We are living through unprecedented times. The #CoronaVirus (COVID-19) has taken us from media hype to potential threat, to real threat, to a global pandemic, and soon to potential economic catastrophe. In truth, I do not believe there will be a single person who is not affected in some way. Some say it is overblown, and that regardless of reaction, it is not more dangerous than the common flu. They say the media has created far more out of this than it needed to be and now we are in an economic crisis. They could be right about the first part, they could be wrong. But they are DEFINITELY right about the last part. WE ARE IN ECONOMIC CRISIS Some say that this is the most dangerous health threat that we have seen for decades and that it is BECAUSE of…

As most of our Canadian customers know, REW (Real Estate Webmasters) is a Canadian owned company that while we are global in our customer base, the vast majority of our customers and revenue is derived in the US. As such, REW also charges/normalizes our fees in US dollars. For Canadian customers with Canadian dollar accounts, what this has historically meant is that on a quarterly basis, we adjust our exchange rates and convert the USD to the Canadian dollar to establish a CAD pricing equivalent. The trigger for such changes is a change +/- $.05 USD to Canadian currency. The quarter-end is coming up, and we are due for a rate adjustment calculation. Of course, every single person on the planet has been paying attention to the news (especially as…

Updated, March 12, 2020 During these unprecedented times, it can be hard to find your footing. While many of us learn how to run our businesses from our home offices, this is a good time to get our online presence in order. Now, more than ever, you need to focus on getting leads, and ensuring that while they visit your site, they are having the best possible experience. Part of this is taking a good look at your website, and taking the time (while you have it) to clean it up, to ensure your leads are spending as much time on your pages as possible. As you are practicing social distancing and working from home, so are they. And they have much more time on their hands to prepare to buy or sell their homes, once the fears of the crisis subside. As our…

Spring is in the air which means sunshine, flowers, and exciting projects in the world of real estate technology. Morgan shares what's what is up-and-coming in the world of technology, REW, and what is exciting in his world. Have a question for Morgan? Ask it here. Real Time: This month at REW we wrapped up our Winter 2020 Town Hall. What are some of the highlights? Morgan Carey: So many incredible updates to share. We were able to share with our team here that not only is REW still growing, but we are profitable for our 16th year in a row. It was good to share with that the hard work they put in everyday is moving our company foreward, and keeping us at the forefront of our industry. It was an amazing update to share, we have such an awesome team…

You asked for it, and it's finally here. Introducing "Real Time with Morgan Carey". An ask-me-anything AMA style, look at everything real estate technology, Real Estate Webmasters, real estate... everything REAL! Twice a month, we will sit down with Morgan (and maybe even some special guests!) to talk about what is happening in the industry NOW. Here you will find the top tips for REALTORS, what's trending in PropTech, what's new at REW, and what keeps our team hopping here. Real Time is all about building our relationship with you—#RelationshipsMatter at REW! Have a question you would like featured on Real Time? Send it in and have it answered in our next edition! Without further ado, let's jump right in... Morgan on Marketing in 2020 Real Time:…

 2020 marks Real Estate Webmasters (REW) 16th year in business. We have seen an incredible amount of growth and change in this time within the technology landscape, especially as it pertains to websites, CRM and lead generation.  I have spent the last weeks of 2019 reviewing our business and reflecting on our performance but also on some really great feedback we have received from our customers, many of whom are the top performers in their markets or even in their entire countries.  We have also been speaking with our sales teams and our leads (even those that don’t close) to determine how we can be an even better REW in 2020. The feedback has been great, and I truly appreciate everyone who has taken the time to provide us with insights as to how we can…

We’ve all heard the old adage, “Content is King.” But how your content is structured on each page is just as important as the content itself. Internet users are a fickle breed, so you want to make sure you present the most important, interesting and valuable content prominently, at the top of the page. In terms of a page that is highly optimized for search engines, there are specific places you should make sure you feature your main targeted keywords. This is, of course, an important step in ensuring that search engine crawlers understand the intent of your page, but it also helps orient human users as well. Meta Information The meta information is the content that will be displayed at the top of your web page browser window and in the search results…

The holidays are a special time here at Real Estate Webmasters. It is a time where we celebrate our community—the very community that REW has grown up in, and who has given so much support to us over the years. But we know that Christmas is hard for many families, in our community and beyond. In Nanaimo, we have a volunteer organisation called Volunteer Nanaimo. Like many of their sister organisations in cities all through North America, Volunteer Nanaimo serves our community in many, many amazing ways. During the holidays, they also run a program simply called "Christmas Angels". Christmas Angels connects the community with families, seniors, and vulnerable youth, where Christmas can be an especially financially troublesome time. This program…

If you don't have an SSL certificate on your website, you need to change that. Once a nice-to-have, SSL certificates are now as necessary as having a URL. You can not, should not, and will not have a successful website without one. Althought Google led the way, other browsers are following suit: your site will be penalized severely without the proper security settings in place. Let's go through some of the most commonly asked questions about SSL certificates: Do I Need an SSL Certificate for my website? Yes. Absolutely. Oui. Sì. Shì. Ja. Ae. Yebo. Hai. An SSL certificate is way to tell both your website visitors and search engines that your site is safe, and secure. Without one, Google (and other search engines) will mark your site as unsafe, and will…

I’ve been in the prop tech space for 16 years. In this time, I’ve had the great pleasure of meeting some of the most creative, intelligent, inspiring entrepreneurs in the world. We have hustled shows together, we have learned together and we have grown together. In these 16 years I have been truly blessed to also have made some great friends. As we head into 2020 I find myself thinking: Wow it’s a new decade! Can you believe it? For me it’s a special time. Personally, I have turned 40, my youngest is now a teenager, my oldest is 24. I have decided to focus on my health & personal wellness, my relationships & family (especially my marriage to my amazing wife) and I’ve found myself focused far more on what I can do to feel like I’ve done right by this…