I think I saw this question asked before, but I am unsure of the response, so I ask again.

How anyone had any luck advertising your listings with their own website?
Such as:
http://www.306tysonglen.com/

My MLS is privately owned and refuses to allow us any IDX functionality. For small realtors, like myself, with few listings to post on my website, I have to do what I can to get customers.

Jessforce
http://www.homesofwarnerrobins.com/

Advertising listings where each listing has its own website will not generate leads from internet search engines (you will sell the home long before search engines rank such a site). You need to advertise the urls on signs, newspapers, etc. to try and get people to visit the site. Then you need to have a highly visible link to an online Home Search form so the visitors can send you their requirements

You are right, I dont do it to sell the property, but to help get other listings. And I do advertise the URL. And the house will sell quickly anyway.

My goal is to impress potential sellers.

As far as the home search, you mean a form they fill out that gets emailed to me? I have something like that on my site, but no one uses it. As I said, I am not able to utilize my MLS for searching on my website.

You do not have a Home Search form on your site as far as I can see - just a contact form where someone can send you their email address and name. You need a form where they can choose the features they want in a home and send them to you - that is why no one uses your current form. The form needs to be easily found and if it were me I would put a link to that form on each of your listings.

I've had customers who have done that successfully... It's a $9 investment in a domain name, and it makes the seller thrilled. They don't realize how easy it is.... it's a great method for GETTING a listing.

I've suggested that prior to a listing appointment, you buy the domain, drive by and shoot a photo of the exterior, and then put up a mock featured listing on your website. Go into your listing appointment and pull that up on your computer...... the seller is usually VERY impressed! (also they think you really did a lot of work!).

Some have sign riders made up with the domain for the yard sign, others use it to advertise properties in the newspaper with.... (an example: http://www.6marmionrd.com; http://www.HudsonDreamHome.com, http://www.AmherstDreamHome.com.

Some use the actual address for the domain, others have bought a slew of town related domains (like the above... ____DreamHome.com, _____DreamHome.com, that they rotate to different properties when needed.

And depending on the site, it CAN generate leads from search engines, although not with a new domain... but as part of an existing site. One of my sites is so strong that I can put up a listing one day and it will be listed and ranked #1 in Google within about 48 hours.... (for searching on "Town home for sale" or something like that)... . But it takes a VERY strong, VERY active site that gets spidered by Google daily in order to achieve that.

a yourdomain.com/subjectproperty.html would be just as impressive, with a whole bunch of benefits compared to a short lived unique address. It doesn't make any sense what so ever in marketing terms, for the seller or for the lister, by creating unique addresses. You would be much farther ahead to bring the traffic through your main site, typically via local advertising which makes your home address known.

"yourdomain.com/subjectproperty.html would be just as impressive"

I have to strongly disagree! Domain names of JUST the property address are VERY effective, especially during a listing presentation. I've listed MANY homes because they were very impressed with the website. They think if I'll do this much work before I get the listing, just think how much we'll do after we get the listing. (and everyone knows domain names cost $, they just don't realize how cheap they've become... less then $8)

EVERY single one of my listings (featured properties) become it's own website! (of course I have software to do this)

http://www.19111jasperhill.com/
http://www.26506anselmo.com/
http://www.29646pelicanway.com/
http://www.68sobrante.com/

2 of these listings I can directly relate back to the websites for getting the listing. One of them I got because they saw the URL rider on another For Sale sign, and they wanted that for their house, and listed with us.

Greg

When you do this - do you use a simple forward to redirect to a page on our primary web site ??

Or do you have the ability to actually create and host an individual web site for each ?

Greg, your a salesman. Where else but the listing presentation would such a domain be useful? If you substituted 'is' with 'is not', you could sell them in a different direction. Diversion doesn't cut it, unless you sell webspace and domain registrations.

You can create a page on your own Realtor website and then use Adwords to push traffic to it.

I know that one thing that Google is apparently working on is to have Realtors use the Addwords system to advertize indiviual listings. I have not tried this but it would make sense to create a page as a listing flyer and then direct an adsense ad to that page using keywords like the neightborhood or the area of the city so that you have relevent buyers clicking on the links.

For more info on the Adwords wystem you can go to Google Adwords

There are agents in California using this tool - www.agencylogic.com - to create property websites. You can make a nicely designed (template-based) mock up of a website to use in listing presentations for free, pay between $50 and $99 for a year to have the website registered and hosted if you get the listing. It takes about 15 minutes for a simple site that comes with all kinds of features like printable flyer, schools, mapping, document management, etc.

I agree with the strategy of including the URL in all print ads, best with open house ads, neighborhood mailing ("Can't make the open house? Visit the website") and display ads. Get business from drive-bys who see the lawn sign.

Link from your agent website's "featured properties" to the proeprty website.

Hope this helps!