IDX/MLS REGISTRATION SIGN IN YES or NO!

[atxrealtor]

What I meant was, lets say you get an email from forced registration. Then what do you do? You'll try to send them a series of emails to try and keep your name in front of them. I say that people who aren't ready to deal with you will just give you their spam email account and ignore those emails. That's what I do with such websites.

I know it's all about lead generation, but a lead is someone who is interested in your services, not some random spam-box email somebody gives you because they have to.

If you can't convince the visitor to come back to your website over and over and voluntarily give their email, then all the other leads are useless. That means your website sucks and you're essentially resorting to hard sales tactics.

I agree that if the MLS board requires registration than it's fine, but when people can go to AustinHomeSearch.com and look at everything for free (and see the listing agent's name/phone next to each listing) then there's no good reason for them to register on my site. My broker does this forced registration, and every day he sifts through tons of bogus emails. The only times he gets good leads is when someone requests more info about a listing, which they would have done anyway whether you make them register or not.

Point is, provide a good reason for registration (such as automated email search) and you'll get quality leads. Force the registration and you'll get crap. I don't consider those leads. I might as well go out door knocking or asking random strangers if they want to buy a house.

I'll add one more thing. I did a poll among my friends, relatives, etc. Everybody said that when they encounter a registration form they'll just hit 'Back' and go look somewhere else.

I noticed how you mentioned having 30k contacts and deleting 10k. I just don't want to waste time sifting through crap like that. That's time I could use responding to real leads who want real info.

[sdhomes]

I get few bogus emails. I dont spam (drip marketing) with emails to "keep my name in front of them". The emails that go out with listings that meet their search criteria keep my name in front of them. Emails they requested.

sifting thru crap

The 10k I deleted (since August 2002) were those who asked to be deleted, not bogus emails. Its automatic so no sifting thru crap. The bogus emails are self limiting because my closed loop double opt in system requires the user to login from a link emailed to them. No login verification, no access and thus no crap.

If you can't convince the visitor to come back to your website over and over and voluntarily give their email, then all the other leads are useless.

They do come back. Every day. They do give their email voluntarily. No one is forced to give any contact info. As you said, people can hit the back button. I know some of my visitors do. I am ok with that. You are the one with the problem.

That means your website sucks and you're essentially resorting to hard sales tactics.

I am anything but hardsell. My web clients ALL contact me first. When you want to stop being a chicken $hit and post the url to your site, then maybe I'll care what you think about someone else's site.

Point is, provide a good reason for registration (such as automated email search) and you'll get quality leads. Force the registration and you'll get crap.

And your basing this opinion on what? Experience? You have tested this for how long with what results?

[atxrealtor]

Ok, sounds like your system is very different from ours. We just have IDX, and providing the email address will not get the users any automated emails with listings. It's up to the agent what to do with this email, but it won't tell me what they're searching for, etc. Maybe if I got another custom IDX solution like wolfnet that could work.

There are, however, prominently displayed buttons saying "Request more info" next to every listing, and I'm planning on having a form that urges visitors to sign up for an automated search if they want to receive daily email updates about new listings. But these things are separate from the IDX solution that we get.

If you IDX provides added value for registering, then more power to you...it's great. Ours doesn't so for someone who just wants to browse around, giving out the email won't result in any benefit..there's no incentive.

[sdhomes]

Fair enough.

I think where we agree is that there has to be a balance in the benefit to both parties (agent and prospect). I ended up creating my own search program with a partner so we could get to that point. My partner decided to go down the drip email road and I wouldn't, so due to that and a few other differences, we split it up.

If you are as anti-spam as I am, then you will realize that the only way to keep people from being spammed is with a closed loop double opt-in system. You cant spam Joe Blow by registering him on my site, but you could spam Joe by registering him on a gazillion others. I am close to bullet proof with spam laws, most others are not.

Thanks for the discussion. As a result, I'm going to spell this out more clearly on my registration page.

[Memphis]

told me that it takes time to be listed and move up on the search engines. is that true? please help. cheers.

Cheers! Actually, that is an understatement. The only one you can make an immediate impact on is MSN. Google, which is the only one that counts in most minds, takes 6-12 months. It's referred to as the "sandbox". The ONLY way to have an immediate impact on "G" is to do pay per click.

As far as Yahoo goes, forget them. There is no rhyme or reason with them and a lot of folks never see good results with them even if they do get to the first page with key words (like me).

Along with time, takes blood, sweat, and tears (oh ya and $$$$). The Only easy way to the top is PPC.

Good luck!

[sdhomes]

There is no sandbox.

[Memphis]

There is no sandbox.

It's been proved other wise in (most) circumstances by power houses in the industry. You must keep in mind that the less competitive keywords won't, but the competitive one like (Chicago Real Estate) will (for Google anyway), there is no way around it.

If you found a reliable way to by pass the "sandbox" effect with major keywords with Google, write a book - you will make One to Two million in a month. Guaranteed!

[sdhomes]

Which powerhouses?

I know most of the A listers and SEO RockStars and they dont think there is a sandbox.