This is the second part of an excellent whitepaper published by VHT. Click the links to read Part One and Part Two.

Let Google See You

If you want to increase the number of visitors to your website, you also need to understand the basics of how search engines rank sites in their results. Search engines such as Google are obsessed with determining the most authoritative source on a subject. In order to do that, they seek out the original author of a relevant piece of content. The site with the most unique and original information on a particular search topic (such as a particular home or neighborhood, etc.) is typically ranked higher because Google considers it the most authoritative and relevant source.

After agents upload their photos to the MLS, the database renames and resizes the photos and then syndicates them to hundreds of real estate sites on the Web. This makes it impossible for Google to determine the original source of those photos, and it also prevents brokerages from being ranked by search engines as the authorities on photos of their listings. The solution to this problem is pretty simple: brokers need to put their own photos of their listings on their web sites. Just by taking control of their photos, and by investing in professional quality photography, brokerages can set themselves apart from the wasteland of unappealing property photos on other real estate sites.

Rethinking 'search for a home'

Think about the first question consumers ask themselves (or get asked by an agent) when they are thinking of buying a new home. It's not, "How many beds and baths do I need?"

Yet, because today's online real estate experience is still driven by MLS data, that's what they get asked on most real estate sites. The user experience is dictated by what data is available, not by what the consumer wants or how they think about a new home.

Once a consumer does get past the archaic search mechanisms on most real estate sites, they are then confronted with an even worse experience: the search results.

The result of a consumer search on most real estate sites is a list of properties with thumbnail photos so small they serve no useful purpose whatsoever. Clicking on any of those results typically leads to a page with a lot of MLS text and pictures from the MLS that are still quite small in size – usually only 320 x 240 pixels – (which in the old days may have saved space and bandwidth, but today just look ridiculous) and more and more are watermarked with the MLS copyright stamp. Consumers, meanwhile, have high speed connections and big monitors, and storage is cheap. They want to see more detail about what the home looks like inside and out, so photographs should be presented as large as possible.

On the other extreme, cramming 20 or 30 pictures of a property online 'because I can' is almost as bad as not having any photographs. The point of marketing is to feature a home's most compelling selling points, not show every nook and cranny or six shots of the same room. If the first thing a buyer sees is seven different angles of the living room, they're probably never going to make it to the other 20 photographs.

If an agent feels compelled to put up a couple of dozen pictures, they should at least help the buyer by showing up front the best shot of the kitchen, master bedroom, living room and master bath. Most users view six photographs on average – so make those first six the best.

Biased search results

Another problem with real estate search results on many of the national sites is that they aren't ranked according to how well they fit the consumer's search criteria. They're typically biased according to how the site makes money (for example, preferred listings and ad dollars). And buyers usually have cumbersome options in rearranging, comparing or sorting search results, as they often do when searching for other purchases such as airfare or hotel rooms. On real estate sites, consumers typically face a frustrating process of searching again and again, while trying various search tools.

Conclusion

The quality of the words and pictures you use on your website should reinforce your brand image. Poor photos and badly written copy will turn off potential buyers who are scanning property listings to decide which properties are worth investigating and which they're going to take a pass on.

We often hear that agents don't spend much money marketing properties. But the reality is that they do, only it's in the form of a split commission, not actual marketing. On a $300,000 home, an agent may spend $9,000 acquiring a buyer, but instead of spending that themselves, they basically give it to another agent to use on their marketing. Granted it's risk free, because it's only spent if the home sells. But even a portion of that, used effectively, could fund some very effective and professional consumer marketing, to attract, not just 'a' buyer, but the 'ideal' buyer.

Brokers and agents who continue using the MLS to power their property marketing on the Web will have a very hard time distinguishing themselves and their listings online. This creates a huge opportunity for savvy real estate professionals who are willing to make an investment in reinventing real estate marketing. This means throwing out the MLS data and redesigning their sites from the perspective of the consumer, not what's readily available in an agent-to-agent database.

Using information from the MLS for consumers may be convenient but it's not marketing by a long shot. Marketing requires some level of expertise and professionalism. (Sounds like a lot of listing presentations: "I'm an expert, I'm a professional, that's why I get a full commission..."). Take the time and effort to differentiate your listings and yourself. Think about the consumer when you're putting photographs and data online. Your property marketing is the most visible reflection of your business – make it something that really affects, moves and motivates consumers to work with you.

About the Author
Brian Balduf is an industry veteran who has worked with hundreds of brokerage firms in the last fifteen years. Brian is an experienced marketer and technologist who was involved in the early days of wireless data and Internet marketing. Today, the founder of VHT spends most of his time helping brokerages understand and take advantage of Search Engine Optimization and other digital marketing technologies.

About VHT
VHT is a leading provider of digital marketing technology and services to companies offering unique properties, locations and products who need a comprehensive, cost-effective solution for customer acquisition and driving revenue on the web. VHT Studios provides professional photographers, image optimization specialists and state-of-the-art technology for producing the finest visual imagery. VHT ImageWorks is an integrated and automated platform that includes a comprehensive array of tools that businesses need to increase site traffic, leverage their visual assets and improve sales conversion. The platform requires minimal effort on clients' part, and has delivered measurable results to industry-leading brands by increasing the volume of visitors from search engines and engaging online visitors with alluring visual presentations of their offerings.

VHT's team has decades of experience in marketing, technology, search engine optimization and professional production, management and distribution of visual assets – including photographs, video, multimedia tours and Video on Demand television spots for 3,500 client companies. Venture-backed VHT is based in Rosemont, IL.