Property ManagementHow To and How Not To Design Your Web Site
Why is it that 85% to 90% of REALTORS® don"t make money from their Web sites?
If you are a REALTOR® who is failing to show returns on your Web site investment, read on. You may be virtually guaranteeing poor results by commiting one of the:
Seven Deadliest Web Design Sins:
Make sure your site is an "ego site": make sure it features *you,* not
what the consumer is interested in.
Go cheap: after all, you"ll save a lot of money using only "boiler
plate" companies where everybody"s Web site looks the same.
Make sure that some of your links are broken. This gives the viewer a
challenge they"ll love!
Make sure that you have lots and lots of graphics and that each graphic
is a large file that takes a long time to load.
Make sure your site doesn"t have depth: treat it like a Homes Magazine
or newspaper print ad.
Don"t have an email link on every page: make "em write down a phone number.
Don"t have anything of value on your site that they have to email you
for, like a relocation packet or other information about your area.
Now that you know what not to do, let me share with you my Top Ten Tips for Web sites that really work. These are proven performers that withstand the test of reality where it counts - where you work and live.
In my newsletter, I am constantly passing along helpful tips. Many of my best tips come from talking with folks whose Web sites really work - folks like CyberStar(tm) Alice Held, CRS, of Scottsdale, AZ who has had over 100 transactions from her site
in the last two years, or like CyberStar(tm) Brian Wilson, CRS, of Oklahoma City, OK who"s earned about $100,000 gross commission income from his site alone this year.
Top Ten Tips for Web sites that really work:
Separate Sites Bring Better Results - Don"t think that just by being on your broker"s site that you have all the Internet exposure you will need. Like any marketing tool, the "Net has to be worked daily and developed to become a money-maker.
Create your own, independent site using your own domain. Your domain name should reflect what you do and where you live. Register with Internic (www.internic.net); list yourself as the "administrative contact". Cost: $70 for the first two years; $35 each year after.
Use Clean Backgrounds and Quick-Loading Graphics
Your Site Should Be Consumer-Oriented, Not Ego Oriented. A good postcard marketing or "Homes Magazine" campaign should focus on you, the sales associate. A good Web site is just the opposite: it focuses on the need of the consumer first and on you second. The strategy is to draw the consumer in via the information available on your site and then to have them contact you for more information.
Use Response Forms: Newcomer"s Packet, Relo Packet, Area Information, Etc.
Have A "Click Here To Email" Link On Every Page & By Every Listing. If you"ve spent much time on the Web, you know that the last thing a viewer will do is pick up a pen, write down a phone number and dial the phone. It"s a "click and type" culture, so make sure you give the viewer ample opportunity to do so!
Listing Information Should Target "Dominant Buying Motives." Don"t leave your basic sales training behind when it comes to Web marketing! Remember: you"ve got virtually unlimited space to describe your listings....a narrative focusing on dominant buying motives works much better than the "4 br., 2 ba., ww/carp, rec.rm w/wbfp" style! Remember, too, that you can use more than one photo of a listing, add floor plans, a self-running slideshow tour of the home, etc.
Target Your Audience: Have A Theme. A theme running throughout your Web site is another way to draw the consumer into your site. Your theme doesn"t have to add a great deal of expense to your site. I"ve seen great themes featuring music, ice skating, woodworking and more....all based on the personality and life of the sales associate whose site it is.
Good Pages Are Interactive: Consider Audio & Multimedia. Have some "wow" to your site....but don"t overdo it. Some designers love to show off. The result? A site that"s so complex and slow-loading that the viewer leaves in a hurry.
Offer Addtional "Goodies" To Attract Consumers And Sales Associates: Ecards, Newsletter, etc.