Don't Waste Your Money on a Website: Without a Broader Vision

Agent Websites are “Billboards in the Middle of Nowhere." (some of you may remember this statement from the days of InternetCrusade and ePRO technology training, before the day of the portal giants such as Zillow and Trulia).

Billboards in the Middle of Nowhere

Over two decades after the advent of internet marketing, many real estate professionals continue to throw their money into a bottomless pit as they search for that magic website that will revolutionize their businesses and provide them with more leads than they have time to service.

Unfortunately, that magic site that always comes up in the top 10 of search engines does not exist.

Then came IDX and VOW, and to this day few REALTORS® understand data licensing and the difference between IDX, VOW, and Syndication.

A Question for REALTORS®

I have a question for the 250,000 or so REALTORS® who have a website with an IDX feed. What is the compelling reason a consumer would go to a REALTOR®S site to view listings, as opposed to Zillow, Trulia, REALTOR.com, etc (Redfin is a "Horse of a different color")? Providing websites for agents has become a "cottage industry" since we (John, MB, and I at InternetCrusade) built the first agent templates in the mid-1990s. For those who have had IDX solutions, what did the addition of listings do to your website traffic? I believe that agent websites may become passed in the next few years (without a VOW Feed). Are you considering a VOW in your search to create a presence on the Web?

As Paine/Weber or Merrill Lynch used to say, "Invest your time, before you invest your money."