5 ways to increase Web traffic

As the Internet matures, a cutting-edge Web site is critical to business success. Errol Samuelson, president of Realtor.com, offered the following suggestions at NAR’s recent meetings:
1. Tailor your Web site. In a survey by Realtor.com, 80 percent of consumers said they prefer to work with a practitioner with a specialty, and a site should reflect that niche.
2. Make a call to action. Create banner ads that ask consumers to respond. A Realtor.com survey recently found that sale ads received the greatest response, such as: “Get my list of homes reduced by 10 – 30 percent.”
3. Help visitors understand the market. Especially when marketing to first-time buyers, Realtor.com found that consumers like reading about the current market and whether it is stabilizing. Buyers need assurance that this is the right time to buy.
4. Use social networking. Connect your Web site to Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. Provide information that visitors can easily share with their online networks.
5. Get video. Web site visitors want to see properties in multimedia, including video. Affordable tech tools can help do this. The Flip video camera, for example, retails for about $100 and allows Realtors to easily capture and upload film.

Source: Realtor Magazine, Katie Tarbox
© 2009 FLORIDA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®

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