Real Estate Web Sites See Surge In Traffic

Posted by: Chris Palmeri on May 15

Right up there with Twittering and people seeking info about the swine flu at the Centers for Disease Control, online real estate sites are seeing a boom in traffic.

Web tracker commScore reports the Real Estate category saw a 10 percent increase to 48.4 million visitors in April. Move Network, parent of Realtor.com, led as the most visited real estate site attracting 13.2 million visitors (up 88 percent vs. March), followed by Yahoo! Real Estate with 6.8 million visitors (up 11 percent) and AOL Real Estate with 3.6 million visitors (up 15 percent).

The start of spring led many Americans to consider home repairs and remodeling, driving traffic to sites that are home improvement related. About.com Home & Garden led the category with nearly 4 million visitors (up 16 percent), followed by AOL Home with 3.8 million visitors (up 29 percent) and Better Homes & Gardens Network with 3.8 million visitors (up 13 percent).

--------------------------------------------

As a marketing consultant for small businesses, I'm always recommending a website to my clients or helping them improve their current one if they already have one. I have even interviewed Vice President - Mark Thurman of InvestorPro.com for my podcast to help you learn first hand the benefits of having a website. The fact is that 80% of buyers use the internet to find their next home (according to National Association of Realtors) and so why is that I still run into real estate investors that feel they don't need a website to market their properties?

Some of the common responses I get are:

1. A simple yard sign will do.
2. People already know that I am investor and have properties for sale.
3. I put an ad in the paper and I'm good.

Here are some reasons why you should reconsider your marketing strategies, have a website, do some internet marketing, and most importantly not leave any money on the table.

1. The above statistic- 80% of buyers use the internet to buy their next home!! Don't you want them to buy from you? Want more proof? Read the article at USA Today: Home Shoppers do their Hunting Online.

2. According to Nielsen Online (April 2009)- The average person spends 10 hours online per week at home and another 20 hours at work. You want to promote your business where your audience is.

3. The internet is not just for "young people" anymore... According to a Nielsen Online Study (May 2008)- The top age groups for people using the internet are

1. 35-49 yrs @ 88+ hours/mo.
2. 55+ @ 82+ hours/mo.
3. 25-34 @ 68+ hours/mo.

So if you think that it's a bunch of teenagers and college kids, I hope this changes your mind that in fact your potential homebuyer is online as part of that 80% that is first going online to do their research, find properties, and even sell their own properties on popular sites like Craigslist.org and ForSaleByOwner.com.

If you want help getting online or simply polishing & revamping your real estate internet marketing, call me for a FREE 30 min. consultation at 1-866-735-0937. I enjoy it and have been doing it for my clients for over 7 years.

Here's to Education, Wealth, and Freedom! -Flower De Raadt