Best Real Estate Website - Is there such a thing?

When I started out with marketing my real estate services online, I started looking for the "best real estate website" out there and see how I can create something similar.

At that point I thought that really pretty and flashy websites were probably the best... Since then I know that it's not about the looks and the prettiness about the website. It's about CONTENT!

The "Best Real Estate Website" is the one that generates lots of new business for you, lot of new buyer and sellers leads.

For this, you definitely need 2 things:

1. You need to please potential buyers and sellers.
2. You need to please the search engines.

So how can you go about it:

1. To please potential sellers and buyers, you need to give them what they are looking for: HOUSES! According to the National Association of Realtors 2006 Research, 96% of people were looking for homes when they went online. Only 3 % were looking for a real estate agent... So, get those listings out there and show them to potential buyers. Or better yet, gove them full MLS access in return for their e-mail address.

2. To please the search engines, you need to optimize each and every page separately for keywords that potential buyers and sellers actually search for. You can use the 15 point search engine optimization list in Real Estate Internet Marketing Formula, or you can hire a professional to do it for you.

You can also use Web 2.0 tools such as blogs, articles, press releases, social networking sites, podcasts and videos to be more relevant to consumers and to catapult your site to the top of the search engines. More on these in later posts...

If you are looking for a real estate website that can help you do a great job, you can check out Rapid Listings.

Do you want to share your experience regarding real estate websites?