Ideas for Effective Website Building 

I’m in the middle of rereading Gary Keller’s Shift and in the middle of building a new website.

Fortunately, these two things seem to go together quite well.

The purpose of a website is to capture leads and allow you to convert them to appointments.

The big question is how to do that most effectively.

Below are some takeaways from Shift and other things I have learned while going through the yet to be completed process.  Much of this is ideas we have already learned, but it makes so much sense, I have to wonder why I didn’t do it this way in the first place.

3 important areas for Internet lead generation

1. Create a Website.
2. Get Traffic to Your Site
3. Convert Leads to Appointments.

Elements of a Great Real Estate Website

• A professional site that doesn’t appear to be from outdated technology.
• A site that’s easy to navigate.
• Compelling offers that require responses and allow for lead capture on each page.
• Easy ways to contact you on each page.
• Describe things in in everyday English – ie. “Free Home Value” instead of “Free CMA”.
• Make it easy or the consumer will look elsewhere.
• IDX – home search.
  • There is much teeth gnashing about how much information should be provided before requiring registration.
  • I am torn about this as there are pluses and minuses on each side and think I prefer that the searcher get some search results without detailed information before being made to register.
• Information about:
  • neighborhood
  • schools
  • buying a home
  • market statistics
  • selling a home

Getting Traffic to Your Site

• Targeted online and offline marketing
  • Long tail searches are more targeted.
    • Result in fewer searches, but they are more focused leads.
    • Less competition with the big name/big budget real estate companies.
    • 80% of searches on internet are longtail searches (per Active Rain Camp).
  • URL on all marketing
    •  email, signs, brochures, business cards, etc.

Converting Leads

• Give them a reason to give you their information.
  • In exchange for an offer of information they want.
• Respond to lead immediately.
  • Even if it’s with an autoresponder.
  • Remember a huge percentage of clients work with the first agent with whom they “talk”.
  • I also plan to put them through Ben Kinney’s 10 Days of Pain.
• Use tools that tell you how often the lead is visiting so you know when they’re most likely to convert.

These are just a few of the things I’ve garnered from Shift and elsewhere, and I’m going to be keeping all of these things in mind while I’m in the middle of rebuilding my website.

If you want to purchase the book or learn more about the great information Gary Keller provides about surviving and thriving in the current market, go to Gift of Shift. In addition to the book, you will also receive a book on Social Media by Ben Kinney in conjunction with Active Rain.