Bringing in Repeat Visitors

Another discussion over at WannaNetwork (my profile, add me if you like) was related to bringing repeat visitors to your web site.

LasVegasMax pointed out that the NAR states that it takes 7 ad exposures to convert a prospect to a client. So the question is, how do you get people coming back to your website? The full discussion is here. My take is below.

I've been working with Realtors for a while now and I've seen a lot of web sites that are there simply because a salesman convinced the Realtor that they "can't afford not to have one".

Here are my suggestions:

1. Put your MLS search on the home page. Why? Well, this may be tough to swallow but the "bio" on the home page is an ego thing. ("Look at ME!! Listen to ME!!" instead of "Find a Property. Then I'll help you buy it.") People are interested in properties. How do I know that? From watching visitors to web sites I've built. People go straight for the property search. There's nothing wrong with having a bio on your web site. Put it somewhere easy to access and people will read it if they want.

Focus on the customer and they'll reward you.

2. Email updates for new MLS listings. When you're shopping for a new home, or trying to sell a home, you want to know what's on the market at all times. So you can either visit a site day in and day out (that'd be great for you, the Realtor, but it's tough to do for customers) OR you can enter an email address and search criteria and get an email that lists the property address, square footage, BR/BA and price and gives you a link to click through for more details (map, price, home features, etc.) and a link to request a showing and a link to add it to "My Listings".

3. Area guides. If you're moving into a new city, you'll likely have little idea as to where to begin. You may know where your new office is and that can be a start. If a Realtor offers an area guide with demographic information, school reports, retail and restaurants and any other helpful information then it can be a good "pull" to get people back to your site. It's also great for Search Engine Optimization. WARNING: Don't copy and paste something off the internet. Don't buy a "canned" area guide type of report. Spend some time writing it yourself and giving it a personal touch or hire a professional copy writer to help you with it.

Those are my suggestions. AgentOvation will do most of this either right out of the gate (8/1/2007) or within a couple of months of launch.