I'm newly licensed, and have been trying to think of ideas that will make my website stand out amongst all the established Realtor sites in my area.
So many of them have all the same information on them, ie mortgage calculators, hints for buyers and/or sellers, mistakes to avoid when buying or selling a home.....and on and on it goes.
That might be great for those who already have a large client base, but how does a new agent build a site to get noticed?

Yes there are many agent websites showing the same thing. But many of them never get looked at as the agents or their companies don't know anything about getting good placement on search engines. The most important feature I think is having some sort of IDX, but you also will need to blog either on your website or a separate blog pointing to your website. Don't focus on having it stand out. Focus on getting the most clicks and views. I'm sure there are agents out there spending big bucks on fabulous websites, but there is another agent out there with a free wordpress blog getting all the visits from potential clients. Then after that you have to work out a follow up plan. I repeat just having a website is not enough these days no matter how fancy it is. Plenty of threads on here about websites. Good luck.

Newly licensed and ready to set the real estate business on fire, I like enthusiasm - generally that is all the newbie brings to the table - well that and a list of friends and relatives they are sure to let know they have arrived.

So lets get started - so we know what how best to help you - let us know what research have you done on real estate websites already? Other words - what do you think you know;)

The time to have started this was before you started your re classes - but we'll get you there - just work at it a little each day - and spend the bulk of your time actually working in real estate and getting experience because you really don't know if you like this biz yet and pouring a lot of time and money in something you haven't proven yourself in or proven to yourself you like - is not a good idea.

Reading the threads in this forum on websites and research other avenues on information.

Answer our questions - get involved in the biz - and we'll help you as you're ready.

Good Luck on all fronts, and welcome to the forums!

btw - first bit of advice - from the main forum page look down the list of forums and you'll see several that deal with this.

to answer your question..do not build it yourself..

$500..gets you a killer fully customized site
from daknomarketing.com

or realestategeek.com
for 450

They can both build you a killer customized site,..
with awesome seo power..

realestatewebmasters are the best..but their site cost like $9,000

earn some checks first then upgrade later.

good luck.

$9000 for a website? For that price the website better be able to show houses and write contracts as well. No matter what you spend on a website it's only as good as the leads generated or how you follow up on those leads. If you get leads and take 2 days to respond you are wasting your money on the website.

realestatewebmaters sites are nice looking, but nah, I think I'll pass. lol. my site is butt-ugly but it works. why buy a porche when a honda does the job just as well...lol

I've been thinking about getting my site redone, so I checked out these two.

I think you mean www.dakno.com instead of daknomarketing.com. It looks like you have to host on their site for $50 per month in addition to the $548 set up fee. The sites do look good.

realestategeek.com is an agent's website, and it doesn't look that great. I did a google search and didn't find a web design firm with a similar name.

dakno..is amazing..and powerful seo..

check out this site they created for my competitor..who is dominating me in seo wwww.livingonthehudson.com/

out of the 50 or so terms we are compewting on
im on page 2 and hes #1 on page 1

so the other guys are...

http://www.realgeeks.com/

They own 2 spots..
on the first page of hawaii real estate
and the #1 spot for san diego real estate

these are unbelivable difficult to rank for..

check out..

hawaiis.com

and adrhi.com


not as pretty as dakno and hosting fees are more..

but they totall kill seo..powerful sites..

I've researched this for over a year..

these are best bang for buck..

honorable mention

realestatewebmasters $9,000

and realestatetomatoe $1500

but both outside my allocated budget right now..

And for those who don't have the $500 and $50 per month there are two providers of customized wordpress themes that are worth looking into. Thesis and Genesis. You can get a Theme for around $60 one time fee and host it yourself on BlueHost or HostGator for under $10 per month with a dedicated IP. Both of those have forums and a lot of support. You use their layout and upload your own pictures and articles. If you find a IDX provider you can add that to the website and you are off and running.

One problem with the templated real estate website providers is that the search engines see them as duplicate content. So unless you do a lot of customizing you are lost in a sea of sites that look exactly the same, and it's difficult to get the site to come up in peoples searches. If you are going to do a lot of customizing, why pay more? Customize a custom wordpress theme.

I just clicked on the realgeeks link and realized it is an old buddy Jeff Manson who I would totally endorse if you want to go that route.

Your pricing is a bit off Linden. REW is not 9k out of the box at all. I just got done with mine, on a fully loaded template with IDX as well as customizations, and it's under 4k. Real Geeks, Virtual Results, and REW have the best IDX in the space without a doubt.

When making my decision I chose to go with which platform had the best results. Who owns Sarasota? REW. Dallas Fort Worth? REW. They dominate, and for good reason. I'm not pitching them here, just giving out my experiences.

I started with a basic wordpress theme and IDX broker 6 months ago and got it ranking well without any money hardly so yes you still can make money on other platforms.

Perky you are right if what you have works for you then no sense in changing. Only thing to look at would possibly be your conversion rates on your current site and see if it is something to improve upon. If it isn't possible to increase that then no sense in changing.

My advice - while I really think Real Estate Webmasters are the top notch group - and yes - they even have specials on now and then where you can save even more - that is a commitment a newbie may put on hold and work towards.

For ease of use - Advanced Access use to be easy - and you could do anything you wanted with no limit on pages - just storage - but some things have changed but they are still the largest provider.

But not knowing the OP - my advice in general to someone brand new would be to put the big ticket items on hold until you find out if you and the real estate biz are a match - and then let your business pay for it - after you pay yourself.

A suggestion - if you have nothing - go ahead and buy a domain or 3, pay 5 years ahead for the one you know you can use and keep it descriptive and not personalized. Wherever you buy it - GoDaddy or Bluehost, etc. - create a website or blog website with the free services you get with that company. Chances are you are going to have to frame your brokers IDX anyway - and that will do fine if you use your wits. Your total costs will be minimal depending on specials and where you go - and you can start promoting it and getting your url seasoned before you pay out the bucks for a Cadillac site. This is good for the old timer as well as a newbie. Don't pay the big bucks site and a new domain if you don't have to, plan ahead and it will save you thousands or at least give your big buck site the best chance for a fast start when it goes live. Just transfer your now seasoned domain to your big bucks - and you're dollars ahead.

Sounds like the old FSBO argument..
Do it Yourself or Hire an expert..

depends on how you value your time and you wanna do that out the gate

here is some rough guidelines

wanna make..
100k better be doing $50 per hour work
200k better be doing $125 per hour work

Im not a web designer..so I use the fsbo argument on myself

I dont cut my own hair
Fix my own car
Do plumbing or electric..

Could I? of course..
home depot and lowes has awesome do it yourself books..

But again, whats my time worth per hour..
tinkering with websites..
or showing properties
listing appointments
calls...

and then there is the end result issue..right?
Does this site convert..is it functional..

Same advice I give fsbo's..

If its not your specialty..hire an expert
you will cost yourself more in the long run..
cheapest way..rarely if ever translate to best way..

if your site doesnt convert..you just wasted all the time and effort..we need sales..not hits..not visitors..

if that $500 investment will bring you back $5000
its a no brainer...

I spent weeks building my blog..long run cost me in MY hours value
over 10k..and it doesnt convert..into sales..lesson learned..for me..at least..

Wow - I would tell an new agent to forget about Google,

Pick out a FREE WordPress theme, host it - it'll be 10-20 dollars a month.

Ask what buyers and sellers are concerned about and generate content (video is best) that speaks to the implications of those concerns. Always using key words and good SEO practice.

Then drive as many people as you can to the blog and ask for comments. Ads, flyers, cards, feature sheets, social media.

As many eyes a possible on the blog.

When people engage - you capture and convert.

The more you repeat it - the greater the results.

By the time Google moves you to where people can find you ... you won't care.

All the best. ..... CanaDave

the fsbo approach? in this market?

as I tell fsbos...youre not seriously gonna try that yourself are you? Get expert help..

the return on zero will always be zero..

I vehemently disagree. My website and blog were not designed by professionals, they cost me only time to build them and they helped me gross almost six figures (after my broker split but before taxes).

The reason many new agents fail is that they RUN OUT OF MONEY spending it needlessly on everything that comes down the pike that they HAVE to have.

Nobody would pick my site to win any beauty or design contests but that's okay, even though it's ugly and not very polished looking it's still generating me enough leads to make a decent income.

And yes it took TIME but ANY site is going to take TIME. I got it ranking well fairly quickly from being a student of SEO from some ppl online who shared excellent info.

It didn't take me 4 years to generate income - by my 2nd full year though I was doing well.

soooo your time is worth zero?

my time is worth 125 per hour..

I cant make that tinkering with websites

most agents fail cause they lazy and wont call people
or even follow up on they leads..

your second year you was doing well?

what did you eat your first year..

im at 200k net this year alrady..i dont care what I spent to make that..

we are realtors
we sell houses..

not build or tinker with websites,..

I made money right out the gate with my websites ZER0 SEO

I just had a website that converts ..bought traffic..then converted the leads by GASP..
calling them..

Im only a full time realtor 4 years..
I dominate most of the 55 years old average realtors
'who been in the business 20 years..
tthey lived in that area all they life
I dont even live in my market
and never have..

oops..how did that happen?

I hired experts..
They ego forbade them to..

hire an expert..shorten the curve..
thats what most REAL businesses do..

depends on what your time is worth..

you gonna sell some houses..
or build websites all day?

one pays alot more than the other..

Back to the original question which was how to build a web site that stands out. My suggestion is to make sure that you incorporate and IDX and you offer the use of it with no registration required.

Most agents think that forcing someone to register and then spamming them with drip email and phoning them and annoying them with clever scripts is the way to financial success. Most buyers really hate that.

If you want to stand out don't put anything in the website about how great you are, and all of the expertise you bring to the table. Most people could care less about us and think that they don't need our help anyway.

Make a website that is primarily a search tool, incorporate a blog and write some articles about how the process works to flesh out the content. Write some posts about potential pitfalls, what to watch out for, and how they can get screwed. Offer to help people find bargains, foreclosures and homes selling for 50 cents on the dollar.

you've been giving excellent advice by all..
my take remains..
hire realgeeks, dakno or someboidy to build you a site
with a great idx...
then test registration options..
try it 90 days,..no registration..
try it 90 days with registration..

and none of the buyers I call feel threatened..
if they left a number..a real number its because they want you to call..

no clever scripts..

call them and offer to help.

Hi mr mrs buyer
i noticed you were searching on my site..
how can I help YOU?
would you like me to send you a list of properties that match your,
exact criteria including bank foreclosures?
have you heard about the awesome financing available?
when would you like to be in your new home?
what days are you available to take a look on the inside..

you are in control..tell me which ones you like and we can go see them..
do days work for you,or weekends better?

no fancy scripts..help them out..

As I hate being forced to register when I'm a user/visitor on somebody's site, I would have agreed with that statement. However, recently to test things out, I started calling new leads who left a valid # (over 65% do) and the response has been phenomenal. In less than 3 weeks, I got 2 deals in escrow and working with another very serious buyer. As such, now my opinion is that if they leave a valid number is because they are open to being called. And no need for 'clever scripts', just offer genuine help.

amen..just offer genuine help..and come from a position of a servants heart..sounds corny..but its a gamechanger

call your leads,..what if you dont..and they wind up using a bad realtor and making a bad decision..

no clever scripts..

even..how can I help you out?

works...

When I did my testing I was a nervous wreck thinking that the good leads would go away once I forced them to register.

They didn't. I actually received more.

Testing is the only way anyone can really decide if forced registration works for them or not.

If you want to weed out the fake emails just set up an auto responder and the fakes will get kicked back to you. Problem solved.

In my market the overwhelming majority of fake emails are from those looking for houses that don't exist. Low price with lots of amenities. They know they can't afford what they want and they don't want to hear me tell them so they lie.

Right now, I am writing a $900k offer from a forced registration who received new listing updates for a couple of years until they were ready to make their move.

I have a question for all the naysayers who claim the public will just click the back button and find a site without forced registration. The people who sign up on my site have to go past 3 or 4 sites that don't require registration to get to my site. Why are they hitting the back button and leaving those sites and staying on my site where they get bullied around?

I've trained with many coaches and belong to many masterminds..

the general consensus is..

forced registration.. and call the darn leads..

I'll mention 2 of my coaches that people cant bash..cause they dont know them..

use google..

Mitch Ribak= Tropical sun realty
and Todd bates

i purposely avoided bring up my main mentors..

but again they all agree forced registration..call the darn leads..

mitch team does over 300 transactions a year off this..

the people disagreeing are doing 30

big difference..

30 is amazing and puyts you in the 10% of realtors worlwide

100 transactions puts you in the top 1%

I think when you break down the numbers dividing the teams production by the number of team members, you rarely see average number of transactions per agent much over 30-40 per agent. In many markets that lets agents net over 100K and can make for a decent living, especially in this economy. I think that 30 transactions per year (at a decent price point) will put you well above the top 10% probably closer to the top 1%.

Personally I think either forced registration or not can work. If you like weeding through leads looking for the ones you want to work with, do forced. I have over 3000 people who have voluntarily registered and yes I call them when I have time. I stay pretty busy with the ones who call me though.

I've followed Mitch's advice for quite some time. He is an analytical mastermind of lead-conversion. I'd highly encourage anyone interested in the subject to listen to his insights.

As a result of this thread, I'm actually experimenting with non-registration. I had forced registration on for the past six months, amassed a significant database of leads. I'll try it on non-forced for the next month and compare.

spoke to Mitch today..love him..
hge would have an entire cow..if he found out agents wasnt calling the leads

Mitch has one of the highest internet lead conversions of any system..
its a art and science to him..
he averages 20 deals per agent off buyewr internet leads..
thats oustanding lead conversion..
in his office...EVERY lead gets called..EVERY LEAD..
no script..just offering help..

I highly encourage you to learn more about him..

google Mitch Ribak internet lead conversion..

the man is a genius in that field..

by the way..he is in one of the worst markets in the usa..no excuses from him..

yeah..you right 20 deals puts you in the top 10% of all realtors
30 puts you in the top 5%
80 puts you in the top 1%

3000 leads on non forced registration? holy cow!

over what time period?
1 year? 2 years?

And yes..forced registration will make you weed through lots of insincer buyers
and yes unforced registration leads are the highest quality..

no question..

but you need enough traffic and leads to get a sale...

I have 3000 forced registration leads
but that took me 4 years to amass

70% of them are long term down the road..
20% junk
10% are good leads-30-90 days-thats who im digging for..and where my income comes from..
im fortunate..my deals average right now is about 400k

with like half my deals closer to 500k...

but is dropping..i'll try to hold steady at 300k...and up

TEST and TRACK is the only way to know..
but either way for crying out loud

CALL THEM..and offer help

To the OP - I'd suggest checking out Busy Agent Pro. That's who I'm currently using and I've had great success with them.

And I do agree that following up with leads is the key.

Can't wait to hear Maui's results next month on unforced registration.

But, Lindenmoe, either I'm reading your post wrong or you're reading Maui's wrong. He said he got more quality leads when he required registration. Correct?

And for the next 30 days, he's trying unforced registration to see if the quality is still there.

After 2 days, it's hardly enough to give a good analysis, but what the heck: Number of leads has decreased significantly (getting 20% of my average), but one of those leads is on fire! Writing a nice, realistic offer tonight on a property. And another sounded VERY serious (but then again, until escrow closes, nothing is for certain). So although number of leads is way down, the quality is awesome. I'll do a formal analysis after 30 days and post it, either on GEB or AG.

Mitch Ribak would totatally debate ya on the homegain blog on that..lol

But I believe in test, track, test, track,..

remember it depends..on your traffic..

I know forced registration..call every lead approach..

Allows Mitch small firm to average 20 deals per agent..
for over 350 transactions..this year
and put a small independent over coldwell bankers, remaxes, and giant companys..in his MLS.

when guys like that talk..I listen..its been my success secret..and has always worked for me..

[quote=d00d]I'm newly licensed, and have been trying to think of ideas that will make my website stand out amongst all the established Realtor sites in my area.
So many of them have all the same information on them, ie mortgage calculators, hints for buyers and/or sellers, mistakes to avoid when buying or selling a home.....and on and on it goes.
That might be great for those who already have a large client base, but how does a new agent build a site to get noticed?
[/quote]

$500..gets you a killer fully customized site
from daknomarketing.com

or realestategeek.com
for 450

What works for one may not necessarily work for another. As such, not looking to debate, just share insights based on testing.

Maui, Linden always has the last word on everything! Check your rule book LOL.

Linden, I think the point you are missing is that the methods you profess undoubtedly work for anyone who chooses to work that way. BUUUT at the end of the day you are still only averaging 20-30 closings a year per agent. Now I know that the rainmaker can take a bite of everyone on the team's sandwich, and can thereby make more money, but not everyone wants to run a team with all of the details and LIABILITY that comes with it. Some are happy with 30-50 closings per year working alone or with limited secretarial help, as a "buck stops here" type Realtor.

Not everyone wants to spend 20 hours a week calling people and begging for business. Some discover that they can spend a lot less time returning calls from interested prospects, and can still sell something in the neighborhood of 3-4 houses per month.

When you say that "the listing agent controls the buyers, PERIOD", you are sadly mistaken. Sorry! But keep saying it! I hope my competition is listening to you.

deepsea,

yeah right..

less than 5% of ALL realtors will ever do 30 deals in a year..dont kid yourself
thats less than 5 in 100
look in your mls..buddy..
I looked in mines..90% of my mls didnt do 7 transactions all year..
looked in my other mls..
out of 17,000
agents..9,000 didnt do a single deal..thats right ZERO! OUCH!
and only 1600 did tean deals or more.

all 17,000 have a website,facebook account,

so how is Mitch team averaging 20 transactions PER AGENT
its easy.. The highest paid internet consultant in the world is...FRANK KERN

"Seo? what you mean please the google gods? No..we pay for traffic, or joint venture or content market"-Frank Kern


100 bucks says the top 20 in your MLS are listing agents..

2. Begging for business? bwahahahahahaha

I dont beg anyone for business..

watch this..

Are you looking for a home?

person- No

me- Have a good one.

Are you looking to sell your home?

person no

me- have a good one.

you guys want to be honest on here..

I will tell you what doesnt work for everyone,,..

Your seo wait and pray method..

heres why both you guys got 10, of thousands of backlinks..you sitting pretty..except..

1. If google slaps you guys silly..YOU are out of business
2. If you had to move to another market-another state- Referrals will be your only business while..you try to rank in your new place..


since I dont follow a one trick pony

drop me anywhere..by the way ..

I dont live in my county I dominate
Never lived there
Only been there 4 years as a new agent and new Market

How am I destroying the agents who lived there 20 years, been in the business 20 years?

its easy ..because I follow a system I can use anywhere...

Drop me in your market..I will ignore seo..cause you guys got that..right? yep

within a week
I will have different ppc campaigns
using free classified sites
target market super stealth direct mail direct response campaign to your high end renters..

then within 2 weeks
im going to make it rain on every fsbo and expireds
with super stealth direct mail campaigns-direct response..

and I will be..GASP..calling them

within week 3
im going to identify in the market the most active kinds of sellers..then im going to target market super stealth direct mail campaign them as well

week 4 im going to start building a center of influence..
well who has influence in your market..I know..
Im going to find joint venture partners..
with every cpa, financial planner, dentist, doctor, chiropractor
bankruptcy attorney, estate attorney, divorce attorney in your town

Then I will rinse wash, repeat, rinse wash repeat..

until I break into the top 20% of the mls..
then top 10% of the mls..

rinse wash repeat this sytem..

I've done this 2 seperate markets I never lived in..

and Im doing it now in the county I live in..

proven systems rock..
and this will only be the foundation..

using only 4 of the ten SYSTEMS I was taught.

my way isnt perfect..it just works..

FYI ..it isnt my way..its a system..thats PROVEN..

hey in fact..if you happy with your income..

then feel free to ignore everything I just said..

it makes me nervous basing my entire income on pleasing the google gods..

most real businesses agree..

heck even the top strictly internet marketers agree...

as for me..

i will stick to the multi-media-multi-prong approach..

if you happy with your income ..carry on..
if you not CHANGE SOMETHING!

:Sigh: All I said was that I would report on my assessment of forced vs. non-forced registration. Not that I want to prove Mitch is wrong or right, not to say that SEO works/doesn't work. I was just stating that I will share my results, so perhaps that can help someone in their own online efforts. That's all.

Linden, you have methods that you use, kudos. Yes, we get it, you're not a 'one trick pony' (and the way you state that it implies that WE are, thanks). Your methods work for you. You tell us how you make so much more money than us. We get it.

Back to topic, please.

well, you dont say anything to those that directly challenge me or my methods..

deepsea mentioned me by name in a post..

said i begged for business..

you didnt play world defender then..did you?:-)

not that I ever need defending..

people attack me all the time..

everybody cheers,..

but when the empire strikes back...quiet..

play fair..or dont play..

most of the advice i see on here..

is dangerous..and hazard..

I mean since when is it good customer service to not call people?

No one is challenging you, yet you feel challenged in every post. No one cares how much you make, how many deals so and so does. He said you are begging because many people regard cold calling as such. Not you in general, but the practice of it. Also I have no idea where you would see someone saying do not call leads. I don't cold call, I call people who give me their info. Do what works best for you.

Linden,
I think you missed the fact that I started out in the business cold calling. I have probably been to more Mike Ferry events than you have and I took Floyd Wickmans training THREE TIMES. I understand how it works from the inside out and I have told you on multiple posts that I respect what you do. When I talk about begging for business, it's subjective. That's how it makes me feel.

What I don't like is when someone asks a question about how to make a better website you basically try to hijack the thread and hammer incessantly about how it is better to hire someone to do it for you. If someone wants to talk about Facebook marketing you insist that its a complete waste of time. You don't just post your opinion you post a diatribe full of the same points over and over.

What you are doing is spamming your points. It's tiresome. You are making it difficult for a normal conversation to evolve. You keep putting words in other people's mouths that aren't there. I don't require registration, yet when someone does register and when I see them searching in an area that I am interested in working, I call them. DUH!

I don't depend entirely on my website, I have multiple sources of business, like most people who have been around for awhile. I could not care less about what percentage of agents do what. The sad fact is there is a low bar to get into the business and most agents are destined for failure no matter what they do.

You also keep stating that people are bashing you. I don't think it's true. I have learned some valuable things from you and I think you bring tremendous value to people in cold calling, mailing, the Craigslist marketing, mojo dialing and many other areas. You just need to relax and reel it in a little. Try to separate the pearls from the bullcrap. Treat the other agents with respect, take a breath and remember we all have valid points of view. This is a conversation not a soapbox.

duly noted..

and people do throw barbs..my way..

"begging for business"

but hey..its all good.

respect.

So what? That's his opinion. Do you really care what he or anyone else says about you?



LOL, are you being serious? 'Attack'? You and I differ in opinion (everyone on this forum has a different set of principles and beliefs, believe that). Yet I have never felt 'attacked' when you so eloquently voice your opinion. Don't take things so personally. And we need to define 'attack'. Soldiers in Fallujah, they are 'attacked'. You, on this forum, well, you are merely disagreeing.



Whether you agree with it or not, this forum provides a platform for agents to exchange ideas openly. You certainly use it frequently and voice your opinion loudly/proudly. If you feel that it harms the real estate industry and it is 'dangerous', perhaps we as an industry would benefit from having a 'Linden Forum' in which you can continue to give your great advice and edit all those that you feel are 'dangerous..and hazard..'


You do a lot of reading between the lines. Some people (myself included) feel more comfortable ONLY calling leads, but NOT cold-calling. I haven't read any post on this or any other forum that spouse the notion of NOT calling leads.

Bottom line, you are a decent person, have a certain level of success and openly share your methods. This forum has provided you with an opportunity to share the methods of your success with other real estate professionals. You choose to participate in it, that's your decision. What becomes increasingly frustrating when trying to communicate with you is that you continue to pound your point over and over: Mike Ferry et al are masterminds whose theories are the only ones that work. SEO and SM are for losers.

At this point, it'd be great if we could get back to the topic though. Thanks.

Guys and Gals - Let's get back to the website topic, eh?

sm and seo are for losers? never once said that..
if thats the case..im a loser..cause i do seo and social media..
and dangerous advice meaning..
some agents reading and following certain advice on here..
gonna be broke within months..
My hearts in the right place..
the very best part of my advice..
is you can ignore it.. :-)

and maybe you maui..
can start a

"seo is the only way to do business forum"
or a "I know social media works ..just cant prove it yet forum"

way before I got here..the good ole boys was vicously attacking any one non passive..
go read the first 100 replys to Luckys thread...,
or the first 50 replys to Jay kinder or Hoss Pratt threads..

so I dont take it personal..its the nature of this forum..apparently...


and to answer the OP original question..
hire an expert..to build you an awesome site..with idx..
or take the fsbo approach..
just think about that a lil..

Thanks Linden. I appreciate it!