Selling a website online is not easy, there’s lots of competition. Because of this, combined with other, more traditional forms of real estate marketing, a website can be a vital point of contact and can generate dozens of leads per month.

However, to do this, websites must be comparatively easy to find via search engines, must provide a good user experience, and most significantly, must appear reliable and experienced.

1. Professional Website

The foundation for generating leads online and selling properties is having a professional website. The site must represent you and your brand in a really reliable and experienced manner. With large amounts of money being exchanged during the acquisition of a property, it is necessary that above all, the website generates a sense of trustworthiness.

This can be achieved with a slick and experienced design and a customized logo. The site must also display ‘signals of trust’ including case studies, reviews, and relevant icons and logos of relevant institutional qualifications, awards and/or memberships.

Having a “contact us” page with a local address and phone number, can even create a sense of trust in website visitors.

You should also ensure that the website loads fast and uses SSL encryption. Website hosts like Blue Host now offer free SSL certificates with most of their plans (at the time of writing). SSL creates a padlock icon to the left of the address bar – important to encourage enough trust to send personal contact details!

If a website loads slowly, it is often because images need to be resized or compressed. You can often do this online, using photography software, or – if you’re using a WordPress website, think about using a plugin like WP Smush.

2. Photography

Investing in a high-quality camera and tripod is crucial to make sure that the photos on your website will encourage potential buyers to ask questions. Poor-quality photos not only deter people from asking about specific homes, they make the websites they open look unprofessional and ugly.

A good photo is commonly the starting point, people will simply read the description and click on to read more information if they like the way the photography looks. Many modern phones can provide fairly high image quality, even though you may must improve it using Photoshop or even a free online editor such as BeFunky.com

Some other photography tips include:

• Take exterior photos at nightfall AKA ‘magic hour’
• Tidy up all rooms & get rid of personal belongings
• Choose a sunny day for photography every time possible
• Tidy up the children’ bedroom but leave 1 or 2 toys visible
• Arrange furniture to create as much space as possible
• Be consistent with the style and orientation of the photo

3. Google My Business

In order for your website to be found through Google, you must all the time register your business Google My Business. By signing up for Google My Business, your real estate company and website will appear on Google Maps. If someone around you searches for “Real Estate Business”, the chances that your business will appear in the results also increase – but this depends on other factors such as the number of positive reviews you have.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5enqVGaDx8

You must also complete and register your social media profiles, with Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Make sure to schedule multiple posts using an app like Buffer that works with Google Chrome and/or your phone.

Creating a YouTube account is also a terrific way to get a presence on the first page of Google. Because of the power of the Youtube.com domain and Google’s tendency to rank videos in search results, creating some high-quality videos can offer you an edge over your competitors.

Adding your business to a number of high-quality business directories is also a terrific idea. For example, Yelp, Foursquare, and YellowPages.com

Having a blog can even help you rank on search engines like Google. Having a blog can even provide a way to showcase your knowledge and expertise. Look to write a few high-quality blog posts, rather than lots of short, low-quality blog posts. Include pictures and if possible infographics and videos.

All this, unfortunately, is very time consuming. This is why many business owners choose to hire a marketing agency or use a freelancer from a website like PeoplePerHour.com

4. Don’t Forget Interpersonal Skills

Apart from the era of digital marketing and lead generation, the ability to build good relationships with potential clients is essential. You can have the best website available, generating dozens of leads, but you will still have a hard time closing a sale if the client or seller does not like you!

The psychology behind building relationships is complex, but some tips include:

– Ask open-ended questions and listen to responses

– Smiling more – even on the phone

– Make eye contact

– Using open body language, for example not crossing your arms

Responding to inquiries promptly is also important to capitalize on the leads your website generates. Consider using a phone answering service to make sure that you can catch all inquiries, 24/7.