n. Do you offer a free home valuation, Neighborhood Report, newsletter, coupons, business directories or links to local resources? Since many visitors are in the just-looking stage and aren’t ready to pick up the phone and call you, you can provide different touch-points at various commitment levels to make it as easier to begin a dialog with you.

6. Content isn’t king. In an effort to attract as many prospects as possible, many agent websites try to be all things to all people. A laundry list of real estate services is not compelling content, and this type of “information overload” can give site visitors with the idea that you don’t offer any particular expertise that would benefit them. Old listings, typos and outdated articles can all make visitors click away in search of competing websites with better information. And remember, content doesn’t begin and end with text. Photos, animations, virtual tours, maps and cha

More and more, your first point of contact with prospects is your agent website.

Your first – and often only – chance to impress prospects is a valuable opportunity that’s often wasted. Avoiding a few common but critical mistakes can mean the difference between success and failure. If you’re looking to provide a compelling, interactive client experience instead of a tired online brochure, here are seven mistakes to avoid:

1. All about the agent. It seems counter-intuitive, but the focus of effective agent websites isn’t agents – it’s consumers. Your photo, sales awards, accreditations, nicknames, community activities family background are far less interesting to site visitors than they are to you, and they belong on “About us” section, not the home page. Instead, capture attention with local images and current, relevant content that’s not available on other real estate sites. To draw attention to your skills and achievements, it’s often more effective to get success stories and testimonials from clients and colleagues, rather than blatant self-promotion.

2. The three-second rule. Web researcher Joseph Carrabis suggests it takes visitors just 3-5 seconds to decide if website information is interesting enough to continue reading or click away. In this "attraction phase" visitors scan the page and quickly decide if they want to invest the time to explore further to see how content relates to them - in other words, what's in it for me? Try scanning your website as a first-time visitor would. Is the information you’ve provided to capture their attention up-front and prominent? The questions that site visitors have in mind – What’s on this website? What’s in it for me? What services does this real estate professional offer? – need to be answered very quickly.

3. The language of the dog. On the subject of effective website content, e-business author Jeff Eisenberg likes to say “Speak to the dog, about what matters to the dog, in the language of the dog.” In other words, use language and terms appropriate for your audience. For example, do you know what search terms people are using to find your website? You can get a quick idea at a website called www.digitalpoint.com. Click Webmaster tools on the left, scroll down and click the Keyword Suggestion Tool link. Then, enter search terms that people are likely to use when searching for your services. You may be surprised to see how small variations in phrasing affect the number of daily searches performed. To boost site visibility, try incorporating popular search terms in your page titles, descriptions and headlines.

4. A road to nowhere. Successful real estate practices have a clear path from prospecting, conversion and sales, to repeat sales and referrals. Yet, many real estate websites lead nowhere. There is a vague notion that site visitors will click around, find the information interesting and hopefully contact the agent or broker. If you have not defined measurable goals such as newsletter signups, phone calls, email requests for information or special report downloads, it’s difficult to say whether or not your site is successful. Design your website with clear pathways to your conversion goals, and measure them. If you’re driving paid search traffic to a road-to-nowhere site, consider applying that money toward creating a better web presence for your business.

5. All take, no give. The ethos of the Internet is something-for-something. You might give up your name and email address to receive a newsletter or special report, or take a survey in return for a chance to win prizes. Yet, many agent websites offer no incentive for visitors to take some desired action such as providing contact information. Do you offer a free home valuation, Neighborhood Report, newsletter, coupons, business directories or links to local resources? Since many visitors are in the just-looking stage and aren’t ready to pick up the phone and call you, you can provide different touch-points at various commitment levels to make it as easier to begin a dialog with you.

6. Content isn’t king. In an effort to attract as many prospects as possible, many agent websites try to be all things to all people. A laundry list of real estate services is not compelling content, and this type of “information overload” can give site visitors with the idea that you don’t offer any particular expertise that would benefit them. Old listings, typos and outdated articles can all make visitors click away in search of competing websites with better information. And remember, content doesn’t begin and end with text. Photos, animations, virtual tours, maps and char

ills and achievements, it’s often more effective to get success stories and testimonials from clients and colleagues, rather than blatant self-promotion.

2. The three-second rule. Web researcher Joseph Carrabis suggests it takes visitors just 3-5 seconds to decide if website information is interesting enough to continue reading or click away. In this "attraction phase" visitors scan the page and quickly decide if they want to invest the time to explore further to see how content relates to them - in other words, what's in it for me? Try scanning your website as a first-time visitor would. Is the information you’ve provided to capture their attention up-front and prominent? The questions that site visitors have in mind – What’s on this website? What’s in it for me? What services does this real estate professional offer? – need to be answered very quickly.

3. The language of the dog. On the subject of effective website content, e-business author Jeff Eisenberg likes to say “Speak to the dog, about what matters to the dog, in the language of the dog.” In other words, use language and terms appropriate for your audience. For example, do you know what search terms people are using to find your website? You can get a quick idea at a website called www.digitalpoint.com. Click Webmaster tools on the left, scroll down and click the Keyword Suggestion Tool link. Then, enter search terms that people are likely to use when searching for your services. You may be surprised to see how small variations in phrasing affect the number of daily searches performed. To boost site visibility, try incorporating popular search terms in your page titles, descriptions and headlines.

4. A road to nowhere. Successful real estate practices have a clear path from prospecting, conversion and sales, to repeat sales and referrals. Yet, many real estate websites lead nowhere. There is a vague notion that site visitors will click around, find the information interesting and hopefully contact the agent or broker. If you have not defined measurable goals such as newsletter signups, phone calls, email requests for information or special report downloads, it’s difficult to say whether or not your site is successful. Design your website with clear pathways to your conversion goals, and measure them. If you’re driving paid search traffic to a road-to-nowhere site, consider applying that money toward creating a better web presence for your business.

5. All take, no give. The ethos of the Internet is something-for-something. You might give up your name and email address to receive a newsletter or special report, or take a survey in return for a chance to win prizes. Yet, many agent websites offer no incentive for visitors to take some desired action such as providing contact information. Do you offer a free home valuation, Neighborhood Report, newsletter, coupons, business directories or links to local resources? Since many visitors are in the just-looking stage and aren’t ready to pick up the phone and call you, you can provide different touch-points at various commitment levels to make it as easier to begin a dialog with you.

6. Content isn’t king. In an effort to attract as many prospects as possible, many agent websites try to be all things to all people. A laundry list of real estate services is not compelling content, and this type of “information overload” can give site visitors with the idea that you don’t offer any particular expertise that would benefit them. Old listings, typos and outdated articles can all make visitors click away in search of competing websites with better information. And remember, content doesn’t begin and end with text. Photos, animations, virtual tours, maps and cha

ite content, e-business author Jeff Eisenberg likes to say “Speak to the dog, about what matters to the dog, in the language of the dog.” In other words, use language and terms appropriate for your audience. For example, do you know what search terms people are using to find your website? You can get a quick idea at a website called www.digitalpoint.com. Click Webmaster tools on the left, scroll down and click the Keyword Suggestion Tool link. Then, enter search terms that people are likely to use when searching for your services. You may be surprised to see how small variations in phrasing affect the number of daily searches performed. To boost site visibility, try incorporating popular search terms in your page titles, descriptions and headlines.

4. A road to nowhere. Successful real estate practices have a clear path from prospecting, conversion and sales, to repeat sales and referrals. Yet, many real estate websites lead nowhere. There is a vague notion that site visitors will click around, find the information interesting and hopefully contact the agent or broker. If you have not defined measurable goals such as newsletter signups, phone calls, email requests for information or special report downloads, it’s difficult to say whether or not your site is successful. Design your website with clear pathways to your conversion goals, and measure them. If you’re driving paid search traffic to a road-to-nowhere site, consider applying that money toward creating a better web presence for your business.

5. All take, no give. The ethos of the Internet is something-for-something. You might give up your name and email address to receive a newsletter or special report, or take a survey in return for a chance to win prizes. Yet, many agent websites offer no incentive for visitors to take some desired action such as providing contact information. Do you offer a free home valuation, Neighborhood Report, newsletter, coupons, business directories or links to local resources? Since many visitors are in the just-looking stage and aren’t ready to pick up the phone and call you, you can provide different touch-points at various commitment levels to make it as easier to begin a dialog with you.

6. Content isn’t king. In an effort to attract as many prospects as possible, many agent websites try to be all things to all people. A laundry list of real estate services is not compelling content, and this type of “information overload” can give site visitors with the idea that you don’t offer any particular expertise that would benefit them. Old listings, typos and outdated articles can all make visitors click away in search of competing websites with better information. And remember, content doesn’t begin and end with text. Photos, animations, virtual tours, maps and cha

lead nowhere. There is a vague notion that site visitors will click around, find the information interesting and hopefully contact the agent or broker. If you have not defined measurable goals such as newsletter signups, phone calls, email requests for information or special report downloads, it’s difficult to say whether or not your site is successful. Design your website with clear pathways to your conversion goals, and measure them. If you’re driving paid search traffic to a road-to-nowhere site, consider applying that money toward creating a better web presence for your business.

5. All take, no give. The ethos of the Internet is something-for-something. You might give up your name and email address to receive a newsletter or special report, or take a survey in return for a chance to win prizes. Yet, many agent websites offer no incentive for visitors to take some desired action such as providing contact information. Do you offer a free home valuation, Neighborhood Report, newsletter, coupons, business directories or links to local resources? Since many visitors are in the just-looking stage and aren’t ready to pick up the phone and call you, you can provide different touch-points at various commitment levels to make it as easier to begin a dialog with you.

6. Content isn’t king. In an effort to attract as many prospects as possible, many agent websites try to be all things to all people. A laundry list of real estate services is not compelling content, and this type of “information overload” can give site visitors with the idea that you don’t offer any particular expertise that would benefit them. Old listings, typos and outdated articles can all make visitors click away in search of competing websites with better information. And remember, content doesn’t begin and end with text. Photos, animations, virtual tours, maps and cha

n. Do you offer a free home valuation, Neighborhood Report, newsletter, coupons, business directories or links to local resources? Since many visitors are in the just-looking stage and aren’t ready to pick up the phone and call you, you can provide different touch-points at various commitment levels to make it as easier to begin a dialog with you.

6. Content isn’t king. In an effort to attract as many prospects as possible, many agent websites try to be all things to all people. A laundry list of real estate services is not compelling content, and this type of “information overload” can give site visitors with the idea that you don’t offer any particular expertise that would benefit them. Old listings, typos and outdated articles can all make visitors click away in search of competing websites with better information. And remember, content doesn’t begin and end with text. Photos, animations, virtual tours, maps and charts should also be high-quality and up-to-date.

7. Fire your nephew. You don’t still have a website that was created in 2002 by someone’s nephew, do you? In three seconds, your website can give visitors the idea that you offer quality services or that you lack attention to detail…not a good quality for real estate professionals. You don’t need the latest blogs, podcasts and 3-D animation to be successful, but your site should be of comparable or better quality than your industry peers. Make it a point to visit the sites of local and national competitors to gather ideas and see how your site stacks up.

Charles Warnock, eNeighborhoods Marketing A Dominion Enterprises Company