What Buyers REALLY Want to See on Your Real Estate Website
What are prospective home buyers looking for when they come to your real estate website? NAR's 2024 Generational Trends Report sheds some light on the matter. The annual survey asked buyers who use the internet which website features they find most useful. Today, we're going to dive into what the research shows. You can use this information when researching new website vendors or evaluating how your current site measures up. Let's dive in! Below are website features that buyers rate as "very useful" during their home search process, ranked from most to least important. Most important More than half of home buyers rated these two features as very useful: Photos - Unsurprisingly, photos are the most desired website feature. Ensure all photos that you upload to the MLS or add to your website are high quality, high definition images. While we recommend hiring a professional for your listing photos, if you're a determined DIYer, check out these tips. (And, if nothing else, step away from the smartphone!) Detailed property information - Buying a home is a big deal, and buyers want to know as much information as they can before making a decision. Fill out every applicable MLS field when adding your latest listing, and don't be afraid to add more info about your listing to your website. Need inspiration for writing property descriptions? See 4 Real Estate Listing Description Examples that Increase Sales, or read ChatGPT Hacks for Real Estate Agents to learn how to leverage AI to craft property descriptions. Important More than 30% of home buyers said the following website features are very useful: Floor plans - The floor plan is having a moment, and many MLSs are offering apps that capture floor plans, like CubiCasa, for free to their members. Additionally, many virtual tour providers include a floor plan in their standard offerings. If you're looking for a floor plan vendor, check out our Product Directory. Agent contact information - We're amused that only 43% of survey respondents said this was very important. To you, the agent, it is 100% important! So make sure that, at minimum, your name, email and phone number are prominently displayed on your website so you never miss a lead. Virtual tours - Today's virtual tours, which are typically 3D walkthroughs of a home, can help buyers with decision making, whether that's the decision to tour a home at all or to decide if it's the right property for their needs. Many virtual tour solutions also offer extra marketing tools you many not know about, and most also include photos and floor plans from one scan, so you get more bang for buck. You can find a virtual tour provider in our Company Directory. Neighborhood info - We love when we come across agent websites with beautiful neighborhood pages. Create a page on your site for each neighborhood you serve and be sure to include information about nearby attractions and schools. Be sure to include a call-to-action to contact you for more information about homes for sale in the area. Less important More than 20% of home buyers rated the following website features are very useful: Recently sold properties - It's one thing to get a listing; it's another thing to close a transaction. Show off homes you've recently sold so buyers can understand your track record of success. If your listings sold faster than the average DOM for your area or for over asking, mention that! Additionally, most MLSs now provide sold data in their IDX feeds, so you can use that to offer recently sold information about your entire local market on your site. Interactive maps - Many IDX website vendors include map search functionality. If you're not sure if yours does, check with your site provider and ask how to turn it on. Videos - While only 21% of buyers said videos were very useful to them on a website, that doesn't mean you should stop producing them! They're still extremely valuable on social media to help drive traffic to your website, and you can highlight the best on your site. Need help creating compelling videos? RPR's Market Trends ScriptWriter can write video scripts for you. Upcoming open houses - Okay, so technically only 19% of buyers overall said information about upcoming open houses were very valuable. But that may be thanks to the oldest generation, which represents only 16% of buyers, bringing down the average. Younger generations care more about this info, with 31% of prime-age (34-43 years old) buyers expressing interest. So don't be shy about adding open house announcements to your website! Take it or leave it The final three real estate website features all ranked under 10% overall: Virtual open houses - A lifesaver during the height of the pandemic, this feature is less important to home buyers now. Virtual listing appointments - See above. Real estate news and articles - Dedicated agent bloggers may be disappointed to see this, but this ranking shouldn't dissuade you from posting. While buyers may not show up explicitly for your blog, consistent content creation still works wonders for SEO and attracting leads. So if you love it, keep going! Next steps Read more articles about real estate websites and Internet Data Exchange (IDX) Explore Website, IDX, and Virtual Office Website (VOW) solutions in our Product Directory.

Real Estate Backlinks: A 2024 Guide
Backlinks are one of the most important ranking factors for search engines. Essentially, backlinks are inbound links to your website from other external sites. The more relevant, high-quality backlinks you have, the higher your site might rank in search results. This article provides valuable information and strategies for real estate agents and brokers to build and optimize backlinks in 2024. Why Backlinks Are Crucial for Real Estate Websites Credibility and Authority Backlinks from authoritative industry sites and influencers establish credibility and authority for real estate websites. The more high-quality backlinks a site has, the higher rank it can get in search engines. Higher Rankings and More Traffic Studies show that the majority of home buyers start their search online, so higher rankings and more traffic mean more opportunities to connect with motivated buyers. Brand Awareness Backlinks also help increase brand awareness for real estate websites. When an authoritative industry publication or influencer links to a real estate agent's website, it exposes the brand to its audience. Referral Traffic High-quality backlinks drive referral traffic to real estate websites. When a site links to a real estate agent's website, visitors to that site may click the link to visit the agent's site. This free referral traffic provides new opportunities to capture leads and make sales. The Best Types of Backlinks for Real Estate Agents High-Quality Directory Links Submitting your website to real estate directories is an easy way to build authoritative backlinks. Look for highly relevant directories, regularly updated, and have a high domain authority. Guest Blogging on Industry Websites Writing guest posts for popular real estate blogs and websites is one of the most effective link-building strategies. Studies show that guest blogging can increase referral traffic and brand awareness in addition to earning high-quality backlinks. Sponsoring Local Events Sponsoring events in your local community, like charity fundraisers, networking mixers, or real estate seminars, provides an opportunity to build relationships and get your name and website in front of new potential clients. Creating Unique and Engaging Content Consistently publishing helpful content on your blog or website, like neighborhood guides, market reports, home tips, or real estate news, builds authority in the eyes of search engines and potential clients. Embed links within your content to pages on your website to improve internal linking. You should also promote your new content on social media to increase backlinks, referral traffic, and brand visibility. Creating a content calendar can help keep you on track. 6 Tips to Build Quality Real Estate Backlinks Focus on High-Value Sites Seek out links from authoritative sites in your industry like national real estate organizations, reputable media publications, and influential blogs. Links from these sites carry more weight with search engines and establish credibility. Build Relationships Develop relationships with other industry leaders by engaging with them on social media, commenting on their blog posts, and promoting their content. When the time comes to ask for a backlink, a pre-existing relationship increases the likelihood of success. Offer to write a guest post or provide an interview in exchange for a link. Reciprocity and mutual benefit are key. Create Linkable Assets Publish high-quality content on your site like blog posts, videos, research reports, and statistics that other sites will want to link to. Content that provides real value to readers and offers a unique perspective is more apt to be linked and shared. Diversify Anchor Text Use a mix of anchor text in backlinks pointing to your site. Over-optimization of anchor text looks unnatural to search engines and can negatively impact rankings. Use your main keyword, brand name, and generic text like "click here" or "read more" as anchor text. Use keyword tracking tools to find the best anchor for your link. Build Internal Links Link to pages on your site to pass authority between pages. This is an easy way to give pages a rankings boost and improve the user experience. When creating content, look for opportunities to link to related evergreen content on your site. Also, make sure your website's URL structure is fine. Monitor New Link Acquisition Track where your backlinks are coming from to ensure link quality. Look for unnatural patterns that could indicate a link scheme and take action to disavow those links. Keeping a close eye on new links helps avoid potential penalties and protects your site's reputation. Review links regularly using SEO tools like Ahrefs, Moz Link Explorer, or Majestic. Monitoring and Maintaining Your Real Estate Backlinks You need to monitor your backlink profile regularly to ensure maximum SEO benefits. It is recommended to check your backlink profile at least once a month. Some of the key things to check include: New backlinks acquired from high-authority domains. These can significantly boost your search rankings and traffic. Check for any broken backlinks and try to get them replaced or removed. Broken backlinks can negatively impact your search rankings. Look for any unnatural backlink patterns. Check the anchor text distribution of your backlinks. The anchor text should appear natural and not over-optimized. Check backlinks from low-quality spammy domains. These provide little to no SEO value. Backlinks from domains with a high page rank but irrelevant content. Although high PR, these links provide no contextual relevance and you might decide to remove them. While backlinks remain crucial for real estate SEO success, focus on serving your audience above all – not just search engines. Provide true value, and the links will follow. With a smart strategy and consistent effort, your backlink profile can become a powerful asset fueling your real estate business in the years ahead. To view the original article, visit the Realtyna blog.

Non-stop Neighbors Website

Bluefire Group provides private and interactive neighborhood web sites which provide residents with a useful local resource. Real estate agents can use this technology to try to reach out to their local farm area and become the local resource for homeowners and homebuyers. Each site also includes Local Real Estate function and information, which allows you to provide valuable real estate services to the residents. Benefits of this service include: Automatic collection of email addresses Automated communications bringing residents back to the site Opportunity to increase referral business by becoming the neighborhood REALTOR® Real Estate marketing system Stay in contact with your farm area Help homeowners remember their local agent by name Each Neighborhood website has three access areas for different types of users: guest/public access, members only access and staff/admin access. The guest/public access area allows anyone to visit most areas of the website, including Home Page, News, Downloads, Links and Real Estate. Guests can also contribute information like a classified ad or forum discussion when they register and become a member. Registered members can get password controlled access to a members-only area. This private area typically allows members/residents more capability for interaction. This includes discussion areas (forums), ability to post Classified Ads, Members directory and Address book, photo galleries and so on. These are now potential leads in your database. Staff can log in to a special Administration area where all aspects of the content and function of the website can be managed, configured and controlled.

Websites by Delta Media Group

Franchise, Brokerage, Team & Sales Associate Websites Choose a simple or sophisticated themed website, or opt to collaborate with our Design Team to create a custom website that showcases your business and incorporates lead-generating features. Features: AVM For Seller Leads INRIX Drive Time Search Metro-Line Search Custom Boundary Creation For Hyperlocal Community Search Dynamically Created Subdivision & School District Results Commercial Websites  Luxury Websites Built-In Mortgage Calculations & Mortgage Lead System Market Demographic & Trending Data Fastest Updating Listing Data in Industry (Updates on average 2-5 minutes) Live Chat Plug-Ins Squeeze Page & Lead Generation Tools  Progressive Web App / Push Notification  AMP Pages 

Mobile Websites

With Constellation Web Solutions, websites and mobile sites can be integrated to provide the best experience for agents/brokers and consumers regardless of the screen they use to access your website. Constellation Mobile Websites use the mobile phone browser. With Constellations mobile, there are no applications to download and listings do not stream in as a series of text messages. Your visitor gets access to the information they want immediately. In an effort to leverage the mobile handset, Constellation Mobile does not simply display your website. When the visitor arrives on a mobile phone, the user is provided with access to tools that leverage the mobile phone's unique capability: Constellation Mobile websites include the following features: GPS Proximity Searches: Find Properties Near Me and Find Open Houses Near Me. Mobile Website Searches: agent search, office search, and concierge search. New Home Communities Saved Cart Functionality Mortgage Interest Rates Broker and Agent Branding Support: Brokers can have their own branded mobile website, they may also offer cobranded agent mobile sites.

Properties Online Adds New Real Estate Trends Feature to Its Award-Winning Real Estate Website Builder
Properties Online, Inc. has launched a new module for their website builder, RealEstateSites.com, that will enable agents to build market trend reports for their local area. Santa Rosa, CA, June 07, 2022 -- Knowing what is happening in today's real estate market is critical to both home buyers and sellers. Market trends can let homeowners know if they are headed into a slowdown, and help an agent set reasonable expectations. To that end, Properties Online, Inc. has launched a new module for their website builder, RealEstateSites.com, that will enable agents to build market trend reports for their local area. Real estate professionals can create a trend report based off a zip code, a metro area, a county, a state or you can create a national trend report. Additionally, the agent can compare their primary market with other markets. For example, an a­gent can build a market trend for Sonoma, CA, and compare it to the County of Sonoma, as well as the State of California. What's great is the information will automatically update each month and show statistics from the previous month so the trend report is always current. "We are thrilled to be able to add this feature to our current list of added value items at no additional cost to our clients," says Amanda Cornelius, founder and CEO of Properties Online, Inc. "We have a several new features we hope to launch later this year to help agents capture more leads while serving their clients using our products and services." Market data is pulled from Realtor.com real estate data library and is based on the most comprehensive and accurate database of MLS-listed for-sale homes in the industry. We aggregate and analyze data from hundreds of sources and produce hundreds of metrics for multiple markets, and curate figures and trends where possible for reliability and comparability. Additional tools included with the website solution from RealEstateSites.com include: Single Property Websites Listing Videos Lead Capture Landing Pages Social Sharing Tools Video Content Buyers and Sellers Reports Unlimited Pages Optional UserWay's Accessibility Widget View the new market trends report pages here. About Properties Online, Inc. Founded in 2001, Properties Online is dedicated to helping real estate professionals grow their businesses by offering innovative and invaluable technology tools. The company's web-based software products include, ListingDomains.com, ListingsUnlimited.com, RealEstateSites.com, PropertiesOnline.com, and TextAnnounce.com. Their products are used by more than 100,000 real estate professionals nationwide.

Constellation Web Solutions
Constellation Web Solutions is a real estate marketing company that provides industry leading top real estate websites, mobile technologies, interactive voice response systems, and home builder marketing services. We work with our customers to define strategies and implement innovative ways to grow their businesses by combining strategy, technology and real estate marketing to provide the best real estate websites available. Our proven track record of award winning real estate website designs coupled with our lead generating tools provides you with a single source for real estate marketing. If your needs are for real estate website designs, interactive voice response systems, or real estate mobile marketing solutions we have you covered. We have a successful 25 year history and an impressive client list. But what sets us apart is our ability to embrace emerging trends and apply new rules of marketing in ways that meet tomorrow's business demands. You can see it in the work we do. You can feel it in the enthusiasm our people bring to every challenge. Our Solutions generate results.

Real Estate Webmasters
Real Estate Webmasters provides high end website products, IDX, hosting and marketing for Realtors and Brokerages.

WebsiteBox
When we began to look at web technology for real estate professionals we were shocked at what agents and brokers were paying. In other industries, for the same tools, people were paying a fraction of what Realtors® were paying. Real estate websites, CRM, IDX and website hosting were all being sold at a LARGE premium, so we built a system to do all that for less. The result was The $99 Do-It-All Website.

postAprop - Real Estate Landing Pages
Unlimited landing pages for real estate. Complete buyer and seller pages in place with built in email marketing, drip email, and easy-to-edit content. Also single property sites, personal agent sites, blogs, and more. Easy to setup. Low cost. Delivers exceptional ROI for the user.