Tips for a Jamaica Real Estate Website that Works!

It is no doubt that your Jamaica Real Estate Agency needs a website as many are starting their search for Jamaica property listings online these days. This is even more so the case for the over 2 million Jamaicans living overseas. At last check, the monthly average search volume for this keyword search term “Jamaica Real Estate” on Google is 33,100*. Many are ahead of the game in this respect with at least basic websites while some have high end websites with flash images, slideshows and the like.


But how is your website working for you? Does it bring in leads, inquiries? If it is working, it very well should be! If not, here are some tips for an effective Jamaica Real Estate Website


1) Make sure your contact information is accessible and clear This can cleverly be displayed on every page of the website or via a Contact Link on your site navigation bar. Offer your web visitors multiple ways to get in touch, such as phone/fax numbers, email address and a contact form. In keeping with the social media trend, your contact page should also alert the web visitor to your Facebook Page or Group, Twitter profile and/or Corporate Blog.


2) Property Search Engine You need to have a property search engine, visible from the home page or if possible from every page of the website. The search engine should have a segmenting function according to your listings. For example, an opportunity to search via Parish, Property Type, Price range, etc. This makes things easy and user-friendly for your web visitor who usually does not want to sort through all your property listings to find something that fits their criteria.


3) Use Pictures A picture says a thousand words. In the real estate business, property photos are essential. When you have a website, you need to use up the real estate (no pun intended) and include as many photos as possible. This is the platform under which the Jamaica Real Estate Guide was developed. People want to be able to see property listings in full colour pictorials.




4) Mailing List Signup Form I have noticed that many Jamaica Real Estate websites do not have a signup form to collect names for their database. This is an important, low-cost element in the agency marketing mix. An email list of persons who have made inquiries about properties, requested for alerts of new property listings or just asked for general information – is so valuable. This ready database can be marketed to over and over again. You can keep them abreast of new listings, photo opportunities or press coverage; ask for testimonials, leads and more.


5) Search Engine Optimized You may have heard this term before or its acronym “SEO”. When people are searching on the Internet for information about Jamaica Real Estate, they usually start with a popular search engine, like Google. Next they will use keywords or search terms like ‘Jamaica Real Estate’, ‘Buy a house in Jamaica’ or ‘Jamaica Properties for Sale’ to find what they are looking for. Now, here’s a quick test. Go to Google.com and type one of those search terms in the search box, then click search. Do you see your company website in the first page (top 10) results? Second page? Fifth page? If not, then your page is not search engine optimized for the most popular search terms people use to find Jamaica Real Estate. Studies have shown that most people do not go past page 2 of the search results to find information.


Some web design firms consult with SEO experts or Marketing consultants to help with optimizing their clients’ website. Check with your website designer to get your website optimized or you can consult with Butterfly Publications, publisher of the Jamaica Real Estate Guide magazine and website. You will notice that www.jarealestateguide.com is in the top 10 results for all the above mentioned search terms.


6) Update often Keep your website updated and fresh. Ask your website designer to install a Content Management System so that key persons in your firm can update the website when necessary. The Content Management System needs to be user-friendly and preferably managed only by the appointed persons in your firm for consistency and uniformity.


These are just a few tips to get your website working for you as a valuable marketing tool and provide a perpetual return on investment. For a free consultation or more information about any of the tips mentioned above, please contact us here. Also, take a look at some of the marketing services offered by Butterfly Publications, click here.
*Google keyword analyzer tool