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Suggested Content One of the most common questions people ask is: "What
information/pages should my Web site contain?" For your convenience,
we include here a list of possible topics. Your exact content depends on:
- Your audience
What is your target - buyers, sellers or your farm?
- Your image and style
Are you a family oriented REALTORŪ?
Do you like statistics and numbers?
Do you have a good marketing plan for sellers?
Are you part of a franchise or an independent?
Do you 'specialize' in a niche like seniors, vacation
properties, golf course homes?
Do you farm subdivisions?
Do you have an interest or hobby that a lot of people can
relate to?
Suggested
Pages
The first
three pages at every Web site should be:
- Welcome - what's your site
all about? Generally speaking, all sites will be about
buying and selling homes and living in your
city/town/area. If a visitor can't figure out within a few
seconds what a site is all about, he/she will leave.
- Homes For Sale - this can
be as little as a link to an online database (IDX), but people
visiting real estate sites want to see properties. If
you are aiming your site at sellers, you MUST use the
visualtour.com software or something similar. Buyers particularly like tours,
and will sometimes make an offer from a tour without even
seeing the property in person. Be sure to investigate
the options for displaying homes info at our page -
Your Properties which
is reachable from any main menu.
- Meet The REALTORŪ - you
must introduce yourself in a manner that makes people want
to work with you. This means present yourself in a
friendly and non-threatening, low-key way. A list of your
accomplishments and sales awards is not the ideal. Keep
your ego in check.
Other pages you
might want to add to your content are listed below. These
are shown in no particular order of priority. What you want to do is
give people a good idea of what it's like to live in your
area and provide information that changes on a regular basis. Link after link after link is NOT the way to do this.
Write something and control the info on your Web site!
- In-depth area description
(a paragraph or two about each of the towns/suburbs/areas
you cover. A picture of each is suggested. A slide show is
even better.
- Maps
- Dining
- Shopping
- Commuting
- Recreation
- Parks
- Local Media - Newspapers,
TV Stations, Radio Stations
- Schools - Private, Public,
Colleges and Universities
- Private Clubs
- Points of Interest
- For Kids
- Kids Sports Leagues -
contact info
- Health Tips (altitude
sickness, avoid sunburn, anything applicable to your area)
- For Seniors
- Beaches and Other Summer
Activities
- Skiing and Other Winter
Activities
- Day Trips
- Points of Interest for
Visitors
- Airline and Highway Access
- Golf
- Boating
- Gardening
- Fishing
- Hiking
- Gated Communities
- Condo Living
- Professional or College
Sports Teams
- Arts and Culture
- Music
- Theatre
- Museums
- Calendar of Events (fairs,
art shows, home tours, flower shows, etc.)
- Area History
- Buyer Tips
- Seller Tips
- Dress Your House For
Success
- Moving Tips
- Your Marketing Plan
- Client Testimonials
- Your Special Services
- Your International
Concierge Services
- Investment Opportunities
- Renovation Opportunities
- Housing Styles
- Usual & Customary Real
Estate Practices in Your Area
- The Buying Process
- Area Sales Statistics
- Foreclosures
- Mortgage/Financing Info
- Weather/Climate
- How To Dress for the
Climate when Visiting
- Military Links/Services
(if you are near a base)
- Local Accommodations for
Visitors
- Demographics and
Statistics
- Special Offers (Free Stuff
That You Provide - Free Newspaper Subscriptions, A Meal
For Two, whatever)
- Articles You Have Written
or Have Access To - Build a "Real Estate Library".
| What
NOT to Include |
- Your Mission Statement
- Your Detailed Resume
- Anything that has NO
BENEFIT for your site visitors and is simply all about you
and how great you are
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Creating/Gathering Content
As you can see, our
list of possible content is extensive, and we have by no
means covered all the possibilities. In gathering info for
your site, the places to start include: |
- Your Chamber of Commerce
and/or Visitor's Bureau
They will have lots of pamphlets of area attractions and
other information.
- Printed materials provided
by your broker/franchise.
- Your own previous
marketing materials.
- Your Board of REALTORSŪ
may have 'canned' information available for members to
use.
- The info section in your
phone book or yellow pages - normally located near the
front of the book.
- Our portfolio of example
sites
While you can't copy anything that someone else has
written, you might get some ideas
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| Be sure that
you get permission to use content that has been produced by
someone else. This includes photographs! Chambers of
Commerce and Visitor Bureaus are usually very cooperative in
sharing; professional photographers are not so cooperative
unless you pay them a royalty fee. Copyright infringement
can lead to big problems for you.
Linking To Other Sites
You probably don't want to
simply link to your local Chamber site because many of these
sites across the Web sell advertising to REALTORSŪ. When you
link to a site that does this, you are simply making it
easier for your site visitors to find another REALTORŪ! If
you do want to link to 'info' sites, be sure to explore
every link at those sites. You never know what you will find
once you get past the first page.
Need A Copy Writer?
If you need professional copy
writing, we can recommend an excellent professional copy
writer. Please be aware that professional copy is not
inexpensive!
In A Nutshell
You want your site to be
interesting, informative, and generate leads. You want your
site visitors to come away with the idea that they'd be nuts
to work with any other REALTORŪ because you are an area
expert, a skilled professional who can find them the best
house at the lowest price (or sell their house in the
shortest time at the highest price). Further, you want to
present yourself as a pleasant person to work with.
The Acid Test
Every site visitor - upon
arriving at a Web site - thinks to him/herself "What's in it
for me?" If you can answer that question by providing the
info they seek in a low-key way, you will be successful on
the Web.
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