As you may already know (or may find out soon enough), we here at Realzi make some pretty lean, mean real estate websites.  They’re clean, functional, and are deliciously addictive to search engine spiders, who just can’t seem to get enough of thoroughly crawling, indexing, and ranking our sites.  Realzi sites are perfectly able to function as a standalone website.

However, there are more than a few benefits for having a Realzi install on a subdomain of your main site.  For one, you get to keep complete control over all elements of your main site.  That means if your broker affiliation changes, or you’d like to update your bio, or you want to completely redesign your site, you’re able to do that at your own leisure.  You’ll also be able to treat Realzi as the lead generation tool it is, treating it as one element of many services your site offers.

Finally, and most importantly, Google treats subdomains as more independent than directories on a website, which means links between a subdomain and your main site carry more value than links between a child page and a parent page in a directory structure.  Did I dip too far into techie jargon there?  What I mean is, links between, say, http://rets.realzi.com and http://www.realzi.com are weighted more than links between http://www.realzi.com and http://www.realzi.com/real-estate-websites.  So a Realzi install on a subdomain of your main site can be pretty valuable, provided you link the two up appropriately.

Take note of the last clause in the previous sentence: provided you link the two up appropriately.  This is absolutely key, entirely crucial, of devastating importance, and so on and so forth, especially if your main website happens to have been around for a while and is indexed by search engines.  Thankfully, this process is exceedingly easy.  All you need to do is put a link on the homepage of your main site pointing toward your Realzi install.  There’s more, much more, you could do to notify search engines of the existence of your Realzi install, but this is the absolute minimum and it’s probably the most valuable step you could take.

The link can be anywhere—in the header, in the footer, in the sidebar, in the body.  Just make sure that the link’s anchor text is a keyphrase you’d like to rank for, such as, say, “Austin condos.”  It’s as simple as that!

To a neophyte internet user, the term domain registration is one of those dry, imposing terms that just exudes opaque user-friendlessness.  The phrase at once conjures up images of cascading Matrix-esque on-screen characters and cold institutional distance.  And yet, since it’s essentially the process of buying a domain (the “realzi.com” part of http://www.realzi.com”), it’s a crucial initial step on the road to having your own website.  You may fear it, but you can’t avoid it.

Thankfully, it’s really not all that bad.  Registering a domain is actually pretty easy.  In fact, we’re going to lay out a step-by-step guide (with screenshots!) to help make the process as painless as possible.

(A note: There are any number of quality registrars—the companies that sell domains—out there, so if you find one that you’re comfortable with, by all means, go with them.  To make these instructions as simple and clear as possible, however, we’ve chosen to describe the domain registration process with GoDaddy.  You ready?  Let’s go!)

First things first: navigate to http://www.godaddy.com.  This, as you might imagine, is the GoDaddy homepage (click on screenshot for a larger image):

On the homepage, you’ll notice login fields at the top.  Just under that is a “Create Account” link.  Click on that link.

You’ll be directed to this page, which asks for your contact info:

Fill out all the required info.  We suggest you use your business contact info, not your personal stuff, since this info might be publicly available.  In addition to your contact info, you’ll also be directed to authorize what types of emails you’ll want from GoDaddy.  After you click the “Create a New Account” button, you’ll be directed to a dashboard-type screen.  Here, you’ll be able to see info pertaining to your account, like which domains you already own (which, if you just created this account, will be blank), recent orders you’ve made, and so on.  There’s also some menus in the sidebar on the left of the screen.  Under the “Recommended Products” menu in this sidebar, click on “Domain Names,” shown here:

Type in the domain you want here!

…and…

Aww.  Apparently amazon.com is already taken!  Who knew?

At this point, you have a couple of options.  You can either type in a new domain in the search box, or select from one of the similar, suggested domains GoDaddy offers.  Since I have no real interest in any of the suggested domains, I’ll just type in a new one (maybe one that would make for a nice real estate website):

…and…

It’s available for a yearly price of $10.69!  Click on the “Add” button to add it to your shopping cart, then click on the “Continue to Registration” button.

Here comes the part where GoDaddy tries to market some upsells to you.  The first upsell comes in the form of a pop-up offering a discount on the purchase of additional domains.  Since we want “condosindowntownaustin.com,” would we maybe want “condosindowntownaustin.net?”  Not really.  Feel free to read through them, and if any of them appeal to you, go for it.  However, we typically avoid all the upsells when we’re registering a domain.  If you agree with us, click on the inconspicuous “No Thanks” link at the bottom of the pop-up.

Next, you’ll be directed to a “Customize Your Domain” screen, which includes four menus on the main area of the screen.  You’re already done with the first one.  Observe:

You’ll need to go through these other three menus to make sure that it has the info you want.  I’ll briefly run through what each one has.

Under menu 2, “Your Domain Settings,” you’ll see a list of your domain names, which should just be the one you selected.  There’s also a “Registration Length” drop-down, which basically asks how many years you want to pay in advance for.  Beyond that is your contact info, and a “Certified Domain” option which we’ll leave unchecked.  Click “Continue” after you’re done with this menu.

Menu 3, “Your Privacy & Domain Protection,” will slide up the screen.  Since you used your business info, not your personal stuff, there’s no need to hide anything, so just stick with the “Standard” option.  Click “Continue.”

Menu 4, “Activate Your Domain,” has some potentially useful stuff, but for most people these are just unnecessary upsells.  Don’t feel bad about skipping all of it and clicking “Checkout.”

You’re now in the payment section of the domain purchase!  So close.  There’s basically a few more opportunities to buy more stuff on here and alter your info.  You can also select your payment method and read the terms of service.  After you’ve done that, click “Continue With Checkout.”

Following that is a billing info page.  After you fill that out, click “Place Your Order” at the bottom of the screen and voila!  A shiny new domain is yours.

We can’t say it enough: Blogging is a great way to interact with your site visitors, easily create fresh content and increase your search engine rankings. Realzi real estate websites are already designed to rank highly and generate leads, but blogging will give you even more of an edge over your competition. Here are some tips for getting the most out of your real estate blog:

• Post at least once per week.
• Your blog posts should be around 300-600 words, and they should focus on one thing at a time, for SEO and readability reasons. For instance, you could do one blog post on Downtown Austin condos. Other topic ideas: Westlake real estate, a new and exciting listing, and even a quick story about how you got started as a real estate agent.
• Related to the tip above, choose one keyphrase (like “downtown Austin condos” or “Austin real estate”). Use it a few times throughout your post and link one instance of it to a relevant page of your site.
• When possible, use that keyphrase in the title of the blog post (“The 5 Coolest Downtown Austin Condos”). This is great for Google, since you’ll not only have the keyphrase in your title, but it will become the post’s URL. These are two important factors in determining relevance when it comes to SEO.
• Create and use relevant categories for your posts. The URL of each of your blog post should be set up to include the category of the post. Ever seen a blog post URL that looks something like examplesite.com/Uncategorized/name-of-post? You don’t want that “Uncategorized” in there — it’s a missed opportunity for site organization and SEO. Be sure to create and use good categories. For example, you may want to choose the category “Austin Condos,” “78701,” or “Downtown Austin” for that downtown Austin condos post. Each post should only have one category.
• Make it easy for leads to get in contact with you. This is especially important if you’re writing about a new listing. You may want to include a sentence at the end of your post that tells your readers how to best get in contact with you. Link to your Contact page and/or provide your phone number (“Want to see this home? Contact me online, or call me at…”).
• Spread the word! Once your post is up, tell people about it. You can use social media sites like Digg, Delicious, Facebook and Twitter.

We hope this helps you get the most out of your real estate blog. Good luck!

If you’re a Realtor, you have to make sure you have a solid web presence. And that means getting a powerful real estate website that allows your clients to easily search for homes and view listings. A Realzi real estate website will do this — and it’ll make your website easily found by people searching for homes online.

There are so many buyers using the internet to search for homes. Think about it: When you buy a car, a new television or want to go see a movie, do you go online first to check reviews and find out more information? Chances are that you do every time because it’s just so fast and easy, and there’s a ton of information. Home buyers are using the internet to search for homes, and if they can’t find your website, that’s a missed opportunity for you.

So get competitive and get a real estate website that does it all. Realzi real estate websites are branded with your logo, name, contact information, company colors and more. They enable users to search MLS listings for free, even allowing them to search by keyword like “oak trees” and “boat dock.” Map Search, keyword search and other features are all very user-friendly. Since Realzi real estate websites are search engine optimized, that means they’re made to rank highly in search engines. So when someone searches an MLS number or address of a home for sale, they’ll be able to find your site.

In today’s competitive market, a powerful online presence is key to success and is absolutely necessary for getting a consistent stream of new leads. With a Realzi search engine optimized real estate website, you get more clients and sell more homes. Find out more information about how you can take your web presence to the next level with a Realzi site: contact us. Also, feel free to view live implementations to get an idea of what Realzi can do for you.

A new “Real Estate 2.0″ website has been launched for the Austin Real Estate Market. Powered by Realzi, the new site featuring well known Austin Realtor Gary Dolch makes searching for real estate fast, easy and intuitive for the realtor. Features that visitors can take advantage of include saved searches, send to friend, send to realtor, ask a question, schedule a viewing, RSS feeds and email updates when a new property matches a saved search criteria.

Realzi benefits for the realtor include the ability to capture and convert more leads. Real estate agents running Realzi can take action on visitor events so they can cater to their customers better than ever before. Also, the internet marketing features built into Realzi are unmatched. Realzi has unique built in search marketing and search engine optimization features found nowhere else. Realzi also offers unsurpassed social media features such as RSS syndication, integration into Facebook, integration into Twitter, listings integrated into WordPress blogs, auto-generated Craigslist property “posters” and many, many others.

Real Estate Brokers and agents interested in the Realzi search engine optimized IDX should visit the main site at http://www.realzi.com. House hunters looking for some great Austin Real Estate should visit Gary’s website at http://austin.realzi.com.

The stimulus package has been in the headlines quite a bit for the last week or so, and the Senate is expected to vote on it by the end of this week. An article at CNNMoney.com recently pointed out a provision in the proposed stimulus package: First time home buyers would get a $7,500 tax credit. This could possibly have a huge effect on the real estate industry.

Some believe this could do a lot to “jump start the moribund housing market,” says the article, with a 10% increase in home sales possible, as predicted by economists at the National Association of Realtors. This is great news for real estate, as the $7,500 tax credit may help home buyers who are on the fence decide to buy something. That 10% increase in home sales means a half million more sales.

However, not everyone would qualify for the $7,500 tax credit. There are some stipulations, such as the new home must be the primary residence of the buyer, the buyer can’t have owned  home for the past three years. There are some income limits to it as well, and the home can’t be sold for at least 36 months. To claim the credit is actually pretty simple: Buyers just have to claim in on their income tax return.

Of course, the effect this would have on the real estate industry won’t be known until it actually happens, and economists and those in the industry have opinions about whether it’ll help or do nothing.

Either way, this is a good reminder that real estate agents and brokers need to get competitive in their markets. If first time home buyers who are on the fence about buying have something like this tax credit that will convince them to act, real estate agents and brokers need more than just word-of-mouth to get those leads. And the best way to do that is by having a search engine optimized MLS website that will dominate their market.

Get competitive and get leads with an outstanding real estate website. Realzi provides IDX websites that seamlessly integrate with your existing real estate website, giving you a consistent stream of leads even when times are tough. Affordable, smart, and powerful lead-generating: That’s Realzi.

There’s a fascinating blog post up at The Notorious R.O.B. that you’ve just gotta read. It talks about a movement he’s dubbed the “Kristians,” named after Kris Berg, that basically goes a little something like this: “The Swarm,” made up of boutique firms, small independents and high-quality agents, is empowered by technology and social media that’s supplied by third-party providers.

“The Swarm” is thought to be where the future of real estate lies. Not with huge corporate brokerage firms and franchises, since they don’t provide any kind of meaningful support to the high-quality agents. This group of people does not think social media and technology is a big deal when it comes to real estate — they’re holding onto the idea that the real estate industry and how it works will always stay the same.

So the “Kristians” believe that these big brokerage firms will eventually see the light and wake up to the idea that the industry is changing and they must change with it will be the future of real estate. Once these big firms invest in the future, they’ll have a huge advantage over competitors, including “The Swarm,” both in profit and brand — and that will lead to them changing the real estate industry.

Now comes a question posed by Kris Berg herself: Up until recently, real estate professionals needed credibility and resources, and they got that by having a company brand. Working at a large firm came with desks, assistants, fax machines, phone lines, etc. But now, thanks to technology, real estate professionals can work from pretty much anywhere and can brand themselves. As people realize all of these overhead costs that come along with working in a big office aren’t needs, there will be a resistance to paying for things that aren’t necessary to stay in business. If lead generation, as Berg sees it, turns into a situation where competitors are trying to get the most leads for the largest number of agents, and more agents equals more money, where did the customer go in this equation?

It’s a great question — one that doesn’t seem to a have a simple answer and brings about some interesting debate. But one point Berg mentioned particularly caught our eye: the idea of a low-overhead brokerage model.

Realzi fits in flawlessly with the idea of a low-overhead brokerage model. With Realzi, you get lead generation at your own website, where you’re able to create a brand for yourself. You’re cutting out the unneccesary costs typically found at a big firm — secretaries, assistants, phone lines, fax machines, the list goes on — and getting right down to what will ultimately make you a successful real estate professional: a place where you create a brand, get leads and connect with customers.

The real estate industry is evolving, and you need to evolve with it. A good website with Realzi means you can attract clients who haven’t heard of you — you won’t need to rely on word-of-mouth. You’ll beat the pants off of your competition by getting your listings at the top of Google search results when someone searches for an MLS number or address, or even the phrase “buy an Austin home.” Perhaps most importantly: 87% of home buyers search for a home using the internet. Realzi helps you get found by these people. Feel free to talk to our real estate website experts for more information.

Why Improving Your Real Estate Website Isn’t Optional

Real estate websites are not once-and-you’re-done kinds of projects. Just like your business, your real estate website should be constantly evolving and improving, reflecting your growth and the way your real estate business is adapting to market conditions.

Your real estate website is the public face of your business. As more and more home buyers and sellers turn to the internet for real estate information – leaving classified ads and other media behind – you should be aware of the potential of your website to catalyze and attract new clients.

Our friend, an Austin realtor, was satisfied with using his real estate website solely as a fancy brochure. “My clients know how to find my real estate office,” he told us. “And my website is the first listing I see when I Google my name!”

We had a few real estate website questions for him, though:

• Do you want to attract clients who haven’t heard of you?
• Do you know that your competitors are at the top of the Google listings for things like MLS numbers, house addresses and “buy an Austin home”?
• Did you know that 87% of home buyers use the internet to search for a home – more than use a real estate agent?*
• Did you know that Google positions are affected by seniority – that, once a real estate website ranks well for something, it will continue to rank better than an identical but newer real estate website?
• Are you happy with relying solely on word of mouth for the growth of your real estate business?
• Are you happy with your real estate website being a sunk cost instead of a revenue generator?
• Did you know that local metropolitan MLS websites – also called IDX websites – are used by 60% of internet home buyers, easily beating Realtor.com (48%)?

* Source: 2008 National Association of Realtors® Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers.

Why Improving Your Real Estate Website Isn’t Hopeless

We thought he’d be happy to get some straight talk about his website, but our realtor friend’s first reaction was despair.

“This is horrible!” he said. “I can’t compete with those other guys. They already have a head start.

“And I can’t spend that much on my real estate website! Building an IDX or RETS website will cost a fortune!”

We calmed him down as best we could. We told him a few soothing real estate website facts:

• We already have a fully-functioning IDX solution called Realzi. There’s no need to hire a battalion of programmers and web producers. Our real estate website clients just sign up and bang, their clients suddenly can search up-to-date MLS listings right from the website.
• Since our real estate website technology is already functioning, you don’t have to risk thousands of dollars on programming a new IDX system. Realzi is affordable.
• Realzi is a real estate website designed for real estate SEO. That means that it beats most of the competition for search engine optimization right out of the box. Realzi real estate websites are built specifically to rocket to the top of the search listings in Google, Yahoo and MSN.
• We can match your existing design perfectly, using your current logo and look.
• And if you don’t already have a real estate website, it’s no problem.

Evolve Your Real Estate Website

Wondering how a Realzi MLS website might help your business?

Get in touch with us and talk to our real estate website experts. No charge, no hard sell. We’ve been building websites for years.

Based on our experience building SEO websites for major clients like HealthCheckUSA, CORT Furniture and ApartmentSearch.com, we’ve developed best practices and proprietary technology that help us beat the pants off competing websites. Other real estate websites aren’t designed to show up in search engines. Realzi real estate sites are!