This is a question I wish more agents would ask before rushing out to get a site.  Before jumping into the game of online real estate, it helps to know your options!  The first issue to consider is how much time, energy and money are you willing to invest to create and maintain your site?

"Template" sites typically run off a vendor's server which stores them in a database (vs. using static HTML pages as in most custom sites).  This gives you the flexibility to choose from several "look & feel" styles and modify site content yourself via an easy to use "point, click, and type" Web interface.  In some cases you can create a sophisticated template site in just 10 minutes for no cost other than the hosting fee.  And, they can be easily maintained by anyone using just a Web browser. 

Well designed custom sites on the other hand can take weeks or months to build and tweak �that's after you've gone through the trouble of finding a good Web designer.  They can also cost thousands of dollars initially, and the ongoing fees for site maintenance can be substantial as well.  Unlike template sites however, you have complete control and freedom to create a highly unique site designed just for you and your online target market.

In addition to time, energy, and money, how you intend to use your site is an important consideration as well...

"Retail" vs. Strategic Web Sites

When most agents talk about building a Web site, they usually envision a "retail" site �one designed to generate leads directly off the Web.  Most custom sites are built with this purpose in mind.  They usually require a great deal of effort (and often, expense) put into targeted content, graphic design, search engine positioning, strategic links, and other forms of marketing to drive traffic to the site.

A �strategic� Web site on the other hand is one that is used to help you differentiate yourself from your competitors when meeting with potential clients.  For example, top agent Rob Levy (http://www.roblevy.com) earned in excess of $150,000 GCI last year using a template site that cost nothing to build and about $25/mo. to maintain.  

His secret is that he uses his template site's powerful built-in features to effectively ace his competition during listing and sales presentations.  For example, one such tool is the powerful Online Mastermind� listing strategy detailed in the July '99 issue of "Ask Mr. Internet!".  In addition, his site has a built-in "Client Update"  or Intranet that instantly keeps his clients up to date on every aspect of their transaction, and something called e-Sphere which is a very clever online way to leverage his current sphere of influence to generate more referral business.

In general, template sites will not likely generate as many new online leads as a well designed and carefully promoted custom site.  However, your profit per customer could be much higher.  The following chart compares the relative merits of building a custom vs. template Web site:

Which Way To Go?

If your primary purpose in having a Web site is to generate a substantial number of new online leads, and you can make the requisite ongoing commitment of time, energy, and money �then, a well-targeted custom site is the way to go.

On the other hand, if you are not yet ready for that level of commitment, or you want to use the Web as a powerful strategic competitive weapon, then consider using one of the more full-featured template site services available. 

Thanks to template sites, there is no longer any excuse why every real estate professional cannot have their own business-building Web site. Whichever way you decide, the important thing is that you do something �otherwise you are not even in the game!

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One of the most powerful ways to drive business to your site is to have as many highly targeted sites as possible link to yours.  And the first step is to know how many sites that currently do.

There is now a great (and free!) online tool that instantly does this for you by simultaneously checking the Altavista, Infoseek, and Lycos search engines and AOL as well. It's called Link Popularity Check, a free service from the same search engine positioning experts that developed Webposition Gold �the industry's pre-eminent search engine positioning software.

1. You will know the competition! --You can compare your link popularity with up to 3 of your competitors at the same time (NOTE: it also indicates who is linking to them, a very important piece of intelligence if you want to quickly improve your site's link popularity);
   
2. You will save time! --Results are displayed graphically as well as numerically so in one glance you can see where you stand against your competitors;
   
3. It can remind you to improve! --You can receive your automatic link popularity results via e-mail every week if you want �a side benefit to this is that it is a constant reminder that improving your site's link popularity is an ongoing process.

Improving your "strategic linking" (a more focused and refined form of link popularity) is one of the most powerful and sure ways to drive highly qualified traffic to your site. And Link Popularity Check is the best tool I know of to measure your progress!