The Challenge Realtors Face.

Real Estate Buyers go to the internet to look for listings; and sellers want to know that are paying you to market their property to potential buyers nationwide, even  worldwide. The internet is the most effective way to give buyers the information and photos they want, and in doing so make it easy to 'sell' your services and get new clients.

The problem is a buyer in New York, Chicago, or Duluth doesn't know the name of your brokerage, but they do know the type of property they want. Like real estate, location on the internet is everything.

 

Web Real Estate vs. Physical Real Estate 

Everyone wants on the first page of Google. Page two is invisible*. The right Website Name is a crucial part of the SEO (Search Engine Optimization) puzzle. Website names - officially known as "Domain Names" are the words on the web that connect customers' ideas to your services. Search engine formulas are always changing, but each domain name is 100% unique, and can be your most valuable permanent asset (in essence they become the owner's intellectual property).
 

Location Strategies

Domain names can be used for your main Broker website or as part of a strategy to reach beyond your competitors by giving a specific type of real estate that you specialize in its own domain name web address. Some examples:

  • luxury
  • investment
  • starter homes
  • farm property
  • condo
  • rental
  • commercial
  • cottage / lakefront 

This type of strategy enables you to promote your property with a domain name that takes the customer directly to what they are looking for instead of getting lost on your homepage.

 

The Tale of Two Drug Stores

"Rick's Drug Mart"
Richard owns "Rick's Drug Mart". Richard is a great guy, he knows practically every in his neighborhood because he is outgoing and quick to help people out. His drug store has been struggling lately though - at first things were great because he offered great service and with all of his connections people were happy to give him their business and even recommend him to others when it happened to come up in conversation. Lately though business has been stagnant, and although the city is growing, competition is too. People are busier, more price conscious, and don't seem to be quite as loyal as they used to be. 

When Richard started “Rick’s Drug Mart" he was confident that by offering better service than his competitors and relying on his strong product knowledge he would be very successful. Because he was so confident in his own abilities and all his connections he didn’t think very hard about his location. So when he found a spot for his Drug Mart in an older slightly out of the way part of town he jumped at the location because it was a “cheap price”. Lately though, he has found that he is spending more and more on advertising in the local newspaper, just to attract business.

“Gary’s Pharmacy”
When Gary started his drug store he knew competition was going to be tough. He noticed though, that peoples habits and demographics were changing. People were busier than ever and wanted it all – selection and convenience Gary put a lot of importance into choosing the right location. He decided to locate his business in the busy new mall where all the new younger people who had recently moved to town were shopping. Even wealthy, established residents were shopping there because there was so much selection in one place. 

Gary soon found that even though he was paying five times more than what he might in an older part of town, that the visibility, and constant traffic meant that he didn’t have to advertise in the newspaper, and he could charge a little bit more than his competitors because his drug store was the first place they visited. He also found it easier to attract the best talented young staff because they liked being associated with a successful company that was ‘new’ and busy. It didn’t take long for Gary to become very successful, and he was thankful that he invested in the right location.