Owning a Website - More than Getting on the Right Track In discussing Point2 Agent accounts with our members during any education session related to the website itself, the inevitable question that arises is "How do I get more people to visit my site?". Signing up for a Point2 Agent account is definitely a smart first step for beginning your online presence, providing more exposure for listings, and generating new leads. There comes a time, though, and many of you will have already hit this point, where you realize that going through the initial sign-up process is not enough to guarantee traffic. The old saying "build it and they will come" was not in reference to websites!  Consider a new building. Once it is completed, there are people who will visit it, simply because it is new to the area, stands out, and human curiosity often gets the better of us. Now, consider if there were ten, or twenty, or a hundred buildings going up at the same time. What are the chances that you would personally go into each of those buildings? If you decided to go at all, which one would you visit first, or even more importantly, which one would you prefer to stay in for longer than just a few moments? Your website is akin to one of those new buildings. There are large numbers of websites coming online on a regular basis, and in order to stand out and have people notice you, that website has to offer something unique, important, or intriguing. Then, once they are on your website, you need to give them a reason to stay. This means that having a website is not enough: you will need to invest further time, energy, and creativity. As Will Rogers once said, "Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there". One of the main attractions of a real estate website is listings. Online visitors looking for real estate are looking for property information. They want it at their convenience, they want it in a easy-to-read format, they want it complete, and they want it for free. Considering that each person has his/her own way of processing information, it is recommended that you provide your real estate listings, experience, and data in multiple forms. Often people need to see or hear something several times before it is fully understood. Take your listings: you have the option of displaying this data in multiple formats, through the use of Content Modules: a grid of Listings, Featured Listings, Open Houses, or Listings by Map. The Listings by Map module is interesting, as it forces the online visitor to interact with the map and zoom into areas where they potentially see themselves living...after purchasing a home from you!
Another way to get visitors to your site, partly through enticing them to visit and partly through pleasing the search engine crawlers, is to update the content on your website. Update, and update often. Your initial Point2 Agent account contains default text, meant to give your website content a start. This default content is provided to all Point2 Agent members, so it is imperative that you update it to reflect your personality, your business, your target market, and your selling areas. Having textual content related to these areas that are specific to you will provide those search engine crawlers key information regarding your website, which then indicates to them where they should be sending visitors doing online searches. This content is also helpful to review when working on metatags, which also help search engine crawlers. A key area of focus for a number of our members, and where they are seeing a lot of success, is by providing neighborhood information on their website, either through pages devoted to this information, through blogging efforts, or by providing both the pages and the blog posts. If those online visitors are looking for information, providing it on your website will help you be found, as well as entice those visitors to remain on your site, which increases the potential of them contacting you when they want further assistance. Neighborhood information can be as specific as the statistics from a current census poll, or can be more information observations and information you have gathered through living, working, or servicing that area. Topics can include: local amenities, schools, parks; community events (parades, family fun nights, picnics, garage sales, children's days in the park); community organizations (family, religious, social); transportation; proximity to popular city destinations (Universities or Colleges, shopping centres); upcoming changes to roadways; just to name a few. Basically, if it happens in that neighborhood, you will be viewed as the expert if it is on your website. Blogs provide the means to not only present neighborhood facts, but also the opportunity to begin a dialogue regarding any facet of life. Some of the most successful member blogs have been ones containing posts on anything but real estate! Blogging about everyday life occurences, whether it be observations, raising children, events in your local area, or helpful tips for around the home, provides you the chance to reach people on all levels. This not only shows that you are human and have interests outside of work, but also that you are approachable, interesting, and willing to discuss what matters most to people. People buy from people, after all. Whether it be updating content, adding further pages to your website, adjusting your metatags, showing your listings, or blogging, making adjustments to your website will help your Search Engine Optimization, as those search engine crawlers will notice the activity occuring on your site and take note of the content. The richer your content, the more you discuss, and the more often you update your site, the better the search engine crawlers like you! If your SEO is strong, then your site will be found more often. In relation, if you are continually updating your site and blog with relevant information for online visitors, the more likely they will remain on your site and tell others about it. Getting a Point2 Agent account was the first step, and a great choice, for beginning your online marketing strategy. Making that site your own, adding to it on a regular basis, and providing information relevant to any online visitors is how you are going to get the traffic and results you are desiring. Enough listening to me - go work on your website!  ~ Tanya Spilchak, Education Coordinator |