If there's one thing real estate and technology have in common, it's that they're constantly changing and leveling up. To stay ahead of it all, and build a strong presence as a new agent, you need to establish and strengthen your online presence.

Your digital footprint is what helps you build up your brand's awareness, attract new clients, strengthen trust in your expertise, and ultimately grow your business. We've helped you start building out a strong online strategy, and adding a real estate website into the mix of your digital approach is another key component.

On top of everything else you're building out, why is a real estate website so important? Let's discuss why.

The importance of having a real estate website 

You may be on social media, part of a brokerage, and forging your own personal brand, but you also must have a real estate website of your own. Why? It's a great place to centralize key information about you, your business, and content like testimonials, reviews, blog posts, and highlights of your recent wins and latest listings.

According to NAR's 2023 Member Profile, 66% of all real estate agents have a website. The topics agents cover on their websites? Nearly 90% of agents use it to show off their own listings, with an additional 70% using it as a place to share information about home buying and selling.

It's clear you should think of your website as a hub of information, as well as a place for you to direct people back to through the channels (aka places) online you use, like social media and email.

Why your broker's website just isn't going to cut it 

While having a presence on your broker's website is great for your team's effort, it's not going to drive toward the bottom line of your own personal brand. With your own real estate website, you have an opportunity to stand out, carve your own lane of expertise, and make a name for yourself.

Your broker's website is one place to start building credibility and trust in your personal brand and position as an agent. Use this as a seamless entry point into your own website, where you can build upon this credibility to position yourself as a go-to expert. Treat your website as a central place to show your proof points of success in the form of listings and testimonials, as well as where you can share your own expertise in the form of blogs and other content.

5 must-have features for real estate agent websites

Now that you're clear on the benefits of a website of your own, you've got to know the key features your site should have for your real estate business.

1. MLS integration

Bar none, the most important feature you can have for your real estate website is integration with your MLS through something called IDX. This is how your listings will pipe into your website, so they can be featured to site visitors.

IDX software links a data connection between your website and the MLS. This allows you to import and display listings on your website. Your listings are refreshed every few hours, so anyone visiting your website can have consistent access to the latest listings and contact you directly to learn more.

2. A lead capture form

With your website, you're curating a centralized place of information to drive consumers to trust you, know what you offer, see your listings, and also contact you. Because of this, having a lead capture form is crucial.

Make sure to have a lead capture form on your site that's clear, concise, and easily accessible on desktop as well as mobile. Add fields for prospective leads' first and last names, phone number, email address, and other key information you may find helps you serve them best. A good rule of thumb from marketing experts to keep in mind: The fewer fields you put into your lead capture form, the more likely people will be to fill it out. Start with the bare minimum, and build upon it carefully.

Lastly, work with your web developer (more on that shortly) to connect these form completions into your CRM. From there, you can track each contact, your follow-up and conversations with them, and drop them into nurture campaigns.

3. A blog

As a place where you can show off your expertise and unparalleled knowledge of your local market, maximize your website's potential by hosting a blog.

Your blog is uniquely your own, so write in your personal brand's tone of voice and be sure to create content that speaks directly to your intended audience. The goal? Provide valuable information to position yourself as an expert, which will in turn help build trust and rapport with your readers and site visitors.

For ideas on what to write about, we came up with 59 unique topics for you to cover here. You can also co-write or have guest blogs with colleagues, vendors, or other trusted real estate pros you partner with.

4. A testimonials page

In addition to showcasing your expertise and know-how, you should also use your website as a place to show off your highlight reel. After gathering testimonials from your clients, work with your web developer to add a dedicated page or section to highlight their feedback and show it off to site visitors.

You should also ensure it's easy to add additional testimonials as you source them. To take things up a notch, and streamline your testimonial request process, ask your web developer to add a separate capture form specifically for testimonials. Add fields for their names, email address, their written testimonial, and a headshot if they'd like.

Having these real-life proof points straight from your successful clients, you can continue to grow trust in you and your brand seamlessly.

5. Social media integration

Your website and your social media profiles should go together like peanut butter and jelly. Aim to have your audience flow between these locations easily and regularly, so they can see what you're up to and all you've accomplished across multiple channels.

Add social media buttons and your profile handles to your real estate website to grow your following. If your readers found you through a search engine inquiry, a publication you were featured in, or something like a marketing flyer or business card, your website can also serve as a jumping off point to get them to follow and engage with your social media.

5 top real estate website developers

You don't have to go it alone when creating the real estate website of your dreams. There are pros who specialize in this area and can help make your website goals a reality. Here are 5 of the top real estate website developers you can partner with.

1. Agent Image

Agent Image is a full-service marketing agency specifically for real estate agents. They've helped tens of thousands of professionals worldwide to create top-notch, award-winning websites. If you need it, they can help with your digital marketing strategy, too.

2. Real Estate Webmasters

If you're interested in a comprehensive approach through search engine optimization, pay-per-click marketing, and a strong website design, Real Estate Webmasters can help. What's more, they're considered the most award-winning custom real estate website design firm in history.

3. Real Geeks

With Real Geeks, you can count on a conversion-first and optimized website experience, created just for you. You can browse their website features, templates, and their strategic approach to delivering a superior website experience.

4. Intagent

Intagent offers flexible, custom real estate website design. With their agency, you can also get rich features on your site, online marketing tools, and localized data for repeat visitors. They also offer customer relationship tools, digital marketing and social media assistance, and more. 

5. IDXBoost

If you fancy more of a DIY approach, consider using IDXBoost's software to create and customize your real estate website quickly and easily. They pride themselves on a code-free approach for their real estate agent users, allowing you the freedom and flexibility to edit your website. You can also tap into robust IDX integration and features, as well as premium lead gen tools.

Questions to ask your web developer before pulling the trigger 

As you prepare to partner up with a web development expert to build your perfect real estate website, you'll want to ask about things like timeline, budget, and process. Aside from the basics, there are additional key questions you should ask your developer before you get to work. Here's each one, and why they're each important.

How can we highlight my content in the best way? Your web developer is a seasoned expert in the best ways to present the content you create and pages you want to include on your website. Bring the pages, sections, and content ideas you have for your website when you hold this conversation, and use them as an intro for your web developer to make their recommendations.

Once you see what they're proposing, you can get a more realistic idea of what your website will end up looking like. At this point, you can decide if their approach is the right fit for you, your goals, and your branding.

What is your approach to branding? Speaking of branding, now is a great time to ask your web developer how they approach branding. From color schemes to visual elements and beyond, your website needs to be an extension of your personal brand.

Ask this question to get a better idea of how they factor branding into their design process, as well as how they handle ongoing branding changes or updates.

Is a customized design the best fit for my needs, or a templated design? What are the pros and cons between the two? While you may want to dive into a completely custom-coded website design, understand this comes with plenty of pros, as well as plenty of cons. With a custom website, you can make it completely your own, from top to bottom. You can get the benefit of added security, and building a strong search engine ranking from scratch, as well as a website that stands out from your competition easily.

On the flip side, a custom website means any updates, technical errors, or major changes will require a great deal of undertaking, so you'll need to reach out to your web developer for help or another IT expert to get to the root of the problem and try to fix it in a timely manner.

There are also templated website options (like IDXBoost, for example), that put the freedom and flexibility of customizing your website directly into your hands without any coding or development experience necessary. While this may seem like a no-brainer, templated websites can box you in to minimal branding opportunities, a lack of features, and tricky integration.

Work with your web developer to weigh the pros and cons, and then determine which route is the best for you in the short and long term.

Who will handle ongoing maintenance? Websites of any form require plenty of regular maintenance. Systems and platforms are constantly changing and updating, your branding, goals, and content needs may shift and change shape, and, because it's technology, sometimes things simply break.

Asking your web developer what ongoing maintenance looks like — as well as how to address emergency maintenance needs — can help you understand and assess the level of support your developer can offer long after your website is initially created.

Most importantly, remember to keep your site up to date

Don't let all your hard work fall by the wayside! Treat your website as a hub to communicate to your clients — past, present, and future. Show off what you're up to, write a blog about your take on the latest market trends or home decor hacks, and keep your highlight reel of wins and testimonials up to snuff regularly.

We're writing more blogs and guides than ever to help new agents like you keep your online presence growing. Check them out here — and bookmark this page to see what's coming next!