How to generate leads with your real estate website

According to National Association of REALTORS® 2003 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, only 6% of home buyers and 2% of sellers found their agents on the internet. Yet, 71% of consumers used the internet to gather information.

Those are very interesting numbers! If nearly three out of four home buyers and sellers gather information on the internet, why are the number of leads generated from websites so low?

Most real estate websites are failures.

I've designed and viewed a number of agents' websites, and I find that most real estate agents make exactly the same mistakes. They buy a cheap, template-based website without much thought, throw up a bunch of listings to fill space, and then can't figure out why no one is visiting their website or contacting them.

The problem is that most agents don't understand the web as a marketing tool. They still fall into the dotcom hype that "if you build it, they will come." Guess what - that's a movie, not reality! In fact, if you consider that your website is a billboard in the middle of nowhere, you are being more realistic!

First and most important of all is to have a site that is so well designed and so full of information that once a prospect visits your site they will stay until they reach the point of needing information that they cannot get from the internet.

Your customers have choices, and if they have a difficult time navigating your website or can't find the information they are looking for, they will leave. Another site is just one click away.

The biggest mistakes REALTORS® make with their website

Most agents websites seem to say "I'll help anyone, anywhere, anytime." They try to speak to everyone, and end up speaking to no one. They are much too vague and therefore are meaningless.

The key to success online is FOCUS. For example, if you are looking to target buyers, narrow it down. Are you looking for first time buyers? Move up buyers? Retirement buyers? Hispanic buyers? Gay buyers? Then drill down even more. For first time buyers, look at specific condominium developments where their monthly rent is about what they could pay for a mortgage. Design your site to speak directly to them. Become an expert on this group. Become an expert on this development. FOCUS.

Real estate is LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION! Ok, most agents include a few links, but there's nothing that talks about what living in the community is like. Besides, providing links is what search engines do. Providing CONTENT is what you should be doing!

What are the good points? Why would I - as a first time buyer, a move up buyer, a retirement buyer, or any other buyer - want to live in this community? What are the demographics? Appreciation rates for condos? For single families? For multifamilies? What are the schools like? What does the community look like? Old, new, suburban, urban?

According to National Association of REALTORS® Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, after listings, people are most interested in the neighborhood. You can use your website to show a photo slideshow, local news and events, and other community information that captures why this neighborhood is a great place to live.

Many real estate web sites simply provide a link to every page on their website on the top or left side. [see photo left]. There is no rhyme or reason to why the links are there, why they are in no particular order or relevance, and navigating is a chore that requires me to read every link on the page to determine which I should choose. It can make you dizzy. Some have 35 links on each page!

Web visitors are picky and if they can't find what they want in a few seconds, they'll leave. They won't stay and try to figure out how to use your site. They don't care, and there are many other easier to use websites just one click away.

Your customers are looking for information. Education. Listings. They are NOT looking for a house salesman! Websites that focus on how the agent has won a gazillion meaningless awards, all of their meaningless designations and have their [15 year old] picture all over the front page are simply a waste of money. When people hear phrases like "the #1 agent in Boston" they are immediately skeptical. Don't hype yourself up. It's tacky. By placing your mug and your hype on the front page you are immediately making it "personal". Your visitors will run... Get your face off the front page.

Instead, make your website client focused. If your ideal prospect visits your website, what do they want to know? How can you help them find it? Focus on your customer, not yourself. Use your knowledge of and experience in real estate to demonstrate why you are the one they should work with.

Online leads usually represent people in the early stages of research who are just collecting information for a potential purchase. It's often anywhere from 9 months to 16 months before a new lead is ready to sell or purchase their home. 9-16 months.

Prospective online clients are generally in an information-gathering mindset. They're accustomed to collecting information freely and anonymously and are often reluctant to provide valid contact information. Because of this, many agents become frustrated with their online prospects and consider them a waste of time. In fact, some surveys indicate that as much as 90% of all agents don't respond to their online inquiries.

This is a huge mistake as statistics show that online homebuyers are every bit as likely to use a REALTOR® in their purchase. The key is to utilize the right tools to efficiently follow up with them regularly during the months after the initial contact.

You should check your email several times a day and respond to inquiries promptly. You shouldn't rely on auto responders to handle your general email accounts.

When someone submits a contact form through your website or sends you an email, they expect it to reach a live person and to receive a personal response. You don't want to disappoint them with a canned response to their specific questions and requests. The Internet is an impersonal and anonymous medium, but the real estate business is not. It's important that you take this opportunity to begin establishing a relationship with your visitors.

Your initial contact can very well determine whether your relationship will flourish. Always keep your replies courteous, professional and grammatically correct. Keep your emails concise but make sure they include all of the requested information and address all of your visitor's questions. You're probably not the only one the prospective client has contacted but if you can give a personal response that provides relevant information, you'll be way ahead of the pack.

Big Secret: Many customers choose the first REALTOR® who responds to their inquiry. Surprisingly, many agents return emails many days after receipt. The early bird gets the worm!

Out of town prospects that are relocating to your area are probably working with a longer time frame. They might not be ready to start their search in earnest yet, but it doesn't hurt to begin building a relationship early.

Often, agents include a "free comparative market analysis" as their way to get in the door. They think that as long as they can see the home and make contact with the prospect, they can close the deal. That may be so, but often, prospects aren't willing to make such a jump from knowing little about you to inviting you to their home. It can be intimidating, especially if they expect you to "sell" to them.

Instead, think about what types of valuable, locally based content you can offer free on your website. These might include a tip sheet for moving into a specific community. A buyers kit that discusses relevant information for your community. A tip sheet for sellers to get the best price. A relocation guide. Or anything else that might appeal to your target audience. Make it local. Make it real. Make it valuable. Make it unique.

Think of ways to start educating prospects before they contact you.