Websites for Realtors

As a realtor, your online presence needs to be great. But so many realtors make several key mistakes and miss the mark when it comes to attracting new clients. I’m here to help you understand the value of your websites and how to effectively use the web to attract new clients and new business.

What are common mistakes realtors make with their websites?

1. Having only the one-page listing on the company website as your site. Yes, you should have that, but it typically looks the same for every realtor in the company and doesn’t do anything to make you stand out. WHY should someone choose you over the rest of the realtors in the company? That usually isn’t answered in the company realtor page.
2. Relying on Facebook as your sole online presence. Look, we all love Facebook and probably spend way too much time there And yes, it is a great marketing tool for those who follow you. But for those who don’t? It’s not a search engine tool. It’s not going to attract new clients to you. Should you use Facebook? Absolutely! But don’t rely on it for your online presence.
3. Forgetting to set up a Google Business Listing. Do you want to get found when people in your area are searching for realtors? Then you MUST have a business listing. That’ll put you on the map. Want it to rank really well? Get online reviews. Those reviews will boost your standing in the local listings. Want it to really shine? Add a Google Post to your listing each week.

Those are a few common mistakes realtors make, but what I really want to do here is tell you how you can use your online presence to get new clients.

You don’t need listings.

That’s not to say if you want listings you shouldn’t have them. I’m not saying that. What I’m saying is, listings are not why people are coming to your site. They can go anywhere to get listings. Zillow, Realtor.com, Trulia. They don’t need to go to your website to see the listings. Listings are nice, but they aren’t enough to draw people to your website.

Just like Glinda the Good Witch said, “You’ve always had the power.” You just aren’t using it. Here’s the secret that will attract new clients and keep people coming back when it comes to websites for realtors:

Knowledge!

What? Information? But I’m already sharing information. I have my contact info and my bio, etc. 

That’s not what will bring people to your site. Should you have that? Yes, absolutely. But when it comes to websites for realtors there’s one thing that really will make or break your online presence and that’s your knowledge. You know stuff that your clients don’t know. You know how a house looks best to sell. You know what the market is like in your area. You know where the best neighborhoods are, who the best service people are, and what area is going to be the next trendiness place to  live.

Don’t be afraid to share your knowledge!

One of the most common responses I hear when I tell people to share their knowledge is that if they share it, their clients won’t need them anymore. Trust me when I say that just because you share what you know about being a realtor, that people won’t start listing their houses themselves. Everyone knows how to clean their house and mow their lawn, but there are thousands of businesses thriving offering these services.

It is unlikely that sharing your knowledge will  lead a potential client into a DIY home seller/buyer. What is more likely to happen is that people will read what you share, and learn to trust and value you as a resource. They will respect your knowledge, your commitment, and your candor. It will build your reputation and when it’s time to sell their house or buy a new one, they’ll come back to you.

Your clients can see listings anywhere, but what they can’t find anywhere is that wealth of knowledge you possess about the community, the market, and the process.

Think about this – if someone is relocating to your community, they can get online and see all the houses available… but if they aren’t from the area, they don’t know which school are the best. They don’t know which neighborhoods have the best resale rates. They don’t know which neighborhoods have parks, where the best coffee shops are, or who to hire to mow their lawn once they move in. Those who are relocating are looking for this information and you, as the realtor, have it all!

Sharing your knowledge is one of the easiest and cheapest things you can do to increase your online presence. I promise you won’t regret it!

The downside

There is one. Sharing your knowledge is going to take time, and a commitment to doing it  and doing it well. The biggest complaint I hear when I encourage realtors to start sharing knowledge on their websites is that they don’t have time. And it’s true, realtors are some of the busiest people I know. But the old adage is true – if you want something done, give it to a busy person.

I have a few tips to help you get it done:

• Commit: Make the commit to write on your website. Figure out how often you want to do it and commit to that frequency.
• Plan: Create a content calendar. Don’t just write it on the fly, figure out what you want to cover, and start planning when you will cover what topics.
• Schedule: Don’t just try to squeeze in content writing when you can. This is part of your job, so treat it as such and put it on your schedule just like any other appointment. If it’s on the calendar, you are more likely to do it.
• Write: Start writing. You have a wealth of knowledge in your head, and all you have to do is share it.

Don’t be afraid to share what you know. There’s a huge audience out there looking for information and you have it at your disposal. Use what you have to grow your audience.