It's not About You! Using Your Website to Market yourself as a Realtor

Just about everyone agrees that an effective Web presence is an important part of your personal marketing campaign. You might think that the purpose of a website is to market you and your accomplishments in order to impress people into considering you for their Realtor. However, this is not the best way to approach potential clients. Changing your website's focus to show clients what you can do as opposed to who you are is one key to getting them to click on the "Contact Me" button.

"But, hey, it's my website... isn't it supposed to be about me?" Not at first. You are not selling yourself to the client - you are selling an easy, safer obtainment of their hoped-for lifestyles. You're not so much selling the sticks and mortar of a home as you are marketing a certain lifestyle to your clients. If you can show them what they want to know immediately on your web site, they have more of an incentive to look further.

Clients want to get what they're looking for as quickly as possible. Make it easy for them with a cleanly designed site. If you don't have the knowledge or the time to acquire it, a company specializing in real estate web design is a good investment. Let other people do the work of setting up a great page that looks professional!

Listings is what most people are looking for. If you make these easy to access and search, it maximizes the likelihood that people will stick around and check out what else you can offer them. Give them what they want and use that to lead them to other parts of your site.

Your front page is where you showcase what you can do for your client. This is not the place for a huge picture of your, your family, or your Siberian tiger. A small picture of you is good. Leave the rest of the space for all the scintillating details of how you can make your client's real estate transaction the best experience since that first bite of chocolate cake.

Good content on your site means higher rankings from search engines and, consequently, more leads. Take the time to talk about what you do and why you like doing it. Tell people what to look for and avoid when buying their first home. Hold forth on the value of home inspections. If you're not up on the spelling and grammar, check with someone who does know. Your friendly web design company may well have someone on staff who can edit your information and optimize it to catch the attention of those beady-eyed little Googlebots.

When it comes to your About You page, don't be shy about including some personal details, like your avid fishing passion or hobby of breeding ornamental clams. The person reading your site may well share your interests and decide that they want someone who they can talk with about them while driving from house to house. This is the place for a larger, tasteful photo of you and your pet anaconda or collection of vintage motorcycles.

The key to marketing yourself on your website is not to market yourself, but what you can do for your client. Spreading your personality around the website is fine in small quantities, but the best way to obtain leads is providing a well laid out site with quality content that attracts the attention of search engine and reader alike.