With all the hoopla of "being on the Internet" and "having your own web site", how do you ensure you are not ripped off when investing in one for yourself?

Buying or developing an effective REALTOR^® web site is of paramount importance. After all, you don't want to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars and realize that after the cash has changed hands, the results are as impressive as an billboard on a highway that's facing away from traffic. Following are some tips to keep in mind.

Happy customers. Can your potential developer refer to her list of happy customers? These aren't only folks for whom she's designed sites, but people who are willing to recommend her. Many site designers will have a list of clients available, but not often include contact information. Thus, new clients will see the sites and be so overwhelmed by their creation that they neglect to contact the other customers and simply ask questions. You might want to discuss turn-around time, responsiveness to requests (it would be pretty irritating to have a house go up on your web site three months after it was advertised), pricing (both for creation and updates), etc.

Ownership. Some web site developers get a tad, well, territorial about their creations. Now, a good developer will try to dissuade you from some adventures (such as putting up 8x10" photographs of your homes and agents), but should not try to impact the way you want your business showcased. If you have a set of colors you like, an elegant or showy or zany tagline, or something else that makes you stand out from the crowd, by all means insist on what makes you YOU. If the developer still balks, tell him to take his name off the site once it's finished to ease his comfort.

Ownership part II. Make darned well and certain that you own the site after it's created!! Some companies will cookie-cut sites and then charge you an additional fee if you want to move it somewhere else for "ownership" purposes. Stress that point. It's important.

Credentials. Along with happy customers, your web site developer should be able to prove her skills. Ask her about including lots and lots of graphics. If she's good, she'll tell you the downside to the above (longer waiting time for visitors to see complete site). Then ask her about how she minimizes the actual image size (sites such as http://www.gifwizard.com or tools such as Gif Animator will optimize images).

Visibility. Inquire from your potential developer how he ensures your site has high visibility in search engines. NOTE: if "top 10 placement!" is guaranteed, run, do not walk, to the next designer you are considering. Search engines contain millions of pages - how can a top ten site for "REALTOR", for example, be guaranteed? (If the developer comes back with "well, I can improve rankings for keyword combinations like "Holmdel NJ REALTOR", that's certainly a worthwhile proposition).

Visibility part II. Along with site construction, one can embark in an active Internet Publicity campaign (exchanging links with local businesses, submitting your site to state and city directories, and more). Many web site developers won't do this; it's an extra service.

The above is only a beginning for choosing a web site developer. I myself have been most impressed by the sites from Best Image Marketing at Best Image for a professional development group. Their sites not only provide excellent REALTOR® components (free information, about the city, houses available, cross-links, etc.) but also tend to pop up for keyword combinations in search engines as well.

Published: September 30, 1998

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Editor's Note: This article reflects the opinions of Barbara Ling only and not necessarily the views of this or any other publication, organization or Website owner.

Barbara Ling, "The Internet Virtual Coach", is an Internet business and technology writer and trainer. She is the author of "The Real Estate Pro's Internet Edge." Contact Barbara at btl@virtual-coach.com.