Real Estate Blog Project: Give Your Blog a Face Lift

You can't deny that this country is obsessed with looks and beauty. Aesthetics are important, whether we like it or not. When you meet a new client, you are expected to be well-groomed and have an outfit on that matches at the very least, and you should look like a professional person that can be trusted. So if you go to all that trouble to make sure YOU look good, shouldn't you put the same effort into making sure your real estate blog/website looks good? Think about it... your internet self is seen more than your actual self, and by many more viewers. You owe it to your real estate website to make sure it looks fabulous at all times.

You may have noticed that CyberSunshine just got a fancy new makeover. We're prettier than ever now (Jealous? You should be!). Every few years you should get a makeover for your site, for several reasons. And here is a list of those reasons:

1. Your site looks outdated and old-fashioned. That's not good. It makes you look like you're not up to speed with the times, and nobody (especially not the twenty-somethings that are currently making up the largest buyers market right now) wants someone that's outdated. Your real estate website is your image, and it is a direct reflection of you and your services. Make sure you're presenting yourself in a way that matters.

2. Your site is cluttered. This is really bad. Nobody wants to muddle through your mess of links and blurbs about how wonderful you are, just to find your listings. Not to say you aren't wonderful. I'm sure you are. But you don't have to drill it into people's heads a thousand times with all the testimonials and the paragraphs your assistant wrote six years ago covering your degrees and accomplishments. Make the site nice and neat, and spell out clearly who you are and what you do, and do it in a short paragraph if you can. Nobody wants to read your resume. They just want a basic description about why they should hire you, and then they want to see your listing. So make it easy, and make sure your content is limited and your navigation is clear and makes sense.

3. Your navigation doesn't work, or other links are broken. HUGE mistake! Always, always, make sure the links work on your page! Every couple of weeks (or days if you're a little OCD) check out the links on your page to make sure they work, especially the important ones (Contact Us, Listings, Home Search). If your links don't work, the potential buyer is going to continue on to another site that came up on Google and not even give you a second thought.

4. The services listed are no longer services you offer, and your photo is from 1986. Okay, seriously, you do not still have a poufy bangs thing going on, nor do you rock the blue eyeshadow. And what's with those shoulder-pads? Are you a line-backer for the Cowboys? Make it a point to update your photo once a year. Misrepresentation is a mark against you, and when your potential lead meets you for the first time and realizes that a) that photo was not from last year's Halloween party, and b) you're nearly 25 years older than they thought you were, they are going to be a little perturbed. While you're at it, make sure your service and your specialty areas where you sell are actually accurate. Nothing turns a buyer off faster than calling your office for a specific neighborhood and finding out that you USED to sell there, but it's been several years since you actually have.

I'm sure there are other great reasons to give your site a face lift, but for now these are the best ones I can come up with. So check out your site, give it an assessment from a non-biased point of view, and determine if it needs some help. Then email me and I'll get you set up with a fantastic designer!