Getting Indexed by Search Engines

If you read a lot of articles, guides, tutorials and any other materials about basic search engine optimization, getting indexed to search engines is the most important part of SEO after you've created your site and optimized its content.

What will you do after you've uploaded those web pages, optimized the content as well as your meta tags? Getting listed in SERPs of course! Here's what learned about indexing web pages:

Submitting to Search Engines

Many would say that submitting your home page to search engines is just a waste of time. Well, if your trying to submit on all those search engines then you really are just wasting your time. You can still do this method but my advice is to submit only to what webmasters' call “The Big Three”, namely Google, Yahoo and Bing (former MSN).

You can still get your web pages indexed without having to do this method. There are other ways, which I think are much better, that can help you get your site indexed and faster.

The Power of Social Bookmarking

If you haven't heard if Digg.com or StumbleUpon.com then you're way behind in search engine optimization. These are samples of a social bookmarking sites which is similar to the ordinary bookmark tool we have in our web browsers' menu bar. The difference between the ordinary bookmarking and with social bookmarking are:

• you can access your bookmarks on any computer you use just by registering an account;
• and share your bookmarked sites/links with other people.

Why Should I Submit to Social Bookmarking Sites?

Here are the reasons I've learned why we should submit to social bookmarking sites:

1. For fast indexing - high traffic social bookmarking sites are more frequently visited by search engine spiders. If you submit your site, the higher the chance you have getting indexed.
2. For traffic - people love interesting topics, important news, humor and tutorials.
3. Increase more traffic - posts on Digg, and other social bookmarking sites, also appears in SERP, giving you an even higher chance of web visibility!

Social Networking Sites

Do you like Facebook or Twitter? These are social networking sites where you can add links to a post. Isn't that great?! Now the key to the successful use of social networking sites is you got to have lots of friends; mingle with other members, join different groups, share your profile and be active, don't just login to your account to post a link. This link building technique is very helpful if you use it properly.

I find social bookmarking and networking as a part of link building techniques that you can both use for work and have fun at the same time. Because you get to meet other webmasters doing link building of their own, you can exchange SEO tips and secrets, and the normal internet users you can interact with while doing work. And best of all you can even earn extra income by offering link building services to companies/sites that needs help with their search engine rankings.

Sitemaps

There are two types of sitemaps we can use, the XML and HTML sitemaps.

XML Sitemap - This sitemap is used to inform search engines of pages that are available for crawling in a website.

HTML Sitemap - This sitemap is for your visitors. It is used as a guide/navigation for visitors who are looking for a specific page, product or service you might be offering.

Now, you'll find these search engine optimization techniques quite easy to learn and do. Submitting your site or blog to the big three search engines can take you at least five minutes to do, social bookmarking and networking can be time consuming but it's all worth it, and submitting sitemaps to search engines is a must-do if you want to get all your web pages indexed.

Nofollow and Noindex on Robots.txt and Meta Tags

I know a lot of you are wondering what's the difference between the “nofollow” and “noindex” in the robots.txt file and the ones declared on the meta tags. Some search engine optimization specialists claims that there's no difference while others believe that one method is less valuable than the other.

You can ask it out on several webmaster/SEO forums, but you'll just get mixed responses. In here, I will give you the REAL answer! According to Eric Enge's interview with Google's software engineer Matt Cutts way back in 2007, there are differences in using NoIndex, NoFollow, and Robots.txt.

In The Robots.txt File

Even if you restrict Google's spider from indexing certain pages of your website, they can still accumulate page rank. For example, if you disallow the crawling of your “About Us” page yet your homepage links to it, PR juice is still passed on.

In addition, websites that disallow crawling can still accumulate page rank and be visible in search results. Why? If another website links to it, PR juice will be passed on. Google can sometimes use the information of a website submitted to ODP (also known as DMOZ) in order to display it on their results page, or when another website links to it.

In The Meta Tag

Let's understand what Nofollow and Noindex really means.

The Nofollow is usually used on outgoing links, when declared in the meta tag, it means “do not follow all links on this page.” With this, you are also telling the spider not to pass PR juice. However, the nofollow on the meta tag also applies to your links that points to the other pages of your website. This also means that you are depriving the flow of PR juice to some of your pages.

On the other hand, the Noindex means, “do not index this page.” Pages with noindex can still accumulate page rank if a there's a dofollow link pointing to that page.

Dofollow is the opposite of Nofollow - a link with no “nofollow” attribute assigned means it's a dofollow link. A term used by webmasters and SEO experts.

To sum it all up:

• NoFollow means you're telling the search engine spider not to follow a link and also not to pass PR juice to that link.
• NoIndex means you're telling the search engine spider not to index your website or webpage and not to show it on SERP.
• The website or webpage in a Nofollow link can still gain PR if another site links to it without the nofollow attribute.
• Pages with the Noindex tag can still gain PR if another site links to it without a nofollow attribute.
• Pages with the Noindex tag can still be visible on SEPR using the information collected from ODP (DMOZ) or when another website links to it using a dofollow link.
• Nofollow attribute on the meta tag of a webpage, applies to all the links on that page.
• Nofollow attribute on any link applies only to that link.

So whether you use the Robots.txt or the Meta Tag, the results are still the same. The reason why Robots.txt is mostly used is because “it is the fundamental method of putting up an electronic no trespassing sign that people have used since 1996,” and it's much easier to declare which pages of your website not to crawl instead of placing the NoIndex code manually on individual pages' meta tags.

Commonly, SEO services do provide complete analysis of a website as well as recommendations. So whenever you are looking for a good search engine optimization service, never forget to ask for a website analysis first, don't just jump in and hire someone who said he can do SEO for your website.

Music Video: "Amazed" by Lonestar

Here's another great song, "Amazed" by Lonestar! The first time I heard this, It felt like, "yeah, just another lovey dovey song..." But when the time came that I fell deeply in love, I suddenly realized how meaningful and touching this song was! It moved me, really!

This hit single is included in the "Lonely Girl" album, made Lonestar the first country act to top both the Hot Country Songs and Hot 100 charts since 1983 (Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton's "Islands in the Stream").

Enjoy the music video from youtube!

Lyrics (please correct me if it's wrong):

Every time our eyes meet

This feeling inside me

Is almost more than I can take

Baby when you touch me

I can feel how much you love me

And it just blows me away

I've never been this close to anyone or anything

I can hear your thoughts

I can see your dreams

I don't know how you do what you do

I'm so in love with you

It just keeps getting better

I want to spend the rest of my life

With you by my side

Forever and ever

Every little thing that you do

Baby, I'm Amazed by you

The smell of your skin

The taste of your kiss

The way you whisper in the dark

Your hair all around me

Baby you surround me

You touch every place in my heart

Oh, it feels like the first time, every time

I want to spend the whole night in your eyes

I don't know how you do what you do

I'm so in love with you

It just keeps getting better

I want to spend the rest of my life

With you by my side

Forever and ever

Every little thing that you do

Baby, I'm Amazed by you

Every little thing that you do

Every little thing that you do

I'm so in love with you

It just keeps getting better

I want to spend the rest of my life

With you by my side

Forever and ever

Every little thing that you do

Oh, Every little thing that you do

Baby, I'm amazed by you

Title: Amazed

Artist: Lonestar

Here's why many women today still thinks having a relationship SUCKS

Girl, how do you know you're special to him?

-- He shows it to you. You feel it.

Boy, how do you show she's special to you?

-- You show it! You put effort in making her smile.

Girl, but how can you tell you're special when all he says is that you are 'special' but lacks that action to prove it?

-- uhmmm...

Boy, WTF is wrong with showing a little appreciation with your girl by doing something special? It doesn't have to be expensive, even the most simplest thing can mean the whole world to your girl... Dumb-ass!

-- uhmmm...

*Here's why many women today still thinks having a relationship SUCKS*

What is Search Engine Optimization (SEO)?

As the Google Webmasters' Guide tells us:

SEO is an acronym for "search engine optimization" or "search engine optimizer."

Basically, SEO is the method or strategy used by webmasters to improve their website's ranking in Search Engines (SE) in order to increase traffic and sales. Basic things such as review of web content and structure, are a part of SEO.

It's in the early 1990's where website owners began to realize that having their sites highly visible in SERPs (Search Engine Results Page) brings them more traffic and sales.

People who began to notice this have created techniques to manipulate Search Engines. Spamming and hacking Search Engines' algorithm were the main idea at that time, though it was highly discouraged by Search Engine Owners.

Due to this, the banning and decreasing of website rankings began. The people who did the aforementioned unethical way to increase their rankings realized that by following Search Engine's guidelines, they can also come up with satisfactory results, all that they need is patience.

Search Engines were made to provide quality information to its users, that's why they fight back and bite hard those webmasters who practices SEO the wrong way.

The Little Girl On A Plane

Category: Humor - Little Girl Jokes

A stranger was seated next to a little girl on the airplane when the stranger turned to her and said, 'Let's talk. I've heard that flights go quicker if you strike up a conversation with your fellow passenger.'

The little girl, who had just opened her book, closed it slowly and said to the stranger, 'What would you like to talk about?'

'Oh, I don't know,' said the stranger. 'How about nuclear power?' and he smiles.

OK, 'she said.. 'That could be an interesting topic. But let me ask you a question

first. A horse, a cow, and a deer all eat the same stuff - grass - . Yet a deer excretes little pellets, while a cow turns out a flat patty, and a horse produces clumps of dried grass. Why do you suppose that is?'

The stranger, visibly surprised by the little girl's intelligence, thinks about it and says, 'Hmmm, I have no idea.'

To which the little girl replies, 'Do you really feel qualified to discuss nuclear power when you don't know shit? *She then open her book. *

The 1st SEO Philippines Grand Eyeball 2010

Got this info from my Facebook account. It's the 1st SEO Philippines Grand Eyeball 2010, which will be held in Pasig City. All Search Engine Optimization (SEO) practitioners are encouraged to come and have a wonderful event with fellow SEO's all over the Philippines.

Event Location

The 1st SEO Philippines Grand Eyeball 2010 Event will take place at 30F UnionBank Plaza, Meralco Avenue Ortigas Center, Pasig City.

Event Date and Time

Start Time: Saturday, June 12, 2010 at 6:00pm

End Time: Sunday, June 13, 2010 at 4:00am

Event Page on Facebook

You can visit their Facebook Event Page to join the discussions, you might even find some new friends there as well ^_^

Registration

The message sent to me says:

Please register for the 1st Grand EyeBall of SEOPH. Those who will attend, or even might attend or will not attend, please click and register on the form provided below.


This form will also serve as a record for Official Listings of SEO practitioners in the Philippines.

You may register here. Registration is worth 1,000 pesos (includes the payment for the venue and food).

What You'll Learn

1. Search Engine Optimization
   Tips
   SEO Link Building Strategy
   SEO Tools(Link Building tools and Automation)
2. Advance Blogging Techniques
   Tips
   SEO Link Building Strategy
   SEO Tools(Link Building tools and Automation)
3. Social Media Marketing
   Tips
   Social Media Marketing Strategy
   Social Media Tools
4. Link Building
   Tips
   Link Building Strategy
   Link Wheel
   Link Building Tools(Traditional and Automated)
5. Email Marketing
   Tips
   Email Marketing Techniques
6. Affiliate Marketing
   Affiliate+PPC
   Affiliate+SEO
   PPC+Affiliate+Email Marketing
7. PPC
   Tips
   Adwords
   PPC Explain
8. Domaining
   Tips
   Domain Types
   Domain Parking
   Monetization
9. The Q & A: Ask and let the masters answer!

Don't Have the Cash?

Well now, not all SEO practitioners in the Philippines share the same salary rate. Whether you're working for an outsourcing company, local, or doing freelance, there are still some of us who just can't find enough cash to join this grand event. Here's a few options you can do:

• Get a Sponsor
  You can ask your supervisor, manager, or even your team leader if your company can sponsor you. This SEO event will not only benefit you, but also your client! Tell them that!
• Cash Advance or Salary Deduction
  In case you don't have the money right now but really want to attend, ask your HR department for a cash advance or salary deduction on your salary.
• Last Resort
  Borrow money from a close friend or family member. I do not advise people to just borrow money from anybody, or any friend of yours. Why? Because only your family and close friends can truly understand your needs (what ever it is), and if ever you are unable to pay on time for the money lended, they can absolutely understand!

SEE YOU THERE ! ! !

The Guatemala Sinkhole: It's not a Sinkhole according to experts

Don't call the Guatemala sinkhole a sinkhole because it's not! It's a "piping feature," said by geologist, Sam Bonis.

The the 100-foot deep, 66-foot wide circular chasm that happened in Guatemala was formed after the country was hit by the Tropical storm Agatha. Also, the city's bad drainage has contributed to its formation.

According to Bonis, “Our recommendation was that this could happen again. When you have water flowing from storm water runoff, a sewage pipe, or any kind of strong flow, it eats away at the loose material. We don’t know how long it has to go on before it collapses. But once it starts collapsing, God help us.”

According to Wikipedia:

A sinkhole, also known as a sink, shake hole, swallow hole, swallet, doline or cenote, is a natural depression or hole in the surface topography caused by karst processes - the chemical dissolution of carbonate rocks. Sinkholes may vary in size from less than 1 to 300 meters (3.3 to 980 ft) both in diameter and depth, and vary in form from soil-lined bowls to bedrock-edged chasms. They may be formed gradually or suddenly, and are found worldwide. These terms are often used interchangeably though many will distinguish between those features into which a surface stream flows and those which have no such input. Only the former would be described as sinks, swallow holes or swallets. A sinkhole on a glacier is termed a moulin or glacier mill.

As you can see in the video, the hole was larger than a street intersection, and as the reports say, the whole swallowed a three-story building and a house.

Back in 2007, a similar hole had opened in Guatemala, a 330-foot-deep sinkhole that had swallowed a dozen homes and forced the evacuation of nearly 1,000 people in a crowded Guatemala City neighborhood. Sam Bonis was part of a team of geologists who studied it.

What's worse?

This could happen again! "There is an excellent potential for this to happen again. It could happen almost anywhere in the city," added Bonis.

10 Things I Really Hate About You

Boy, as much as I miss to see the smile on your face, I miss mine even more . . .

1. You made me cry

2. You broke my heart

3. You intentionally hurt me

4. You suck up to my parents

5. You lied to me

6. You made me wait for nothing

7. You destroyed my dreams

8. You took everything you can from me

9. You intentionally made my life more difficult

10. You disrespected me

Ranting about how I hate you...

i hate you like a pimple on my nose,

i hate you like my eye bags...

i hate you like the ugly scar on my leg,

i hate you like the ugly curls on my hair...

i hate you like the stupid bubble gum that sticks on my gums,

i hate you like the sun ray that stings my eyes in the morning,

i hate you like the smell of lazy people who hadn't bathe in days...

i hate you,

for meeting you,

for crossing my path...

i wish i hadn't entertained you,

i wish i hadn't loved you,

i wish i hadn't even met you...

my life would have been easier to manage then, if hadn't been for you...

Movie Trailer: Resident Evil: Afterlife (3D)

Can't wait to watch this movie! Alice (Milla Jovovich) looks meaner and feisty in Resident Evil: Afterlife (3D), I hope this movie is as good as the previous ones.

So, on September 10 this year, be ready to watch Resident Evil: Afterlife (3D)!

Check out some of the cast:

Milla Jovovich

as

"Alice"

Ali Larter

as

"Claire Redfieled"

Wentworth Miller

as

"Chris Redfield"

Spencer Locke

as

"K-Mart"

Kacey Barnfield

as

"Crystal"

Shawn Roberts

as

"Albert Wesker"

Kim Coates

as

"Bennett"

Resident Evil: Afterlife (3D) is a must-see movie in September 2010!

Is Manila Ready for an Earthquake? -- from CNN

A big NO would be my answer. I did not need to be an architect, a scientist, or a politician to answer that question. I may not have scientific calculations and reports as proof, but I am definitely sure Manila is not yet prepared for an earthquake like what happened to Haiti (7.0), Chile (8.8) and China (6.9).

Earthquakes hit without warnings, they damage and kill without exceptions, so why isn't Philippines getting ready for it when we've already seen the destruction it brought to Haiti, Chile and China recently? I sure would love to be a part of that preparation.

According to CNN, after what happened to Haiti, Chile and China, Philippines could be next. The Marikina fault is more or less ready to give in, it goes straight into the heart of Manila where 11 million people reside.

According to Mahar Lagmay, a geologist, a magnitude 7 earthquake is like detonating a thousand Nagasaki atom bombs, underneath the earth's surface along the trace of the Marikina Valley fault.

Let's face it, it's not only the Marikina Valley fault that's in danger of giving in when an earthquake hit the Philippines. There are hundreds or even thousands of houses that has cracks on its walls and floors, not to mention, the poor housing standards our country has.

Felino Palafox, one of our country's top architects, has submitted recommendations to the government on what has to be done to make Manila safer, but got no response... Now that the election draws nearer, could it really be that politics is more important than the safety of the lives of many Filipinos?

A 7.2 magnitude earthquake could probably wipe out Manila, but what if a much bigger earthquake hits us instead? What would be left of Manila then?

Watch the video below to know more!

Though what the Philippine's defense chief Norberto Gonzales said is true, "there's no 100 percent preparation for a major earthquake... despite all the preparations, there will be casualties", a preparation is all that we can do to minimize damages and casualties that a major earthquake can do.

Source: CNN

Life of a Search Engine Optimizer

As what most people would expect, we, search engine optimizers or SEO specialists live the same life on the net. You see us searching through the web for hours reading articles, joining all sorts of forums, interacting with other SEOs and even spot us on some social networking sites, but what you don’t see is that these things are a part of our job. It‘s not even half of what we do inside the office!

We may seem so similar with each other, but what really makes a search engine optimizer different from another is through the methods and strategies we use, our years of experience, and our aggressiveness when it comes to pushing our limits. Some find it easy to learn and understand what Search Engine Optimization is, everyone can be a SEO, but not everyone can be a good SEO.

Personally, I learned SEO by force and in a hard way. It was year 2007, I was a fresh grad looking for a job as a programmer. Due to many failed 3-hour programming exams (and one failed web design exam) on several companies, I ended up applying for a SEO specialist position in a small company in Pasig, where they offered me training. I was depressed and really frustrated at that time, so I took the job.

My SEO trainer made me do a lot of stuff on the internet that I never knew, like for example, blogging. Yeah I know, creating blogs is very simple; I was a shy introvert who spent most of her time locked up at home watching TV and playing Ragnarok Online, how am I supposed to know?! I was even embarrassed when my trainer instructed me to create a Gmail account and I didn’t even know where to start.

It was a very rocky road for me becoming a SEO specialist, but the moment I came to realize that this field kinda suits me, I held tight on it and instead of remaining a simple backup link builder for the big shots, I worked my way on top and became a real SEO specialist.

Let me give you an idea of what kind of life a search engine optimizer lives:

The Noob

The newbie search engine optimizer always, with a bit of fear, follows search engine guidelines, read lots of articles and join webmaster forums. It is a must for a newbie to always have his beginner’s manual whether it’s a hard or soft copy, and you may sometimes caught a newbie peeking at his fellow noob’s techniques. A newbie never spam, unless told so or forced to, and always mistakenly use his own personal info instead of using a dummy account.

The Experienced SEO Lad

By this time, this search engine optimizer has already realized that it’s much safer for him to use a dummy account. An experienced SEO has his own set of techniques and strategies, still read lots of articles, experiments on his new found skill, and definitely have his own blog. On-page optimization may still be at a learning curve, but improving, or rather, must improve.

The Somewhat Arrogant SEO

Now, this type of search engine optimizer is easy to spot. What matters is that if the arrogant SEO can prove his skills or not. The arrogant yet not so great SEO is more of a chatterbox than showing his skills, mostly caught by unprofessional writing of proposals and website analysis; or worse, can’t even write a decent proposal; and often caught by his superiors copy-pasting previous reports. On the other hand, the arrogant but skillful SEO may boast a few times but can actually deliver the goods.

The Half-Empty and Half-Full SEO

By now you are wondering, what I am taking about half-empty and half-full, I’ll explain it to you.

• There are search engine optimizers that do very well in link building, but slowly lacking on-page optimization skills;
• There are some who specializes in gathering fresh info on how to get more links, rather than how to do them;
• There are those who are more technical than others who handles on-page optimization the best, but slow on filling his quota of building links;
• and don’t forget, there are those that can part great knowledge, give excellent advice, suggest the best ideas or recommend the perfect plan, but still a junior or newbie optimizer working their way on top.

Beyond the learned skills and developed strategies, a search engine optimizer still continues to learn new ways on how to improve a website’s rank. It’s a continues learning process that gets heavy with responsibilities depending on how gradual or drastic are the changes on the web. So don’t be upset when we sometimes can’t make it to your birthday party or wedding, because the continuance of our search for knowledge is already a part of our lives the moment we became real SEOs.

House Staging Sells Faster

Here's another good tip for home sellers out there. Getting your house fixed, repainted and trimmed does help prep up the interior of your house, but house staging makes it sell even faster. House staging is the part where you, as the seller, make your house appeal more to home buyers. You may even call it 'staging an illusion', but it's what sells a house faster!

The house staging process focuses on adding the “welcome” mood inside the house, making potential buyers feel they can live in it for a long haul.

Simple House Staging for Vacant Houses

Vacant homes attracts less visitors, so professional house stagers add in a few furniture to each room just enough to showcase the room's purpose, so that potential buyers can see and feel themselves living in it.

Simple House Staging for Previously Occupied Houses

After clearing the clutter, depersonalizing, and taking care of the curb appeal: Patching up holes on the wall and repainting it isn't enough, you need to get the right color combination for each room to make it look more irresistible. Not to mention, adding flowers, fruits, scented candles, and even a little bit of music. Paying attention to color, patterns, lighting and air gives a room that homey feeling.

Here's a few tips:

• You may fancy dark a colored theme, but a house with bright rooms sell faster! So brighten up those gloomy walls and floors.
• Make things shiny by thorough cleaning! Make the windows clear and shiny, make the bathroom tiles sparkle, dust and vacuum every corner of the house, polish the bricks of your fireplace and add some stone color enhancer to make it more attractive.
• Always use fresh flowers and leave a few windows open to let the air in when a potential buyer visits the house.
• If you want to add a background music, make sure it's soft and the volume is low so it soothes your visitors.
• They say, the kitchen is the heart of the home, so make it look like one by adding a couple of bowls with polished fruits and some colored cookbooks on the shelves.
• For the bathroom, you may add some scented soaps, lotions, moisturizers and towels.
• For the backyard, potted flowers and plants would look lovely. You may also want to set up a picnic table for added attraction.

Professional house stagers uses different methods to get your house sold faster. Hiring one means spending hundreds and even thousands of dollars, depending on your location and size of the house, but with a professional, you can even increase your house's value and sell it quickly.

Tips on How To Sell Your House Fast: Preparation

If you want to sell your house fast, don't rely on luck alone, careful planning is a must. Though it may look easy to broadcast your home for sale, it isn't the same when attracting buyers. I'll teach you a few tips I've learned that will surely help get your house sold fast so you can finally move on to that gorgeous new home you want!

Depersonalize. As the home seller, it is important that you disassociate yourself from your house. Set yourself to let go your house, as you’ve decided to sell it. What do I mean by this? Depersonalize by removing your personal photos and collections, family heirlooms, and everything that will make the house feel it belongs to you. No home buyer would want a house that's still attached to its previous owner. If you were the buyer, simply ask yourself, “would I buy this house”? Remember that YOU are selling your house and you need to make your buyers feel they can live in it, make them see themselves living in it.

Patch, Paint and Trim. Here's another better way to show your buyers that your house is in tip top shape. Patch up those holes, fix leaky faucets, fix that loose doorknob, wax the floor, repaint faded walls and windows, and so on. If you think your house needs a patch, paint and trim inside and out, do so! If you're a handy person, It'll only cost you a few dollars, a couple of hundreds if you hire someone, but cheaper if you ask your friends to help out.

Show More With Less. This means, to de-clutter your house. Not all the furniture you posses will make the house look homey for they buyers, too much stuff inside the house makes it appear smaller and uncomfortable. You'll be able to make a room appear larger if you maintain just enough furniture to showcase the room's purpose. Almost every home shows better with less furniture!

The whole point here is to get your house SOLD, not brag about your possessions. So don't make your buyers focus more on your possessions than the house you're trying to sell.

The Curb Appeal. It's the initial impression of a home, more buyers will be enticed to check out the inside if it has a curb appeal.

After you've done everything inside the house, you might want to check outside. If you're going to post an ad online with a photo of your house's exterior, no buyer will even think of calling you if your house looks worn out, and you also don't want your house to look like it's haunted. So, mow the lawn, plant flowers colorful if you must, trim the bushes, clear the sidewalks and get it fixed if it's cracked.

Finally, Getting The Right Publicist. You want to sell your house fast? You want to sell it for the right price? Then get the right publicist. Sure there's lots of them eager to sell your house, but don't just pick out one out of the blue. Take time to check for somebody who knows your neighborhood intimately, how long they've been in the business of selling houses, ask for a couple of references, know their marketing plans, and most of all, pick one who's trustworthy. You can attend open houses, search online listings, or even ask someone about their experience with their real estate agent.

Now that you know the things to look out for if you're going to sell your house, make look irresistible for buyers!