This guest post was written by Kevin Kaiser of  Military Homes,
where you can list or search military home listings.

Sixty-seven percent of all real estate websites and blogs are horrific abominations.

There’s no source for that stat, but it sounds about right. Real estate professionals were early adopters of the Internet and the power of online marketing. Despite the head start, many real estate web sites have failed to keep pace — and that spells trouble on the front lines, not to mention for the overall bottom line.

In a world of iPads and attention deficits, increasingly sophisticated buyers are no longer the exception but the rule. Real estate professionals have an array of tools and ways to reach and educate their consumer base. Today, about 8 in 10 buyers are using the Internet to look for homes and property.

So why is your site so stagnant? Usually there isn’t a single, straightforward answer. Like most things in life, it’s a combination of things bound together by a single overarching theme. In this case, the theme would probably be “You expect people to find you on their own and keep coming back even though you’re doing nothing to ensnare and engage them.”  Here are five main reasons why your site is flailing and tips for improvement.

1.  You’ve Written Off Basic SEO Activities

You don’t need to hire a consultant or spend hours hunting through online forums to learn the search engine optimization skills necessary to boost your site. Doing simple keyword research and keeping up with what people are searching for is not a daunting task.

Once you identify a new trend, change your internal linking, title tags, and headers to reflect what people are looking for. Two years ago it may have been “Los Angeles Real Estate” but know more people are just searching for “LA real estate”. Be sure your keeping up with the trends.

2.  You’re Not Producing Enough Quality Real Estate Content

It’s not enough to slap together a post every four weeks and forget about it. The search engines and consumers demand relevant, worthwhile content. Share your expertise. Interview colleagues and explore the latest trends. Post hints, tips and insider insight. Embrace video. Give visitors a reason to come back.

3.  You’re Not Thinking About Aesthetics

As with search engine optimization, you don’t need to spend a fortune on web development. But consumers in 2010 have expectations about how a professional website should look, from its layout and usability to colors, fonts and Flash. Now, you don’t need to build the next Trulia. But a sparse, joyless Blogspot hub isn’t going to cut it, either.

4.  You’re Not Leveraging Your Credibility

Showcase your designations, awards and rankings. Create an “As Seen In” section on your site and show visitors where your work, quotes or logo has appeared. It’s almost as important as the “Featured Listings” buttons or blurb on your home page.

Given the economic distress of the last 18 months, consumers are looking for all the protection and certainty they can get. Ooze credibility, and your clients — current and future — will reward you.

5.  You’ve Stopped Working on Your Real Estate Internet Presence

This is a rule of online marketing and one that applies to all industries and sites equally. This isn’t a “set it and forget about it” space. You have to commit to constantly tweaking, updating and feeding this beast.

Competitors appear out of nowhere, and the fickle search engines are always in motion. That doesn’t mean you have to work 18 hours a day with your eyes glued to a laptop or smartphone. But it does mean that caring for your web presence has to be part of your daily business routine.