You may already be an experienced real estate Internet marketer. Anyone with an email account is already using the Internet to advantage. But what about having your own Web site? Is this a form of marketing you really need? How much should you spend and what should you get for your money? What kind of Web site will be most effective for you?

The National Association of Realtors reports that three out of four buyers are estimated to be using the Internet to find a home. After looking at homes and playing with loan sites, consumers will then search for real estate professionals. With the interactive nature of the Internet, it is foolhardy not to make yourself and your services as readily available as possible. With one click of the mouse, a prospect can visit your Web page, learn about you, your community, and services, and contact you. Outlining your services is infinitely easier on a Web site than any other form of media. You can show it to people, direct prospects to it, update it, add to it, and communicate through it.

You can't even begin to accomplish all that with a brochure or a newspaper ad. Your site isn't a one-shot deal - it's ongoing.

Developing a real estate Web site takes careful planning, but by understanding the nature of Web site design and its costs, you will be better able to develop a Web presence that will return your investment with solid leads and prospects. Here are the steps to follow:

Decide how much effort you will devote to making your Web site successful

A Web site doesn't miraculously attract visitors or generate revenue - you have to lead visitors to your site by a combination of your own footwork and by researching and mastering search engine placement. The best way to look at the Web is to think of it like another form of media. In its simplest terms, it is like a gargantuan library of books, newspapers or magazines. The difference is that your prospect can find you (your book) and choose to interact with you. Unlike a book or a magazine, you can answer back. When your prospect emails you to request more information or fills out the a visitor questionnaire, they have taken the first step toward establishing a dialog - one you can pick up and turn into a sale. That is the single greatest advantage of advertising your services on the Web.

Imagine you are in the largest library in the universe. How would you find the book you want? As libraries make it easy with the Dewey Decimal System, which can pinpoint how a publication is catalogued to which shelf the book or magazine is located, the Internet does exactly the same thing by organizing and mapping the Web into URLs, or Web addresses.

The trick is getting people to visit your site. There are two ways to do this that are within your control. You must develop your site either on your own or with the help of a Web master to use "key" words which will be picked up by search engines. Then you must notify the search engines of the existence of your site. Each search engine site will have an Add URL feature.

Search engines use word search feelers called spiders to find and catalog Web sites by common words. As a Realtor, you will want your Web pages to be sprinkled liberally with words such as relocation, real estate, your city, your neighborhood, homes, houses, homes for sale, buyer's agent, realty, real estate agents, and other words that will ensure that your site is chosen by the search engine and put into a results database whenever a consumer keys in homes for sale - your city. Your site will show up somewhere in the results.

You can't rely on search engines alone to direct people to your site. You will also have to rely on traditional means such as word of mouth to advertising. Tell everyone you know that you have a Web site. Add your Web site address to your business cards, flyers, classified ads, MLS listings, your company profile, open house logs, sign riders, your license plate, and any other media you can think of. Web sites are particularly effective in listing or buyer's presentations. You can take your laptop, and show your prospects your Web site and how you use the site to showcase homes, ease communications, demonstrate your alliances with Chambers, industry organizations and other sites that will impress your consumer, and more.

You will have to develop the habit of directing people to your site instead of providing them information by other means whenever possible. If someone wants to see the latest listings, give them your URL. If they want to see your resume, print it for them - from your Web site.

Decide how much you want to spend

The amount you want to spend will dictate whether you get a custom site or a template-designed site. Both have their place. A custom site can begin at hundreds of dollars and go into the thousands depending on what services you want to negotiate with the Web designer. With a custom Web designer, you will want to discuss Web design, types of pages, number of pages, add/subtract features, daily updates, email features and Web hosting.

A template site is much less expensive, well under a thousand dollars for the design and a year of Web hosting, as well as other services such as search engine registration. You can choose from a few models, which will change only with the addition of your photo, contact information and any editorial or listings your contract allows you to add.

Although there are certainly more restrictions, there is a distinct advantage to a template site. You can get your toes wet without a lot of expense. As you find you really like this Web stuff, you can always add another, more customized site. Many Realtors have multiple sites which they leverage by focusing upon specialties. You may have a site that promotes you as a buyer's agent, and another that focuses on your listing expertise, for example.

If you allow one of the large home search sites such as Realtor.com and HomeSeekers to design a template for you and host your Web site, you will automatically have an advantage when it comes to marketing listings. Realtor.com, for example, charges a fee to put an agent's contact information with listings, with Web hosting, your contact information will automatically be added.

Prices for custom and template sites will depend on how many pages your site is. A Web page is just like a page in a magazine or book. Each one adds to the size and scope of your site.

To help you decide which way to go, you must know what kind of information and services your site will provide. At the very least, you will want to include a front page, an all-about-me page, an all-about-my-community page, a listings page, school information, mapping features, a contact page, and if you are a buyer's agent - a buyer's agency page. You'll get bonus points for adding news, crime information, and seasonal events. You may include links to community centers, employers in the area, child care services and other sites with useful information or services. Be prepared to write or at least edit much of the material yourself.

Decide how much of the work you want to do

You must decide whether you want to have a hand in maintaining the site yourself, or leave all changes to the Web master, so ask what options are available to you. Can you add or subtract your own listings? What about links to news, information or local events? The more you do, the lower the cost.

Whether you hire a custom designer or choose a template designer, you will want to register your own domain name. Network Solutions is an Internet domain name broker which handles the registration of most domain names. When you visit their site, you can check to see if certain names are available. Before using the word REALTOR in your domain name, be sure to check out NAR's guidelines for proper usage of their trademarks at nar.realtor.com. Other terms you can use without concern are words such as agent, relocation, realtyexpert, buyeragent or some other variation. Remember domain names that end in .com are the most common, but they are the easiest for consumers to remember. Next in popularity would be .net. When you choose a domain name, Network Solutions will register it for you and send you a bill of about $70, Your domain name is like a license to operate; it must be renewed every year.

Next you have to consider Web hosting. All the data that comes with establishing a Web site, from graphics to photos to editorial text, to links, to email functions, must reside on a piece of hardware called a server. This server, which allows you to park your site, is called a host. A host can either be your Web designer's server, a home search site, or a web hosting company. Hosting should allow you to take advantage of such services as email, and you should be able to add, subtract, and alter listings, links, editorial content, photos and graphics for the cost of your monthly hosting fee. The going rate is about $50 per month.

Start your research

To find custom and template Web companies, check the banner ads on your favorite real estate sites. Ask other agents whom they would recommend. Visit as many agent sites on the Internet as possible. Make a note of the sites you admire. Agent News has a feature called Site of the Day which showcases outstanding agent Web sites from around the world. Browse through the archives and see which sites catch your eye. Contact the agents and ask them how they developed their sites.

Don't worry about locating a Web designer near you. Just choose the one you like the best. The work will speak for itself. Thanks to the Web, and the speed of email communications, distance no longer matters.

Published: May 18, 1999

Use of this article without permission is a violation of federal copyright laws.

Blanche is a renowned author of five real estate books. Her newest, Bubbles, Booms and Busts: Make Money In Any Real Estate Market, McGraw-Hill, was rave-reviewed by The New York Times. She was also selected from hundreds of real estate experts to contribute to Donald Trump's book, Trump: The Best Real Estate Advice I Ever Received: 100 Top Experts Share Their Strategies, Rutledge Hill Press, and is featured on page 68. Order Now Review - Honors In 2006, Blanche was selected among scores of candidates to author two consumer real estate guidebooks for the National Association of Realtors: The NAR Guide to Home Buying, and The NAR Guide to Home Selling, Wiley & Sons. She is currently planning two new books for the NAR and its members.       Known for her keen insight into real estate industry issues and for her ability to make complex subjects easy to understand, Blanche is a sought-after keynote and continuing education speaker. Real estate organizations from MLSs, to brokerages, to franchisors, to associations hire her to provide up-to-the-minute analysis of real estate industry news and advice on how to improve revenues. Her passionate delivery, peppered with stinging wit, is a huge hit with audiences and fans. Don Klein, CEO Greater Nashville Association of Realtors, Blanche Evans, Richard Courtney, president 2007, GRAR "The GNAR membership meeting last week featured Blanche Evans as the keynote speaker. Her comments and insights resonated extremely well with those in attendance and we have had many requests for copies of her PowerPoint Presentation. She was a terrific part of the membership meeting and convention program!" - Don Klein, CEO Greater Nashville Association of Realtors Coverage from WSMV, Nashville - 8-14-2007 That Interview Guy - Get Inside The Head Of Today's Generation 2007 AE Institute Session - To purchase 2006 AE Institute Session - Parts 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 HouseValues Mastermind call - Parts 1 2 Blanche's fireside chat with Jeremy Conaway, HAR - Click here. For more articles by Blanche, click here.