| Every Real Estate Agent has a pretty good | | | | website's content on your target audience, |
| idea how important a website can be for | | | | and give them the kind of information they |
| generating real estate leads. It is a well | | | | want. Usually this will be listings, |
| known fact that something like 60% of all | | | | information about your community, or general |
| people looking to buy a home in the U.S. and | | | | real estate information and services. Don't |
| Canada look to the web as their first source | | | | get bogged down with trying to present a cool |
| of information.That means there are thousands | | | | "image", or impressing people with your |
| of people looking to the web for real estate | | | | accomplishments. People always want to know |
| information about every community in the | | | | "What's in it for me?"3. Keep your content |
| country. But relatively few real estate | | | | fresh and updated. Make changes and additions |
| agents know how to tap into this huge mass of | | | | on a regular basis. This keeps the search |
| web surfers.As an online marketer, your | | | | engines coming back to scan your new |
| objective should be to turn your website into | | | | content.4. Get external links from other |
| a lead generating machine. It is not easy. | | | | websites. Links from other websites bring |
| There are millions of websites that no one | | | | traffic, and also tell the search engines |
| ever looks at, and many of them are real | | | | that your site is important enough to link |
| estate websites. In many cases these sites | | | | to.Turning Visitors into ProspectsGetting |
| have cost hundreds and even thousands of | | | | visitors to your site is the hard part but it |
| dollars. But most have very little chance of | | | | is not the end of the story by any means. If |
| getting much traffic, and even less chance of | | | | you can't convert some of those website |
| converting that traffic into leads. The | | | | visitors into prospects, then you have wasted |
| reason is that they ignore some of the most | | | | time, energy and money, and squandered a |
| basic and most important web marketing | | | | golden opportunity.What is a prospect? It is |
| principles.You are in for a rude awakening if | | | | someone who expresses an interest in using |
| you think it is a simple matter of setting up | | | | your service. Web leads are usually generated |
| a website and then sitting back and waiting | | | | when visitors send an email message asking a |
| for eager home buyers and sellers to visit. | | | | question or looking for further information. |
| It takes hard work to create a website that | | | | Often they fill out a form on your website |
| gets traffic. And it is even more difficult | | | | that says something like "Fill in this form |
| to turn a reasonable amount of that traffic | | | | for further information."The obvious |
| into prospects.Basics of Web Marketing - | | | | conclusion is that your site should make it |
| Getting TrafficFirst, you must realize that | | | | as easy as possible for people to contact you |
| most of your website traffic is going to come | | | | and request information. The best way to do |
| from search engines. In order to get people | | | | that is to have a contact form on every page. |
| to your website you need to impress the | | | | That way if they see something they are |
| search engines that your site is worth | | | | interested in on a given page they do not |
| visiting. Whether you like it or not, you are | | | | have to click around looking for a place to |
| in competition with every other Real Estate | | | | get in contact with you. The form is right |
| Agent in your community. You are competing | | | | there on the same page.Equally important, you |
| for "clicks". And you can't get clicks if | | | | should offer different types of information |
| you're not coming up in a prominent place on | | | | and services in order to encourage responses |
| that first few pages.But how do you get | | | | from your web visitors. Free reports, free |
| there? That is the question asked every day | | | | home evaluations, hot listings, regular |
| by millions of people wanting to use the web | | | | newsletters -- these all serve as enticements |
| as a marketing tool. The bad news is that it | | | | to get web visitors to respond, and in so |
| takes hard work, a fair bit of time, and | | | | doing, become prospects.All of these things |
| considerable promotional resources.The good | | | | can be automated to a large degree. By using |
| news is that with persistence, patience, and | | | | what is called an "autoresponder" you can |
| a relatively modest amount of money you can | | | | send an instant response to anyone who sends |
| successfully climb up the search engine | | | | an inquiry. For instance, you might offer a |
| ranks. And you will find that the payoff is | | | | "Free Report on How to Get Your Home Ready to |
| substantial. Once you develop a "web | | | | Sell for the Best Price." When visitors fill |
| presence", the number of visitors to your | | | | out the form requesting the report, your |
| website will gradually become a steady | | | | autoresponder sends it out automatically |
| stream.Getting good search engine ranking | | | | without you having to do anything. At the |
| boils down to these basic things:1. Define | | | | same time you receive notification of the |
| your website's target audience. In the case | | | | inquiry so you can follow up later. You can |
| of Real Estate sites the target audience is | | | | even have the autoresponder follow up with a |
| normally defined in terms of location. Make | | | | series of messages about other services you |
| it very clear what location you are serving. | | | | offer.By using these and other similar |
| Ask yourself "What search terms would someone | | | | techniques you can take advantage of the |
| use who is looking for my service?" Normally | | | | awesome power of the internet, and turn your |
| it will be something like "Real Estate in My | | | | website into a 24/7 lead generating machine. |
| Town" or "My Town Real Estate."2. Focus your | | | | |