Google maps improved for Estate Agents

Estate Agents are watching Google's move into property listings on Google maps like a hawk with a magnifying glass. They know that any major change can have massive implications on the way properties will be viewed online.

The latest development from Australia has got tongues wagging. Google are partnering up with L J hooker, one of Australia's biggest Estate Agencies, to place 16 big Google Map 'Pins' all over Sydney, in an attempt to get people to automatically go to the internet to search for property. It sounds slightly ludicrous but Australia already has a rich culture of 'big things' - including a big pineapple and the first 'big thing', a big banana.

The marketing campaign will also include a few advertisements using the little yellow Street View man you drag onto Google Maps to access and view what areas Street View has available.

To date Google links to over 1,000 Estate Agent websites in Australia including Ray White, First National and Century 21. At this moment in time, there are no mentions of any partnerships with Australia's top two property portals, realestate.com.au and domain.com.au.

So far the team at Google seem unfazed by this. Andrew Foster, product manager for Real Estate search on Google Maps stated that Google is happy to take listings from anyone and that he has seen genuine enthusiasm from the property industry. Andrew Foster then went onto display some new features that Google Maps will have on Google.com.au.

Firstly users will be given the chance to narrow their property search to view the properties that are right for them. Options such as sale/rent, minimum price, maximum price, property type, number of bedrooms, bathrooms, parking and preferred area.

Users can toggle on and off another layer of photos, videos, Wikipedia articles, webcams as well as a live traffic monitor. Once someone has found the property that they are interested in, they are presented with more detailed information with price, address, photos, floorplans, a small Google Map and Google Street view and a link to the Estate Agent's website or a property portal.

Troy Stanley, CTO of Resource Techniques commented on Google Maps in Australia, 'These are exciting developments showing that Google are making a real push to ensure the success of property listings on Google Maps. Unfortunately no comments were made on any developments in the UK.

Web site design for Estate Agents - Colour Theory

Web designers at Resource Techniques explaining some basics on Colour Theory. Colour theory is a diverse and complicated subject, only through studying colour can people know why exactly some colours go together and why some colours look hideous.

Colour Wheel

Firstly let's look at the Colour Wheel. As many Estate Agents will remember from their school days, the colour wheel was original designed by Isaac Newton and has continually been developed and scrutinised.

In colour theory, there are 3 primary colours and 3 possible sets of primary colours. One possibility is Red, Blue, Yellow, another is Red, Blue, Green and the last possible set is Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow. Traditionally Cyan, Magenta and Yellow (and Black) are used in printing whereas Red, Blue and Green are used my most electronic devices such as TV and film. Even your computer monitor uses the primary colours of Red, Green and Blue.

If you were to mix one of the three primary colours with another primary colour in the same colour wheel, you would get a secondary colour and then mixing a primary and secondary colour would then create a tertiary colour. Using this system your computer monitor is able to create the whole spectrum of colours.

Colour meanings

Each culture has applied different meanings to various colours. Below are the colours and their meanings or possible emotive response in the western world:

• Red - Passion, love or anger. Red is used to stand out from the crowd which means that it is great at drawing attention. The Colin Bibra website uses red to draw the user's attention to property search, which is exactly what the web designers and Estate Agents want!
• Orange - Happiness, Hope, Vitality. Orange is an unusual colour to use in website design but works perfectly in the Robert Williams website animation.
• Green - Nature and the environment. Green is mean to be peaceful and associated with the world outside. The Penyards website and the Belgarum website uses green fantastically.
• Blue - Calm, trust and water. Blue is great for creating a calm and professional feel to the website. Dart and Partners and West Coast Properties are a great example of this.
• Grey - Grey is a neutral colour that is used to highlight or make other colours stand out. Julian Reid website is a fantastic example of this, the green plants and blue logo and property really catch the eye.
• Purple - Creativity, Royalty and Wealth. Purple is an unusual colour for an Estate Agent website design but the indication of wealth and luxury means that it is perfect for Hirch Way & Ambler website and the Paul Twyneham & Co website.
• Black - Elegance and sophistication. Black is used well in the Rendells website and the Mayfair website.
• White - Purity, Cleanliness, virtue. White is a great colour to outline and make other colours standout such as in the Chinneckshaw website and the Anne James website.

Troy Stanley, CTO of Resource Techniques comments on colour for Estate Agent website design, 'These are only a few of the basics of colour. Our web design team for Estate Agents has a better eye, knowledge and experience than anyone I've met.

Google buzz for Estate Agents - what are the pros and cons?

There is a lot of buzz around Google Buzz. Will it rival the most popular social networks? Or will it simply fade into the background?

Well Google Buzz hasn't got off to a bad start. According to Google themselves, within 3 days Google Buzz users posted more than 9 million posts. This is a staggering amount and works out around 2,667 messages per minute. Ignoring the fact that Google Buzz automatically feeds from other social networking websites, this is an incredible statistic.

So what are the advantages and disadvantages of using Google Buzz? Firstly, since Buzz is integrated into Gmail, it automatically picks out your contacts and adds them. This is perfect for Estate Agents who already use Gmail as their main account, but not ideal for Agents who do not.

Secondly after inputting you login information, Google Buzz will feed you information from Twitter, Flickr, Picasa, Google Reader, Blogger and Google Chat Status. As you can see, most of these are Google owned so Buzz in theory will act as a central hub for all your Google activity with your Google Profile as the front cover.

A third advantage is that Google also recommends feeds that you might be interested in, even from people who you don't know. Users can then decide if it interests them and also toggle how often they want to see these recommendations. In practice Google will then learn what you like and suggest it more often!

The two disadvantages thrown up over the internet are on its privacy and its lack of simplicity. Reports have stated that The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada is concerned over the way Google Buzz automatically finds users. This office is the same one that caused Facebook to make privacy and policy changes so don't be surprised if they make changes to Google Buzz.

Overall Google Buzz seems to be aiming at being a central hub of online activity. Other social networks may be added in the future, so watch this space. In a final thought, Estate Agents and social networking users see Facebook as a pub and Twitter as the town hall, how will they see Google Buzz?

Estate agents, your keyboard is disgusting.

Take a few moments to have a look at your keyboard.

The best case scenario (unless you have a brand new keyboard!) you’ll find bits of dust or skin. Not very nice and that’s the best case scenario. The worst case scenario you will have bits of food and skin that have been sitting there, months if not years. Not what you want on your fingers.

Great news for estate agents! Now there is a washable keyboard you can fully submerse into water! The washable keyboard uses Seal Shield™ technology to guarantee that your keyboard can even be put in the dishwasher! You can even use the keyboard while wet, but your fingers may get cold...

The cost of the washable keyboard is £40.00, a small amount to pay for the price of hygiene!

Some may consider £40 to be slightly high for keyboards, if this is true for your budget, estate agents can also buy compressed air cleaners. These are cans of compressed air that removes dirt and debris from hard to reach areas, such as keyboards. What is the price of the compressed air cleaner? Around £4 online!

Resource Techniques is a web design company providing I.T. services for estate agents. Our services include websites for estate agents, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), software for estate agents and web design for estate agents. Troy Stanley, CTO of Resource Techniques is considering buying one of these keyboards.

Troy Stanley comments, ‘The keyboard is a great design! Estate agents should check the website and seriously consider investing in a washable keyboard.’

Damn good reasons why estate agents should invest time and effort into social networking

For those estate agents that are unsure, Google (the UK's largest search engine with over 90% of the search engine market) scans the internet for web pages that it can use in its SERP (Search Engine Results Page) and good news is that this includes your social networking profiles!

Facebook

A recent statistic said that 5% of all internet usage is on Facebook. Facebook allows users to create personal profiles, Facebook 'pages', groups and applications, all of which is indexed by Google. Another recent fact, for estate agents considering a Facebook page, is that Google has indexed 503 million pages. Estate agents should not take this social network lightly when trying to gain online exposure.

Troy Stanley, CTO of Resource Techniques comments, 'Estate agents now, more than ever, need to be on Facebook. Facebook has over 300 million people worldwide, which is almost the same as the U.S. population and the UK has approximately 20 million users, meaning that 1 in 3 people, in the UK, has a Facebook account.'

Troy Stanley, continues, 'Facebook is a great way for estate agents to support their online presence. Estate agents do not need to spend as much time as users do, but they [estate agents] need to start regularly updating and expanding their profile by spending 5 minutes or-so a week.'

Troy Stanley confirms, 'Spending more time will benefit the estate agent's website and the estate agent's online presence in two ways. Firstly Google will is more likely scan a webpage the more it is updated and estate agents can use certain Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) techniques to improve their ranking. Fill your Facebook page with as much information as possible and use related keywords.'

'Once your page has filled out with all your business information, estate agents must then post content that property searchers will be interested in reading.' Troy Stanley reveals 'Users will be interested to know your latest properties for sale as well as the estate agent's latest events, socially and officially. Colin Bibra, an estate agent in Ealing, has an excellent online activity on both Facebook and Twitter.'

'Don't forget that this is not taking into account the possible communication between you, the estate agent, and members of public looking for property online. Giving them an opportunity to start an online conversation has become more attractive than ever before.' - Troy Stanley

Twitter

Twitter expanding at an enormous rate and is the 27th most visited website in the UK. A large amount of estate agents and users 'do not get' Twitter yet it is still expanding. Some high profile celebrities use Twitter in the UK including; Steven Fry, John Cleese, Jonathan Ross, Philip Schofield, Russell Brand and many more.

Estate agents can use Twitter to their advantage, by 'Tweeting' a link to the latest properties on their website, estate agents can boost traffic to their own estate agent website.

Troy Stanley comments, 'Estate agent should think Twitter as not just a social networking site where they can directly communicate with members of the public, but a type of media that is free. Again, estate agents do not need to devote an enormous amount of time using Twitter, but a few minutes a week 'Tweeting' their latest properties for people to access firsthand. 'Setting up a social network profile only takes 5 minutes. Estate agents can call Resource Techniques on 0208 457 4777 for free advice on setting up and utilising their social networking. - Troy Stanley.

Resource Techniques is a specialist in providing IT services for estate agents. Services include web design for estate agents, SEO for estate agents, SEO services, web sites for estate agents and estate agent software. Visit our portfolio page for our estate agent website designs or contact us page for more information.

Minesweeper and Solitaire - the hidden education from the misunderstood demon

When people first started using GUI's (Graphical user interfaces), they needed something that will help them easily pick up the basic functions of something that modern PC users take for granted; the mouse. This is where Minesweeper and Solitaire reared its ugly, counter-productive head...

Invented by Robert Donner and Curt Johnson, two Microsoft employees, Minesweeper has been installed with every Microsoft Windows since Windows 3.1 in March 1992 and has been used to waste time in offices all over the globe. Minesweeper, for those estate agents who are unsure, is a game where a tiled board hides 'mines', that when clicked on, end the game. The aim of the game is to left click on all the spaces between the mines and 'flag' (by right clicking) possible mines.

The roots of Solitaire's history cannot be exactly pinpointed. It is known to have become popular in France around the 19th Century and then spread to the UK and the US in the end of that century. Again, for those estate agents who are unsure, the aim of Solitaire is to sort 7 increasing sizes of card piles (the first pile containing 1 card to the 7th pile containing 7cards) into the 4 different suits in ascending order with the remaining deck of cards.

Countless office hours have been whittled away on these games. In fact in 2006, one man was fired by the Mayor of New York City (Michael Bloomberg) after he saw an open game of Solitaire on the man's work computer. But was the purpose of these two games to reduce the worldwide productivity? One article entitled 'The most successful game ever: a history of Minesweeper' suggests not.

The article suggests that the two games were intentionally built to train or educate users to fully utilise the mouse. Minesweeper was designed to help users master the point-and-click element (users have to point and click to a particular square they believe to be a space or a mine) and solitaire was designed so that users could become skilled at dragging and dropping cards from one point of the screen to another. Both of these functions are now used in everyday for clicking on buttons or dragging and dropping files from one place to another.

Even today these basic functions are used in modern estate agent websites. Take the example of embedded and enhanced Google maps on one of Resource Techniques estate agent websites:



Users and estate agents use the point-and-click function to not only choose the local amenities that they want displayed but also to click on a house that they will be interested in. They also use the drag and drop function to navigate around the Google map to see the houses for sale in the surrounding area. Functions like these are integrated into everyday life without users and estate agents even realising. Maybe the next time you are on an estate agent website and using enhanced Google maps, you'll think of Minesweeper and Solitaire.

Troy Stanley, CTO of Resource Techniques comments, 'Point and click and drag and drop is now second nature to users.'

Troy Stanley continues, Simplistic features, like the enhanced Google Maps with local amenities on estate agent websites, are completely user friendly. Users are able to view a properties location and surrounding points of reference in Map, Satellite and Hybrid view from a simple click.

'An Estate agent website hosting online properties has evolved. They are no longer a long list of properties with limited amount of information; they are places where users can users can view high resolution photos, receive email alerts, print high quality property particulars in a pdf format, see embedded EPCs and HIPs and even view from the property from a satellite to viewing it on the street.' - Troy Stanley.

Resource Techniques specialises in web sites for estate agents, including website design for estate agents, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) for estate agents and in-house software for estate agents. contact us on our Twitter profile, Facebook Page or through our contact page. Resource Techniques also provides a free, no obligations website review.

Europeans search more than anyone else in the world

Are you a search fiend? Do you search for almost every question presented to you? Well it seems that you are the majority. A report by ComScore stated that Europe takes up 32.1% of all the worldwide searches, while Asia Pacific was a close second with 30.8% and North America third with 22.1%.

Not only that, but search activity jumped 41% between July 2008 and July 2009 to a massive 113,685 million searches for the whole of the internet. This means that there are roughly 311 million people searching through search engines daily. This is a clear sign that more than ever, people have integrated the internet into their daily lives.

This is another warning sign that estate agents need to embrace this cultural change. Estate agents that have a website positioned at the top of search engines will benefit from this huge amount of traffic. Getting people to access your estate agent website is half the battle. Once on your estate agent website, estate agents have 3 seconds to impress with the latest design, features and usability. Any hurdles, errors or technological faux pas will ring alarm bells and users will simply click off onto another website.

Search Engine Optimisation or SEO is a requirement if estate agents want their website to be at the top of search engines. SEO is the process of changing the estate agent's website design so that it obeys the search engine rules. This is also known as 'White hat SEO'. Interested? Read 'Which hat should estate agents use? Black or White?'.

Troy Stanley, CTO of Resource Techniques, is intrigued at the recent statistics. Troy Stanley commenting: "It'' superb that Europeans have embraced the internet more than any other continent in the world! Not only that, but search engine activity has jumped an enormous 41% in one year. This is the internet golden age."

Troy Stanley continues "Estate agents can profit from this, as users are constantly searching for local property or local estate agents. 'Estate agents in...' or 'Property to buy/rent...' and their local area is one of the top search terms used by internet users searching for property."

"Resource Techniques is a specialist when providing IT services for property professionals. We have 20 years of knowledge and experience in website design for estate agents,SEO services and in-house software for estate agents. Estate agents should not accept anything other than an industry specialist." - Troy Stanley.

Estate agents that get involved, get the problem solved

This news feature, like many before, is on Twitter. Many estate agents have now set up their Twitter account and are now being faced by the daunting task of using Twitter to their advantage. Have they completed this task? A small few have, many haven't. Twitter is like any other new social network, it is intimidating at first, but like anything other tool, instrument or device, it takes practice to get it right.

Firstly estate agents with a pristine profile will start to look for people to befriend or follow. If you are stuck at this stage, add us at www.twitter.com/RTechniques or go to Twellow.com for a yellow page of Twitter users.

Once estate agents have a stream of twitter messages or 'tweets' on their homepage, they find that many messages will be continuous self promotion on a large scale. Estate agents should not be deterred by this, behind all the self promoting messages are still people that are tireless sending out promotional messages. Buck the trend and send them a message. You'll find that they'll message you back, and with enthusiasm.

What these 'Tweeters' forget is that social networking is about creating connections between people. They see it as another advertising medium where they can send out message after message or estate agent promotion after estate agent promotion.

All it takes is one message a day to one person. Introduce yourself and ask what they do. Estate agents will be surprised at the variety of responses that they get back. Not every message will produce a lead but taking that first step to start contacting people it will kick-start the networking that estate agents are craving for. Try dedicating 5 minutes a day or 5 minutes a week and estate agents will be surprised at the responses that they get.

Troy Stanley, CTO of Resource Techniques is on Twitter! Follow us @ www.twitter.com/RTechniques. Do you have any questions on social networking, website design for estate agents, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) services or, software for estate agents? Get the ball rolling and send us a message!

8 Common SEO mistakes

Search Engine optimisation or SEO is important for every part of the estate agent website design. It moves the position of the website up the natural listings (rather than the websites that are advertised) and provides targeted property searchers whilst not costing an arm and a leg. The internet is full of SEO consultants telling estate agents how to improve their SEO but there are also many common mistakes that are repeated again and again. Troy Stanley, CTO of Resource Techniques, has provided estate agents a list of common SEO mistakes that greatly punish the estate agent's move to the top of search engines.

Over optimisation - Search engines want to show the best estate agent websites in their results so that users searching for estate agent websites will continue to use the same search engine. Websites that do not have relevant content for property searchers or a website that has sacrificed usability and user experience for SEO will be flagged by search engines.

Integrate into website design - Website designers also need to know the intricacies of SEO so that the web design can also help towards the website SEO as a whole. Resource Techniques has previously reviewed a website with no Meta tags and the estate agent was using 'tables' (which is an outdated way of constructing a website).

Websites completely in flash - Flash is a useful tool. It is pretty and website designers are able to create interfaces that users love. One major downfall is that website's completely in flash are bad for SEO. Flash is useful but it should be used in conjunction with other elements. Check out our visually impressive animations.

Duplicate content pages - Search engines dislike duplicate content. Avoid at all costs.

Too little content - Search engines love content. Estate agents that have little information about the company and then have all their properties on a property portal will suffer. Estate agents that include local news relevant to the property industry will watch their website shoot up Google.

Keywords - There are two mistakes here. Many websites either use one word keywords or is stuffed with too many keywords. One word keywords are not reflective of what users put into search engines to search for estate agents. Whereas keyword spamming was identified a long time ago by search engines and estate agents still suffer from keyword crazed SEO consultants to this day.

Starting early - Estate agents need to establish their website as early as possible as search engines trust websites that look like they're going to stay around for a long time. SEO that is properly done takes time. Do not trust SEO consultants that will guarantee immediate results.

Poor grammar and spelling - This is an obvious mistake but it still happens today.

Has this article interested you? Try reading 'website design for estate agents and SEO'. Resource Techniques provides web sites for estate agents and professional SEO services as well as a free website review. Interested in upgrading your website? View our portfolio or visit our Contact us page.

B.I.N.G (Bing Is Not Google); Google respond

It's not like Google to stand by and watch as a possible competitor was about to enter the search engine market, possibly taking a larger market percentage than any company would be comfortable with. Bing, Microsoft's replacement search engine for Window's Live search and MSN search, was launched on the 3rd of June 2009. With an advertisement budget of $100 million, they weren't planning on creating a small wave.

It was widely believed that Google will have to respond alike and that increased competitiveness for the search engine market can only benefit the end users in the long run, but nothing happened straight away. Finally there have been rumours of Google using code name 'caffeine' and until now, people weren't sure what Google was up to.

Code name 'Caffeine' has apparently been in the pipeline for several months now. This secret project has been revealed as 'the next generation' of online search. It has been hailed as the next-generation of search. In other words, the face of Google will still look completely the same but the software under the hood will be upgraded. This could suggest that even though Bing is a new search engine, Google is updating to an even better search engine than before!

Troy Stanley, CTO of resource Techniques, is excited about the change: "Google, the most popular UK search engine, is basically giving a better basic search facility. This is the primary reason why people started using Google in the first place."

"The upgrade will have enhanced search whilst crawling and indexing the internet at a much faster rate. This allows them to narrow the real-time search gap to provide one of the best up-to-date search results."

So how does this affect estate agents?

Troy Stanley continued, "Currently Google is used by 90.55% of people in the UK whereas Bing has a 2.71% market share. With that in mind it is easy to think that Bing can be dismissed or ignored, but still almost 1 out of every 37 people in the UK use Bing. With a population of 61 million people in the UK, roughly 1.6 million people in the UK use Bing (give or take a few, as not every single person in the UK has the internet)."

"This million or so will be, at one point or another, using Bing to search for their local estate agents to search for property. Estate agents with an estate agent website should be asking their website designers or website providers what they are doing to make sure they capture this amount of people. Ignoring any search engine, even one with a smaller market share, can cost estate agents business." - Troy Stanley.

To try out the new version of Google, go to www2.sandbox.google.com and see how your estate agent website performs.

We at Resource Techniques, regularly cross checks search engines, to guarantee that estate agents that we supply for have Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) that they can be proud of. SEO, for those that are unsure, is the process moving each individual estate agent website is as high as possible on a particular search engine. SEO is important part of every website design for estate agents.

Resource Techniques is dedicated to staying on top of any industry changes regarding SEOest or website design for estate agents. Click to read more on 'website design for estate agents and SEO' or 'estate agents, SEO services are not just for Christmas'. To see how we can help your estate agent website design, ensure that you are getting as many people accessing your website and searching for property on your estate agent website by contact us.

Website design for estate agents and SEO

Estate agent website design is important for your business. Not only does it have to look spotless and show exactly what the brand is about, but it also has to provide a large amount of traffic. There's no point spending valued resources on a website design if no one is there to access it, irrelevant on how the website looks. Therefore website designers today have to appease to the mighty search engine giants and also to the everyday internet user that has a range of knowledge and experience. With 72% of customers seeing you first on the internet, you cannot underestimate the importance of getting this right.

The everyday user

People searching for estate agents online will have a wide range of experience with websites. Some of the younger generation will have been using websites all their life and others will have limited experience. Since more and more people will be using the internet for property it is important to cater for everyone. This is done by using certain techniques.

Firstly you need to greet the user onto the website. Having a lot of content and images flash up will disorientate the user and increase the chance that they will simply click off the website and move onto another estate agent website. Therefore having an animated introduction to greet the user and establish your brand name or logo gently introduces them into the website. Next you naturally guide the eye to a 'Call to Action'.

A Call to Action is where the website gives the user a clearly defined route to take. For estate agent websites, the Call to Action is the property search. This is because over 97% of users visiting estate agents websites are just simply looking for property. With this fact in mind, why would you make it difficult for them? Providing a large and clear 'Property Search' will give both you and the user exactly what you want. They want to view the available properties and you want them to contact you for viewings.

So you've got the user viewing you're properties, whats next?

Things have moved on from just having 'property listings'. The savvy internet user wants a bit extra. They want:

* Large quality images
* Full search options
* Enhanced mapping - indicating local amendments
* The latest viewer technology
* Floorplans
* EPC
* A printable PDF brochure
* Virtual Tour or Video
* Email alerts
* News Section
* Google Street View

All this plus a simple design that lets everyone make use of any feature they want to use. Some users will want to receive emails of similar properties whereas others will prefer just to keep coming back and using Google maps to see the houses for sale nearest their children's school. It is the option that counts.

Modern trend

Website design has continued to evolve and modern estate agents understand that brand image is reflected from what is on their website. A tawdry website with cheap gimmicks won't do your brand justice. Whereas a website that reflects the colour scheme and the underlying brand image could strengthen your overall brand and keep people coming back again and again.

The modern trend at the moment is to use large imagery combined with simplistic navigation process to guide the user to each Call to Action. For a website selling clothes, the Call to Action would be to go to the checkout and then finally purchase the items of clothing. Property website's call to Action (as mentioned above) is primarily the 'Property Search' button, then after viewing each property the Call to Action would be to contact the estate agent. For this to happen there has to be clear contact details with every listing.

Search engine optimisation (SEO)

So far the user side has been covered. As equally important is getting people onto your website. This is done by putting yourself onto the results listings of search engines and hence the birth of SEO.

Search engines were made because of the need for people to try and find websites that they did not know the addresses for. While defining exactly how to list websites, Sergey Brin and Larry Page produced an algorithm that created the search engine giant Google. This algorithm is a way of putting ranking weights on different aspects of how the website is constructed. The more a website fits the algorithm the more likely it is to appear on Google's results page. Therefore SEO is optimising or modifying websites so that it complies with the most up to date algorithms. By doing this your website will be higher up the rankings and therefore have more traffic.

One major way of utilising SEO is providing relevant current content. Even Google has gone on record and stated that "Content is King". Better content means a better user experience which means the higher up the rankings you will go. One way of doing this is to have a 'News feature'. Google's programs will see that not only your website has content from local or national news but it will also notice that it has been updated recently.

Another way to do this is to have particular keywords within your website. These keywords are embedded into your website as a whole and represent the terms in which users would search for. For example, people in Watford finding a house to buy would most likely search for 'estate agent in Watford' or 'property in Watford'. Utilising your website to these search terms means that you can maximise the amount of people (traffic) that views your website and pin point exactly the type of people who go on your website.

Another way is having many in-bound links to your website. The more links you have pointing to your website the more your website can be viewed as popular. A popular website will have content that people want to read and therefore these are the websites that Google wants to list, popular websites with relevant current content.

Resource Techniques is dedicated to providing estate agents with website design that will be visually impressive while also performing well in search engines using the latest SEO techniques. To enquire about web sites for estate agents, SEO Services or any other services we provide, contact us on 0208 457 4777 or visit our contact us page.

Back to basics for estate agents, Search engine optimisation (SEO): Part 2

Before you can stun a customer with visual imagery and functions that will enhance their online property search, estate agents must have a website that performs well in search engines so that there is a healthy stream of users looking for property. Without a healthy stream of online property searchers, the website is useless.

There are a wide variety of things a web designer can do to help or hinder a website's SEO. Below are the top ways estate agents can make sure that the SEO on their website is on the right path.
1). Content is King

This rule is generally undisputed. If you have original and desirable content, your estate agent website will be indexed higher. Estate agents who have websites that have more content on their website, such as staff profiles, local area information and services provided, will have better SEO than estate agent websites that have a homepage and a property listings page. The news section on your estate agent website is a perfect way of increasing your SEO as search engines are looking for websites that have relevant, updating content.
2). Keywords

There have to be certain keywords within the content that show search engines what your estate agent website contains. Having major keywords for estate agents such as 'property in..' or 'estate agent in..' and the local area. When considering keywords, estate agents have to think of the words or phrases that users will type into search engines. Over using keywords for SEO can flag your estate agent website as spam.

Resource Techniques will personally advice every new customer the types of keywords that they should be thinking about.
3). Meta Tags

Meta Tags are invisible to anyone viewing the website. They are within the code or html within the website. Again, just like keywords, the keywords in the Meta tags can be overused and this will count against the SEO of your website. The two main Meta tags are the description and keywords. The role of Meta tags in SEO is low but does count towards your website's overall SEO.
4). Links

Links that point to a website help towards SEO. It shows search engines that your website has content that people not only want to see, but also point or 'link' to. Estate agents have to be wary of sites claiming 'link building services' as Google sees that these sites are directories and therefore lower the importance of the links going out.
5). Site Map

Search engines love estate agent website organisation. By providing a sitemap, estate agents will help search engines index their site quicker, which will help your estate agent website SEO. Resource Techniques provides a sitemap for every estate agent website we design which helps their SEO.

For the part 1 of our SEO back to basics, click here.

Resource Techniques provides SEO services for estate agents, website design for estate agents, domain name hosting, and many other services for property professionals. To hear the full range of services, visit our contact us page or call us on 0208 457 4777.

Back to basics for estate agents, Search engine optimisation (SEO): Part 1

Search engine optimisation or SEO is the process of organising the design on the estate agency webpage so that they agree with the mathematical formula that searh engines have in place to organise the internet. This mathematical formula is extremely complex but there are some basic rules that estate agents can follow for SEO.

Let's start at the beginning. If someone decides to search for property on the internet, they will start with a search engine (unless they have the estate agent's website address in mind). Once on the search engine, they will to type in words that best describes what they are looking for. For property searches, our years of experience has found that majority people will type in 'Estate agents in' and their local area.

When people type in 'Estate agent in...' or 'Property in...' and their local area, you want your estate agency website to have SEO so that you appear at the top of any particular search engine. Estate agents want their website to be at the top of Google search results page because this means that more people will be accessing the website and viewing the properties that they have to offer.

There has even been eye tracking studies to confirm this. What has resulted is the Golden Google triangle where the most concentrated views by internet users are on the top left hand side of the results page. These sites will have the best SEO.

In the next article, 'Back to basics for estate agents, search engine optimisation (SEO): part 2' Resource Techniques will be showing estate agents how SEO is implemented in the design of their estate agent website.

Don't forget that Resource Techniques provides a free website review on the design of your estate agency website with useful SEO information. To get your free website review, please visit here.

Back to basics for estate agents.

Don't be afraid or confused about technology. As soon as you, the estate agent, understand the fundamentals of estate agent website design, Search engine optimisation (SEO), estate agent social networking and many others, you will be fully prepared for the imminent digital golden age.

During the next following articles, Resource Techniques will be going back to basics. Letting estate agents completely understand the foundation of knowledge that will help them in the future. We will cover everything that the modern estate agent will need to know about technology in an easy to read guide.

If you have any questions on SEO, website design, social networking or anything that confuses you, a free website review or would like a topic to be included, please do not hesitate to contact Resource Techniques or email us at design@restech.co.uk

Social networking is growing up.

Social networking now has an older audience. No longer will it be known as a teenage fad that stops them doing their homework, but an adult passion that will be integrated into their everyday lives. So much so, social networking could be replaced by emails. To read more on social networking replacing email, click here.

A recent study by Ofcom found that social networking website Facebook is the most popular in the UK. This shouldn't be shocking but the study also found that social networking demographic showing that 35 to 54 year olds regularly checking their social networking profile has risen to a staggering 46% and the number of British adults who have a social networking profile is 30%.

These are the x and y gen property buyers that estate agents should be targeting online. 30% of adults own a social networking profile. It is a statistic that cannot be ignored especially since it is completely free for estate agents to use and has a global audience. People from all over the world (that has a profile themselves) will be able to access your online profile.

From there you need to entice them. Users will click from your online profile to your estate agent website, but you have to give them a reason to. Estate agents need to be imaginative with social networking. Having a stagnant profile that is gathering digital dust will turn potential customers away. Either use it, or lose it!

Resource Techniques is able to provide a personal service to guide estate agents step-by-step through the process of understanding, creating and maintaining an estate agent social networking profile along with our estate agent website design as well as a specialist SEO service for estate agents. To see what is possible, visit our contact us page.

Resource Techniques announce release of new website for Robert Williams Estate Agents

Resource Techniques are delighted to announce the unveiling of a new website: www.RobertWilliams.co.uk

Robert Williams Estate Agents in Exeter have built a long term reputation for valuing, selling and letting properties in and around Exeter and its surrounding towns, villages, countryside and coast.
Robert Williams are passionate, enthusiastic, professional and can offer tailored advice backed with many years of experience, whatever your property needs. Robert Williams are members of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and the team network of estate agents, which enables your property to be marketed automatically with hundreds of team agents all over the country – including London.

Steve Alford, Director of Robert Williams says, ‘how delighted we are with the website that Resource Techniques have just completed for us. I have no doubt that your creativity has contributed to the fact that the site is both simple and very eye-catching. Moreover, the new features, such as the large, high resolution photos, the link to Google Maps with its aerial photos and excellent search facility, make it as good technically and it is aesthetically. Overall, 10 out of 10!
Many thanks for all your help,’

This fantastic new website has a whole host of new properties that are available to buy or rent in and around the Exeter area. Troy Stanley, Technical Director at Resource Techniques, personally loves the website and thinks that the development team continually outdo themselves with each new estate agent website.

Expert advice for estate agents looking to increase their web profile, improve their web design for estate agents, understanding Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), SEO for Estate Agents and SEO services, marketing property or your estate agency business using Social Networking or for a FREE assessment of your website and how well it performs with search engines contact Troy Stanley, CTO Resource Techniques on 0208 457 4777 or visit our contact page.

Estate agents - internet users loves animations on your property website.

So you've got people accessing your property website, what's next? Well animation or 'flash' has come a long way and website designers do not now make websites completely in flash. Combining a good balance of flash and text impresses users and also caters for your Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) needs.

Ideally estate agents do not need a website with too much animation, just something that gently introduces the internet user to the website. Below are some examples of estate agents that have some of the best animations for property websites.

www.dartandpartners.com

This is a fantastic animation. The image starts off as a drawn outline and then changes into a vibrant image with billowing clouds. There is a flag on top of the castle that flaps in the wind. This adds a very subtle movement that makes the user study the animation before moving onto the desired property search.

Their website also has fantastic SEO. The SEO provided by Resource Techniques has boosted their page rank to second on page one when you type in 'Estate agents in Teignmouth'.

http://www.penyards.com

This is another animation that makes the website stand out from other property websites. It starts off with an impressive country estate in black and white and then has a steady transition into colour. The sky starts moving and completes the animation. This animation fits perfectly for a high end estate agent.

The SEO for Penyards is perfect. The SEO provided by Resource Techniques has put the Penyards to page one, position one when users type in 'Estate Agents in Winchester'. This SEO will guarantee a very healthy stream of customers looking for property in the Winchester area.

http://www.turneyassoclettings.co.uk

This is the latest estate agency website released by Resource Techniques. It shows a realistic river with a punt floating down the river. The impressive aspect of this animation is that the punt has waves and a shadow on the water, whist increasing in size as it moves down the river.

Resource Techniques are almost limitless with the animation that we can produce. Why not try calling Resource Techniques on 0208 457 4777 to see what we can do for your estate agent website.

Troy Stanley

Explore your city with a new social network

There is a new social network that's growing and is very different from the rest. It's called foursquare. Foursquare describes themselves as:

"50% friend-finder, 30% social city guide, 20% nightlife game. We wanted to build something that not only helps you keep up with your friends, but exposes you to new things in and challenges you to explore cities in different ways."

What is it, I hear you say?

Foursquare is orientated towards exploring things to do in and around your own city. Users provided with the usual profile picture (after being asked to provide simple details) and then users are given 12 'squares' in which to share their experiences of venues in their city. These 12 squares are linked to a venue profile and have a maximum number of 180 characters to give people tips on the venue. These are changeable and give your friends and people who view your profile, where you personally like to go in the surrounding area.

Venues automatically have their own profiles, with full addresses and a Google map to help you view the location. On each venue there will be the total number of 'check-ins'. A check-in, is when you tell Foursquare when you are at a particular venue using your mobile phone. The person that has the most check-ins of a particular venue is given 'Mayor' status of the venue. This status is obviously not binding in real life, but does give people an incentive to regularly check-in.

One member commented on a Bar in New York: "Order a 'Stanley Cup' (not on the menu)". Its hints like these that make this social network so special. Instead of just recommended a place to go, users are asked to give specific tips such as what to do, or what to eat. This is much more direct than reading through endless reviews where users don't really say much.

Unfortunately this is only available to 21 cities in the U.S. but it won't be long till this fantastic social network comes to the UK. It will most likely start off in London and then move to other larger cities within the UK.

Did this article interest you? Why not try 'Estate agents are you having social networking burnout?'

For the latest social networking news, keep up-to-date with the Resource Techniques Twitter account for estate agents: http://twitter.com/RTechniques or our Facebook profile http://bit.ly/BWFkT

Troy Stanley

eBay estate agents can profit from the recession

Launched in October 1999, eBay now has revenues of $7.7 billion (2008) and currently there are just under 200,000 properties being advertised on eBay in the UK. Many people, including estate agents, can easily forget that eBay is a fantastic medium for selling property, as eBay is associated with selling junk and memorabilia.

What would eBay cost an estate agent?

Estate agents listing properties as a classified ad, as the transaction will not be transferred through eBay. Each property will only have an insertion fee of £35, which compared to the price of an advertisement local newspaper, is a bargain.

With this £35, the classified ad for the property will stay up on eBay for a whole 28days, which works out as £1.25 per 24 hours!

What are the benefits?

Even though this could be very expensive if every property was on eBay, estate agents could put on featured properties that would link back to their own estate agency website. Doing this will drive traffic to their estate agency website and increase sales while also showing an advertisement for a property at the same time.

Estate agents would have to be crazy to miss out on this. The price is small compared to traditional avenues and estate agents would be increasing online their exposure for an ever increasing online demand for property.

If you would require help setting up property on eBay to help with your online property sales, please call Resource Techniques on 0208 457 4777 or contact us for a free step-by-step guide.

Troy Stanley