The general consensus seems to be that 75-80% of home buyers use the Internet to shop for a home before even thinking about getting in their car or choosing a Realtor®. We believe that over 60% of buyers choose an agent based on contacts made through real estate websites. That’s a great reason to have a great website, isn’t it?
Studies also seem to indicate that internet home buyers also take less time with their chosen agent to buy a home than traditional buyers. That’s another great reason to have a great site. Remember, we sell our time and expertise, and time is a finite resource.
Internet buyers are often younger, with higher incomes and they seem to buy higher priced homes than those who are not connected to or do not use the Internet. In short, despite the fact that internet revolution is no longer new, there are still great opportunities for you to become a top internet agent. Only about 40% of active Realtors® actually have decent, functioning web sites with property search capabilities. What an opportunity for you.
We are going to go over the basics of setting up websites and getting your marketing message onto the Internet. Let’s start with what you need in a web site, and how to select a domain name for your site.
The important points to remember with domain names are as follows:
1. Simple is best, shorter is better
2. Make sure it is hard to mis-spell
3. Accurate description is a plus
4. A dot com site is better than a dot tv or dot cc or dot org site
5. Memorable is a huge plus
With all that being said, the reality is that all the super great domain names have already been taken. Let’s face it: www.Brevardhomes.com is not going to be available. It’s short, memorable, descriptive and… obvious. To get a good domain name these days requires imagination and creativity. You’re probably going to have to compromise on length, or description... or maybe go with a dot info name.
To check on domain name availability, go to www.godaddy.com you can type in various possible domain names and check to see if they are available. Dot com names run about $10/year.
Some gurus say that it is a mistake when agents try to use their own name in their URL, such as www.JoeSmith.com. The criticism is that unless your name is Brad Pitt, nobody knows who you are, and nobody cares who you are. We don’t really agree with that. If yourname.com is available, grab it. It may not mean anything to strangers looking for real estate all over the internet. But- isn’t www.joesmith.com a lot better for sending people to (after you’ve established contact) than www.search4greathomesinbrevard.com? Grab yourname.com, and then look for your second (descriptive, memorable) domain name to attract strangers!
Ideally, your stranger attracting domain name would pass this litmus test: if you put a one line classified ad in the newspaper - whoever saw it would know exactly what your site was about and remember it. It would require neither tagline nor a description to let people know about the subject of your site. That’s not easy anymore, but should be your goal.
If you can’t find a suitable domain name, I can make a suggestion: give us a call and come join us here at RE/MAX Beach Towne, we have about 50 good domain names stockpiled and we’re always glad to set up a new agent with a domain name.
Try this demonstration of the importance of a suitable domain name for attracting those “strangers”. If you were searching for a home and saw two small “home for sale” ads side by side: the first one referred you to www.JoeSmith.com and the second referred you to www.IndialanticRealEstate.com - which would you visit first? You’d probably visit www.IndialanticRealEstate.com because the name actually tells you what the site is all about.
Once you have a Domain Name - what do you NEED on your website? Well most people are looking for the ability to search for homes quickly, easily and in our experience, with out registering. That is 90% of what they need from your site. Everything else is just window dressing. You probably want to include general area information, market reports and maybe links to schools, climate, beaches and lifestyle stuff.
That’s it for Website 101. Give us a call and we would be glad to give you more information, if you’re committed to building a winning website.
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