Atlas DMT released a report this week titled The Atlas Rank Report: How Search Engine Rank Impacts Traffic which showed how the clickthrough rates breakdown within pay per click ads.
The report is showing a huge drop off from the top positions.
Mike McDonald at WebProNews.com says:
There is nearly a 40% drop off in the 'click potential' of a paid placement from first position to second position in Google. The difference between first and second in Overture wasn't quite as pronounced but still significant at about 23%.
This is shocking to most online marketing experts as most would agree that the cheaper lower position is always better anyway. I am skeptical of the report myself.
In other news, it seems that the Real Estate Industry pundits are as polarized as our American Political landscape.
In the recent "Is the Housing Bubble About to Burst?" They argue that we are heading for a fall. I won't go over the arguments because they are pretty much the same one's that preceded the real estate crash in the 90's.
What I would like to discuss is the argument from my perspective in Southern California. This is as heated as any real estate market is in the country so we are a good market to pick.
As the recent numbers have just arrived we see that we have broken more real estate sales records. We also can see that Foreclosures are holding steady or low.
This is despite interest rates rising and the threat of more rate hikes.
The economic debate roars loudly over at Inman.
What I would like to point out is some obvious but hardly discussed issues.
1. Rates are still low compared to our last real estate gold rush. In the late 80's the market roared at 8% rates.
2. Good Ole Supply and Demand.
Where I am in Torrance, California, other than rezoning large commercial lots there is no more residential land. If you want to make more housing you have to tear down existing houses and extend the acceptable unit per lot. So we see many two and three unit town home developments replacing that "old world charmer".
As millions move into The Golden State we have to ask where will they live? Certainly not all of them will stand to live in apartments. They will demand home ownership. And they will get it-for a price.
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