Real Estate Website Design Solutions

Do You Need to Advertise Your Website?

2008-10-20T10:16:00.000-07:00

Many of us think that just having a website is enough.

The truth of the matter is that it needs to be optimized for the search engines through search engine optimization (SEO) and perhaps even considering other forms of advertising such as paid placement, newspaper, magazine advertising, etc.

Visit this article for a quick read on why you need to advertise your real estate website.

Marketing in Downtimes

2008-10-04T09:51:00.000-07:00

It is easy to feel that when times get tight that you should cut your promotional budget. Nothing could be further from the truth!

Visit this article to learn how to survive the economic downturn. When times are good, it's easy to run your business . . . learn some easy, economical ways to grow your business . . . even in times such as these.

Add Google Analytics to Your GraphicalData Website

2008-09-28T09:28:00.000-07:00

It's easy to add Google Analytics to your GraphicalData website.

Google Analytics tracks the traffic going to your website and can help you turn more visitors into customers. GraphicalData makes it as easy as 'copy/paste' into a single field to add the code to your entire website.

View our latest PDF tutorial manual on how to create your Google Analytics account and then add to your website.

GraphicalData websites have enjoyed Google Analytics as an easy add-on feature since early 2007. You can review earlier articles by searching for "Google Analytics" in the Search Blog field at the top of this page.

Live Chat Help Now Available on Your GraphicalData Website

2008-09-27T10:33:00.000-07:00

For your convenience, "Live Help" is now available in your Admin Center! You will find the support you need quickly with "Live Chat".

It is designed to immediately connect with Customer Support here at GraphicalData. You will find the "Live Help" icon located in your Admin Center in the upper right side of each page . . . help is just a click away.

During normal business hours this help tool will reflect a "click to chat" status (which is basically equivalent to Instant Messaging) and when not manned, it will reflect the ability to send an email with any question you may have. Your email will be answered on our the business day.

GraphicalData Website Help Movies

2008-09-27T10:29:00.000-07:00

Announcing a new "Help" module in your GraphicalData Admin Center. After logging into your admin center, click the Website tab. On the left hand side of the screen you will see the Help icon.

It is designed specifically to provide you with the assistance you need to build out and manage your website. Included are movie and PDF tutorials.

Additional tutorial movies will be added on a regular, ongoing basis.

Get Rid of those Dashed Lines when in Tables

2008-09-16T10:33:00.000-07:00

Have you ever made a change to your website when in a table? And then wind up with small dashed lines around your content? If so, then you are probably using Firefox as your browser. The good news, there is a simple solution to this dilemma.

Click on the icon in the menu bar as found in the yellow highlighted area of the accompanying image. This removes the dashed lines . . . then select the "save changes" command at the page bottom.

Although the dashed lines will then continue to display on the backadmin side of your site for ease in future editing of the table, they will not display on the public side.

Now you have a much nicer looking page!

On-The-Page Text Improves Search Engine Rankings

2008-07-24T17:55:00.000-07:00

Use regular text to improve your SEO . . . and it's free!

Visit this brief article to learn more! Search engine friendly content is a bonus for rising to the top in the search engine placement wars.

Photo Galleries and Other Virtual Media on Your Website

2008-07-21T08:33:00.000-07:00

Studies show that visitors appreciate additional property photos and virtual tours when added to your website.

Fortunately your GraphicalData websites allow for Photo Galleries and any other virtual tours that are hosted somewhere to be added you your listings.

Visit this article that discusses what properties should have virtual tours. And additionally, if you have not added a Photo Gallery or virtual tour to your listings before, visit a previous posting as to how to add a Photo Gallery here.

How To Respond to Your Website Leads

2008-06-28T14:22:00.000-07:00

Responding to a lead from your website is important . . . how you respond is just as important. Are they ready for you to contact them by telephone . . . or email . . . or perhaps they feel they are "flying under the radar" and the response needs to be a very "soft" one. This can especially be the case if they are just supplying an email to receive something that you have offered on your site.

Michael Russer offers up a good article on "How to Respond to Online Leads" that is certainly worth the read.

Are You Missing Internet Leads?

2008-06-17T15:47:00.000-07:00

Do you feel that you are not getting all from the Internet and your website that you should be? There can be many reasons. Your site may have not been optimized for search engines. Perhaps you need additional Online or Offline Marketing. Perhaps it is poor site design. Older sites especially may suffer from lack of lead generating and tracking solutions.

Regardless of the challenge or challenges, there is no denying that a substantial amount of sales begin on the internet in today's marketplace.

Read this article for employing good internet techniques to help you capture your share.

How Many Listings Can Be Place in the Recent Sales Section?

2008-06-09T08:54:00.000-07:00

A good tool to show your visitors that you are a real estate agent who has "actually sold a house or two" is the "Sold Listings" module which displays your recent sales.

You can add this to any page on your site by going to the Website section and after creating a page, selecting the "Sold Listings" module. Then edit this section by adding the MLS numbers of your sales. Not only can you place your listings that have sold, but you can also add the MLS numbers of sales you have made since you own half of that transaction.

Currently 40 fields is the maximum you can place in the sold listing section. Keep in mind that would seem like a lot for most folks scrolling through. Additionally, these sold listings will fall out as they are removed from the MLS, so they will only remain for 2 (or is it 3 years)....I would therefore recommend replacing the oldest MLS numbers in this section with your most recent sales.

Another alternative, if you are a selling machine and have a lot of sales to post and you really want to display more, would be to create two pages of "solds" with one being residential houses and the other as condos or the like...or even divided by high price rance and lower...or by area (ie "Seattle area sales" and "other area sales").

Website Lead Generation Is More Than Just SEO

2008-05-10T10:32:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder why even with a site that has been "optimized" for the search engines, you still may not be receiving the traffic you would like? There can be many reasons. Perhaps you are too general in your search area. Maybe you are going for too competitive a term in a really competitive market. Maybe your site is focused on the wrong town or target nitch you endeavoring to pull from.

This article is a good read for "Why Agents Fail Online - Even When They are No. 1 On the Search Engines". Check it out!

Good Website Design

2008-04-05T08:18:00.000-07:00

To engage a visitor to your website, you need to have a compelling site that is well designed and shows credibility. It must be intuitive, have good navigation, and actually contain information and content that is relative to the visitor's mission. Give them the way to accomplish their mission and you will acquire a happy visitor that will return to your site.

Visit this article that shares some top tips for web design.

Key Performance Indicators in Your Website Business

2008-03-27T12:01:00.000-07:00

Web analytics, such as Google Analytics which we use in our GraphicalData websites, involve measuring how your website is doing with visitor count, time on site, pages served up, etc. If you understand some of the basic concepts, you can make your online business more productive.

There is so much data and information available, that for the normal person, you need to figure out what is important to you and your online presence and focus on it.

This article does an admirable job addressing Analytics and what to focus on, which many of us are probably failing to do.

If you do not have Google Analytics installed on your website, it is easy to do. Visit a previous post for some simple guidance through this process, or call us at GraphicalData for assistance. Phone numbers are on the GraphicalData login page.

Use Your Domain Name / MLS Number to Your Best Advantage

2008-03-09T17:35:00.000-07:00

You can place a listing's MLS number directly behind your domain name separated by a forward slash (/). For example (as long as this listing stays active and/or has the same mls #) if you click on www.ourvashon.com/28number then you will pull up this particular listing.

This is a great way to share a listing that includes your domain name as well, either in written advertising or adding the link to an email.

Also, since it includes Google mapping, school information, neighborhood information . . . and more, this is as good as creating an entire website for a particular listing . . . and a lot cheaper.

Achieve Better Rankings in Google

2008-02-16T10:35:00.000-08:00

We are all looking for ways to improve our rankings in the search engines. This article is a good read about how to do better in Google rankings. Actually, if you applied these for Google, they will benefit all the other search engine rankings as well.

This is not a complete list of course, but the author does cover many of the major items to consider in your site ranking well on the search engines...and I agree with all of them. My top 3 picks as to most important as well.

This is definitely a must read if you are trying to rise to the top in rankings and trying to do it yourself. Again, a GraphicalData website so lends itself to this sort of thing.

Do You Have A Web Strategy?

2008-01-30T07:42:00.000-08:00

There is more to generating leads than just having a website or websites. How you handle a visitor can influence whether you have a client down the road or not.

You need to understand what a visitor to your site is looking for...and that timing is involved. Is your visitor just starting their home search mission; or ready to buy.

To ensure success on the internet with your website(s), you need to better understand your client and have a web strategy. Visit this article to better understand marketing yourself and your website for profit.

Looking To Increase The Popularity Of Your Website?

2008-01-20T16:22:00.000-08:00

We all would love to have the most popular real estate website for our marketplace. It is not easy to do, but if you are creative, you can find ways to help achieve a website that is well received, and that folks will like and return to visit again...and even tell their friends about.

You need to be different; take a different or more unique approach. Focus on niches, specialties, specifics, and make it unique to you.

Visit this article for some general information. And, if you have not already done so, purchase "Real Estate Rainmaker: A guide to Online Marketing". It has some great ideas that may benefit you as well.

Create a "Listing" or "Property" Web Site

2007-12-30T11:08:00.000-08:00

Create your own Listing or Property Flyer Online.

In a GraphicalData environment, you can create your own listing website. Two options are available to you.

One option is free: Once your listing is in the MLS and has been swept into the GraphicalData MLS/IDX feed, then your listing will automatically show in your website (www.yourdomainname.com/mls#). This is pretty cool, because so much information is automatically available there...the property info, photos, mapping, schools, neighborhoods, printable flyer, etc. In fact, I have seen listed property sites that agents pay for that do not nearly look as good as this free available feature.

You then then use your domain name for any promotions, or even acquire a domain name if you like and point it to the address (www.yourdomainname.com/mls#) and use it in your advertising if you like.

A second option is that when you already have a GraphicalData website, you can have any number of additional sites for $20/mo hosting each. Many agents opt to go this way, and have an entire website devoted to a property. This may be a good way to go for a high-end property that you would like to promote. Again, you can acquire a unique domain name, such as in the first method above, and point it to this site as well.

Two methods to promote a listing...one free...one at an affordable cost. Should you have any questions on either of these means of promotion, contact Agent Support Center for more details.

Is Your Website All It Can Be?

2007-12-24T08:46:00.000-08:00

Graphical Data is continually adding new tools...that are available to you...and at no additional cost. However, I find that many GD site owners are not always aware of the new products. Usually a new feature or tool is noted on the landing page when you sign into your GD account. And I try to post a note here as well upon a new release.

Regardless, going into the new year, you might review if you have implemented tools that would be of interest to you. Or if not sure how to do so contact us so that we can do it for you. Additionally, there will be new tools released on a regular basis going into the new year.

Some of the tools that you may have missed, that are currently available to you...are the blog, the neighborhood search (not all areas), and the "What is your home worth" tool, to name a few.

Also, for those in Kitsap County, Agent Support Center has created a great Kitsap County video that can be added to your site (this does have an affordable, nominal fee as it is not a GD product and did cost us a nice penny to have produced).

And, if you should want any custom content added to your site and not sure how to go about it, we are happy to assist you there as well.

Since this post is near the end of the year, I would like to take this moment to wish all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Make Your "About Us" Page Work For You

2007-12-08T15:37:00.000-08:00

Most Good websites include an "About Us" or "Meet Jane" page. However, do we really know what to place on this page that will do us the most good. Sometimes one can ramble on way too long. Or perhaps get carried away with one's lifetime credentials. Or maybe worse yet...nearly nothing of substance.

I recently came across this article and although not targeting real estate in general, I believe the author has some great insight on what should be included.

Take a read, and modify your page as needed . . . or send the verbiage to Agent Support Center, and we can certainly do it for you.

Busy Times

2007-12-07T12:42:00.000-08:00

It has certainly been a busy fall. We have been neck deep in building out real estate offices.

I thought it might be fun to review some of the more recent editions:

Windermere Real Estate - 3 Kitsap County Offices + Commercial Office
RE/MAX Elite - Redmond, Wa
Windermere Real Estate - Spokane (7 offices)
Windermere Real Estate - Ballard
Windermere Real Estate - Northwest
Windermere Real Estate - Tacoma

And, several more lined up in the hopper...

Stay tuned for new exciting tools that GraphicalData will be releasing between now and the end of this month. They will be very exciting additions to your site going into the new year!

And speaking of the new year...wishing you all a Merry Christmas...and a great New Year!

Think Now for a More Profitable 2008

2007-11-19T06:44:00.000-08:00

Start planning now for next year's business. Develop stratagies for increasing your current level of business. And, just as important where can you trim the fat on your expenses so that your bottom line looks healthier.

Visit this article for Walter Sanford's take on what to put in place for a more profitable new year.

Free or Paid Search Engine Marketing?

2007-11-10T15:35:00.000-08:00

We would all like to show in the top 10 search engine results, especially Google, for a search phrase that would send folks to our web site. The more competitive the search phrase, the more difficult it is for good placement.

There are two primary ways to show in the top 10 results . . . either using proven SEO tactics, or pay to be there. The first route is probably the best route if it can be achieved . . . however, it takes time, patience, and can cost if you have someone SEO (Search Engine Optimization) your site for you. In this day and age, you almost certainly need the help of someone experienced in this realm as there are a myriad of "on the page", "behind the page", and "off the page" items that need attention,

The other route is pay for inclusion . . . and probably the most well-known is PPC (Pay-Per-Click) advertising on the internet. Here you can achieve almost immediate and tangible results, but it can be much more expensive in the long run. And also, as soon as you stop paying, your presence is gone.

So, ideally you may want to do both . . . especially in the early days of a new website/domain name. That way you can achieve immediate results while you work up your up in the free or organic listing results.

Visit this article to learn more about these two facets of positioning yourself on the internet.

Search/Map/Print Upcoming Open Houses with the TourBook

2007-11-08T14:25:00.000-08:00

The TourBook is a new tool used to map and create driving directions to selected listings. These listings can include Open Houses as well as your Favorites.

Locate open houses . . . view details . . . map with driving directions and drive times. Then, print out your tour for easy reference.

Multiple listings may be loaded into a TourBook and you can arrange the order of you tour as well. Your tour then provides a mapped route from Listing A, to Listing B, to Listing C . . .

The TourBook is accessible to a visitor after creating an account, and logging into that account. Of course there are other benefits in creating an account including saving searches and favorites, and opting in for notification of new listings by email, to name a few.

For an example of this new product, vist http://www.windermerespokane.com and select Open Houses". There is also a good example of the new open house mapping program.