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Getting Yourself Online

Heidi Sergel
September 21, 2012

Getting Yourself Online

Want to create a web presence for yourself but aren't sure where to get started? This session will walk you through all the basic steps you'll need to get your shiny new website up and running. Learn how to plan ahead, register your domain name, update your website's content, and more.

Presented at the Greater Albuquerque Association of REALTORS® Technology Camp; September 21, 2012.

Heidi Sergel

September 21, 2012
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Transcript

  1. Getting Yourself ONLINE A Guide t Starting You Own Website

    Image Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lselibrary/4028604399/
  2. About the Presenter Heidi Sergel • Web & Graphic Designer,

    Greater Albuquerque Association of REALTORS® • Associates Degree in Web Technology • Has worked on sites like IDEO, CliffBar, REDW
  3. • What is the purpose of your site? • Are

    you going to build it, or are you going to hire help? • How does this website work in to your existing marketing plan? Questions to ask
  4. • Does the site need to be optimized for mobile?

    • Who is going to update the website? • What assets do you need? - Photos, video, IDX, logo, etc. Questions to ask
  5. • Brainstorm keywords • Easy to remember? • Unique? •

    Easy to type? - Could you give the URL over the phone without too much confusion? • Avoid Trends (example: ‘z’ instead of ‘s’) • Is it available? - ajaxwhois.com - instantdomainsearch.com • Come up with multiple ideas just in case it is already taken Choosing a Domain Name
  6. • Displays an MLS home search on your website •

    Users can search Active MLS listings • Free and paid options available - Framing (Free) - RETS (One-time set-up fee) - FTP (One-time set-up fee, $100 per year) Using IDX IDX = Internet Data Exchange
  7. Things to Consider • Budget • Technical Requirements (PHP, MYSQL,

    etc.) • Space • Domain name • E-mail address? ([email protected]) • Support • Add-ons • Reviews
  8. Ste 2.2 Find a Web Designer / Developer Image Source:

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/anmm_thecommons/7390131424/
  9. If you think it’s expensive to hire a professional to

    do the job, wait until you hire an amateur. - Red Adair “
  10. Things to Consider • Budget (cheap ≠ better) • Location

    • Experience / Portfolio • References • Future support & maintenance • Areas of Expertise (IDX, SEO, etc.) • Can you communicate what you want?
  11. Pros • Easy to setup • Lots to choose from

    • No need to code (in most cases) • Support available (varies) • Good starting point Cons • Not unique - If you found the template, someone else probably has too • Some require links in your footer • Most quality themes cost money Templates: Pros & Cons
  12. Minimum skills you need • HTML (Structure/Content) • CSS (Style/Presentation)

    • Javascript/jQuery (Manipulate) Couldn’t hurt to learn • PHP (Logic/Dynamic) Build Your Own Template
  13. • Social Networking (Twitter, Facebook, etc.) • Practice good SEO

    (Search Engine Optimization) • E-mail Marketing • Include on all your future flyers, business cards, etc. • Guest Blogging • Advertising (Both traditional and digital) - Pay-Per-Click (Google AdWords) Ideas for promoting
  14. 1. CONTENT Create a content strategy and/or make sure to

    visit your own site x amount of times per week/month/year
  15. 2. COMMUNICATE Why have a website if you aren’t going

    to interact with visitors? Answer e-mails/contact forms in a timely matter.