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.