When was the last time you really gave your real estate website a good look? I am not talking about checking out your homepage or updating your featured properties. I am speaking more to really evaluating and comparing your site against those new, pesky sites that somehow manage to get to the top of the natural results or annoyingly saturate every single social media marketplace for real estate that you have been vying so hard to get a piece of for months or even years now.
I am willing to bet that you have had the same vanity domain, canned homepage welcome message, outdated flash intro, or extremely annoying classical music playing on your homepage ever since you first launched your site. I can almost see that blank look on your face right now as I am writing this as I am sure you are saying to yourself, “Is something wrong with that stuff?”
I am going to be completely blunt here. YES! Everything is wrong with that stuff. If you still believe that maintaining the status quo of that thing you call a marketing tool is working for you, then I recommend you sit down because I am about to make your head spin. You ready?
I highly suggest bookmarking this page or getting out a piece of paper and a pen because you are going to want to bring this directly to your webmaster if it is not yourself. Here we go.
I am going to outline this for you in a simple format with a follow up post coming soon: Things of the Past and Things of the Future. Strategies from the PAST are things that should have been changed long ago as well as things that the majority of people in your industry are doing now, which are becoming less and less effective. Things of the FUTURE (coming soon) will describe things you need to be doing to stay ahead of the curve. Really, your only other option is to watch your competitors reap the benefits of these techniques as you procrastinate or stick to your old “faithful” ways.
Let’s start with what your visitors and possible prospects are thinking. Read it, remember it, and make sure your site embodies this:
“I am looking for real estate information and I want it as fast and as easily as possible. I do NOT care about YOU. All I want to know is what you can do for ME.”
Things of the Past
Vanity Domains (a.k.a Personal Domain Names)
Let’s say your name is Jane Doe (apologies in advance to any realtors named Jane Doe as this is not intended to pick you apart, your name was just the first that came to mind). I can bet that your website’s domain is JaneDoe.com or JaneDoeRealty.com – something along those lines.
Your homepage has a enormous glamour shot of you on it from 10 years ago and you have your designation as the #1 Realtor in your area all over the place. Tell me I’m wrong. Actually, you’re already telling me something. In the first 8 seconds that I have seen your site, I have learned that your site is all about YOU. I know what you look like, how to spell your name, what your dog’s name is, what colors you like, etc. This is great and all if I was trying to find a date online. However, I am not.
I am looking for real estate information and I want it the easiest and fastest way possible.
All your site does is tell me about YOU. I don’t care about YOU. I care about ME. What can you do for ME? Your site MUST be primarily about what you can do and are doing for ME.
The Intro Page / Homepage
If you want to lose me in less than 8 seconds, then keep that Flash heavy intro page or splash page up and running. Those were cool – 7 years ago. I am not a child that is amused by pretty pictures and scrolling things to click on.
I am looking for real estate information and I want it as fast and as easily possible.
If you make me click more than once to get the information I need, then you lost me. In addition, I just might not have Flash on my 1990’s computer at work or home so if your site is all Flash then all I am going to see is, well nothing. So, thanks for wasting those 4 seconds of my life. I will be over at your competitor’s site if you need me.
Canned Welcome Message on the Homepage
Two of my favorites that I see everywhere – “Welcome to my new website!” or “Welcome to Jane Doe Realty”. Welcome? Am I entering a self-help meeting where generic welcome messages are supposed to make me feel “Right at home”? Stop using these. The search engines ignore them. Your visitors ignore them. I hate them. Come up with something unique, catchy and memorable and I will come back….maybe.
Local Links (Weather, Schools, Recreation, Events, etc)
If I wanted to know where to send my children to school in your area do you really think the first place that comes to mind is your site? Or, if I wanted to check the weather in the area, do you really think that your site has somehow managed to build itself as a better authority for weather than Weather.com? Get the point? If you are going to have that information, make it easily digestible, don’t make me click to another site to find it and by all means, don’t regurgitate someone else’s information.
I am looking for real estate information and I want it as fast and as easily possible.
Tell me, in your own words, what the best schools are and which homes are closest to those, where the best weather is and which homes are in that area, etc. I am most likely going to ignore this all anyways, but in case I do decide to read it, then make sure it sticks in my head as being unique from you.
Link Exchanges
Plain and simple – Do NOT do it. It is NOT worth it. Both Advanced Access and Real Estate Webmasters got nailed. You WILL too.
Free Reports
The first question that comes to my mind when you try to entice me with your “Free Reports” is, “Are these reports free because they are outdated, pulled from somewhere else or useless information to me?” If you are going to offer me free reports, then sell me on why I need to get them from you instead of Trulia or Zillow.
Sounds on Your Site
You think that classical music you have playing on your homepage is classy and makes me feel comfortable? It is NOT and it doesn’t. It is annoying, especially when you hide the OFF or MUTE button or make it so small that I can’t find it within seconds of hearing your theme music. Remember, I am looking for information and I am probably at work or at home. The last thing I want is my computer blaring out some cheap mp3 rendition of a cheesy song that you think makes your site feel more professional. Get rid of it.
While you’re at it, get rid of that sound file of you talking as well. It is creepy. Unless you have the voice of the guy that does the movie trailer previews and you have a cool, unique video that makes me remember your site than I don’t want to hear it.
More than 10 Navigation Buttons
Keep it simple. I love to click. Give me a million choices and I am going to click all over the place. This might be what you think you want, but you’re wrong. If you have something specific you want me to do (sign up for property updates, subscribe to your RSS feed, etc) then you are just going to distract me with these other navigation buttons. Only show me what you want me to do and what you think is going to be helpful to me. Remember though…
I am looking for real estate information and I want it as fast and as easily possible.
Forms
Why are you trying to shove Home Evaluation or Home Loan Pre-qualification forms down my throat? If you think these are strong calls to action or ways to make me give you my information you are terribly mistaken. If I wanted to get a home loan do you really think I am going to ask you?
Have a niche in real estate. Stick with that niche. Own that niche. Stop trying to be the one stop shop for everything. I am buying or selling a home, not golf gear. Make me believe that you are THE specialist in one thing and I will come back to you every time.
Mortgage Calculators
I am fairly certain that if I made up a number in my head that it just might be as accurate as your mortgage calculator. Don’t you think that if I knew what the rate was that I was qualified for that I would already be past the “What can I afford” stage? Again, stop distracting me with so many different things. Stick to what you specialize in and…
Get me the information I want as fast and as easy as possible.
Framing in anything other than your 3rd Party IDX Solution
I can’t stand framed in pages. They look terrible and they make me scroll up and down, left and right. Worst of all, they tell me that you are afraid of me leaving your site and not coming back. What’s the matter, is your site of no value on its own?
Tying it All Together
I just gave 11 things that you can start changing NOW. Choose to implement them or not. As promised I am going to follow up with another post with recommendations to stay ahead of the curve with marketing your real estate business online.