Website Design Choices for Real Estate Professionals
Web site design is arguably the most important element to the all mighty conversion. It does not matter whether you use WordPress or elect to have a custom designed site. Design will always play an important role in guiding the visitor through the funnel of conversion.
In my opinion, the most suitable type of web site for any real estate agent is a WordPress platform. WordPress is inexpensive software (free), offers content management, can display new global site designs (themes) in one click and can be easily modified. Creating your own uniqueness with WordPress is done with theme designs, plugins and site set up.
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Choose Design Method
If you are wondering how to decide on the most suitable design format here are the basic options. Common coding languages include HTML. PHP, ASP or Flash. Each language has unique capabilities that become a part of design. For example, Flash is great for presentation and the best language for visually illustrating your ideas. On the other hand a flash based website is challenging for search engine to understand. Therefore flash sites do not rank as well as sites that display code a search engine can understand. Establishing a balance between design, load time, user friendliness and navigation site is a good way to look at design. Again, WordPress takes care of a lot of these challenges in the nature of its programming.
Micro-Site Traffic Driver
Ask us about creating a 10 page micro-site to enhance your web presence and reinforce your primary keyword strategy. We do it all; research, content, interlinking, site build and publishing. No muss–No fuss!
Create A Vanity Domain
Create, set-up and monitor your direct mail with a vanity domain. This step is only necessary if you want to track traditional marketing efforts such as TV, radio and printing circulars to your domain. There are other methods to do this but for real estate professionals a nice, short, sweet and simple domain name is my favorite.
Adding Bells & Whistles
We can discuss and make recommendations for installation of plugins for WordPress. Integration of other data sources into your website can also be done, easily (usually). E.g. Mortgage rate calculators, MLS listings, etc.
Content Strategy
Manually or software aided, researching content is enlightening and helpful–even for expert writers. We are able to create a content blueprint for website designers to follow. Including, making recommendations for other interesting topics.
Here’s a Random Example:
I want topics that are currently being discussed around “basement repair”. So I will ask a special application that question.
– Popular Theme Keywords found for “basement repair” –
- hydraulic cement for basement wall repair
- seepage repair on a basement wall with mold syracuse ny
- concrete basement wall repair + quincy, il
- repair bowing basement wall texas
- basement bulkhead repair in massachusetts
- basement repairs for dummies
- best concrete basement leak repair
- how to repair crumbling mortar in stone basement walls
- repair basement leak, french drain
- basement toilet repair
- basement leak repairs
- basement tilt repair
- basement window well repair
- cinder block basement repairs
- how to repair leaky basement walls
- repair basement concrete block walls
The topics above are currently considered hot. They can provide the seeds for content topics. There are a few more steps to perform content research, but the idea is you build around topics that are being heavily discussed and have search volumes associated with them. In other words, people are looking for help on these topics.
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WordPress is great for real estate blogging, but it’s really not made to be used as a marketing site content management system. Listing display, for instance: out-of-the-box, WordPress is terrible for this. Most RE websites I’ve seen using WordPress to display listings try to add it as another post, which results in endless scrolling through dozens of poorly-formatted-for-display home features, and photos of the home placed in one massive chunk at the bottom or top of the post.
Content management systems meant for RE websites do a much better job of displaying listing info on a nice grid layout, with tools for visitors to use to see nearby schools, or area information, or contact the agent built in.
WordPress takes a substantial amount of tech knowledge and time to turn into a suitable platform for real estate marketing.
A great reply Jay. It sounds like you’ve been there and I agree for the most part. That’s why I have a small team of WP techies. Knowing how the WordPress Loop works is a key to most custom configurations. And yeah, it is best done by technical people that have the knowledge. It’s done once and you own the property. The one CMS I really like for custom work is Expression Engine. It works much differently.
Hogwash, I respectfully disagree with Jay. If you get a custom skin made for WordPress you can do anything. Subject to your WP programmers discretion. The ones I use have yet to disappoint. Even without fancy programming you can get a real estate site looking amazing with WordPress. E.g. http://www.tomrobic.com/
What gets you leads that convert? That’s the bottom line.
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Great thing make things really easier. Happy entarteining!
I added your post to my blog!
shares utilize a perfect website decent Gives thanks for the hard work to help myself
Ver nice article. I think most people underestimate the hole we are in. In our lifetime real estate will not be as profitable as a couple of years ago.