One of the most important components of your business as a real estate agent is your website. Don’t believe me? 90 percent of home buyers searched online at some point during their home buying process. (NAR 2012 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers) Therefore, getting a real estate website that is independent from the one provided by your broker, is essential and should be one of your top priorities when you’re starting out.
The problem is, they don’t teach you anything about setting up your own real estate website when you are studying for your license.
So how are you supposed to know where to begin?
Not to worry. Here is the how-to guide you’ve been searching for, complete with everything you need to know to launch your website quickly and successfully.
Essential Elements of a Real Estate Website
First, it is important to mention the most important elements that you will need on your website if you want to start converting prospects.
Strategic domain - Make sure that your domain reflects locally relevant search terms rather than your name or company name. As a thank you for reading, you can get a free domain from my favorite provider here.
Quality host - You need a host that will be able to support all of your data and traffic demands.
Mobile friendly - Your website should be mobile-friendly first since experts predict desktop websites are going extinct and Google will punish you if it isn’t.
A real estate blog - Crucial for your SEO and positioning yourself as the local real estate expert.
IDX - Otherwise known as an Information Data Exchange, this gives buyers the ability to explore available homes on the market.
Lead capture device(s) - This can be a pop-up form or any opt-in that will help you grow your email list for marketing purposes. ClickFunnels is by far my favorite provider in terms of product, price, and results. You can get an exclusive discount for ClickFunnels here.
Each of these six features are key must-haves for your real estate website!
Choose a Provider for Web Design
Many agents attempt to build their website themselves because they don’t want to invest in hiring a private web designer or company.
This is a huge mistake.
How To Make Millions With Your Real Estate Blog | Sarah Layton | Real Estate Content Marketing
How To Make Millions With Your Real Estate Blog | Sarah Layton | Real Estate Content Marketing Did you know that you can explode your monthly income with your real estate blog?! Yup! Your real estate blog could be worth millions one day! In this video I am going to break it all down for you!
Your job is to sell real estate, not develop websites. Do not waste valuable time that you could spend growing your business, trying to how to be a web developer.
Although you don’t always have a huge budget as a new agent, you really should invest in developing a quality website above all else because it will serve as the centerpiece for all of your other marketing, digital and otherwise.
There are plenty of budget-friendly options available out there like Fiverr.
l invested a bit more and hired the more professional service of MoPro for the complete design of my website. I loved how MoPro turned my website design around in less than 48 hours and seamlessly integrated all of my social media. Check out what they can do for you and get a deeply discounted price (as one of my readers) by clicking here.
Hire a Real Estate Content Writer
The content of your website is extremely important because it will determine where you appear in search results, how much your website is worth (when you sell it), and your conversion rates.
Just as you should leave the development of your website to the experts, you should leave your content strategy to an expert.
A professional real estate content writer understands how to properly implement search engine optimization to get you found by Google organically. Additionally, they will be able to write copy that is more likely to create clients out of visitors to your website.
In an age where we are doing more and more daily activities digitally, you can’t afford to have a sub-par website. As a real estate agent, your website is your business card, your brand, your voice, and often the first impression that you make on prospects. If you are serious about building a career in real estate, you need to get serious about investing in your real estate website.
How To Hire A Real Estate Content Writer | Sarah Layton | Real Estate Content Marketing Coach
How To Hire A Real Estate Content Writer | Sarah Layton | Real Estate Content Marketing Coach Hiring a real estate content or copy writer is the best way to grow your content library, business, website equity, and passive income.
Can't Afford to Hire a Real Estate Content Writer?
If you are committed to investing in your content development, but can't afford to hire a writer to handle the work for you, then you can learn to be an effective writer yourself.
Knowing that a lot of agents and business owners are in this boat, I created a 6 hour online course designed to arm you with the tools you need to write copy that sells.
I have filled the course with about $15K in valuable exclusive discounts and freebies to various products and services that will help you grow your business.
Sign-up for the Competitive Edge Content Creation Masterclass here.
