Designing Top-Notch Real Estate Sites

I found this article and was pleased to see that I'm not the only person who thinks that forcing people to sign into your site to view listings is a bad idea. The article outlines some of the things a real estate web site should have, as well as some of the pitfalls to avoid:
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art23726.asp

More information on what to avoid in your website is available here:
http://www.blitzdevelopment.com/real-estate-marketing-06.php

It seems many people feel that the best way to generate leads on a real estate website is to force people to register for just about everything. We're generating 1-2 leads a day from our website, where visitors can search all Edmonton MLS listings without having to register.

According to Point2Agent "Requiring registration is a way to capture prospects. However, it is generally recommended to make listings public because only a small percentage of visitors will register, especially with listings available on large, well known websites such as national listings portals. Publicly visible listings will keep visitors on your website longer, increase return visits and the number of leads from listing inquiries."

I've mentioned it before... the three keys to generating business from your website are:

1. Drive traffic to your site
2. Give people what they want so they contact you for more (generate leads)
3. Stay in touch with the leads and convert to transactions

Check out our new site at www.alledmontonhomes.ca.