So the reason it is ending up on my blog is because we thought it would be interesting to have a little fun with the Meyer people and show them that you can’t really advertise that you own a search term like Lighthouse 1204.  Hopefully the folks at Meyer won’t take this the wrong way as we are only poking a little fun and maybe they will spend their money a little more wisely the next time.

So what exactly is Lighthouse 1204?

From quickly looking at the Meyer site, I gather that it is a condo listing they are trying to push but if you google it now, you will most likely see blog posts like these talking about they way this advertisement is a tad misguided and doing something like this often puts the time and money spent on it at risk.  The 1204 portion I believe to be the address of the specific unit e.g Lighthouse 1205, Lighthouse 1206, Lighthouse 1207 would be examples of other listings as well a cheesy way of adding contextual value by using variations of the target keyword

One last thing about the Lighthouse 1204 goof

I really don’t have anything to add here except that I needed a few more words of content and wanted to link out to Eric Blackwell (another old school RE buddy).  I figured it only to be fair since I already linked out to E-Bram and Cal-dog. So here you go … my last mention of Lighthouse 1204.

As a real estate agent, you can’t afford not to have an online presence, whether it’s just a simple new home blog or a one-page listing, or a full-blown website. Done correctly, your site will serve as your online portfolio and business card—a way for your clients to (hopefully) find you. However, it’s not enough to just set up a site. You need to make sure that you can be found, and that your clients will find your site useful and usable.

How Important is Usability?

Usability is the experience of your visitors as they interact with your website. It is that aspect of the site’s design that makes it user-friendly and encourages your reader’s pleasant and stress-free visit. The more usable your site is, the higher the chances of your visitor coming back or taking an all important action—from subscribing to your e-newsletter to calling you up for an appointment.

A website with no importance placed on usability frustrates visitors and drives them away. After all, there are hundreds—if not thousands—of other real estate websites out there, and it’s all too easy to click the back button if they don’t find your site easy to use.

Tips for Making Your Site Usable

There are many factors that increase your site’s usability. Here are just a few of them:

• Start with the design. Make it as simple and as uncluttered as possible. Remove extraneous and unnecessary materials that distract your reader’s attention, such as images, videos, or Flash presentations. In arriving at your site, your readers must clearly see what you can offer, them so that you can draw them deeper into your pages. Making your design simple will also reduce loading time.
• Make the site functional. A usable site is functional and effective. When visitors land on your page, they know what to do and where to go. This means that your navigation should be clear; your listing can easily be found, and your contact information clearly available. When you meet your readers’ needs or answer their questions, they are likely to come back.
• Use studies on eye tracking to improve your site’s navigation. According to current eye tracking technology applied to real estate websites, online visitors liked simple headings that they can identify at first glance. Some examples include “Buyers,” “Sellers,” and “Local Information.” They are also likely to click on links leading towards consumer education resources, such as the most common mistakes made by buyers, the cost of living in the area, local weather, information about schools and other institutions, guides to closing costs and tax credits, calculating the mortgage, and articles on how to process loans.
• Provide what your online visitors need. Put yourself into their shoes; when you go online to find a real estate website, what do you need to know? Among the things you should include in your website are listings, keyword-rich educational content, and lead generation systems. By having regular updates on what visitors like to read, you will encourage them to visit your site time and again.

Test Your Site’s Usability

One way to test your site’s usability is to have your friends visit it. Have them find your listings, request a free report, or look for the buyer’s section. Get their comments afterwards. Were those resources or pages easy to find? How was their experience going around your site? Was there a point when they felt like giving up?

Your friends represent your potential customers. If your friends can’t use your site, then neither can your customers, and you will lose an opportunity to connect with them. Make sure their journey is pleasant by having a usable site, and you will be rewarded with a loyal following and, eventually, a sale.

The Displet IDX product is one of the technology pieces that I have been watching and is coming out of beta.  I have been following the development of this product for some time now and am very impressed with the direction it has taken and the overall growth of the software’s feature set.  I figured the best way to get this out to all my real estate folks was to do a quick interview with the Displet guy himself (and old real estate buddy) … Eric Bramlet.  Here are some of the question I put to him in a recent interview.

Tell us a little bit about yourself and what you have been up to lately.

As you know,  I’m first and foremost a real estate broker. I started as an agent in 2003, earned my broker license in 2005, and opened the doors to a boutique brokerage in 2006. Around the same time as I opened One Source Realty, I became very interested in online marketing. I took a continuing ed class on web design at Austin Community College and started researching the heck out of SEO. Along the way, I realized how important conversion is and realized that RETS/IDX is the best conversion tool you can implement on your site to increase buyer conversion.

In 2009, I started developing a proprietary RETS/IDX system for use on my own sites. In early 2010, some local Austin agents approached me and asked if they could lease the software for their sites. That’s what prompted the creation of Displet. We’re now in 15 markets and are rapidly expanding.

Can you tell us a little about RETS/IDX?

RETS/IDX is the technology and the agreement that allows real estate agents & brokers to display MLS listings of other brokers on their own websites. The agreements have evolved slightly over time, but the technology has really blossomed, especially over the past couple of years.

What do you see as the biggest differences between RETS & IDX?

RETS stands for “Real Estate Transaction Standard.” It’s an attempt by all of the local boards to standardize the way we fetch the property data from each board’s server. IDX stands for “Internet Data Exchange.” It’s the agreement between brokers on how you can display each other’s listings on your own site. It varies a little from board to board. For example, pretty much every board will require that you publish the listing broker’s office name along with the listing, but some boards will allow you to put Facebook “like” functionality on the listings and other’s won’t.

Tell us a little about your product?

Our product is built on Ruby on Rails and uses the Google Maps API to map listings, and allow the end user to search by map. What differentiates us is how developer friendly we are and how customizable our solution is. A lot of our competitors will allow you to choose from a handful of templates, or maybe customize the header of your RETS/IDX. We give you full control over the stylesheet (css) on the search, as well as full control over the html of the header, footer, and property detail page, and partial control of the html on the map search. We allow adding approved Javascript, as well.

So, a good example of how our users have leveraged this customization is the Facebook “like” button. One of our agents wanted to incorporate the Facebook “like” button on his property detail pages. His board allowed it, and it’s super simple to add if you have control of html. (Here’s how.) It took him about 5 minutes to add this button to his site. Later, he wanted to add “tweet this” and was able to add it just as easily.

We’re also a design shop, and we’re pretty much the biggest WordPress fanboys that you’ll find anywhere. Because of this, we’ve released a number of WordPress plugins that allow a WordPress webmaster to easily create area or neighborhood pages, a plugin that allows the easy creation of quick searches, and another plugin that auto-blogs new listings.

Why use WordPress?

Today, 14% of the web is powered by WordPress, so it’s here for the foreseeable future. It has a huge community behind it constantly making it better. It’s waaaaay past the old days of “just a blog solution” – you can create really powerful sites on it. It also has a really easy learning curve for new site owners. If you allow yourself 2 hours of frustration playing with it, you’ll be really happy with where you are on hour 3.

Does it only work with WordPress?

Not at all. It will work with Drupal, Joomla, or any hard coded html site. Here’s a sweet drupal implementation that the guys at The Wired Mouse did.

Which markets are you in?

ABOR, Telluride, NOMAR, GMLS (NC), JBORNC (NC), NNEREN, GHVMLS, Nashville, McAllen, CAAR, GAAR, Lexington MLS, SCWMLS (Madison), MLSPIN (Boston), Okahoma City.

What kind of success are you seeing?

It varies a lot by market and site traffic. We’ve seen brand new sites come out the gate and start getting a couple of leads a day within the first 2 months. An established site can see way more than that. One of the bigger agencies in a weaker market went from an old business card site to a really robust site and had 100 registrations and 10 property showing requests come in the first weekend. They are getting ~10% conversion rate, which is pretty sick.

Are you open to entering new markets?

Absolutely. If there are no hiccups with the RETS server, we can take a new market live in two weeks. The only obstacles we ever run into are restrictions from the local boards.

What plans do you guys have for the future?

We’re getting ready to roll out the Property Suggestion Tool, which is going to be killer (watch our blog for more details.) As soon as that is live, we have Facebook login ready to deploy and test, and then polygon mapping.

Do you think that RETS/IDX will become more or less important in the future?

I don’t think it will become less important, and I don’t know how it could become more important.

If you are a real estate broker or agent looking to integrate IDX/RETS into your website or are looking to start one from scratch, I highly recommend Eric and his Displet team to set you up with a top-notch product at an affordable price.

Social Media is Everywhere

While watching the Super Bowl a couple weeks ago, it amazed me how many of the commercials had social media logos peppered all over of their multi-million dollar ads.  There is no debating that businesses are spending millions of dollars on social networking and social media.  Nowadays Facebook and Twitter logos are seen just about everywhere, whether it is advertisements, TV or printed materials.  All the latest gadgets have some type of connectivity to Facebook.  Even President Obama uses Youtube to communicate his message to the masses.

Stay Connected

As a real estate broker, it is imperative that you make the most of this social media revolution and what it can do for your bottom line.  With a lot of these tools available free, time is your only real investment.  New business and maintaining connections with your existing sphere of influence is invaluable.  Or perhaps blogging might be what you need.  There so many sites where you can make your own personalized profile—Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, ActiveRain, MySpace and Realtown among others.

Social Networking vs. Social Media

One thing I would like you to understand is that there is a distinction between social networking and social media.  Let’s examine this difference and get a lesson in history while we’re at it.  Social networking is not a new phenomenon.  In fact, it has been taking place for centuries.  Chatting with coworkers during a break, attending a party or a fund raising event or any other kind of get-together are examples of social networking.  Today, with tools like Facebook, RealTown, LinkedIn, Active Rain and even email, you interact with friends and associates every day.  These are all tools and methods to have a similar interaction with people or groups of people who share your interests.

Person vs. Impersonal

While social networking basically consists of personal interactions, social media is quite different in that it is mainly impersonal.  Traditional methods include radio or television.  Like social networking, social media has also been around for a long time.  Social media is essentially used to broadcast your message to your audience without the personal interactions.  Among the online media tools available are Youtube, Podcasts, Vimeo or Virtual Tours.  Social media, you typically make use of video, images, sounds to communicate your message to your audience.

Above All … BUILD YOUR BRAND

What can you do to leverage the new technologies in the online medium to benefit your business without getting overwhelmed? The most successful approach I have seen is to build your brand recognition.  The key is to take your time to familiarize yourself with the new tools.  A good first step would be to make your own Facebook profile and use it to connect to friends, associates, colleagues and prospective buyers.   The next step would be to create a Facebook page for your business.  Then create a business profile on LinkedIn.  RealTown and ActiveRain are both specialized real estate networking tools, which anyone involved in real estate should at least be familiar with.

Once you have created the said profiles, work on allocating the right amount of time for social networking.  According to experts, it should not take more than 15-30 minutes per day when you’re getting started.  Even one hour in a week may be sufficient.  These are new tools at your disposal, and should not drastically change the way you do things.

Integrate Everything (Bring it all together)

Social media is an effective method to integrate your social networking and increase your brand recognition.  With Virtual tours, you can add a new dimension to your property marketing.  The service can even be used for personal branding and marketing.  Youtube videos can also be very useful for this purpose.  What you want is a virtual tour service that integrates social networking and social media services seamlessly, with a powerful yet user-friendly platform.  This way you don’t need to worry about a steep learning curve in integrating and managing all these services individually.  Integration and user-friendliness are key to thriving in the realm of social technology.

A while back, Google rolled out the new “Google Instant” as a new feature to their search engine results page.  When it first came on the scene, there was a lot of talk in regards to what effect this new feature will have on the SEO and PPC world.

A Little Bit about Google Instant Search

If you are one of the few that hasn’t already heard the scuttlebutt being thrown around about Google Instant search, here is a quick rundown.

According to Google, Google Instant is another attempt to make web searches faster, more targeted and extra intuitive by providing a better understanding of the results.

• In other words, Google Instant combines predictive search with real time (as you type) visualization of the results of that search.
• Google Instant tries to predict what you are searching for as you type your search query allowing you to see related terms in the drop down as well as a changing set of results.

Why I Think Google Has Made This Change

Since the beginning of (Google) time, Google has always tried to predict search terms used on their engine.  They try to predict the search terms in effort to create more speed on the user end as well as reduce processing speed on their servers.  While speed on the user end may seem like a user upgrade, be sure that it also has some benefit for Google.   Quite simply, faster searches means more searches per user creating more exposure for Google advertisers.

What Does All This Mean for SEO?

The most visible change is the drop down that suggests search terms related to what you have typed so far.  The drop down box itself has the ability push down the three top organic spots depending on the search term and how many suggestions there are.  The paid spots (Google’s advertisers) remain unmoved and more towards the top of the page (above the fold).

What this all translates to is that the top 3 organic spots are more important than ever.  Positions 4-10 are going to receive less exposure and ultimately a lower click through rate.  From an organic perspective, Google Instant will drive more organic value to the 1,2 and 3 spot at the expense of  4 and 5 creating a sharper drop off at position 4.

What SEOs Have to Do to Keep Up?

Back in the day prior to Google Instant we have seen users spending a lot of time examining the description portion of each search results as a way to determine which Google result best matches the information they are seeking.  As SEO’s we tried to manage what came up in the description best we could by providing a good meta description and some good call to action statements in our page copy.  Now with results changing quickly as you type, strong calls to action must be placed in the title tag in effort to motivate the user to click on our result as it flashes by.

Developing an SEO Strategy for Google Instant

As you could have probably guessed by now, Now with Google Instant, it is very important to know what Google will predict around your target keywords when users begin to type them.  The tool I have found to be the most useful was created by Zack Katz.  Zack is a wiz when it comes to SEO, WordPress and design.  Click here to check out his scraper tool

In short, IDX (or Internet Data Exchange) is what makes your website MLS (Multiple Listing Service) capable.  In a lot of cases, IDX is put on websites using a framed environment which gives the user a chance to search the MLS but doesn’t provide any SEO value whatsoever.  Not only is this ineffective, I see it as ugly and clunky to navigate across some browsers.  The best way to go about putting a clean easy to use MLS search on your site is a fully integrated 3^rd party IDX solution.

These days, there are a lot of these 3^rd party IDX providers out there.  This makes it tough to select one, especially if you are just starting out.  The things you want to consider is usability, search functionality and SEO friendly architecture.  A good IDX provider will offer a solution that will add MLS search directly into your website (not using a frame) and offer features like: custom search, advanced search, maps, email alerts, etc.  The other important requirement is that the listings be indexable.  This means that search engine spiders can easily find their way to the detail portion of the MLS search through well structured linking architecture.

I recommend Displet [dis-play].  Displet does a bang up job in providing IDX solutions with everything I mentioned above, powered by IDX/RETS technology. Displet has a few different solutions depending on your exact need.  Their hosted solution drops right into your current site, and can be made to work with  WordPress, Joomla, & Drupal.

Here is a brief rundown of the newest apps and their features.

1. IDXpressions – IDXPession is a web application (not iTunes download).  It expands across several different phone types including Droid.  What makes this great is that not only does it widen its’ user base but realtors don’t have to instruct potential clients on how to download from it from iTunes or some other phone specific app libraries. This said, it runs just like many of the apps that mobile phone users are accustom to with an easy interface and fluid movement in and out of menus.  This is one of the best mobile web apps on the market. It provides an ultra-slick mobile real estate search function that works with your web site to provide a search engine friendly environment.  This app provides thousands of links from properties listed on the web to boost your site’s ranking.  The site is easy to use and works across all smart phones, not just the iPhone.  Whether a prospect is looking for a home on a phone or a computer, this mobile web app will help people find your site better and find a home easily. Although there is a cost involved, the price is discounted way below the other big players in real estate web app space and you get the same features.  Click Here to visit IDXpressions.com

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2. Around me – This nifty free app allows people to search for places of interest in the vicinity of a home.  People can search for banks, restaurants and nearby gas stations.  Users can also call up any spot that is found through the search function or save the contact information for later use.
3. Homes.com – This is actually a computer based application that just happens to offer a mobile option.  The search results are often too large to adequately view on any mobile device.  The search function will show homes for sale near a particular location and offer a more advanced search feature.
4. ApartmentGuide – Another free search engine that just lists the basic data of the address and property name.  Users are then encouraged to “Call Now” in order to find more information.
5. StreetEasy – Another free application developed exclusively for properties in New York City.  People can search for properties for sale or for rent.  This app will show a history of the listing, allowing viewers to see the changes in price over time.
6. Apartments.com – This is another free app aimed at people looking to rent.  Search results can be marked as favorites and people can also save their search criteria.
7. iLiving – A design app that allows people to use a photo of an existing room and then add pictures of chair, couches, tables, etc.  At $2.99 it is a neat little program that gives people a chance to decorate a room or home virtually.
8. iLocate – For .99 cents this software can show users all of the real estate companies near a certain location.
9. MyNewPlace – This free property search device gives people the flexibility to snap some new pictures, take a few notes and save this information on the home listing itself.  People can also register for email updates about similar homes in the area that come up for sale.
10. Dictionary of Real Estate Terms – Great tool for people unaccustomed to real estate lingo.  Costs $6.99 and currently has over 3,000 terms in its database.
11. Offender – Lists all of the known sexual offenders living with a certain range of a particular location.  The app provides pictures of offenders as well and the whole app costs .99 cents.
12. SmarterAgent – This software is free and offers IDX home searches for many of the larger markets across the country.  Users can send a text with details from the listing automatically attached.
13. Nearbuy – Free software that is easy to use and allows people to search for homes in a given area.  However, the software does not show a complete picture of the home.  A map feature allows people to mark homes based on price with different colored pins.

More about the plugin

The plugin uses Google Base’s massive pool of listings which is now being supplied with MLS data from almost every part of the country. The plugin can be setup to draw from a specific set of criteria creating a searchable inventory of listings that are market specific. It has simple and advanced search options on the front end that can be used on your side bar as widgets. The listing display is pretty good too, with multiple photos, neighborhood info, maps, etc. It has some lead management, but I haven’t gotten into that a whole lot. It even has SEO feindly URL rewrites for the listings. It is obviously in its infancy but a pretty good first run.

The underlying issue

What seems to be most interesting is not the plugin itself, but the concept behind it. Now real estate agents have the ability to circumvent the MLS (including any accompanying IDX agreements) when putting MLS data on their websites. The leverage once used by MLS systems to enforce IDX regulations flies out the proverbial window along with any of the associated fees. As the data and data tools get better, there will eventually be no need for an MLS at all.

Data can get better, but it can also get worse

The biggest kick in the pants is that the listing data we work so hard to collect and maintain is more available than ever without any controls on integrity. We now have bigger problems than Trulia or Zillow using our data to outrank us and sell us products, we now have to worry about every Tom, Dick and Harry using listing data entrusted to us by our sellers in ways that we can only imagine.

Those real estate agents that understand the importance of content will sometimes go overboard writing page after page of keyword stuffed content. While at one time effective, keyword stuffing no longer works (and hasn’t for quite some time). The best way to write website copy is to write on topic but be conversational and appealing to your real estate customers. If you have researched your topic and are prepared, the keywords will flow into the writing in a way that sounds natural and not forced. If after the writing is complete you find that that are areas of the writing that can be changed to support your keywords than go back and make the edit as long as it doesn’t disrupt the flow.

Here are a couple things to remember when writing:

1. Bad grammar is bad! I am the worst when it comes to this. A lot of times, I get so lost in my ideas and concepts that I am trying to convey that the focus on grammar just flies out the window. If you are like me, you should probably hire a professional copywriter to do your editing.
2. Going off on a tangent. I am also famous for spending too much time writing (what I believe to be) supporting content that I completely go off topic. It is vitally important to get your point across quickly and add supporting content only when absolutely necessary. If the content doesn’t relate directly to the customer’s needs, they’re gone! Simple as that.
3. Write in chunks using brief paragraphs. The page content should be scannable and be able to be read quickly. Numbered lists and bulleted items work well to get information across fast as to not lose your reader.
4. Direct the reader with a strong call to action. Just like with many e-commerce websites each page should act as a funnel directing your user towards the listings. This is important because the listings are where the user is converted to a lead via the registration process

All in all try to have fun. Writing website content can be daunting and time consuming. Hiring a writer can be one way to go but is expensive and almost as time consuming given the amount of direction needed to get the writer to use the correct tone, voice and subject matter. You’ll find that after you get going it isn’t that bad.

How do I know if my website is sticky?

The very first step to making your website sticky is to determine where you are now in terms of stickiness. I found the following ways to be helpful:

1. Install Google Analytics. I am sure most of you are already using it. If not, I highly recommend that you install it or some other type of web stats program as soon as you can.In Google analytics, the three most important stat categories (to determine stickiness) are Bounce Rate, Pages per Visit, Average Time on Site and Site Overlay.
   • Bounce Rate refers to the percentage of visitors that left your site after viewing the page they came in on from the referring source (search engine, referring link, etc.). As a rule of thumb, you’ll want to keep this number under 40%. This doesn’t apply across the board as there are certain circumstances that allow for higher bounce rates.
   • Pages Per Visit is great metric to help you understand if visitors are viewing enough pages to completely make it through your conversion process (entry page, listing results page, registration page). My site has three pages in its conversion process therefore I would like my “Pages per Visit” to be no less than 3 pages (4 if using a search tool).
   • Average Time on Site is just what it sounds like. It is the average time a visitor spends clicking through your website. This category of stats can be drilled down to determine how much time is spent on individual pages to help you understand if your content is being digested by the visitor.
   • Site Overlay is a visual tool that appears directly over your website. It shows you exactly where users are clicking which helps you understand which buttons, navigation and call-outs are being used by your visitors (and which ones are not).
2. Human testing and feedback. Munching through visitor data is good, but human feedback is king. While human feedback can usually be slanted in one way or another, good feedback used in conjunction with your web stat analytics is invaluable. The best way to gather this feedback is observe a focus group done with complete strangers. Another way is to simply use some family or friends and have them click through your website, just be prepared to take the criticism.
3. Conversion numbers tell the story. At the end of the day, your conversion rate is the best way to determine how sticky your site is or if the stickiness is doing its job and effectively pushing the visitors through the conversion process. While it is important that your website be a helpful resource, don’t forget the objective is to get them to register or interact with you in a sales capacity.