Spring Cleaning – Is it Time to Update Your Web Site?
Let’s be honest – when is the last time you updated your web site? For most real estate agents it’s a couple times a year.
In 2010, it’s no longer ok to have a web site that is static – one just sits there and never gets updated.
If you are thinking of updating your site – it is easier now more than ever. More and more agents are moving to a Wordpress platform. It’s easy to use and edit, there are tons of great templates, and it’s SEO friendly (a.k.a – the search engines love Wordpress!) Plus, there are more and more IDX plug-ins available practically every day on Wordpress.
If you are like most agents – you have a site you either got for free with your brokerage, or you paid some one to design it 5-10 years ago and really haven’t done much since.
Here are 5 things to look at when re-evaluating your site:
1. Am I getting leads? If so, how many? If you are not consistently getting new leads from your web site you are missing the boat. I know, you will probably say: “But Katie, most of my business is from past clients and referrals!” That is GREAT! But imagine if on top of that business you were getting 5 solid new leads a month? 5 leads a month x 12 months = 60 solid leads (by solid I mean people who are truly interested in buying or selling within 3-6 months).
2. Do you know what your web traffic is like? If not, sign up for Google Analytics – it’s free and super easy to install. Many people consider analytics like accounting, but for your web site. It’s a crucial part of monitoring your success!
Pay attention to your site’s “bounce rate”–the percentage of visitors who leave your site without clicking even one page deeper into it. A high or rising bounce rate is a sure sign that your homepage is boring or off-putting.
3. Is my content fresh? Think about the last time you went to a web site only to realize the content is old. The fastest way to have people leave your site is to have stale info. By using a platform like Wordpress you can easily add new content like: 1st time home buyer tax credit info, a link to your e-newsletter, events in your area, market stats, and your blog (if applicable.) You also need to schedule time in your monthly calendar at least twice a month where you will update your site – perhaps the 1st and the 15th.
4. What is the 1st thing people see on my web site? Take a hard look at your home page. Every link, every image, every word should have a purpose. I am a big believer in simple and easy-to-navigate web sites. One of my favorite sites is Nest Realty – I only wish more info was ‘above the fold’ – but overall I think Nest does a fantastic job of having the right balance of information on it’s home page. Also, make sure when you are looking at your home page you have easy-to-find social media links – links to your Facebook page or profile, LinkedIn profile and Twitter profile.
5. Make sure your website is easy to figure out and loads fast, says Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist. The biggest way you can lose people is having a complicated site that doesn’t make sense to the user.
The best way to test your site is to have someone try it who has never looked at it. At a recent Real Estate Connect conference, the marketing team at Redfin talked about the power of having someone struggle with your site right in front of you. Have a few people sit down in front of you, on a computer, and just watch them click around on your site. What do they click on? Where do you see them hesitate and struggle. You will be DYING to instruct them – but resist! Just watch and you will learn so much.
The bottom line is this – no one will care as much about your web sit as you do. It is up to you to take back your web site and make sure it is doing everything you need it to do!
Would love your comments and feedback. Please leave me a comment below!
Written by: Katie Lance, Marketing Manager, Inman News
15 Comment(s)
2 Trackback(s)
- From Top 10 real estate posts of the day for 4/1/2010 | Apr 1, 2010
- From Puget Sound Real Estate Undressed » Blog Archive » Seattle Real Estate: Does your Real Estate Website Need a Little Makeover? | Apr 1, 2010
Doug | Mar 31, 2010 | Reply
I like this, I can use it even though I’m not a real estate agent! Thank you so much!
Byron | Mar 31, 2010 | Reply
Great article, I think number 4 is a must. Now I have to find someone to look at my website while I am at the office to see how user friendly the site is.
Craig Mische | Mar 31, 2010 | Reply
Good reminders and I particularly appreciated the mention of Nest Realty Group’s site. They are doing a lot right and if I lived in the area I’d have their site bookmarked and would send a link to friends/family/associates/etc.
Katie Lance | Apr 1, 2010 | Reply
Thanks everyone for your comments – much appreciated!!
Katie
Naomi | Apr 1, 2010 | Reply
OMG! I love Wordpress! It’s the best platform for me. I’m such a nerd that I’m constantly tweeking my site (events need to be updated, right?) Now if only my wordpress blog would get up and spring clean my HOUSE!
Jonathan Kauffmann | Apr 1, 2010 | Reply
@Katie Thanks for the mention and I agree with your 5 tips. Real estate web sites are the ‘face’ of the real estate brokerage and agent…and it’s important that the site is relevant.
@Craig We appreciate the kind words!
Jun Sanchez | Apr 1, 2010 | Reply
“The bottom line is this – no one will care as much about your web site as you do.”
There’s no better way of putting it than this. If you have reservations or doubts about your website, your feelings are justified.
If you take a quick look at your website and you do not feel any enthusiasm about it anymore, your readers will sense it and leave.
Thanks for this article, I am reminded do my own spring cleaning myself.
Lisa Lambert | Apr 2, 2010 | Reply
Katie,
Great article. You couldn’t be more right. I was recently hired on as the Director of Technology and Multimedia marketing for Lang Realty. I teach classes weekly to help agents better understand exactly the kinds of things in this article about updating their websites and how beneficial it can be for them.
I’m also in the process of a huge project to remodel the company’s current website which has not been updated in a very very long time.
These are exciting times for us.
Great article!
Lisa
Home Mortgage Kansas | Apr 5, 2010 | Reply
Katie,
Great advice. I think a good look in the mirror is just what I and others need. We need to be reminded to do this often, it is so easy to fall behind the curve. Thanks for reminding me and giving me some good indicators that change might be needed.
david doucette | Apr 5, 2010 | Reply
hi katie, perhaps an article to expand on step #1 to describe how to convert our traffic to more leads.
thanks, david
Ottawa Real Estate | Apr 6, 2010 | Reply
Great advice. Use it or loose it… Thanks.
Elena
Mark | Apr 16, 2010 | Reply
IDX Plugins for Wordpress? What are you talking about. Pretty sure there is no such thing.
Erik Florida | Apr 18, 2010 | Reply
Great article, you hit some simple, but really important points. It is important to remember the value a site CAN add, even if it is not right now. I like your point about an agent thinking they get there business from referrals, so the site is not so important. When I hear that sentiment, I think, wow, so you are getting so much business from referrals that you don’t want to get any more from your site?!
I am a young Web designer myself, but I have a lot of interest in the Real Estate world, so this is exactly the kind of thing I would like to help an agent with. Thanks for sharing the information!
Troon Real Estate | May 16, 2010 | Reply
I hope you are joking…check out Diverse Solutions IDXpress.
limeyboy real estate websites | Jul 27, 2010 | Reply
Every day is a good day to update your website’s content. It’s unhelpful to regard the content on your site as finished, at best, it’s a work in progress, much like ourselves. Getting agents to recognize that their sites need tending at least weekly will go a long way to increasing their audience and site popularity.