You only have to take a quick look at the LinkedIn property discussion groups to see peoples frustrations about the recent Rightmove price increases (30%) however, the following article (written by Chris Haines, the Evolvin MD) for Negotiator magazine back in December 2008 reminds us that there are still other options:

"Agents and suppliers alike have been arguing over the website vs. portal debate for years, but this is now more important than ever when trying to capitalise on all available opportunities with ever decreasing budgets. From working with estate agents over the past ten years, we have seen trends rise and fall, but the statistics speak for themselves in favour of a strong website and local branding.

The comparison of local site vs. portal
Ibbett Mosely, a leading eleven office agent in Kent, recently reported that their website was generating 85% of the number of leads provided through Rightmove.  When comparing the Rightmove subscription, of more than £40,000 per year, with the annual running costs of their website at around £1,000, it is easy to see the benefits of locally sourced leads from your own website.

Of course their website wasn't free to design and develop, and takes time to maintain, but even when factoring in these costs the annualised price of their local website is still under £3,000.

Keeping the cost of your website realistic
We've spoken to numerous agents who have had websites designed that have cost in excess of £10,000. From experience, this is extremely costly and inhibitive to most agents, and in some of these cases it was not clear what the high cost provided above and beyond a more modestly priced option.

An average price for a new website, including artwork, development and implementation should work out at around £3,000, including property search, feature rich details pages and portal exports. Annual hosting costs could vary from £500 to £1,500 per year depending on your supplier.
When sourcing quotes for a new website, make sure that you ask for previous examples, a client list to use for referrals, a complete list of functionality that will be provided, and make sure that the website can integrate with your existing agency software system.

Integration with your existing agency software
There are several software suppliers, who offer either complete websites, or modules that will allow your existing website to have property search and listing capabilities, and applicant registration capabilities that are directly tied into your agency software system. This means that you don't have to worry about data feeds from your offices up to your website, and that the information shown on your website is kept up-to-date in real-time; an obvious advantage that reduces the need for staff to be running exports or re-keying information.

The modular systems are often configurable in their colours and designs, but ultimately these options are limited in the amount of changes that can be made, and this can reflect badly on your website and branding. It's therefore important to make these investigations prior to choosing which option will be best for you, and certainly prior to parting with any money or signing contracts.
Obviously a completely integrated website will provide you with the most flexible and powerful solution, given that all data is directly provided by your agency software in real-time, applicant enquiries are fed directly into your software for action, and you are not tied into any particular providers design and functionality.

Keep your website visitors
It is a proven fact that feature rich websites keep people browsing for longer, and as such they will be looking at more properties and will be more likely to request further details. Some of the generally accepted features that your site should include would be as follows: on-line floor plans, multiple photos, meaningful descriptions, on-line PDF's, local places of interest, local maps and aerial views.

There are also two very simple rules of thumb to bear in mind when thinking about what you want your site to look like:
1.   The three second / three click rule – A large percentage of website users will get bored in about three seconds, sometimes quoted as three clicks, if they can't find what they're looking for. As you're an estate agent it is fair to assume they will be looking for a property, or your contact details, so make these readily accessible.
2.   Expected layout and behaviour – Whilst it may sound like a good idea to put your menu in a circle on the home page, the majority of users will be expecting your site to work in a certain way. In the western world we expect menus at the top or left of the page, and we expect to have to click on a button or link to navigate through the site.
In summary

Your website is more important than ever before, and a large number of people will look at it, and hopefully be encouraged to contact you regarding business. The process of acquiring a new website should be enjoyable, and provide you with strong brand reinforcement and something to be proud of. Most of all, it doesn't have to cost a lot of money."

To continue the discussion please visit the Forward Thinking Estate Agent group on Linkedin and let us know your opinions.