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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

Streamlining Success: How Simple Tech and .realtor Websites Revolutionize Your Real Estate Business
In the fast-paced world of real estate, time is money, and every moment counts. Meet Josh Jerman, a seasoned REALTOR® who knows firsthand the demands of the industry. Josh's success story isn't just about closing deals; it's about leveraging technology to enhance efficiency without compromising client relationships. Josh recognized the need for a professional online presence but didn't want to sacrifice precious hours tinkering with complex tech solutions. That's when he discovered the power of simplicity with a .realtor™ domain. With this innovative platform, even a novice like Josh could swiftly set up a sleek website, freeing up valuable time to focus on what truly matters: his clients. Check out his website: www.joshjerman.realtor. The beauty of embracing a .realtor™ domain lies in its simplicity. No need for extensive coding knowledge or long setup. Within a few hours, Josh had a professional website up and running, ready to showcase his expertise and listings to potential clients. But it's not just about having a website; it's about choosing the right one. In today's digital age, a strong online presence is non-negotiable for real estate professionals. However, not all websites are created equal. Josh understood the importance of building trust with consumers and connecting with the REALTOR® community. A .realtor™ domain offers more than just a web address. It's a badge of credibility, signaling to clients that Josh is a trusted professional in the industry. Moreover, it serves as a gateway to a community of like-minded professionals, opening doors to valuable networking opportunities and increased referrals. In Josh's journey, the .realtor™ domain proved to be more than just a tech solution — it was a game-changer. By simplifying the process of creating a professional website, it allowed him to devote more time to what he does best: serving his clients with dedication and expertise while seeing his leads and referrals increase at the same time. In conclusion, in a world where time is of the essence and first impressions matter, embracing simple yet powerful tech solutions like a .realtor™ domain and website can make all the difference. It's not just about keeping up with the times; it's about staying ahead of the curve and unlocking new levels of success in the competitive realm of real estate. See success like Josh when you secure your free .realtor™ website at www.get.realtor today! Related reading Friday Freebie: Get a .realtor Website Domain for 1 YEAR Lead Gen for Every Career Stage: How to Scale Your Website with Your Business Elevate Your Visibility Online With a Lasting Digital

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