Whether you’re old school or on the cutting edge of technology in your dynamic real estate business, everyone needs a website these days. The benefits of having a real estate website are many and the risks of going without one are very real. So what exactly are these benefits? Read on for a brief sample.

1- Build a strong web presence

Make them find you more easily and instantly, through Google searches or links on other sites. Have your office address, phone numbers, email address, logo, current listings, and specialization displayed with a click of the mouse. It appears in more places, in more categories and associated with specific strategic keywords. If you combine your real estate website with the rest of a comprehensive marketing campaign, people can find you in so many different ways, your business will be hard to miss!

Be sure to create a listing on Google My Business for local listings, which are area specific. Yes, you can select who sees you first, depending on where they live.

2- Generate more leads

This is obvious. Gone are the days of paying thousands of dollars for ads in the Yellow Pages and highway billboards, hoping enough people would see them and maybe call your office. Do you also want to pay someone just to answer the phone full time and rely on methods that the average customer no longer uses? Your real estate website is like your modern “head office.” This should be the first and most important place your potential clients find you, and if you use an online form to collect client information, then real estate leads are immediate, free, and warm. A website can also serve as the place where you direct customers to your social networks, or vice versa, and get the public to sign up for your impactful newsletter to receive regular announcements.

You will also now have a complete database of potential customer information for ongoing listing or ad distribution.

3- Provide more exposure to your properties

The majority of a real estate website should be devoted to property descriptions. This is your chance to showcase detailed descriptions, brilliant digital photos, and 360-degree virtual tours. You can use as much or as little space as you like, provide clickable links, and make it a more interactive experience for the visitor. The listing created on your real estate website can also be shared (for free) via external links to your own social media pages, other real estate websites, community websites, or anywhere else your listing efforts take you. marketing.

Gone again are the days of paying for print advertising in a weekly or monthly magazine with black and white photos, lost among thousands of other listings in the same book. This is simply not effective anymore and may even be a waste of money.

4- Tell them more about yourself

A real estate website is the perfect place for potential clients to learn more about you as a professional. This is more important in real estate than almost any other service business. Speak up and splash photos that showcase awards you’ve won, events you’re involved in, involvement in the community, as well as your personal background and qualifications. When people get to know you in this way (as an individual), they like and trust you. This perfectly complements your social media and other real estate marketing strategies.

5- Tell them about your business

Why wait for a local journalist to write an article about you in the local newspaper or magazine? Do you want to be known and respected in the local community? Modern technology puts power back in your hands. Post the information yourself and entice readers to view it through strategic web techniques.

At no additional cost, you can post and regularly update details such as the regions you work in, your years of experience, and areas of real estate expertise. Do you have a knowledgeable team? Are you influential in a hot part of town? Do you specialize in condominiums, income properties, or commercial buildings? Put that out there, forever and visible to everyone. Include high-definition photos and videos to reinforce your message and make a great first impression they won’t forget.

6- Create a brand for your practice

If you have never been successful in becoming (and your practice) a brand, or maybe you never thought about it, then this is the way to go. Think of the biggest and most successful “celebrity” realtors in your area. They’re family names, right? The public is familiar with their names and faces, just as they know the name of the local grocery store, florist or school. Top-of-mind awareness is very important in any business.

Think about it. Your image everywhere, a logo that people will remember, a slogan that rolls off the tongue. A properly executed real estate website can start this process for you and position you and your agency as the preferred brand in your local market.

7- Use it as part of your listing presentation

A listing presentation is what an agent shows a home seller to convince them that they are qualified to sell their home. It typically includes statistics, a marketing strategy, pricing, relevant experience, and the added value the agent brings to get the job done. If much of this information is already on your website, you’ll save time and effort. Perhaps your potential salesperson has already seen many of these details and is already impressed by you before even making the first call.

8- Exchange information more easily

No need for potential new customers to call and wait to speak to your receptionist. This small gesture alone can to turn off the ultra-busy and impatient 25-50 year old shopper who is used to having their questions answered instantly these days. No more scheduling an appointment, driving to meet each other, and investing time just to get initial “this is how we work” information. All of this can be accomplished with a few short lines on your real estate website, which people can read in seconds and move on to the next step.

Customers don’t need to wait for a fax form to arrive, or stay on the phone during business hours, to fill out their personal information.

This also allows existing and potential customers to provide feedback in an open forum, so you know what they’re looking for. All of this can be done 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, and not just during office hours (when potential customers are busiest).