Today, buyers need not look further than their desktop computers or laptop to search for real estate properties. That's why real estate agents develop web sites on top of their traditional advertisements in the hopes of generating real estate leads online.
After creating a real estate website, the next concern of a real estate agent is to come up with effective strategies that will make the site generate RE leads. Two of the challenges that most real estate agents face in developing a lead generating website is driving traffic into the site and converting these visitors into real estate leads. Although it may sound simple, it actually requires a lot of time and financial resources in planning and devising online marketing strategies that will work.
How to Get More Visitors to Your Website
There are many ways to drive traffic to your site. You can use Pay per Click advertising, which is hosted by Yahoo, MSN or Google. All you have to do is set up a PPC account, name the search terms or keywords that you want to direct to you (ex. RE, online real estate agent), and then come up with a short ad for your website.
When someone searches using one of your search terms, you ad will then appear in the Sponsored Link area on the results page. If potential RE leads click on the link for your ad, you will be charged for it. But because of the cost involved, it's not efficient to rely on this method alone in driving traffic to your site.
The best way to get more traffic, and hopefully leads is to use SEO or search engine optimization to get a higher ranking in the search engine results page. If someone searches using one of your search terms, your website will be listed in the results page itself, and not just in the Sponsored Link area.
How to Convert Visitors into Real - Estate Leads
Your website design should motivate the visitors to stay much longer in your site, and hopefully become real estate leads. To do so, your website should provide the necessary information and research tools that will help buyers search for homes and other properties. This increases the chances of converting your visitors into leads.
First, come up with an effective website design. This means you take everything into consideration, from the layout, navigation, aesthetic appeal, optimization, and quality content, among others. A first-time visitor should feel welcome in your website and should want to stay much longer to explore. Your contact information should also be easy to find.
To convert visitors into leads, provide value. Allow them access to estate information and search tools even without registering. Then, if they fully trust you and perceive the service you offer to be valuable, you can require them to register to access special features. You can then check on them and call them using the email address they provide or contact numbers. The rest depends on your marketing skills in converting real estate leads into clients.
Andrew Thomas is Managing Director and Story Teller at ZipBrands. He has studied the Real Estate Business for years. He enjoys connecting with people, keeping updated with latest in the field of Real Estate and Business etc. He has also discovered great shortcuts that can help investors make better decisions when it comes to buying and selling. His work across multiple disciplines broadly addresses narratives of human experience. You can follow him on facebook also.
