All Forum Posts by: Patricia Joseph

Congratulations @Jessi Hill! Such a cute house! It must be gratifying to turn an ugly duckling into a swan!

Hang in there @Austin Hughes! Although things are not going great now, remember, every day above ground is a good day! Every new day we're given is another opportunity to make tomorrow better. When the dark times come and we don't know what to do and where to go; it's better to just stand still and wait for a guiding light -- it will come!

@Jeff Amore getting sufficient traffic to your website can be a waiting game. Several years ago, I had an Amazon store and did most of the web work myself, since I had experience as a web developer and content manager -- even for me it was frustrating! Now, I manage 12 websites for the Centers for Disease Control and we're working constantly to make sure the sites are optimized for the targeted keywords. We also optimize the content for mobile users, who are driving most of a site's traffic.

Even if your site is highly optimized, it doesn't mean that it's user-friendly, which determines whether users will stay on your website or leave. But what makes a site user-friendly: useful and usable content (does it provide value for your users), findability (can users find the content that they need, and ease of use (is the navigation easy for users to complete their tasks on your website: signup for newsletter, submit a contact form, and navigate through the content).

Don't waste your time with fiverr; bought an SEO deal and it did nothing for my site traffic. I got better results on my own.

There's no one solution for getting traffic. You have to use a variety of methods. Here are my suggestions:

1. Setup a Google Analytics account to track your keywords. Without some sort of web tracking, you're in the dark as to how users found your site, and what they were looking for.

2. Content isn't just text. Try adding videos and blog posts from other sites.

3. Make sure your content includes your targeted keywords, as links; especially on your homepage.

4. Not sure what web provider you're using, but if they offer a responsive web template, I would advise to use. Responsive design optimizes content for mobile, making your content more accessible and usable on various mobile devices.

5. Setup a free, HootSuite account for your social media management. I use it for managing my business social media channels: Facebook, Twitter, and Wordpress. HootSuite does a great job of simplifying the process of updating multiple channels.

If you have any questions about anything I've listed, or need some guidance, you can send me a PM. I also can do an assessment of your site, if you'd like. Let me know.

Our first BP networking event! Thanks @Azeez K.! We enjoyed the fellowship and convo with other investors: @Marvin McTaw @Rick Baggenstoss @Account Closed @Tori Hansen @Simmy Ahluwalia @Matt Wood, and look forward to the next event -- hope it's on a weekend.

@Azeez K. So glad you mentioned that there will be no gurus selling and CD’s, magazines or software -- such a turnoff! I know folks want to make money, but for a newbie like me, it amounts to nothing but noise and interference.

Thanks @Azeez K.! Finally a weekend event I can attend. Just registered!

Wow! As a newbie investor, this was one scary story! What I don't understand is why it took so long for this person to be revealed. A scumbag like this, who preys on others, shouldn't have the liberty of anonymity -- everyone on BP should be forewarned. I could care less whether naming him would jeopardize his business -- that's the point! Why would anyone want to do business with him? I would really hate to see BP earn a reputation similar to Craig's List: a destination for sickos and scam artists! Another poster had a great idea: a BP wall of shame, for all the shady dudes and dudettes!

Thanks @Gino Barbaro for offering this free course on Udemy, which is a wonderful format for learning a variety of subjects. As a newbie to REI, I find that learning information in video format is much easier to digest and more interactive -- it's the new way to learn!

@Account Closed for assistance. He's a RE agent in the Philly area.

@Ali Boone what's the reason for not recommending Atlanta for investing? And, why do you like the Philly market?