Add Outside Content - What's Your Opinion?

We are new to blogging and will have to check out these widgets.  It seems that using such content would be good for a supplement in your blog but you wouldn't want to rely on it for all of your blogging topics/info.

We are new to blogging and will have to check out these widgets.  It seems that using such content would be good for a supplement in your blog but you wouldn't want to rely on it for all of your blogging topics/info.

Deb,

Great Post. Great comments and I agree, what's the point of a widget if it takes your traffic away from your website.

Thanks for sharing,

Matt Naumann

Hey Deb - Thanks for the mention in the post.  I wanted to add a couple things in response to wanting to keep someone on your site. 

First the point of widgets is to keep them on your site.  Imagine you are on Realtor A's sites, searching for homes and finding what you need.  Then the person wonders what mortgage rates are going for these days.  If the data is right there, then there isn't a need to leave to go to another site to go find out.  The click through rate on widgets is really quite low, because the core data of what the person is interested in seeing is usually surfaced right there.

Secondly, with the Zillow widgetsyou get co-branding.  This means that if the person does indeed click off the widget, your information (photo, contact info, web address, and link back to your site) stay with the person across the top of the page the entire time they are surfing Zillow.  Here is an example of what that looks like.

ha!  first off, most widgets that are feeding data from another source are giving you no credit for content whatsoever.  so, if you're using a widget as a way to just fill space or supplement time, than it's just there filling space or supplementing time. 

on a side note, regarding the zillow hate.  that's terrible that you feel you're losing customers to zillow because they have a kick ass technology.  i gotta say, i'm with sara!  if a customer wants something, they're either gonna get it from you, or not from you.  so, not sure how that's zillow's point of view.  i could see how it would be zillow's point of view if you were able to provide that functionily yourself deb, and then zillow came around and convinced sara that thiers was just way better than yours.

can certainly tell ur old school.  in fact, this whole post really isn't a post is it?  i bet you just post this just to do a "blog post" and that you're not the last bit interested in what people have to say about widgets at all.

smoke and mirrors.  haha.  old real estate agents are cute like that tho.  makes it easier for us young bucks.

I think Sara nailed it when she stated how to use the widgets to inform and educate your potential clients. Keeping them on your site is key, if you can use tools to make your clients happy why not. 

If you do the "heavy lifting" for you clients they will be happy to return to your site because they know they can locate everything they need in one place. Shop in a box!

You have to make sure that the "widget" is useful to your clients.

You may or may not use widgets but for people whoi hate writing and updating sites widgets are a good way to keep your website uptodate and delegating the task to a free assistant.

I love the Zillow widgets and find them very useful.

I think the widgets are great, but if they take the consumer to another site, you have lost them!

A agree with Catherine.  It's very important to keep your contact on your pages.  I prefer the widgets that run within your site whenever possible.

I only want to add widgets that are going to add value to my site and give pertinent information to my reader.  And I most certainly want them to open in a new tab/screen.  We need our site to remain open in the readers window!

I like the videos that are offered by reputable services like Frontdoor.  I actually added a widget from HULU that feed HGTV episodes in just as a test.  Real Estate Radio from NAR is a great widget to have in my opinion.  The Trulia and Zillow widgets I am always skeptical of because I don't truly trust the data.