At a recent meeting I had the opportunity to share with a few of our agents some very interesting website traffic numbers.  Numbers which in virtually every case, opened eyes when I presented the following.

First, ask yourself this question:  "Do you have any idea what the website traffic statistics are or have been for some of the latest industry real estate websites?"  For example, when I say REALTOR.COM, what do you think?  For many, it's money and cost...and for others it may be thoughts of it being the top site for real estate.

But...how many people actually wonder about true traffic counts?  Do you wonder how many people are actually visiting those sites on a daily basis? What kind of impact is there to the numbers?  Somehow, I doubt very many of us are thinking about those questions. 

Let's begin with a simple graph from an industry leader in website traffic monitoring, Alexa.

We will first compare REALTOR.COM, ZILLOW, and TRULIA.  Three of the current top well know sites for real estate information.

6 MONTH ANALYSIS - Daily Reach

As you can see...Realtor.COM leads the pack.  Interesting enough...it seems by not too much, Zillow is on it's heels, but still, Realtor.COM is the leader over these three and has some bragging rights, none the less.

How about we back up 3 years?

3 YEAR ANALYSIS - Daily Reach

Hmmmmm!  Well, what have we here?  When you go back 3 years you spot a very VERY interesting trend.  REALTOR.COM has been declining in this particular statistic (it's pretty much the same for RANK and PAGE VIEWS) and it appears that REALTOR.COM is actually starting to equalize with other sites.  In this case, you can easily make two significant arguments, 1.) You have virtual proof that competition definitely has an impact on your traffic and more importantly, 2.)I think we are beginning to see the equalization of how real estate information is seen online.  No one site appears to be a major player over the other.

When you look at more and more sites starting to share information, such as the recently announced Zillow agreement with Realogy, I honestly think you are now going to see a royal rumble with who can provide the best service to the consumer AND the agent from their website.   And between you and me???  That makes for a great battle for our hard earned money when it comes to deciding who we want to buy services from.  Will I spend it on Trulia?  How about Zillow?  Will Realtor.com continue to be the big player?  Great questions that make for great answers!

Now...on a side note, but in the same ballpark, I want to show the slide that literally had people rocking in their seats with "Ohs" and "Ahs".

Let's throw CRAIGSLIST.COM into this mix.  You have your listings on Craigslist right?  You're doing that for your customer, correct?  I'm sure you are....

3 YEAR ANALYSIS - Daily Reach

...because if you are not.....let's just say, 'What the 'BEEP' is wrong with you!?!?!?!'  Simply put, if you are not taking the time to put your listings, FOR FREE, onto Craiglist, even though it's not just for real estate, you are absolutely short changing your client.  The sheer amount of people you may expose your listing too is almost TRIPLE the entire traffic of Zillow, Trulia, and REALTOR.COM combined!!!!

Still want more?  Have fun at ALEXA.COM and click on TRAFFIC RANKINGS at the top.   You can compare any number of sites and find some more very interesting stats!  Hint, throw YOUTUBE.COM into the mix and prepare to be FLOORED.