The changing landscape of real estate websites

When you think about real estate websites, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Search engine optimization (SEO)? Lead generation? Your about you page???

We had a cataclysmic shift in the online space for real estate last year when it was announced that Trulia and Zillow would merge. The shift is in how real estate websites are actually preforming, rather than our common attitudes on how they are performing. This coupled with the 2013 change on Craigslist which almost overnight destroyed the lead generating business of thousands of agents truly changed the landscape of what real estate websites actually do.

First let’s do a quick exercise. Open up Google and search for real estate is any city in the US and see which three or four websites rank the highest. Keep in mind if you are a Chrome or on Google+ your rankings may be manipulated by previous searches. The usual suspects are Zillow, Trulia, Realtor.com, and Craigslist. What does this tell you about website SEO? How are your sites preforming as opposed to how you think they are performing.

Real estate agents can combat this dominance by adding local content to their website and creating multiple pages for users to browse. However if you are a new agent who is just starting out and your plan is to attack SEO on your website I would caution against this strategy. Websites going forward will be used primarily for fact checking. What I mean is they will be a place where people who are considering you as their agent will go to see who you are – to determine if you are legitimate in their eyes. This means that the about you page can be the single most important page on your site. It will tell people who you are, why you are in real estate and essentially why you are the best choice for them.

So with this being said, I would add a few other things on your site. I would absolutely create a user friendly website with some sort of home search function on it. Not because the general public will use it, but because when they fact check they will see it as a legitimizing factor. I would also add a Featured Properties section which I would recommend they review after I take their listing. I would create a separate sellers and buyers section. I would have a preferred partner’s page. And I personally would create an area for thing going on in the city.

The landscape changed in real estate because the industry is consolidating. I have noticed more and more teams beginning in the last few years as a result. This is also happening online too. The large scale search sites will continue to garner most of the search results even if you add unique content on It take several months of consistent content to even show up on the 1^st page, let alone the top 3.

In real estate the best place to build your lead base is and will always be either on your desk or in your pocket. It is called your telephone. Create a website for credibility first and people will find you and they will trust you.
your page.