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How did Your Website go from Great to Pitiful

By
Real Estate Broker/Owner with CELLing Realty CalBRE #01445865

When was the last time you really looked at your online presence? Tech tools, tech fun...you hear everyone say they can help our Business, but these tools are only good if you know how to use them. If not, it's no fun at all, and can change your perception of what was once Great to what is now Pitiful. Our Websites.....our online presence.

I have this Blog; I have 5 websites.....2 Real Estate Oriented, 1 Photography, and 1 Notary.  Two are pretty good and two are in dire need of HELP. Thank You DAKNO Marketing (Bobby Carroll) for giving me 19 pages of what I need to do.  Heck that ought to take all of next year .  When they said they would evaluate it, I didn't for one minute think they were going to " EVALUATE " it  :) :)

 

After the Eval I looked at all my stuff online: 

 

Here is the Photography One, my first Website....Professional or Fun now this was one heck of a lesson......I built this site because I loved Photography, and wanted to do it Professionally.  Don't Professionals need to know how to take Photos?  I look at this site now, several years later and just shake my head.....Where are the good pictures?  Why did I make a custom page for clients, and loose the password . Why is this site even on line anymore?  And let's not mention what I learned about Guestbooks being taken over by Spammers......yes, this was my first site, my first attempt at being an entrepreneur online.

 

Here is my Second site: a Notary site.....I think it's OK, but have never gone back in since we made it:   McGraw's Mobile Notary.  Oh my, the last updated news is from 2004, how pitiful is that? I thought you could build it, and leave it....

Third Site:  Having learned a lesson or two on Community Building I decided to incorporate Real Estate with Community News..... .  What I didn't take into account was Marketing the site to the community, and the time it would take for me to keep it updated.......

I loved having custom sites, so when I opened CELLing Realty I wanted another one.  But my web guy couldn't get me one as fast as I wanted (you know that I want it now mentality)....anyway, finally after several months he talked me into a Template site.  I really didn't want a template site, but decided OK, at least I'll have something on line.  Problem was, I had no idea at all how to use the million and one mambots, mambos, categories, catalogs.....etc etc etc.  And now, I have just one more job that I have to try to keep up with, and a lot of learning to fix the mistakes.....Websites need updating!!!!

 

Moral of the Story: 

If we don't continually try to update our skills we will never be able to look back and see the mistakes we made. Knowledge, learned after getting on-line, changes our perception of what is good. And for every site, every online flier, every blog.......some of our earliest attempts can indeed look pitiful later.....  Just keep trying :) :)

 

 By: Kathy McGraw - CELLing Realty

 

Cynthia Tilghman, Realtor® Onslow County NC Home Specialist
Kingsbridge Realty, Inc - Hubert, NC
Hi Kathy,
I have one of the "template" sites and I am not happy with it.  Getting something done about it is on my "list to do" every week and I keep pushing it back.  It's time to tackle it.  
Nov 10, 2007 03:10 AM
Kathy McGraw
CELLing Realty - White Water, CA
Riverside County CA Real Estate

Susan- thank you for that kind compliment :)

William- Welcome back from your trip....Wow, you spend a lot more than I do for sites, so yes I would expect more from mine if I paid that much.  OK, so we now know what a lot of us will be doing this next year :) :) 

Mike- thanks, and it looks like many of us are in the same boat, good luck with your updates :)

Kathy- Isn't it funny that we can look at something one day and it is fine, and then a while later it is as you said "Ouch".  Hubby ought to love his new "to do list".....:)

 

Nov 10, 2007 04:51 AM
Kathy McGraw
CELLing Realty - White Water, CA
Riverside County CA Real Estate

Eric- Yes Bobby said it perfectly about what message, and for me I had not thought of it like that.  I was still in the here's some listings, and some info, message....what message :)

Mary-thank you, and I do understand about the sites versus the Blogging.....humm hire someone for the sites, and we'll just blog :) :)

Jennifer- Oh so true, and yes I need to be out doing Real Estate, not sitting all day on the computer :)

Cynthia- I understand perfectly :) :)  Good luck with it.....I know I need the luck with mine :)

Nov 10, 2007 04:57 AM
Ryan Martin
Pacific Continental Realty, LLC - Bellingham, WA
Bellingham Commercial RE Broker

Kathy - I have 6 real estate websites. I have built quite a few other websites for various reasons. I am a pretty fast typer and extremely quick with hot keys, so I should still have time to write some good e-PRO posts. To give you an idea of the scope of work that I need to update, I believe that I have 500 pages to update.

Nov 10, 2007 05:42 AM
Bonnie & Terry Westbrook
Westbrook Realty - Ada, MI
Grand Rapids MI Real Estate
You are right on wtih this post, Kathy. We need to reevaluate our site and get to work on it.  This seems like a monumental task, so we keep putting it off. I thinkk I will mine the trove here and see what I can find.
Nov 10, 2007 06:50 AM
Kathy McGraw
CELLing Realty - White Water, CA
Riverside County CA Real Estate

Ryan- 500 pages oh my.....not me, I am overwhelmed for a few pages :) :)  but glad you still have time to write for us :)

Bonnie- Smart about "mining the trove here on AR"  That's where I found out how little I know....don't ya just love it when you find out how little you know :)

Nov 10, 2007 08:13 AM
Todd Clark - Retired
eXp Realty LLC - Tigard, OR
Principle Broker Oregon

This is easy to prove to anyone! Go back and look at your first blogs here on A/R, I did when I was forced to write my six pack and boy were the first couple months bad! I slowly figured it out and now they are still crap, but look good! - LOL

Nov 10, 2007 06:35 PM
Kathy McGraw
CELLing Realty - White Water, CA
Riverside County CA Real Estate
Hi Todd-That is a perfect example.....I too looked at my first Posts :(  My websites were a little better than the Posts, at least I had some visuals in them :)  You're pretty funny how you describe your posts.....everyone has something different to offer, and their own style in doing it.  Your unique style is what makes you so charming....oh I just love "Happy Cows".
Nov 11, 2007 03:01 AM
Ann Heitland
Retired from RE/MAX Peak Properties - Flagstaff, AZ
Retired from Flagstaff Real Estate Sales
Yes, I need to spruce up my website. I used to do more before I started to blog. I've been relying on the blog link from the website, but I know that's not enough! So, another item on the list. Perhaps I should put it above revising the listing presentation since I don't need anymore listings, just some buyers and those usually come from the website.
Nov 11, 2007 01:26 PM
Kathy McGraw
CELLing Realty - White Water, CA
Riverside County CA Real Estate

Anne- Did you write my own thoughts :)  I understand perfectly.....oh and Listing Presentations or Website....ummmm I would also opt for the website.... get the buyers!!! :)

Nov 11, 2007 02:32 PM
Margaret Woda
Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc. - Crofton, MD
Maryland Real Estate & Military Relocation
As I see the outstanding results from ActiveRain, I have to question the wisdom of my primary website.  It's very pretty.  Very, very pretty.  But the ability to add content is extremely limited.  I have to pay THEM $300/month to add 2 pages of content, while I'm probably adding 5 or 6 a week to my outside blog.  'Wish I could find someone else to just manage the whole process!
Nov 11, 2007 11:45 PM
Tom Plant
WINEormous.com - Murrieta, CA
Kathy - Thanks for the much needed reminder. Keeping on top of it demands regualr attention.
Nov 12, 2007 12:51 AM
Kathy McGraw
CELLing Realty - White Water, CA
Riverside County CA Real Estate

Margaret-You raised some good points......most of my sites are "stuck" because I cannot go in and change/add content.....the web-guy has to do it.  I empathize with the lack of fresh daily/weekly content.  Now you have me curious-I want to go see your "pretty site"....:)

Tom-Very true......hey aren't you going to the NAR Conference? Can't wait to see what you come up with from there......

Nov 12, 2007 01:36 AM
Shannon Lefevre
John R. Wood Properties - Naples, FL
Shannon Lefevre, PA Your Naples Smart Girl
Kathy,  AWESOME POST!  I am contacting Bobby now to see what I need to do about mine!  Thanks! :)
Nov 15, 2007 05:42 AM
Kathy McGraw
CELLing Realty - White Water, CA
Riverside County CA Real Estate
Shannon- Thanks, and I can't wait to implement the advice I was given on how to fix mine :) :)
Nov 15, 2007 06:53 PM
Christine Anderson
Windermere CCRG - Portland, OR
Realtor - Portland, OR

Well, this is all very helpful.  I am still fairly new to the whole internet marketing game.  I have only one website, and that is quite enough for me!  Fortunately, it is easy for me to add content to it.  Unfortunately, I haven't been doing that often enough!  But now I am learning about blogging - this is my second day of commenting.

I had to go see Margaret's "pretty site" - that really caught my eye!

Thank you all for your comments!

Nov 15, 2007 09:33 PM
Kathy McGraw
CELLing Realty - White Water, CA
Riverside County CA Real Estate

Christine- Only your second day commenting.....Well good for you, I hope you have found some of the fun here....as well as learned some things :) Welcome!!! Now that you have been commenting....write a short intro Post so we can learn about you, and comment :)

As to your website, smart lady.....just one to keep up with.  I wish I could downsize, but hey I get bored easily :)

Nov 16, 2007 02:50 AM
Michael Eisenberg
eXp Realty - Bellingham, WA
Bellingham Real Estate Guy
Kathy, Thanks for this good info and some inspiration to make it all better.
Nov 20, 2007 09:09 AM
Bonner Thomason
Keller Williams Realty - Kernersville, NC
CRS, ABR, GRI, e-Pro

I have 4 sites and try to interlink the information so that I don't do multiple entries. I do focus on www.RealEstateWorkHorse.com site. 

Thanks - Bonner 

Nov 20, 2007 11:47 AM
Kathy McGraw
CELLing Realty - White Water, CA
Riverside County CA Real Estate

Michael- You're welcome :)

Bonner-I will check this out when I get back from vacation.....read Ryan's info on linking sites, and revamping his..... (in the e-PRO Group).....I have a lot of work to do on my primary site, and will be doing this right after the first of the year.

Nov 20, 2007 01:01 PM