Stand out on the Web

...take your site to the next level...

You have a Web site. Thousands of other REALTORS® also have Web sites. Many of these fellow professionals will have the same client base as you do. So how do you take your Web site to the next level, stand out from the herd, and ensure potential customers find you first, find you best, and decide to use your services?

by Barbara Ling   There are many ways to propel your Web site ahead of everyone else's. Done well, these techniques will greatly enhance your probability of superb visibility and customer satisfaction. Done poorly, they will only be distracting. Remember, your success is dependent upon not only superior customer service, but also the initial impressions your customers receive from visiting your site.

Tip 1: Great Web sites have superior coding

Did you know that search engines will rank your pages based upon the behind-the-scenes coding? That's the programming you see if you choose View then Page Source when browsing in Netscape, or View then Source in Microsoft Internet Explorer.

Great Web site pages not only look visually appealing and download swiftly, but also have tight coding that search engines like. For example, the space between the title tags should contain two to three of the most important keywords; the keyword meta tag should include dozens of keywords; the description meta tag should contain a descriptive phrase.

It's actually not that complicated to do. There are many excellent sites that teach you all the basics of keywords and search engines. Check out www.virtualpromote.com, www.searchenginewatch.com, or go to www.yahoo.com and search on the phrase "beginner Internet tutorial."

Tip 2: Great Web sites download fast

Nothing is more irritating to visitors to your site than waiting minutes for pictures to download. It has been estimated that the average surfer will wait for only eight seconds before getting bored and zooming off to a faster site. Not everyone has a 56.6 modem-some still are attached to the Internet by a 14.4 (slow, slow, slow!). The bigger your images, the longer your page will take to download.

Don't despair. It's quite possible to have the same visual quality of pictures while reducing their file size. Depending upon the image, I can squoosh a 13K GIF down to perhaps 7K - 8K and still retain the same look and feel.

A wonderful resource is GIF Wizard, www.gifwizard.com. You can point it to your Web site and run a demo scan-it will show you your current images, then display them compressed. This is a paid service, but one highly recommended. It can shave seconds off your complete download time.

Another resource worth its weight in gold is Web Site Garage at www.websitegarage.com. This site will not only optimize your images, but also run other diagnostics on your site, show you how your pages look in the various different browsers, and more.

Tip 3: Great Web sites are known by the targeted audience

Nothing is more depressing than creating a superior Web site and having nobody who would be interested in your services visit.

Internet publicity is a key component to successful Web sites. Not only do you want local homebuyers and sellers to know of your business-you want people considering relocation to check you out, too.

It is imperative you get your site listed on as many Texas-related sites as possible, including the state sites, the city sites, the county sites, and others. Not only that, but when folks do visit your Web site, you should have enough local information to impress your potential customer that you're one REALTOR® who has all the answers.

Of course, you have your listings and business information on your Web site. Consider also including a section with local resources such school information, theaters, restaurants, local attractions, and the like. Guess what? Once you have that, you now have a "nonbusiness reason" for purely informational sites to add your link.

You can find master lists of Texas city Web sites at The USA CityLink Project at www.usacitylink.com/citylink/tx, Yahoo! at http://dir.yahoo.com/Regional/U_S__States/Texas/Cities/ (that is two underscores before States), and the Online City Guide for Texas at www.onlinecityguide.com/tx. A great place to find school information is School.net at http://k12.school.net, or Know The Neighborhood at www.lysias.com/productsservices.html.

After finding sites that interest you, see if there is a link available where you can request your Web site to be included as a city resource and/or business. Your qualified traffic should increase dramatically.

Tip 4: Great Web sites have their houses listed

Yes, certainly you have your homes listed on the MLS and major listing Web sites like Realtor.com. This is very important. Internet surfers like checking out the characteristics of homes to get an idea of what's available.

Consider also listing each available house individually on your own Web site. Why? Simply because every page of compelling information you add is one more chance to obtain higher rankings in search engines for visibility. And with digital cameras being easier than ever to operate, it's a snap to upload those pictures to your Web site and start generating interest.

Make sure to include the proper HTML hidden-behind-the-scenes information as mentioned in Tip #1 for all of your house listings. Then simply index with the major search engines to add them to their databases.

Tip 5: Great Web sites are interactive

Let's say that a customer explores your Web site and is intrigued with your offerings. Right then and there, you have several options. You can include a form where they can fill out their dream-house criteria and have that information automatically e-mailed to you. A simple way to start this can be found in one of my previous articles for Agent News at www.realtimes.com/rtnews/rtapages/19990311_onlineforms.htm.

You can do even more, though. Consider PenRose's HouseHunter Hotline at www.penrose.com. This service sends e-mail notices automatically to buyers whenever you find a new listing in your area that meets their personal preferences.

Another exciting technology product enables you to create virtual tours-panoramic pictures of a home, inside and out. Several vendors offer this technology, such as IPIX at www.ipix.com and bamboo.com at www.bamboo.com. This immediately contributes towards the "Wow!" factor of the Web. REALTORS® who have the technology available, skillfully deployed, immediately generate a positive impression on the customer. You can see REALTORS® who already include this impressive technology at www.harveykalles.com/jutvision.html.

Technology is always changing, and you should definitely stay abreast of it by checking out the news sources such as Agent News Technology Advice at www.realtimes.com/rtnews/rtapages/advice-technology.htm or Inman News at www.inman.com. You'll find other great tools like Trivista's 3D ImageScene, ImageCube, and Online Photo Gallery at www.trivista.com, EazyImage at www.eazyimage.com, and more.

In the final analysis, of course, your Web site is useless unless you get the right customers there and provide the info they need that makes you stand out. Always consider it a work in progress.

Barbara Ling is the author and creator of The Real Estate Pro's Internet Edge, a comprehensive guide to teaching REALTORS® how to make money via the Internet, www.realestate-resources.com.

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