How to Create a Free Realtor Website
- 1). Create a logo representing your real estate business and your company or personal name. If you hire someone to develop this logo, be sure to obtain the graphics file so you can put it on your website.
- 2). Write the text, also referred to as "copy," to accompany the various pages of your website. Include your real estate experience, education or training related to your field, awards or areas of accomplishment and any areas of real estate you specialize in selling. Your site should include an about page and contact information, in addition to links to your listings, local press regarding your company or links to business partners.
- 3). Gather the necessary images to be used in your site. This should include images that represent the properties you sell, a professional head shot of you and several stock images related to the real estate industry. Several photo sharing sites, such as Flickr, provide images for free use under a Creative Commons license. Read the usage rights carefully before posting the image and contact the photographer if you have any questions regarding the use of their images. If you do not have the budget for a professional head shot, contact a photography program at a local community college or university and ask if any students would be willing to build their portfolio with a professional portrait for your site.
- 1). Choose a web hosting company that offers free websites that you build yourself. A variety of these services exist; but be sure to find a service with an easy-to-use administration panel and good recommendations. A popular option for free sites is Weebly, found at www.weebly.com. For more advanced sites use Wix, which provides free Flash websites, at www.wix.com.
- 2). Follow the instructions provided by the service you choose and make your site easy to navigate. The navigation should be at the top of the site and should remain constant as the user clicks through the site.
- 3). Place your contact information on every page of the site and post any links to external sites, such as MLS listings of your homes. Be sure your images are placed on the front page and that your logo is easy to read and located near the top of the page.
- 1). Use a blog platform for a free site if you would like your site to function in a more dynamic manner with fresh and updated content. Choose a blog platform from a provider that is easy to use and has the option to upgrade once you decide to invest in your personalized URL and web hosting. Making these investments is recommended for any business as they create a more professional representation of your company.
- 2). Install the blog after you establish your user account. Select a URL and include your name or the company name in the URL extension. The blogging platform name will also be included in the URL for the free accounts. Wordpress, TypePad and Blogger all offer free sites for their account holders.
- 3). Choose a theme that is clean and professional with a simple navigational structure. Your theme can be changed at any time and when you decide to upgrade, you may purchase customized real estate themes which display homes, prices and other necessary property information in a professional manner.
- 4). Post your content to the blog using the "create a new post" option in your administration panel. Add images to the site while creating your posts by selecting the media icons located near your text entry box. Most platforms use a small image icon or film strip icon as the upload button for visual media. Once selected, a dialogue box should appear and allow you to upload your images to the site.