Real Estate Marketing Online...
7 Rules of thumb for Real Estate websites

Real estate marketing online is something that many well-meaning house flippers and real estate investors never really get to. I've seen cookie-cutter websites put up without any regard for original content or customization.

Here are 7 Key principles of building a lead-generating website. In my own real estate marketing online efforts, I generally follow a strategic plan.

1. Decide on your target visitor and plan your website to attract them and cater to their needs.
   Create a profile for your target visitor that details demographics, likely situation, location(s) and information needs. Remember that sooner or later, your target audience will look for needed (and possibly urgent)real estate information online.
2. Create content that answers questions they are likely to have.
   Such content as resource guides, lists/directories, help info, etc. For instance, if you want to attract tired landlords in Baltimore, your website should be stuffed full of local landlord resources- Eviction guides/directories, tips, lists of local HR contacts/offices for them to forward their "For rent" flyers to, etc.
3. Make sure Your Real Estate Website content is attractive to search engines
   Make sure that the content of your website (as well as the structure of your website, and web pages)are not repulsive to Google and other search engines. This is often referred to as search engine optimization, and starts with knowing which words and phrases your desired website visitors are searching for on Google, Yahoo, etc.
4. Include personalization and engagement devices like videos,(see my short sale videos), audios and blogs.
   These tools are now fairly affordable and easy to implement, but make a huge difference in memorability, branding and converting one-time "hit-and-run" visitors into engaged members of your online community. Engaging multimedia content on your website greatly improves word-of-mouth traffic...or word-of-mouse through link referrals.
5. Make sure your website design prioritizes visitor usability and ease of navigation
   Many websites confuse visitors unclear navigation and complicated layouts. Real estate webmasters are also likely to over use flash animation and fancy self-serving visual elements that don't emphasize visitor's needs and wants.
6. Define your "Most Wanted Response" and invite visitors toward that response with your content.
   If you build your website to find motivated sellers, you should be very clear about what you want them to do on each page that they land on. Try to include a subtle "call-to-action" of some sort on your web pages.
7. Include lead capture elements on your website
   It is vitally important that you try to build a relationship with the motivated sellers or others attracted to your website before dumping your sales pitch on them. Tease them with "compelling, ethical bribes" in exchange for their contact information so that you can follow up with them through a newsletter, or some other auto-responder sequence of emails.