What Kind Of Conversion Rate Do Others Have For Internet Leads

[jamesww]

Hi guys,

I have returned to the real estate industry about a year ago now and have only relized a 1:38 conversion rate for my internet leads. I was wondering if others are having more success or less. As this number is way below the conversion rate I had 3-4 years ago when I only had a template site and didn't know anything about how to achieve good rankings. In other words I am wondering if times of just changed across the boards or if I need to change my approach.

Thanks

[webmaster]

That's actually not all that bad in todays market (from what others report to me) however it is all relative (for instance the higher your lead volume the lower your typical conversion etc)

I tell people who want such numbers out of me before buying one of my sites that they need to be able to achieve a minimum 1% conversion from we leads and I feel that (assuming a managable volume) this should be achievable.

[RESteve]

I think the conversion rate for internet leads is one of those areas that requires a significant attention to detail with tracking. I've attempted to track my conversion rates, but with the average lead taking 6-12 months to convert to a closing it becomes quite cumbersome.

I think a 3% (rounded up) lead generation is a pretty good, though.

[rvolk75]

Which conversion ratio are you talking about?

Is it "visitor-to-lead" or "lead-to-sale"?

[GetSmart]

.1% is my conversion rate. very grim. if you look at my overall traffic, but for certain keywords, i will say 5-6%.

[jamesww]

My numbers are 1:38 registrations to closings. When I worked in Vancouver, Wa just north of Portland, Or my closing ratio was 1:7. I am only getting about 1.5 leads a day. On 70 visitors a day.

[Ryan Ward]

James,

While this isn't the review forum, those numbers are a little low and I suspect that you could improve them without too much effort. If this was my site, there are a few things I would do - let's start with navigation.

The most important buttons are home and search homes. They should be first and second in the order they are displayed on the top horizontal navigation.

Second, remove the "site tools" from the top. I know what they are, but, they are distracting and confusing to most.

Next, consider an alternative entry point to the search homes other than the top nav - maybe near the top of the left sidebar.

Also, on the actual search page, remove your side nav bar - there is no need for it and it pushes everything off of center.

Next, remember that at first, consumers aren't interested in your forum or your blog or your recent posts. 90% will be looking for homes. Do not do anything to impede the progress of reaching that page. I would probably also remove the provacy policy and the news feeds from the top nav. Don't cloud that area with too many choices.

A few small changes like that could make a considerable diffeference in your conversion.

Finally, you don't require registration. How many contacts do you actually expect to get if you don't ask for their information?

[Bigtoe]

I get 5 different kinds of internet leads and they all convert differently.

[Sam Chapman]

I have tracked registrations to closings for about 18 months and am seeing about 1.5% Of the people who call or email, that is a really tough one because it is hard to tell who is a real lead and who is just a looker - kind of like open houses. Having said that, I loves the ones who call and are serious. Those can close in 60 days or less and most of these quick closes for me have been in excess of $500,000 buyers.

[Mitch]

Hi James! Our conversions for our top agents are 1 out of 20. Our middle agents are around 1out of 30 and our other agents....well lets say they won't be around much longer!

We generate leads from many different avenues with Foreclosure leads topping our system right now with an average of 15 a day or so out of our 40-60 leads per day. I haven't spent the time it would take to break down each type of lead I get, but it's probably something I should do. Although I know my limitations and I'm just not that anal! I do keep track of how many leads I get from each source though so I know my marketing is working.

If you have any questions, feel free to drop me a note or give me a call.