By Saul D. Klein, John W. Reilly, and Mike Barnett, InternetCrusade

Web-based real estate marketing satisfies two objectives: reaching out to prospective clients so that you can generate new business, and maintaining relationships with former clients so that they'll return to you in the future and refer their friends to you.

As a real estate agent, if you've gone through the cost and time of developing a unique Web site to improve visibility and maintain your business relationships, it makes sense to learn how to promote it.

Improve your placement on search results

Imagine a young couple planning to move from Texas to San Diego, California. The couple spends some time on Realtor.com and HomeAdvisor.com, but they want to know what's going on at the local level. So, using search engines and directories such as AltaVista, Yahoo!, Excite, and Infoseek, they begin their search by typing keywords such as San Diego real estate. The AltaVista search alone results in 4,785 entries. How many of these sites do you think our young couple will choose to visit? Perhaps the first 10, if that many.

So how do you get your Web site elevated to the top of the search results?

Frankly, achieving a high ranking on search results is a challenge. Search engine optimization is a science, with the rules changing daily. The major search engines continually change their rules as they try to outsmart the Web designers who attempt to beat the system in the battle to get top placement. Your Web site will not be prominently ranked unless you (or a coworker) really know how to technically manipulate the system.

However, the following strategies can help:

• Use the right keywords.
• Consider a search placement specialist.
• Purchase banner advertisements.
• Exchange links with other reputable sites.
• Remember traditional marketing channels for promoting your site.

Use the right keywords

Think of the keywords consumers will use in their searches (for example, Honolulu beachfront property), and then include those words on your home page and in the hidden codes, known as meta tags, which provide information such as who created the page, how often it's updated, what the page is about, and which keywords represent the page's content. Many search engines use this information when building their indices.

To observe which meta tags are used on a given site, open a Web page, click View on the Toolbar, and then click Source to view the items included in meta tags.

Consider a search placement specialist

Although search placement specialists can cost several hundred dollars per month, they're worth the cost in certain cases. There are one-time services, such as Submitit.com, which will register your site with the major search engines for a minor fee. Such registration, however, does not guarantee high placement.

Purchase banner advertisements

Another possibility is to purchase banner advertisements from the search engines. To do this, contact search engines and buy impressions (the number of times a page is viewed by the search engine's visitors) inventory. Using the previous example, you would buy the keyword phrase Honolulu beachfront for a certain price, typically defined in a CPM (cost-per-thousand) of impressions. Next, you would provide search engines with a banner advertisement, which would appear at the top of the screen whenever someone types in Honolulu beachfront. If a user clicks the banner, it would take them to your Web site.

Exchange links with other reputable sites

Another technique to increase exposure of your Web site is to exchange links with other Web site owners. If you find an appropriate site, contact the owner and suggest an exchange in which you list them in an area of your site containing useful links and they do the same with you. Be careful, however, to choose reputable firms for your cross-links.

Remember traditional marketing channels

If you are frustrated by trying to promote your Web site through the search engines, focus on how best to leverage your Web site through traditional marketing channels. Successful real estate professionals must migrate their brand from the neighborhood to the Internet. Your Web site address (URL) should be on all your conventional marketing pieces, even your sign riders. Don't forget to include your e-mail address on all of your marketing materials as well.

Focus on maintaining client relationships

After prospective clients have found you,you need to make them come back.

Remember that people only buy a home every five to eight years. You definitely want former and future clients visiting your Web site more often than that. The key is to include content that will keep people interested — even when they aren't buying or selling real estate.

For example, you can post a regular schedule of community events on your home page, or maintain a list of local vendors with contact information, in the event that the new owner is in need of home improvements or repair. You can even send out e-mail reminders about the roof status (for example, "Reminder: Your roof is now 15 years old") and include a link to your Web site's with lists of roofing contractors. More traffic will result in more sales, and contacts equal contracts. That has always been the case and it is no different on the Internet.

Don't let your Web site get lost

A Web site can generate new sales and help you continue your relationship with past customers. But don't expect many visitors just because you have an attractive Web site with good content. As you design your site, think about building in search tags and features that make it useful on an ongoing basis. Consider taking advantage of search engine marketing tools to help people see your site near the top of their search results. Leverage your existing marketing materials to advertise your site. It will take some additional effort, and possibly expense, to make your site easily discoverable and enticing.

The worldwide advertising opportunities offered by the Internet can definitely make this effort worthwhile.

About the authors  Saul D. Klein, John W. Reilly, and Mike Barnett are the principals of InternetCrusade. InternetCrusade operates the e-PRO Certification course, an educational program sponsored by the National Association of Realtors and specifically designed to help real estate professionals use technology effectively. Klein, Reilly, and Barnett are also the authors of the Real Estate Technology Guide.