Is your real estate IDX website worth the money you spent on it?
Is your real estate IDX website worth the money you spent on it?
A high-powered custom IDX website is the most important tool a Realtor has to generate high rankings, high traffic, and plenty of motivated buyers. Why? Because an IDX web site gives buyers precisely what they are looking for.
Why IDX is important
Providing IDX gives real estate websites the ability to let home buyers search for property using the data from their local MLS. Technically, multiple listing services are switching away from IDX to a technology called RETS, but the end result will be identical – a real estate agent’s site with IDX or RETS can attract plenty of buyers with active listings. What a lot of real estate professionals don’t grasp is that buyers aren’t searching on Google for an agent, they are looking for property. The absolute worst thing agents can do is focus their website too much on themselves rather than on what the public is really searching for, which is homes. Give them what they want and they will be sure to visit your site often.
The wrong way to integrate MLS search
When IDX websites are done correctly (meaning with an eye toward search engine optimization), they are big lead producers. When not done correctly, they are a waste of time and money.
Here’s how NOT to do an IDX website:
* Flash-based IDX (Flash looks great but is not search engine friendly)
* Framed IDX (where search results are displayed in a frame
* Third party subdomain-hosted IDX (username.idxcompany.com)
I’ve built sites from agents who spent over $8K on a custom website that never produced leads, followed by $5500 on another one that also didn’t perform. If you’re going to invest in a custom real estate website, hire someone who knows how to built it right.
The bottom line is that if your web developer wants to use Flash or frames for your IDX integration, run as fast as you can from them. They obviously don’t know a thing about real estate SEO, and chances are good your investment will be a waste of time, bandwidth, and cash.
Having a productive website is a primary tool for any business. Getting ranked and having an attractive website that converts visitors to inquiries is an invaluable marketing tool.
Many don’t believe in internet marketing but even still clients want to search the MLS.