There are several content tips that you should keep in mind if you have a website:

1. K.I.S.S. (Keep it simple, silly) - Don't overcrowd your website with dozens of links
to things your viewer will probably never use anyway. For example, unless you are
TRULY a specialist in a specific area (see #3), area links to restaurants and banks are
best left to the Yahoo! type sites of the world. Your viewer is coming to your site to
look for homes and/or to find out about you and your company (again, certain
specialty sites can be effective if done right).

2. Your first benefit by having a website is to save time. "Go to my website" should be
a frequent phrase you utter. You can save time by having all of your contact info.
(including your fax number or your email address for example) on your site. Also,
addressing frequently asked questions (FAQ's) of the industry such as "What is a point?"
or "How much would my payment be at $250,000.00?" can definitely save you some
time (and cell phone minutes!).

3. You can also address the way you do business whether it is new construction or foreclosures. Provide specific information as if you were talking to them face-to-face. For new construction, you could provide content that deals with design issues, teach them the importance of home orientation, etc. If it’s foreclosures, you may decide to educate them on the foreclosure process, explaining the meaning of “short sale” or “redemption period”. This is your office (storefront) AND your Secretary. It can do a lot for you if you design it that way. The beauty is, they can surf your site anytime they want so they are more likely to spend more time on it and get hooked by you.

4. Another benefit is that you can build it as a “property” that has value based on
its traffic and reputation and then sell it off to another person in the industry for a
profit. This is your retirement benefit if you like. Imagine a commercial property on a
not-so-busy street. Imagine that property suddenly gets a freeway built next to it.
Traffic would increase and make it more valuable because of the traffic count. It
works the same with a website. You can get “traffic” to increase in many ways such
as being ranked higher in search engines. Increased traffic means more value. The key
is to have a generic site name such as jetrealestate.com that you can brand with
careful marketing and then sell to anyone whenever you want. This could also be
likened to a Dentist or Doctor selling their practice because they have regular business
that the next owner would immediately benefit from.

5. Reduce your liability. Have a page of links like mine (click here to see) that gives
your clients the chance to do research on things like crime, locations for places of
worship, airport traffic patterns and whatever else is available on the internet. Another
option is to go to your AgentsPlanet local links page and use the Linksender to send
links to your clients. Some of this information you CAN"T do for them (crime and
religion being examples) and other sites are just plain good for them to do themselves.
By providing them links to as much information as possible provided by other websites,
you reduce your liability.

Other important points:

NO ADDRESSES...

I recommend not putting the addresses of properties on your website. The goal of your
website is to get the prospect to contact you (via email or calling). Then you can close
for an appointment. IF you give them everything they need to know about the house,
they can drive by (just like they try when they call on a newspaper or homes
magazine ad) and odds are, they won't be happy with what they see. Statistics prove
that people misjudge a home from the street, so they will most likely not call you back.
There is also the liability consideration regarding leaving the address out. With virtual
tours, measurements and pictures, thieves have all they need to decide if YOUR listing
is the one worth breaking in to...

DESIGN TIPS

Make sure company brand logos are prominent. These work for a reason. For example,
Century 21 is one of the most recognized brands in the world. The corporation has
spent MILLIONS to make that so. There is a lot of good will and trust built into that
name. Why wouldn't you want to put that on your side? But make sure your website
representation of the logo is accurate to the company's standards...

Make sure your phone number is prominent on all pages (unless you don't want calls).
You'd be surprised how many people still pick up the phone after looking at your site.