide a much better user experience and subsequently enjoy better ranking than those who spend their time looking for loopholes they can exploit. Google.com

good idea. I like how the content is split up.

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jason + associates
DwellAtlanta.Com
Solid Source Realty Inc.
iPhone 404.895.9618

I live and breathe Atlanta Real Estate with a specilization in Buckhead Real Estate
and Atlanta Condos. Your referrals will be treated with the utmost care and consideration and are always greatly appreciated.

I'd say not all people read the content the first time they're on your site. But there are a lot of content readers out there. I've got a couple of calls recently from people viewing my website. They liked how my site flowed and was easy to read, and that was their reason for using my services.

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Dylan Darling
Search for Bend Oregon real estate and all Central Oregon homes for sale. Bend OR homes for sale.

What is important to realize, is that although there are percentages higher than others (I completely agree, and stats will show, that the majority of search engine users go directly to the access to available inventory points) there is still a smaller % that does enjoy reading detailed quality and unique content, still more that want to look at pretty pictures and media etc, A great site presents a great and appropriate balance.

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Webmasters who spend their energies upholding the spirit of the basic principles [Of Google] will provide a much better user experience and subsequently enjoy better ranking than those who spend their time looking for loopholes they can exploit. Google.com

I agree. Thats why most of us have the "Property Search" on the top of the first page. I only have a button, because mine is redirected, but it's still easy to find. I'd say the layout plays a big role in whether or not people read your content. If you want people to read it, make it easy for them to read- Bullets, Bolds, Headings, Photos, etc.

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Dylan Darling
Search for Bend Oregon real estate and all Central Oregon homes for sale. Bend OR homes for sale.

I figure that people are primarily looking for the listings, so that's definitely the emphasis on my site. However, every page of unique content is one more page that a visitor can find in a search engine to visit your site.

Eddy's site has a pretty nifty layout BTW.

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Portland Real Estate | Portland MLS | Portland General Contractor
Milan Cole, Broker
Oregon First
(503) 953-3416

People don't read content. They don't care what you have to say. They just want to know if the service you're offering is both beneficial and affordable. I can tell on my click through stats.

The first think I learned is to give the meat upfront. Once they find my site beneficial, visitors begin to explore more, then are converted to regulars.

What works for me is an slightly informative or even slightly vague homepage with search area and having article links near by in case they want to read more.

Something eye-catching like a rotating ticker with article titles would probably get their attention if you feel strongly about it..