Real estate professionals, now more than ever, are competing for online leads. They know that 90% of real estate transactions start online, and they work hard for the attention of those internet-friendly homebuyers and sellers. If you’re familiar with the world of internet marketing, you also know that getting new online leads requires more than just building a website. If your website isn’t all you dreamed of, there are 5 common mistakes to check for:Reason #1 – No blogEither your website may not have a blog or you may not be posting in it on a regular basis. Studies show that websites with blogs get 60% more traffic--and more organic search traffic! You also build loyalty among website visitors and subscribers (which helps you build your brand reputation). Reason #2 – No listingsYou may not have integrated your MLS listings with your website. Allowing visitors to search (and save) your local listings is a great way to attract people to your site, nurture a lead and get them coming back. This is not only good for improving your visibility--it also encourages visitors to spend more time on your website.Reason #3 – No social mediaYou may not have (or may not be posting to) your social media pages. To get started, start posting your favorite homes, stories, and blogs to Facebook and Twitter. If you don’t have time to individually manage your social media, then consider integrating your social media with a website platform--it can save you a lot of time.Reason #4 – No lead captureYou may not have an effective lead capture and management system. What you need is a website that allows you to capture and manage leads in an easy-to-use console, so no lead is forgotten or left behind. Ask any real estate lead management expert, and they will tell you that the single biggest contributor to reaching a prospective customer is response time--when you reach out quickly to someone looking for a home, you’re more likely to become their agent.Reason #5 – No SEO (search-engine optimization)Your flashy new website may not be SEO-friendly, meaning it may be tough for the search engines to find it. What you need is a website that is built with SEO in mind. What does that mean? It means that your website structure and content management system makes it easy to include keywords in prominent places, like URL’s, headers, meta tags, etc. Posting content easily and making good use of the right keywords can mean the difference between few natural search engine visitors and a ton of them. P.S.--It would also help if your website was part of a nationwide real estate network that is already getting traffic from search engines--if you’re not sure who we’re talking about, give us a call!