This question has been flying around lately.

An IDX is a just way of showing listings online. That’s it. IDX is an Internet Data Exchange – the MLS is exchanging data, over the internet, with others.

Most MLS’s are willing to provide a raw data feed – like a big text file - of the MLS listings to people or companies that can write programs to take all that data and put it into a pretty MLS search. Some MLS’s provide a free version that you can put onto your site, which usually involves copying and pasting some code into the right spot on your site. Some don’t provide a free version, but there are almost always one or more separate companies that can provide that function for you.

Many agents and brokers elect to pay a company for a different IDX solution, so that the MLS search on their websites are different or more useful than other agents in their marketplace. And there are lots of companies out there to choose from.

So how do you pick?

Cost Vs Value

Most IDX providers charge some kind of monthly fee. Since it is usually web based software, there are constant revisions and updates, so you pay monthly and always have the latest version. Plus, MLS’s often make small, but frequent changes to the format of their data, so the IDX provider is constantly adjusting to those changes so that your MLS search can be used uninterrupted.

You’ll have to trade off cost with the value that you get. Not all IDX solutions are created equal, and some deliver great value for the cost and some don’t. Some things to consider:

• Does it have an attractive, easy to use interface?
• Can you put it anywhere, multiple times, on your various websites for the same cost?
• Can you make it bigger or smaller, change colors and fonts, to fit the style of your blog or site?
• Is there a smaller search widget that you can embed on a sidebar so your users constantly have access to your search without having to click around?
• How will it feature your listings? Is there a separate special feature for that?
• Does it load quickly on the page?
• Can you easily change what fields your users can search on?
• Can you decide how much information to show them in the search results?
• Does it give you the option of turning on and off forced registration?
• If users register, where does that information go? Is there a lead management system included?
• Can you brand it to your own site?
• Can users save searches? Easily email listings? Talk to you about them?
• Can you ‘seed’ the search with a specific city or subdivision to use on a specific city niche site or blog?

Consider how well an IDX solution does the basics, and then think about all the extra features and the various ways you can use them. Will they help your business in a tangible way or are they just extra flashy fluff?

A good MLS search can boost your user-to-client conversions, because web site visitors appreciate a good, clean, simple, powerful MLS search. If you can answer that need for them, they’ll love you for it. So choose carefully.

And I might be somewhat biased, as my husband has a company that provides IDX solutions, but there are plenty of good ones out there. Ours is designed around the things that were important to me as a full-time busy agent, working most of my business online, so I think it’s pretty cool. But don’t take my word for it. Think about what’s important to you, and find the best fit for you and your website.

And if you’re having trouble comparing and contrasting, send me an email and we can chat. Sometimes, it’s hard to make sure you’re comparing apples to apples.