Do you have a website plan? Part 1

Most everyone knows that to be successful these days, you need a website. But the truth is, having a website doesn't guarantee success. So many agents get a website and think the leads will just start rolling in. I have one thing to say to that, "Wrong!"

The problem comes from the fact that so many agents don't have a plan for their websites. Yes, you can signup for a website and have it online in a matter of hours, but what is your marketing plan?

Over the next few weeks, I’ll go over the 3 questions you need to think about for your website. The first question:

1. How will people find your website?

Think about the keywords you want to target. Include them in your domain name, page titles, and body copy, but be careful. Don't just list keywords for the sake of the search engines. They're pretty smart these days and can figure that out. Make your keywording natural and speak to your website visitors. And one of the best ways to gain Google’s favor is to consistently add new content to your website. Don’t let your site get stale!

Put your website domain name on everything you do! Always always always!!! Business cards, virtual tours, single property websites, newspaper ads, yard signs, magnets, pens, even the kitchen sink if you can!

Think about other websites that it would make sense to exchange links with. Be careful with reciprocal links. Make sure the sites you are exchanging links with make sense and never participate in link farms.

Think about paid search. Pay-Per-Click can be expensive but if done right, you can manage the cost and benefit and make it work on any budget. If you don't have time to do it yourself, there are companies that can manage your campaign for you (iHOUSEweb is one of them!) If you decide to do PPC, make sure you send your traffic to a high-conversion landing page, like an IDX page.

And of course remember, building credibility in Google and the other search engines takes time! Do not give up if you don't see instant results. It can take months, and even years, to gain placement on the SERPS.

Do any of you ActiveRain Members have other suggestions for getting traffic to a real estate website?

Check back next week for website planning question #2!