When you are developing your web site in order to sell your services and listings, it's really important to always keep at the front of your mind that this marketing resource of yours isn't "local". By it's very nature, a web site is selling to the entire planet. Even if the vast majority of your visitors are local, even if that's who your key target audience is, your site is still going to be seen by people from all over everywhere.
Okay, great, so we know this - so what? Well, lets think about what they might mean for those visitors arriving who are from out of area. What might THEY want to find that's different from a local visitor? After all, you are selling yourself as an expert in real estate and that can mean a lot of things to people, not the least of which is being expert in your local community. And not just in the price of homes for sale, but where the good shopping is, transit, what parts of your area are popular local destinations for residents, etc.
So, how might this impact what you do on your web site? For starters, why not put up a page giving some background on the area you work in - a little bit of the history, some notable residents perhaps? And create links to other resources that could be useful like city hall, local tourism sites, newspapers, etc. But don't go overboard either. Too many links out and not enough in will hurt your ranking in search engines, so find a balance between being found and being worth finding!
And Internet clients are a paranoid bunch as well - so create a friendly environment for visitors. This can be through language, photographs and how you present yourself in your bios and on advice pages. Letting visitors know right upfront there will be no unrequested spamming or sharing of personal information they enter in you site's information request forms is also helpful.
Mostly what you want your web site to do on your behalf though is to be active, not passive. It's easy to imagine a site as a worm hanging in the water waiting for the next fish to bite, but any fishing aficionado will tell you that active bait is much more effective. And your fish are a lot smarter and discerning as well. If you site isn't representing you as a proactive and busy Realtor... then it's saying you are simply sitting there waiting for the next sale. Just like your clients. Some may call this old school, many will call it dead in the water.
And finally there are some old school elements that stay true even in today's wired world - and a classic tenant to stay with is the KISS Principle. Keep It Simple (Stupid... if you feel inclined to use the second "S"!) An easy to read, well laid out, not overly complex web site that isn't full of moving bits and is full of well thought out tips will trump busy sites every time. Design is even more critical under these circumstances. A simple site doesn't and shouldn't look simple - it should look sleek, sophisticated and striking. What that translates into for you will vary greatly from person to person - but if it looks cheap, it will look cheap to everyone!
And one final note - please, please, please don't put anything that makes noise on your site! Not on your tours, not some recorded introduction... not anything! Think about who your users are - often they are people taking a few minutes at work to browse around for new houses for sale. If all of a sudden their computer starts squawking about Realtor services or a houses features, then your visitor is going to be less than happy. Along with simple, keep it quiet and discreet as well - you won't get anyone in trouble unnecessarily that way!
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