You have this beautiful new web site that you have focused countless
hours of your attention on for several months, and you have probably spent
as much as you could afford to create the thing ... now what do you do
with it?
Send out birth announcements of course!
What good does it do to have the best web site ever designed if no one
knows about it? You need to get your new baby’s (domain) name out! You can
do this by yourself (a big job) or enlist help. The best solution is a
combination of both. Many web designers will also "promote" your site for
a fee. And there are also many specialists in search engine placement that
you can find on the Internet. A little more research on your part is
required at this point.
Who do you tell?
So where should you send these "birth announcements?" Your web address
is now more important than your phone number. Your domain name might even
be more important than your own name! By this I mean, potential customers
will always have access to your web site ... you have to sleep
occasionally! Following is a short list of people and places that need to
be informed of your new web site.
- Search Engines and Directories - (The major ones as well as
national, local, real estate specific engines, etc.)
- Friends, Coworkers, Acquaintances
- Current and Former Clients
- All Forms of Print Ads
- Your Business Cards
- Advertisements in The Real Estate Book and Similar Publications
- Real Estate Information Sites on the Internet
- Internet Classified Sites
- Internet Yellow Pages
Traffic Expectations
During the baby stage, you can expect to get a few hits per day to your
web site, but don’t expect too much. And don’t get discouraged! It takes
time to get your name out. Some search engines don’t even take a look at
your site for several weeks (or even months). And then there is no
guarantee that they will list it the first time around. If you are lucky
and they do list it, don’t expect to be at the top right away.
Search engine placement is an art and takes time and patience. Your
best bet is to focus on a few keywords and keep trying. If your chosen
search term is "Mytown Mystate homes for sale," work with your web
developer (or whoever is doing your search engine submissions) every month
to increase your ranking for these keywords.
Childhood (age 3-6 months):
At this stage, your web site should be generating some regular business
for you. Although there is still improvement to be made, you have a
respectable ranking in a few of the search engines.
Don’t get too content here. Remember to make regular updates to your
site to earn some repeat business. No one wants to come to a site that has
the same information as it did 3 months ago. Give them something new to
look at!
At this stage the sleepless nights of having a new "baby" are over and
you realize it’s pretty cool to have your own web site. But be careful. As
with all children, your site needs constant parental supervision.
The Teenage Stage (age 6 months - 1 year):
Web sites mature at different rates. While one site seems to have grown
up rather quickly and is acting like an adult (generating lots of
business), many are still just big children. A teenager tends to think he
is more mature than he actually is.
You must monitor your site carefully during this stage. Make sure you
remain at a nice ranking in the search engines and directories and they
are generating regular traffic. You should be monitoring the statistics of
your site carefully and always adding new content. With careful attention
and promotion, your site will be an adult in no time!
