As you may know, there’s a category on this blog called Content Sites/Blogs.  You’ll find it in the menu just under the header image.  If you’re wondering what types of information or tools you can add to your website or blog, checking that category will give you lots of ideas.

I recently came across a site called HousingWidgets.com, and it is a great addition to the Content category.

The site has evidently been around quite a while - the copyright is 2007 - but, it’s not been that visible on the Internet as far as I’ve seen.  There’s also an indication that Trulia is responsible for creating and maintaining the site.

There are a wide range of widgets that are useful for real estate sites or blogs.  Though, the first thing I think about when considering downloading something from the Internet is security.  I didn’t see anything on the site indicating that someone evaluated the widgets that were contributed, and I wouldn’t automatically assume that everything on the site works well just because Trulia is involved.

So, my suggestion would be that you certainly take advantage of the site, but take a look at the profile for the person who uploaded a widget you’re interested in.  If the profile looks hinky, I would think twice.

And, if you do use one of the widgets, take a moment to go back to the site and rate it.  If you find something that works well, or one that doesn’t really do the job, let your fellow agents know!

If I hear the phrase “Content is King” one more time, I think I’ll scream.  Of course, it’s true - but that phrase is just so highly overused!

Why Is Content Critical?

There are really two reasons.  First, search engines are looking for content-rich websites.  The engines are trying to find the best information for their customers, the people doing the search.   Therefore, sites that have lots of content related to a particular keyword phrase get high marks.

Just to be clear - content is not the only requirement to get ranked well in the search engines.  But, quality content is a critical part of the equation.

The second reason for adding quality content to your website is that your visitors like it, too.  You’ve probably heard about making your website “sticky”.   A sticky website encourages visitors to stay on, and return to, the site.  And, of course, the more time a visitor spends on your real estate website, the more likely it is that the person will turn into a lead.

What Is Good Content?

1.  It’s Original - The most critical requirement for website content is that it must be “original”.  Content is original when it can’t be found anywhere else on the Internet.  So, that means that copying a few paragraphs from the Wikipedia doesn’t count.  In addition, linking to other websites that have original content about your communities, for example, doesn’t count either.

2.  There’s a Sufficient Amount of Content - The figure that is most often quoted is this:  Search engines consider a page of at least 250 words to be significant enough to take a good look at.  So, you need at least that amount of content on a page to satisfy the search engines.  To satisfy your visitors, you may well need more.

3.  It Answers a Visitor’s Questions - When you’re planning a real estate website, you should be putting yourself in your visitor’s shoes, and asking yourself the question: “What would I want to know to help me make an informed real estate decision?”  If you identify what those things are and add them to your site, you’re definitely headed in the right direction.

What Does Killer Content Look Like?

For a great example, I refer you to one of our client’s website, www.DecaturGARealty.com.  Randy Chavers has been a client for a while now.  We started our work together turning his logo concept into reality.  Then, we established a Point2 Agent website for him, adding custom design elements, menu and marketing message.  We just recently completed the next phase of his website development: community pages.

First, we created a map that would orient visitors to Randy’s metro Decatur real estate market area, and send them to the community page of their choice.

The community pages themselves are rich with information.  Not all of the information is food for the search engines, but it’s great information for visitors.  All of the 15 community pages are set up the same way, but take a look at the Avondale Estates real estate community page, for example.  Here are the information elements on the community pages:

• Community Profile - This is original content that provides an overview of the community.
• Search for Homes - Randy is using a pre-defined map search we created on his full-featured IDX MLS search from Wolfnet.  Visitors are taken directly to the Avondale Estates location on the map to see what homes are available.
• Schools - This is a widget from Education.com.  There’s an earlier post on this blog about using that widget.
• Market Conditions - Randy is using Altos Research to obtain up to the minute market stats.  The community page contains two overview charts and a call to action to receive reports on a weekly basis.
• Walk Score/What’s Nearby - Walkscore.com provides the engine for this widget.  Randy’s market is in a “small town” area just outside the city of Atlanta, so the Walk Score information makes a lot of sense for his visitors.
• Favorite Places - Randy wrote brief reviews of a couple of his favorite places in each community, and can always add more as time permits.  This gives a visitor more information about the character of a community.  And, it gives Randy a chance to show more of his personality, too.
• Learn More About… - This is a call to action to contact Randy for more details about any of the neighborhoods. 

Each community page has three opportunities for Randy to connect directly with his visitors:  1.  The Altos Research marketing stats sign up, 2.  The “learn more” call to action, and 3.  the full-featured IDX MLS search which allows visitors to create an account for ease of use.

We also set up the navigation of the site so that the visitor isn’t overwhelmed, and can easily navigate to each community page and within each of those pages.

You’ll find posts on this blog, in the Real Estate Website Content category, about each of the information tools Randy is using and more.  I hope this post is a helpful opportunity to see how they can all work together.

So, what are you waiting for.  . . how content rich is your website?

Thanks to Joseph Ferrara’s article at Inman, I got introduced to an application called Apture.  It is an extremely impressive application that provides a quick and easy way to increase the stickiness of your real estate website.

Increasing the stickiness of your website can help motivate visitors to adopt your site as their real estate research headquarters.  And, of course when that happens, the likelihood of that visitor becoming a client is significantly increased.

There are a number of things that can make a website ”sticky”, meaning that it motivates visitors to stay on the site and return - and maybe even tell their friends!  Two of those factors are:

• Providing useful information, especially in an interactive format
• Keeping visitors on your site, rather than sending them off to another site for information

Apture is an application that helps you address both of those issues.

Access More than 50 Resources - Right on Your Own Site

Apture lets you quickly link to or embed items from a variety of resources to add richness to your page content.  Here are some of the types of things you can access:

• Video
• Images
• Reference Articles
• Maps
• Audio
• News Articles
• Your own documents in a variety of formats

Using Apture, you don’t have to create links sending your website visitors off to other websites for information.  The key is that you can link to a variety of resources, and those links will open in pop up windows right on your own page!

I don’t think you’ll really understand the power of Apture until you see it - visit the test page set up on our Point2 Agent website.   Apture has a widget for Wordpress blogs, and you can get code to make it work on a non-blog site like Point2 Agent, also.  Placing the code in the footer template of a Professional or Premium Point2 site makes every page capable of using the Apture dashboard.

There isn’t a lot of support for end users - no telephone number to call, for example.  But, to be honest, the Apture dashboard is very simple, and I think that will make the lack of support less of an issue.

And, It’s Free!

Using Apture on a website is free.  Apture gets its revenue from the “publishers” who want to align themselves with Apture.  Right now, those publishers include such names as the BBC, Washington Post, and the New York Times.

Normally, an application like this starts out free for the end user, then once we’re all hooked, a fee is established.  Based on the fact that Apture gets revenue from publishers, I think it’s a much better bet that the end user version will remain free, although I’d also bet they’ll come out with premium features that can be had for a subscription fee.

What About Copyright Infringement?

The first issue that came to my mind as I considered Apture was the issue of copyright infringement.  I know that many sites, our main real estate marketing site included, prohibit others from framing the site into another site.

Apture seems to have addressed that issue very well.  If you add a link to a site that isn’t set up for sharing, Apture informs you that the link will be opened in a new window (as opposed to the normal pop up).

I think Apture provides a tool that will change the way many websites are providing information.  Check out Apture for yourself.  And, if you need help, give me a call, or send an email!