Recently, I had someone ask me about my recommendations for creating a website.  Below is my response:

Most website gurus have never been in real estate sales.  The few who were in real estate are not great webmasters/web designers.  So, before you plan a site, you have to have a PLAN.

Great agents love this business because of the leverage it provides.  When you have listings, you will find that they are the least expensive and most effective method of lead generation for buyers.  You need to plan your personal site around generating listing leads.  The buyer leads will come from your new site, but let the listing consolidation sites generate the buyer leads as a focus.  When you take a listing, it is sucked into at least 5 major consolidation sites, probably many more. 

Plan your personal site around generating seller leads.  The best way to do that is to add value for sellers.  The best way to do that is to have your site as an end destination to deliver seller services. 

Here is how I plan or upgrade my coaching client’s websites:

Find a demographic of clients who have a higher incidence of wanting to sell.  As an example, let’s use mature people in large homes. 

Develop a list of all these types of owners in your market area by using list brokers and tax records.  Come up with about ten items of value that you can deliver to that group.  Let’s say one is delivering lists of guard-gated, low maintenance, smaller townhouses. 

Develop a letter mentioning all the services that you supply this demographic group and how easy it is to obtain these free services. 

Decide how many letters will be mailed to them, when the follow-up calls will happen, and add ancillary mailings to the list like “just listed” cards.  When the system is up and running, try delegating the task to a less expensive practitioner like a part-time assistant, but only if you have enough of these systems working. 

Then and only then, add a MATURE HOMEOWNER’S button to your website, where you will provide all of your services for them to sign up for, ask advice from you, provide or view testimonials, and, of course, an easy way for them to get anything that you have mentioned in your letter to them. 

As you can see, instead of using your website as a front-end lead generator, I used it as a back-end service provider.  Maybe that is why all of my coaching clients are doing better in the worst year of real estate than they did three years ago, in the best year. 

Good luck on smart customization of your site.  It should be custom, not cookie cutter.  Remember add the services as you add the systems.