Realtor® Web Marketing Strategies
The High Price of Cheap Web Design
Throngs of real estate agents flock to the cheap website design companies in search of a quick fix for their website woes. Perhaps they are new and haven't had a closing yet, or maybe they've been in the business a while and don't realize the importance of a classy website. Whatever the case, bad web design is rampant in the residential real estate world and the price of cheap real estate web design is costly for agents lured by low prices.
How you pay for Cheap Real Estate Web Design
Cheap websites make you look cheap. Rarely do you see a cheaply made website that doesn't look generic and boring. Your website is a reflection of you as an agent. If it looks like you skimped on your website, clients may wonder if you'll skimp on them.
Cheap Realtor® Website Issues
- Cut and pasted photos that don't match the site.
- Gigantic type, long centered sentences.
- Millions of links with no focal point.
- Impersonal photos that fit any city.
- Content that's in frames.
- Overbearing amateur graphics.
- Funky navigation.
- Colors, backgrounds and graphics look boring.
- Articles that everyone and their dog have on their websites.
Cheap websites are not customizable. Cheap websites make you pay for them in the long run by the time and money you waste in setting them up. Once you get your cheap website up and running, chances are you'll eventually want to start customizing the site. Most cheap websites allow some customization, but you are not able to control important aspects of the site such as the backend programming. What's more, the site is usually not even yours. Cheap website content is is usually owned by the website provider.
Cheap Website Customization Issues
- You have a limited photo selection for personalizing your website.
- You have a limited choice of where your own photo goes.
- You do not control any aspect of the layout.
Cheap websites are not search engine friendly. If your site is not search engine optimized, it will never find its way to the top of the heap on Google, Yahoo or MSN. A cheap website is usually mass-produced using a template maker. Template maker code interferes with search engine optimization, rendering the entire site invisible to search engines.
Cheap Website Search Engine Problems
- The text is usually duplicated which is penalized by Google.
- The code is usually filled to the brim with optimization killers such as Javascript and large slow-loading images.
- Cheap websites usually use frames which are invisible to search engines.
- The page titles are pre-named so you can't insert keywords there.
- You can't hire anyone to optimize it because it's owned by the website provider.
Cheap websites don't grab attention. A cheap website doesn't "pop" like a custom designed, optimized and written website. Cheap sites tend to look very much like any-old-website anywhere. They don't have the pizazz of some of the more custom website options. Since your website is a reflection of you as a Realtor, a cheap website can make you seem hum-drum.
Cheap Website Impression Problems
- The site could belong to anyone.
- A cheap website doesn't give the impression that you're successful.
- A cheap site looks like you don't care about your image.
- A cheap site doesn't do justice to your marketing image and branding.
Before you choose the cheapest Real Estate Website out there, take a moment and think about what you're buying. You are buying a marketing piece that reflects who you are as an agent. Your website sends a message to your clients, your colleagues and your community. Why not send the best message you can afford?
The Marketing Shop.com specializes in providing valuable full-service website marketing services that take the stress off the Real Estate Agent. Give us a call for a Free Consultation today. 214-680-6177
