This doesn't just apply to Realtors but also to other professionals dealing with Milford CT real estate and properties in other areas as well. My son has helped me a lot with the creation of my website, and while things are still in the beginning stages, we've already managed to acquire a few leads through it. From this experience, here are my 5 tips on putting together your own site:
1) Provide Valuable Content
We are already busy with keeping up with our ActiveRain blogs and the rest of the community, but it helps to at least have some solid content on your site to show visitors that you really are a real estate professional who knows your stuff.
Also, for SEO purposes, it helps if you continually add content to your site. Another blog on there definitely helps, as Google LOVES blogs. The latest Google algorithm update increases the power of sites that provide constant content. Feed Google with what it wants, and it'll reward you in return.
Once I stepped it up with blog entries on my site, my rankings started going up :)
2) Realtors Need an IDX Solution
Sure, you can use your broker's own IDX and the listings on their site, but it's much better when you are in control. When you get traffic onto your site, all the listings in your MLS are show on YOUR site, and visitors can easily request a showing or more information on a listing directly through those pages.
3) Please Find a Design That Isn't from 1997...
No offense to a lot of Realtor sites I've seen out there, but a lot of them are a blast from the past! It's like these sites were made with Geocities or Angelfire. How do you expect to attract people to Milford CT homes for sale like that? I'm not saying that you need a fancy design, as some of those flashy sites out there are all for show and ruin all functionality. Even my site isn't anything special with the looks, but as long as it's simple and functional, that's all you really need for your site.
Aside from making the site look good, a solid Content Management System (CMS) such as Wordpress can make the whole updating and blogging process pretty easy.
4) Learn Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to Drive Traffic to Your Site
This is a whole other beast to tame, and that's why my son handles this. For him, it's basically a full time commitment, so if you don't have the time to do it yourself, look into hiring SEO professionals. There is so much to ranking on Google, but it is such a worthwhile investment - monetarily and time-wise.
Paid traffic such as Google Adwords is great, but you need to lose a decent amount of money to optimize your campaigns in order to come up with a good return on investment. That's why we mainly use Adwords for testing search numbers.
5) Have Fun with Your Site
Just like with ActiveRain, it shouldn't be business all the time. Let loose and have fun with things. Post random videos or write about topics that fall under your interests once in a while. This shows visitors that you are human and actually do enjoy other things in life.
Mix it up and give people a reason for coming back to your site.
These are just a few tips that came from the top of my head. Feel free to provide any feedback or leave any website tips of your own :)
Lydia Lucas is Your Realtor for Milford CT Homes for Sale for you
Email: LydiaLucas@PrudentialCT.com
Cell Phone: (203)980-9213
My Clients Become My Friends
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