Is Your Real Estate Website A Ghost Town?
CMS allows you to maintain your website yourself with ease. Many CMS packages are very user friendly and feature WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) editors. If you can work with MS Word documents you can easily change the content of your website regularly. Some claim to be as easy to work with as sending an email.
While this is true in some cases you need to be careful when making a purchase of this software. First of all it can be expensive to install into an existing website if not impossibly difficult. This means that many companies prefer to sell you an entire new website with the CMS feature already built in. When you consider what it costs to have someone do the updating for you and perhaps what you lose in business by not updating your website regularly, a new website may be the way to go.
CMS websites come with many features that you may wish you had such as emailing and list manage tools, dynamic image and graphic upload with editing features built in. Search engine marketing capabilities are also built in on many systems and for my money this is a requirement. The ability to just change the body text in your site to keep it fresh is a good thing but these systems can do so much more.
Of course you get what you pay for like anything else and CMS is no different. I've seen CMS packages range in price from $299.00 US to as high as $50,000.00 for corporate sites and I wasn't really drilling to deep in my search for price comparisons. Of course price varies because of the different features you want and the type of management you intend to use it for. CMS is available for both Internet and Intranet or both. The number of administrative users is important for price and some require added monthly fees or licensing rights for their use.
For the realtors out there who want to improve their web presence the prices can be fairly reasonable. I've found great systems for an individual agent site ranging from $299.00 to about $3500.00. The difference in performance was really not that much different between the two and generally had to do with value added features such as installing plug and play applications for more functionality. Of course these companies will try and sell their additional features to you quite aggressively but buyers beware.
Make sure you shop around just as aggressively yourself. Most if not all of these companies will provide you with an online demo so you can test drive the CMS package to determine its value to you. I found that what may appear at first to be an exciting feature probably would become mundane after the novelty wears out. Look for scalability in your CMS. Make sure you can upgrade as your needs change going forward.
Decide in advance what you want this CMS to do for you and if it doesn't meet your requirements move on. If you feel under whelmed by the demo this is a sure sign that you need to keep looking. Eventually you will find something that has everything you want with the ability to add to it over time and is the right price. Free technical support for at least 60 days is imperative and a paid customizing capability from the company would be nice as well.
Richard Embro-Pantalony is the Publisher of http://www.profitingbig.com. Realtors MUST READ his book - "Profiting Big With Your Real Estate Website"
Related Tags: websites, real estate websites, real estate marketing, real estate agents, realtors, real estate software, real estate brokers, real estate internet mar
Your Article Search Directory : Find in Articles
Recent articles in this category:
- The No. 1 Rule For Projecting Confidence - Speak With Authority
One of the most important characteristics a person can project in a business setting - or any situat - After the Autumn Checkout European Debt Crisis and U.S. Brewing Rebound
In the commotion caused by the Fed on interest rates come to an end, the "disastrous" for the euro a - Advantages Of Arcade Game Rentals
There are many different advantages to arcade game rentals. Most people need something to release th - A General Primer on Truck Cargo Nets
In modern highways it is quite rare to see truck cargo nets in action, this is because they are usua - The United States Will Burst More Severe Financial Crisis
Not long ago, suddenly announced that the central bank to raise interest rates, the interest rate hi - Niche Marketing Profits - 3 Easy Steps to Finding a Profitable Niche Market Income in 10 Minutes
Like most beginners I was having a very difficult time trying to find a niche market to earn extra m - The Importance of Hospitality Management Consulting Firms Toronto
Businesses and the managers that help guide any business are in a constant state of improvement and - New Keynesian Theory Label
2010 winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics three theories have been labeled as "New Keynesian" labe - Federal Reserve Pouring Money QE2 Unpredictable Fortune
U.S. economist Milton Friedman proposed a "throw the cash from a helicopter" view, while the practic - Fiscal Consolidation Should no Longer Delay
British Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne today announced fiscal consolidation policy, shoc
Most viewed articles in this category:
- Common Financial Problems to Avoid
One must first change their habits and not procrastinate. American Consultants Inc at offers key fi - How a Bad Hire Can Hurt Your Business
What's worse - hiring the wrong person or not hiring anyone at all? Companies can become almost des - Joel Comm Is Dr. Adsense
What is Adsense? If you are new to making money online and net marketing, you may not know what Ads - 5 Steps For A Dynamic Wealth System Online
Recipe: Opportunity + knowledge + Dynamic Wealth System + Your Action = Massive Success!!! Step 1 - How To Stop Foreclosure
Losing your house to a foreclosure can be very scary. There are times when circumstances are ou - How to Always Pitch A Strike
As business owners, we are always working on new ways to convince people to become customers, client - Membrane Diffuser Solutions for Wastewater Treatment Systems
In the aeration basin of a typical wastewater treatment plant there are both organic and inorganic m - Another Year Hating Your Job or Loving Life?
Copyright © 2007 Mary Foley I've come to the conclusion that to be successful - really successf - Dyestuff Industry In India And China
World demand for dyes and organic pigments to touch $10.6 billion in 2008According to a study on dye - Cma-cgm Case : the Series of Lawsuits Continues in Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, France, England and the United States
Damietta company case : The series of lawsuits continues in Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, France, England a