If you want your keywords to earn their keep, you must put them into your Web site content.

Here are a couple of great ways to start:

SEO and PPC

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Pay-Per-Click (PPC) are the two most widely used methods of putting your keywords to work. SEO involves strategically fine-tuning your site with keywords and letting it rise in the rankings naturally (buzzword alert: "organically") on its own. PPC includes bidding against competitors for keywords and paying search engine companies for the best page placement.

Both have advantages and disadvantages. And both are used daily with great success. Some Realtors prefer one method over the other. But many, including some top producers, blend both together, hoping to leverage the unique strengths of each. Your own goals, patience and budget, will help you choose the mix that's right for you. Today we'll discuss SEO and how hands-on you really need to be.

SEO: Getting on your prospect's radar

SEO is the process -- the art, really -- of inserting selected keywords into both your site's pages/content, and into the software coding (called HTML tags) that makes your site possible. Fundamentally, this requires re-writing your copy to ensure that your main keywords are evenly dispersed from the top of the page to the bottom. Putting keywords into your pages' headlines and subheads will make them even more attractive when spiders come calling. Ideally, all pages should be optimized. But if you only do one, make it the home page. It's by far the most important. Having a site map -- even simple one -- will also attract spiders and increase your chances of being indexed.

The good: SEO's benefits

SEO is a proven, tried-and-true method of achieving better search engine visibility and rankings

SEO is a sound investment that can drive more traffic to your site

SEO can build awareness and recognition, while reducing your advertising costs

SEO can level the playing field and allow you to compete in a much larger arena

SEO has many advantages over traditional print advertising and direct mail (look for this topic in a future RISMedia column)

The bad and the ugly: obstacles to entry

Expert SEO can increase search rakings and generate leads, but initial implementation isn't cheap. Hiring a professional copywriter or optimization specialist could cost thousands of dollars upfront.

Seeing results from SEO can take a very long time, even if you do everything right. There are billion of Web pages out there contending for the spiders' attention. Rising toward the top may take several months. Or longer.

But is do-it-yourself-SEO practical? Not for most Realtors. Like title searches, escrow management and other critical but highly specialized tasks, search engine optimization is usually best left to people with proper training and experience. Your time is probably more well-spent on activities that lead more directly to sales, such as showing properties, lunching with clients or finding your competitors' weaknesses. Bottom line on keyword implementation: Push your babies out of the nest. But let the professionals teach them to fly.