SEO for your REALTOR® WEBSITE

Ok, if you read the other SEO guide, forget what we said, your a REALTOR®, its different for you.

There are a few misconceptions REALTORS® have about their websites:

• Websites generate leads
• Changing their search engine ranking will get them more business
• They can pay someone a few hundred dollars and get more hits
• That hits even matter to them

1. Websites generate leads: Websites do not generate leads. Website convert leads and referrals to solid contacts which leads to listings and home sales. Websites take leads to the next level. There is a difference. Websites do generate a small number of direct leads and this should be considered when designing them, but it is not their primary purpose.

2. Changing their search engine ranking will get them more business: Being one of a million hits in Google or Yahoo for most real estate related search terms makes it almost impossible to reach the top of the search engine. It is possible, but it is cost prohibitive. Search engine ranking should not be considered important for generic real estate terms or even in most cases neighborhood names.

3. They can pay someone a few hundred dollars (or a few thousand) and get more hits: How could this be true? If it were true, wouldn't someone already be doing it? Wouldn't that cause the price to go up? Would it soon become too expensive to buy hits? Oh, wait, that already happened. Don't think about buying hits. Even Google ads for REALTORS® are simply too expensive to be worth while.

4. That hits even matter to them: Hits don't help REALTORS®. You don't want hits, you want solid leads from people who are buying homes. You don't want traffic on your website. That doesn't help you. Solid leads come from personal referrals and direct marketing. The website then converts those into solid contacts and sales.

There are a few misconceptions that web designers have when it comes to Real Estate sites. This is because web designers see a few constants in the industry and assume they apply to Real Estate.

Misconceptions:

• Search engine ranking matters to REALTORS®
• Customers search for REALTORS® in Google or Yahoo
• Its possible to get your REALTORS® website on the first page of _____ search engine. (fill in the blank with the search engine of your choice.

1. Search engine ranking matters to REALTORS®: This misconception is because they have been told by every web company on the planet that raking equals sales. Why? Because in many industries, ranking equals sales. In the Real Estate market take JACKSONVILLE REALTOR as an example search term. Google gets a million and a half hits for that term. If you are in the top .0005% of the ranking, you'll be one of top 500 hits and on the top 17 pages! Its normally considered good if an SEO expert can get you in the top 1% of the ranking!!!

2. Customers search for REALTORS® in Google or Yahoo: True, but not significant. Some people do search Google for a REALTORS®. Most REALTORS® leads come from personal referrals, email campaigns, direct mailing and unbelievably, seeing a REALTOR®'s yard sign. If the majority of customers come from other sources, why spend a large portion of a marketing budget chasing a small portion of the sales?

3. Its possible to get your REALTORS® website on the first page: It may be possible, but look at any search term and you'll see names like Homes.com, Homegain.com Realtor.com. If a REALTOR® is willing to compete dollar for dollar with sites like those, they can achieve the same results, but again, is it worth it.

Let's review

Websites don't generate leads for REALTORS®. They convert referrals. The search engine is too crowed for ranking to be effect in the Real Estate market and the big hitters are spending too much money for the little guy to compete directly.

What websites do for REALTORS®:

• Convert Referrals (by providing information about the REALTORS®)
• A conduit to current and past customers and act as an initial point of contact
• Allow quick and easy communication with customers
• Are an integral part of listing presentations
• Used to show off featured properties. (Important part of listing presentations)

So naturally, websites are highly important. They should become the focal point of a REALTOR®'s marketing campaign. They offer the customer non-confrontational way for them to get to know a REALTORS® without contacting them first.

What is the most common complaint that REALTOR®'s have about their websites? It is that their website isn't worth the money because it isn't generating any leads. REALTOR® websites don't generate leads, so that complaint isn't valid. REALTORS® should spend their time and effort integrating their website into their marketing, so it can be truely effective.

One Caveat

One Caveat to this whole SEO discussion and the exception to this is for out-of-town buyers. Out-of-town buyers do use the Internet and search engines to find REALTORS® in other cities by using the exact search term that we can't really get a piece of, such as "Jacksonville Florida Realtor". The problem for us and web designers and for REALTORS® is that it is very difficult to capture these out of town buyers.

Lucky for us, there are several sites that specifically spend a large amount of money to capture these out-of-towners. We can leverage this by getting listings on those websites. So when out-of-town buyers search, they end up on these sites and these sites provide leads to REALTORS®. Keep in mind that websites that attract and convert out-of-town buyers are often different than those aimed at in-town-buyers. Those websites tend to be much more informational than those aimed at locals. As a side note, those information website tend to be too big and too much information for local buyers, so it they tend to be driven off by them. (Yes, we just said you need a website for in town buyers and one for out of town buyers if you want to do it right)

Another Caveat

A lead generator such as REALTOR.COM or Homes & Land can get a REALTOR® a good number of solid leads and also a great number of quality website hits, which many of those could become solid contacts leading to listings and sales. Don't confuse these paid leads and hits with the type of hits that come from the search engine. Paid leads from sites are a good source of customers for a REALTOR®. They require a quality website to be converted.

SEO Done Correctly

So SEO isn't important? No, that is wrong. Some SEO is required. Search engine ranking should be considered for the following search terms:

• REALTORS® name
• REALTORS® company name, if its not a major player such as Watson
• REALTORS® areas of specialization such as neighborhoods they farm
• REALTORS® specializations such as investments or renovations

In other words, if someone is looking for a specific REALTOR® in the search engine, they should be able to find them, on the first page in most cases. This is the method used to convert referrals, so if this doesn't work, the website is useless! Consider that carefully.

Neighborhood names are very competitive and are more difficult to get good rankings in, but it is possible to do this under a reasonable budget, but don't expect your standard website main page to make it into these search criteria. This type of listing requires a specific page or mini-site to be effective.

Your Primary Goal

...should be to use a REALTOR® website as the center of a REALTORS® marketing campaign and use it to convert leads and referrals into solid contacts, listings and sales.

Are We Clinically Insane?

So, most of this is going to sound like we are off our rockers because almost EVERYONE will tell you that this is not correct. They will promise you tons of leads generated by your new website and tell you about your top search engine ranking when they are finished.

Ask them to do the following:

1. You will pay for the website only when you are listed on one of the top three pages for some specific criteria that isn't one of the criteria listed above. Like "Realtor Jacksonville" or "Homes <for> Sale <in> Jacksonville"

or

2. Put in the contract that you will be guaranteed a specific number of leads from your website in the first year. Make it a reasonable number like 150 and the money goes into escrow until you reach that amount.

IF a web design company that promise search engine rankings or lead generation is willing to do one of those for less than $5000.00, please call us and give us their name, we'd love to hire them to redo our website using those terms! But remember, for enough money, all of this goes out the window. It is possible to be listed number 1 for any search term and it is possible for a website to generate a ton of leads for a REALTOR®, just not for a few thousand dollars..

A good website with realistic design goals can achieve a lot for a REALTOR®. REALTORS® must have websites, because it is an important part of the lead conversion process for the majority of customers, including new customers, current customers and repeat customers.