Why Brokers Provide Agent Websites

Many firms continue to let agents have whatever website they want. This is a big mistake on so many levels. Here are a few reasons that pop into mind:

• The broker is responsible for the website even though they do not control it. Those responsibilities include legal and MLS. For enterprise firms with anything more than 50 websites, compliance can be a full-time affair.

• Broker branding can become muddled on websites that are not provided by the firm. Real estate branding is confusing enough with the issue of franchise and non-franchise brands. Extending that even further to broker branding vs. agent branding only germinates more confusion to the consumer.

• Consistent service is very difficult to manage when agents have websites that are not integrated into the brokerage website. Some applications like lead management would need to be handled in both places – back office publishing tools don't allow content to reach the agent websites. Consumers wind up missing out on valued information because the agent website is not connected.

• The network effect of connecting dozens or hundreds of agent websites to the broker website creates a network that search engines love. The broker site connects to the agent sites and the agent sites connect to the broker site. This linking creates a search engine nirvana that helps every site connected across the enterprise. SEO strategies thrive in this solution.

• It is an excellent recruiting tool that saves agents hundreds of dollars per month.

Broker websites are great, but they are seriously missing out on a lot of success if they do not have co-branded agent websites attached to them. Some of the key features include responsive design (works on all browsers and mobile), blogging and content management solutions, integrated indexable property search for all of your MLSs, universal search tool, agent roster, social media integration, and an excellent structure for building local community pages.

To see a list of website solutions, see our Product Directory.