As a real estate agent, you know that the Internet is a valuable tool in building your brand. Your website should not only show the properties you represent but also allow potential clients to learn more about you and your business. The National Association of Realtors found that 44% of all buyers search online for property listings as the first stage of their home search. So how can real estate agents enhance a buyer's online search journey to capture potential customers? Simply through an Internet Data Exchange (IDX).
Today, no real estate website can be imagined without an IX. A real estate agent website with IDX allows agents to showcase their listings, market their business, and connect with clients. When selecting an IDX feed on a real estate agent website, it is important to consider the features offered, the price, and the level of customer support.
With the growing popularity of IDX software, it is very important to understand how this technology works and why it has become so popular.
IDX stands for Internet Data Exchange, which is a technology that allows real estate agents to access listings directly from the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) and display this information on their websites.
The integration result is a real estate IDX website that allows real estate agents to display properties for sale or rent on their website. The property-search feature enables users to enter any number of search criteria, including price range, number of bedrooms and baths, availability dates, and area listings.
IDX allows visitors to search for available properties in a selected area, thereby, increasing the number of leads captured and traffic to real estate agent websites with IDX.
The MLS database contains a list of properties supplied by cooperating real estate brokers in exchange for the agency introducing a potential buyer.
The IDX allows real estate agents to display exclusive listings by other MLS participants.
The IDX feed on the real estate agent website creates a connection between the MLS database and the website, allowing visitors to search for properties and receive listings in response.
Listings on the website are updated at regular intervals. The frequency depends on how often the IDX feeds are updated by the MLS to pull in new information, or how long a listing stays active before being removed.
A WordPress real estate website with IDX will allow you to display parts of the MLS database for more exposure, and it can aid you in ranking your site by Google. Furthermore, IDX provides an opportunity for agents to share their listings and publish them on each other’s websites.
Now let’s examine the benefits of real estate IDX.
A real estate agent website with IDX attracts more leads. By providing visitors with information about properties they are interested in, you give them the opportunity to reach out to you and inquire about those properties, even if they are not exclusive listings.
So how effective can IDX be? Showcase IDX search has produced more than 6 million consumers who viewed listings on Showcase IDX-enabled websites and 83% of those who used Showcase IDX saw an increase in their traffic from Google.
Real estate agents may also choose to create lead capture forms for prospective clients to complete in order to gain access to your listings. This will enable them to add clients to your database and communicate with them on an ongoing basis. With a CRM combined with automated email or text follow-up, agents can automate the follow-up process.
IDX integration in real estate websites makes them more search engine-friendly. Search engines index the IDX listings, which in turn provides leads for agents and benefits for the website.
Social media buttons encourage visitors to share listings, helping the company generate backlinks and drive more organic traffic to the website. When the audience shares the listing, agents can reach a larger number of buyers and prospects who haven't heard about their brand yet (their "cold audience"), thus, expanding brand awareness.
To keep the audience interested, updated and accurate information is needed. An IDX can cover 99% of MLS listings with the most accurate and up-to-date property information. The automated feed requires minimal effort on the agent’s side to keep listings updated. This allows agents to focus on building a relationship with leads and nurturing them.
The IDX feed on real estate agent website can help real estate agents keep site visitors engaged and interested especially on the real estate landing page, thereby increasing the likelihood that they will return in the future.
In the real estate market, IDX helps real estate agents catch the attention of prospective homebuyers by providing interactive maps on the real estate landing page and other advanced search features. When compared with many agents and brokers, showing pictures of homes, a modern IDX can make an agent stand out with a professional presence.
Real estate agent Will Rodgers shared how using IDX improved his online presence, "Since switching to Showcase, my bounce rate is down 20%, time spent on my site has doubled, and most importantly I am getting 4x more registrations on my site."
The first step in a lead generation process is to get leads, but the second step—converting these leads into customers—is more important.
IDX provides advanced traffic analytics including page visit reports by source, search engine, lead, etc. Moreover, real estate agents can opt for integrated customer relationship management (CRM) to track the leads' activity on the website, including what they look at and what they click. This will help real estate agents prioritize their leads and stay in touch with them as they move toward a sale.
Ultimately, the benefits of IDX website for real estate agents are plentiful in today’s real estate market. As you have read above, IDX feed on the real estate agent website offers a number of advantages for real estate agents who want to succeed in the competitive business. The benefits and advantages are clear, and it is important to evaluate different sites to find a provider that meets your needs.
Your first priority is to make sure that your web pages are user-friendly, engaging, and designed to convert. Make a solid decision and choose the best real estate IDX provider for your real estate website.
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Blankenship, M. (2022, February 10). 16 Best Real Estate Agent Websites With IDX. Carrot. https://carrot.com/blog/real-estate-agent-websites-with-idx/
Bushery, M. (u.d.) What Is IDX? An Explanation for Beginner Real Estate Agents. Placester. https://placester.com/real-estate-marketing-academy/what-is-idx-explanation-beginner-agent
Showcase IDX. (u.d.). Live Real Estate Websites Powered By Showcase IDX. Showcase IDX. https://showcaseidx.com/customer-idx-website-examples/
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