Recruiting top agents is a competitive venture, and any worthwhile prospects will pepper you with questions before deciding if your brokerage is right for them. Besides queries about commission splits, franchise fees, and training, expect to be asked how your company helps agents market their listings.

To help you in that conversation, today we're going to break down how each of the three major property search portals helps you grow your brand with agents. It's a continuation of an ongoing series that evaluates the features and benefits of the top portals (see part one and part two). Here's the criteria we'll be using today:

• Placement of listing agent attribution on the property details page
• Listing agent identification and contact information on the lead form
• Sold listings on agent profiles

1. Placement of Listing Agent Attribution

How prominent is the listing agent's information on the property details page? Ideally, this data should be "above the fold," which means that it's visible without having to scroll down. This placement puts the agent and their brand (as well as yours) front-and-center.

When it comes to placement, however, each of the three portals takes a different approach. Trulia is the only one that offers above-the-fold placement. They place attribution right below the property description so that it's easy for consumers to spot. They also link the brokerage's name to the listing syndication source (broker website, ListHub, Diverse Solutions, etc.), but offer no phone number.

Realtor.com displays attribution in the middle of the page, but features the brokerage phone number and a direct link to the agent's Realtor.com profile. Zillow places attribution at the bottom of the page with a phone number for featured listings and a link to the syndication source.

• Trulia - Immediately beneath property description
• Zillow - Bottom of the page
• realtor.com® - Halfway down the page