How to increase your real estate website traffic

Getting a ton of visitors to your website will only happen one of two ways:

1. You have a truly unique product or service that EVERYONE is searching for (very unlikely)

2. You WORK to create traffic.

There are many ways to create bursts or immediate jumps in traffic, and it can be costly. But are these clientele who are really interested in your value proposition? Will they return to your website for real estate? Your goal is to create a flood of traffic of visitors who not only want to do business with you, but are motivated enough to do it soon. Here are a few ways that you can increase your traffic, it is then your job to focus on conversion.

1. Offline marketing - Lots of people forget this crucial piece of the puzzle when marketing online. Does your email sig have your website? Does your signs, vehicle, business cards, mailers, riders, stickers have your website on them?

2. Ensure that your website has something to offer - Buyers come to search for property. Sellers want information on how to sell their homes. Ensure that these major pieces of the puzzle are there and expand from there. Also, there should be some sort of registration on your website...just how far will you let them go before it is required?

3. Site map - Create a sitemap for your site. This will allow the search engines to better understand your site and the pages within.

4. Pay per click - This is one of the best ways to get traffic. You can target what audience you are after. It may be pricey to get 'homes for sale in Baton Rouge' (for example). However, it may be much easier to target a hot neighborhood or area of town with those keywords. It would be much more specific and a lot less expensive and competitive.

5. Social Media - ok, who hasn't been hearing how important social sites are becoming? It is everywhere. Facebook, twitter, active rain, linkedin, etc. Use these sites to your advantage. Post links to your site, let everyone know when you put up an interesting blog, added a listing to your page, etc. Attacking with a balanced and well thought out plan is key to success when marketing online. You will need a consistent and steady amount of traffic to get the leads, convert to appointments, and take those to the closing table!

Tim Houk