1. Business & Finance

Discuss in my forum

Reality Check - With Real Estate Web Sites It's Not About You!

Real Buyers Were Surveyed - 25-to-1 Said It Isn't Your Self-Promo They Want

By , About.com Guide

Remove all sharp objects from your pockets, and take a comfortable seat. I don't want you hurting yourself or someone else. Get ready.....The visitor to your website doesn't care a wit about you! Ouch.

The facts are clear. The 2007 NAR Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers asked actual home buyers what they were looking for when they used the Internet for real estate. These are people who actually bought a home, so you should care about their habits and desires.

95% of all buyers said that they used the Internet to search for properties for sale. A tiny 4% said they used it to search for a real estate agent or company. Since 84% of all buyers are using the Web in their real estate search, we must just accept that it isn't about US at all. 21% said that they were looking for general area information, the second most important item to listings.

Take a look at your home page again with this knowledge. How much of that page is about you or your company? How much is about the area or pointing them to listing searches? They know how to find the "About You" button when they're ready. If they don't find the other stuff first, they won't be on your site when they need the About button.

©2012 About.com. All rights reserved.

A part of The New York Times Company.