The Web Corner >> Second Site

Launching Real Estate Site #2 — Advanced Marketing

by Brandon Cornett

"Why on earth would I want to launch a second real estate site when I've spent so much time getting my first site online?"

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This is the first question most agents ask when bring this topic up. It's a fair question. After all, it takes a lot of energy to put a real estate website online — to do it right, anyway. Once is enough for most agents.

I'll admit that this Internet marketing strategy is not for every real estate agent. I guess you could say it's for the "advanced pupils" who already have a real estate site or blog online, and are now looking to acquire even more Internet "real estate." If you fall into this category, launching a second real estate site might be a wise move.

But what if you're still working on your first website? Does this article still apply? Sure it does! It's never too early to start thinking about your future web presence. Right now, you should focus on website #1 to make it the best it can be. But sometime in the future, you'll have an established real estate site and will be ready to branch out into new ventures. This is one way to branch out.

Benefits of Owning Multiple Real Estate Sites

So let's get right to the heart of the matter. Why should you bother creating a second website? What are the benefits of such a strategy? I can answer these questions with one word. Double. If you have two real estate sites instead of one, you could someday have a double dose of everything...

• Double the web presence
• Double the search engine visibility
• Double the website traffic
• And, if you have a lead generation system in place, double the leads

How do you double all of things? Simple. Let's say I'm a real estate agent, and that my primary site is on page 1 of Google and other search engines for some of my key phrases. That's a noteworthy accomplishment that will bring a lot of qualified traffic to my website. There are ten website listings on the first page of a search engine results page (SERP), which means there's a 1-in-10 chance people will click on my site. Hooray!

But what if I created a second real estate site and drove that one up through the search engine ranks as well? You guessed it — there would now be a 2-in-10 chance of people clicking one of my websites. I've doubled my odds of getting qualified web traffic, along with everything else that comes with that.

Ideas for Real Estate Site #2

So what kind of content do you publish onto your second website? What focus should you take? This, of course, will depend on your business goals. If your main real estate site is purely for self-promotion, why not give your second site (or blog) an educational angle? Make it a "one stop shop" for home buying information in your city or town. You could still use it for marketing and lead generation, as well. Include an "Ask the Agent" tool on the site, and you've got another lead generator as well.

Based on what I've seen over the years, I believe this kind of web-publishing mindset is the "way of the future" for real estate Internet marketing. I believe that the real estate agents who create a broad, multi-part Internet presence will take the lion's share of real estate business in their markets. So why not put yourself into that club?

Making Life (and Web Design) Easier for Yourself

The topic of website development makes a lot of real estate agents groan and roll their eyes. "Ugh," these agents will say. "Website development is such a monumental pain in the rear!" But it doesn't have to be this way, especially when creating website #2. There are many simple, effective, but often overlooked strategies for creating a real estate site that a lot of agents don't know about.

For example, you can use WordPress to power a website, which will make the development process a lot quicker and easier. You can also use a company that offers an all-in-one website service including hosting and site design. Here's a prime example: Web.com - Websites made simple

Refer to the real estate tools section of our website for web development resources.

Do I practice this concept of multiple websites as well as I preach it? You bet I do. This is just one of my real estate websites. I also publish ArmingYourFarming.com, the Home Buying Institute and a few others. And let me tell you from personal experience — when done right, this strategy works!