Blogs are a great way to round out your website with fresh content. In fact, if you're a real estate agent with a marketing or educational website, I can't imagine a reason not to start a blog.

First, let's dispel a blog myth:With regards to search engine visibility, blogs are not magical. They will not leap onto the first page of Google in no time flat, they way some people seem to think they will. But blogs are extremely easy publish -- and that's the SEO advantage they have over regular websites.

By default, most blogging programs (such as WordPress and Blogger) create clean, well-coded web pages. And they do it literally at the click of a button. Just type your blog post, click the "Publish" button, and you've got a new web page.

Now repeat that three times a week for a year, and you've got more than 150 pages of quality web content. That's the search engine benefit of blogs ... an easy way to publish new web content often.

A technical note: If you're using Blogger, be sure to turn on "post pages" so each blog post can be saved as its own separate web page.

How to use your blog:So what do you publish in your blog? Well, this question is only limited by your imagination. How about property listings, current interest rates, or special events ... or all three?

Some blogging programs let you create categories (like sub-sections of a regular website), so you can easily divide your topics and posts. By default, most blogs are also chronological in nature, which makes them ideal for a "What's New" approach to publishing.

Like I said, I can't think of a reason not to use a blog. If you have questions about getting started with your blog, just post a question at AdviceForAgents.com.

* Copyright 2006, Brandon Cornett. You may republish this article online provided you keep the byline, the author's note, and the active hyperlinks.