RELATE - from DMS Connect

8 Tips To A Better Website Websites have come a long way in recent years. From SEO to mobile friendly to IDX integration, there is a lot to know when putting your online presence together. We know there are many companies out there that specialize in creating and hosting real estate websites and we highly recommend you get a pro to create one for you as it’ll save you time and probably a few headaches. However, there are some keys we think are important to consider to make your website the most effective it can be. MOBILE FRIENDLY – make sure your website is optimized to work on mobile devices and that it works well. This is a no brainer – if your site isn’t mobile friendly, you’re going to lose a lot of traffic. LOADS QUICKLY – if your website takes any length of time to load, it’s going to be skipped over by prospects as well as search engines. Test it on various browsers and devices to make sure it’s quick to load. UPDATED CONTENT – show you’re active in real estate by posting fresh content (which also helps your ranking in search results). It can be updating your blog (ideally with more than just listings), changing and adding testimonials, or if you’re active on social media having your feed on your website. PERSONALIZED/CUSTOMIZED CONTENT – if your “about me” page is the same as the competitions', chances are you’ll both be over looked. Or if the photo on your website header is the same one as the template your marketing company

FACEBOOK UPDATE It’s been a year since we started our Facebook page! Thanks and “hi” to everyone who likes us and follows us ( @DMSConnectCanada if you’re not one of them yet.) In the past year, we’ve learned a lot, and we think what we’ve learned can be valuable to you too. We learned that it’s neat to connect with people in such a personal way – we’ve had conversations with you based on our posts, connected with your lives through your pages and comments and even made some new friends along the way. This kind of connection is strong and helps us feel good at the end of the day. Now, is it bringing in boatloads of money? Well, no… but we didn’t expect it to. Our Facebook goal was to increase our reach and make new friends. And we’re doing that. We’re still working on increasing the reach of our posts - right now, about 30% of our audience sees what we put up. We’d like that number to be higher so we’ll incorporate some of the tips Facebook suggests to increase our reach like using posts that promote comments, using more videos, live streaming, connecting with influencers and utilizing the messenger app and chatbots to connect with you. We’ll also vary the times throughout the day that we post so maybe we’ll reach more of you when you have some downtime. If there is anything you want to see us cover in this column (about Facebook), send us a message or post your ideas to our Facebook page. Is there something that is working for you on Facebook that you’d like to share? Feel free to comment @DMSConnectCanada.

offers… think about changing it up, please. Having personally written text and your own photos will go further to creating a relationship with a prospect than having a bunch of “cookie cutter” info. GOOD AND MULTIPLE CALLS TO ACTION – Please, don’t hide your contact information at the bottom of the page. Make it front and center. Also, have buttons and ask visitors to take the next step in their real estate journey. Use phrases like “call me now” or “click for more information” to drive the process.

PERSONALIZE YOUR TEMPLATE! We come across template websites all the time – same images, same text, same colours, etc. EVEN THE SAME BIO! Use your website to highlight your unique value proposition and set yourself apart.

CAPTURE LEADS – There are many goals of having a website. One is to use it to capture leads – have a form pop-up that offers resources or market information or host a “VIP” section where visitors have to sign-up to access particular information. NEIGHBOURHOOD PROFILE PAGES – not the “static” ones that come with the site like “north west” but actual neighbourhoods you have an invested interest in (maybe you live there or farm that area) – having information on your website that highlights a particular area (not just listings from the area) will boost your credibility as the neighbourhood expert. REMOVE ‘COMING SOON’ PAGES – if you’re never going to write a blog, just take the page down. Same with testimonial pages, community info pages, etc. What are the features of your website that you feel give you the most personality? Is there something you would add to the above list? Continue the conversation on our blog at www.dmsmarketing.ca/category/blog.