Website has over 1000 hits this month ....

[Realtor 1]

So once again we get over 1000 hits to our site this month which is peanuts compared to some of the "big name" agents but much higher than other friends in the industry.
The problem is that we are having less than 0.01% of visitors actually signing up or giving us a call.
Right now business is primarily generated through referrals but like anyone we always want more.

Anyone have any thoughts, suggestions, criticism about our site and what we should do to bring these numbers up?

[hulkrogan]

I think a realtor is nothing I would ever pick off of a realtor's website. Testimonials on a forum are far more important to me, and that's how I picked the last realtor I used. I think I looked at his website once or twice ever.

[Realtor 1]

^^ Much appreciated, im going to take our testimonials from our site and stick them on the about us/reviews section in our thread.

[Realtor 1]

Edit: Wrong thread

[ken0042]

HR is right- it would have to be about the testimonials from people I know. Unless.......

When I bought my house my realtor was advertizing to a specific market. I was looking for assumable mortgages at the time, and my realtor knew all about everything I wanted to know.

The other key- right off the bat he advertized that he and his brother worked as a team; meaning that no matter if one guy was busy or on vacation- I still had somebody there working for me. And as it turned out after signing the papers the seller wanted to offer a different closing date. That came to me through my realtor's brother.

Bottom line; stand out.

[Rathji]

I bought my house using a realtor I was referred to by someone on this board.

[Realtor 1]

The other key- right off the bat he advertized that he and his brother worked as a team; meaning that no matter if one guy was busy or on vacation- I still had somebody there working for me.

Bottom line; stand out.

Exactly why there is 2 of us. Before teaming up I had the worst vacation ever. Sitting on the beach in waikiki with your phone going off just didn't make sense. With that being said, there really wasnt much of a choice as my clients wanted me and were paying me to work for them.

[maverickstruth]

Well, a couple of things come to mind.

1 - you say you're getting 1000 hits per month, but what's more important is where those hits are coming from. Are they coming from CP? Could just be people curious about your sig, and not really a conversion issue. Are they coming from ads? Searches? Then you might have a conversion issue.

2 - assuming we're looking at a conversion issue, there are a lot of links on your site. It's a lot of visual noise -- the animated banner competes for attention with your links, and there are links all over. It's hard for your site visitor to know exactly where to go for the information they want to get, because there are a lot of options.

3 - what sorts of people do you actually want to have contact you? Right now, it's not clear from your site what services you can provide. People don't want to dig, they want to get the info they need and if they don't find it right away, they'll just go somewhere else. For example, if I want to sell my house and I click on the "sellers" link, I would hope to find some information about what you can do for me. Instead, I'm presented with a list of articles to dive into, when all I want is quick access to information. What I want ("how can you help me sell my house?") and what I get (a list of stuff that I don't really care about) don't match.

4 - about testimonials... it's very rare that testimonials will make a difference at all. It's far more important to consider your website from your user's perspective, figure out why they're coming to your site and then give that to them. Only after they've gotten what they're coming for will they give you what you want (a conversion).

I could go on (I'm a user experience designer, so doing this sort of thing -- figuring out why websites aren't "working" -- is kinda my thing, so I really could!), but hopefully that gives you some places to start. The biggest thing I can suggest is first, figure out if you have a conversion issue or an audience issue. 1000 hits is nothing if they're the wrong sorts of hits. Then, look at whether your site is actually saying what you think it should say, or whether it's actually meeting your visitors' needs. :-)

[Realtor 1]

Thank you for that...might have to look at a new less flashy template.
I remember years ago I had a bush league website created by a friend. While the site looked horrible I had people contacting me all the time. Im guessing this is because all the information was right there, black and white and easily accessible.

[maverickstruth]

Yeah, a lot of people get caught in the trap prioritizing the "look good" side of things above all else. As I often tell the people I work with (clients and colleagues alike), it doesn't matter if it looks good -- if it doesn't work, it won't do you much good. Of course, looking good is still important, since you want to give a professional impression, and you want to appear trustworthy, etc. But never at the expense of actually helping people meet their goals and needs. Ultimately, your site serves you best if it serves your visitors best. Anywho, if I can be of more assistance, just ask; happy to help :-)

[SportsJunky]

I would encourage you not to change the website. I was very impressed when I went there and could tell that you guys have put some real work into it. maverickstruth may have some good individual points for you to look at but the overall presentation is great. Keep pushing forward, keep promoting and I'm sure those hits will translate into more sign ups and phone calls.

[troutman]

Free Flames Tickets.

[Winsor_Pilates]

Free Flames Tickets.
I'm not sure that will help him these days. Maybe a free add on service to sell your unwanted Flames tickets? ;)

[Realtor 1]

I wish i was allowed to advertise free anything however it is against the rules unless all 300+ agents within our brokerage can do the same!!!
I laughed the other day checking out another website where the guy was offering a draw for a used car for people whom worked with him. Im guessing he was within his own brokerage to do such a thing.