Search Engine Friendly

[ABQ]

What makes an IDX site, search engine friendly?

[BrandonSternfield]

Good personality, and properly groomed?

[RESteve]

Good personality, and properly groomed?

Haha, you're hilarious.

[webmaster]

Site mapping of property details, Title, description and content algorithms, spiderability would be a start

[BrandonSternfield]

The fact that it's dynamic won't hurt the IDX solution?

[webmaster]

Not if you do it right

[BrandonSternfield]

I like my answer better =/
When I get time (Read:We actually hire a receptionist.. which is what I was hired to do.. but instead became webmaster/receptionist), I plan on learning some of this new fangled internet coding. I'm fluent in C/C++ as well as some java, not to mention html :P I'd love to get back into it by tinkering with a custom IDX to do exactly what you're saying.

Or hey, if we make more money, I'll just hire you guys to do it, and tell my bosses I did it all They won't know!

[Morristown]

Not that this makes it so SE friendly, but as far as the hundreds of websites I have looked at, on each page, I find that less is more, and more is just plain bad. What I mean is, most people try to put all kinds of stuff on each page and it just makes me want to go away.

Jim

[BrandonSternfield]

There is in fact a balance with IDX solutions. Some things everyone has (bedrooms, baths, half baths, garage). There are some things some locales have (waterfront etc) that also go into more depth (salt or fresh). Others have locale modifiers (near schools etc).

Only you can decide what you want to list. The rest is up to the visitors.

[Morristown]

Does it really make much difference what it gives them as long as it gives the basics, as many pictures as there are for the house, beds, baths, price, address. I say address becouse most of the IDX stuff out there in my area is from the Blue Sign or the Yellow Sign companies IDX solution and they don't have a address, though if you look hard enough you can find one or two that have the address.

Personally when I was looking for a house I very much did not like the sites that did not have the address, and becouse of that I searched until I found one that did have it. I am sure that most people who go to google can do the same, especially if it is advertiesed. Personally I don't think trying to make people call you for the address is a very good approch.

I think the better approch is to give them a site that is good enough and gives them enough info durning the months that they are just looking that they will keep coming back to you over and over again, and when it is time to actually look at a house in person, who's website are they on? who has the best chance of getting the call? who has not had to contiually drip on them and mail them and call them the whole time. Of course the site has to have a call to action on every page and easy good ways to contact you, and you actually have to answer your phone at odd hours of the day and night.

Just my opinion on how it should work, correct me if I am wrong.