As a Certified Google Trusted Photographer and ambassador for Google's "Get your business online" program (www.gybo.com), I suggest making sure your Google+ page has posts (photos, charts, videos, 25-50 words) 1-3 times a week with one review a week for three months and you will be at the top of Google Search without having to pay a dime. 90% of people do not know this. Facebook is great for social; if you want to be found online, you need Google+, the direct conduit to Google Search. Reviews vouch that you are seen as a leader in the market. Google is in the business to give people the results they seek when they search. Email me if you want to be part of a webinar teaching these principles.

Regarding the website. After going to www.gybo.com, go to the Resource Tab and get a website for one year for free. It is designed to provide Google Search everything that is needed. In subsequent years, I think they are charging $5 a month. Not sure if it will meet all your needs, but it is worth investigating.

I would say, so I guess I will, stop concentrating on marketing your website and begin blogging and linking to pertinent pages on your website. Blogging pulls visitors to my website as does my IDX. For some reason, and I wish I knew what it was, although I have an inklin, every time somebody puts an address of an active listing into Google, they end up on my website. Because I am very active. I am everywhere and I blog every day. That's all I do. I don't market my website.

Wow - We could write books on this.  First of all the issue would be what type of web site do you have and who is it directed at?  In general web sites these days are no longer static, They are essentially blog sites you are updating all the time.  Now they may have a lot of static elements, much more than AR, that is a true blogging Platform.  I will assume you have a word press site.  Build lots of static pages covering different markets, either geographic or type (Buyer, seller, investor, VA, first time buyer, and so forth).  Then uses Social Media and AR to link back to the web site, especially the revelavant page.  It is a tough dance because you are constantly having to update and change the web site, but also putting to it with new post on Social Media.  Set up your data base in Mail Chimp.  They have a great Free service that gives you lots of e-mails every month.  When you put up a post, send out a targeted e-mail to those clients that might be interested and link it back to relevant pages on your site.  Maybe more than one link back per e-mail.  A link to the interesting information and maybe a home search link.  Just a lot to cover with this question.

Nothing like the SEO boost you get from localism blog posts.

Sheila, I use mine to help cement the deal with prospective clients.  At Open Houses I have a personal brochure.  The idea is that they take one and go to the web site.  It works pretty well. 

I learned a lot from the answers here.

your website address should be on everything! Every piece of promotional material, your email signature, mine is even on the back window of my car.

Put your website address on EVERYTHING and everywhere.  Put a business card, with your website address (of course) in the envelope when you pay your bills.   Blog about your market so your website will be found organically.  

I went to your profile to find a link to check out your site. None there.  Was going to suggest blogging with links back to specific searches if you have IDX, but you don't have a link so I have no idea if you have IDX and you don't have a rainmaker account so you can't blog publicly here.  I need more info to offer advice. 

I would try to break that down a little further. Marketing a website casts a wide net. Meaning, there are so many avenues you could potentially take.

I would decide what your goals are for your website, how much money/time you can invest, estimate the value your want your website to add to your business, and then determine if the value it brings you is higher than marketing yourself alternatively.

But I'm a website guy and make snap decisions sometimes. If I had a few thousand dollars to design the best website around I might not even think twice. Good Luck!

Put it on everyting, like others stated.  Signs, email signatures, newsletters, social networks, etc.

But now for the real question, what is the purpose of your site?  Are you trying to compete with Realtor.com, Zillow, Trulia, Redfin and the 800lb gorillas of the industry (ReMAX, Coldwell...)?  I recently had this discussion with one of my peers.  If by some miracle my site, www.HugginsHomes.com actually shows up on the first page for "Thousand Oaks Real Estate", who is going to click on it?  Is anyone going to actually click on a local company page that has it's own listings promoted when they can go to the "big three" sites (Realtor, Zillow and Redfin) and search EVERYTHING there?  My board's IDX search is a joke.  It's an archaic interface that you have to know real estate to use.  Why would someone use that instead of Zillow or Realtor?

My website's purpose is to showcase my listings and how we market them.  I'd rather spend the time and money on promoting my listings instead of promoting my website.  By and large, the best way to market yourself is with a SOLD sign.

 Sheila Robinson ,

As mentioned, where / what is your website?  You need to list it everywhere if you want people and search engines to find it.

I use Google AdWords and Yahoo Ads. And don't forget Yelp!

But beware of the phone calls you will begin to get trying to sell you SEO marketing.  Many of these companies will charge you for something Google and Yahoo will do for free (granted you have a learning curve to get the right search terms in your ads on these search engines).

Your area code says you are in NJ, so what is your local neighborhood blog site? Remember everything is local, and if you want local business you need a local online presence.

My last client came from a Google ad on Amazon...go figure.

Keep promoting it indirectly through your blogging and other social media.

write as many blogs and market reports as possible and  use all the social Media you can. I recommend you read Anita Clark Face Book Friday post it has excellent advice.

Sheila, when your website is built and live, send a postal letter to your database, as well to all the people you know via email, not only announcing your new website but also to ask them to criticize it, and make suggestions and comments....

Sheila.  I will be watching..I would like to have the answer to this also..

In addition to learning SEO to move your website higher in Google search results, and writing high quality blog posts to attract readers and backlinks, social media marketing will bring traffic to your website.

Hootsuite is a useful tool for organizing and monitoring your social media accounts.  They have a free course on social media marketing at https://hootsuite.com/pages/education-intro

Great post, Sheila!  Yes, place your website on everything!  I try to place my website www.do-stage.com  on all of my photographs of my "after" pictures - after I've staged.

Barry Carroll, I'm not very IT savvy, so please explain in further detail what this means and the 'how tos':

"blogging on Google+ is the most powerful forum if you want to be found in Google Search. Use hashtags and +Name. The +Name will email the post to that person. It's free Direct Mail."

Thanks!

This is great information from all you experts.  I need to do more blogging

Make sure your web site is something you are always promoting.  It should be on your signatures , business cards,facebook...everything

Sheila Robinson you have so many amazing answers. The summary of all of them is - promote your site anywhere and everywhere!

Understand your market and its niche(s) perfectly and then communicate as directly and emotionally as possible with that/those people. Marketing a website is not nearly as important as marketing the star of your show, which is usually the agent- yourself. You might think I'd probably promote SEO since I do that but you're far better off starting out with a clear identification of your market in as specific and narrow, accurate definitions as possible. Create content that fits that market exactly, and then you may or may not need to start looking into things like SEO and advertising of a website. 

I use Outbound Engine to post to my social accounts, facebook, twitter, and linkedin.  The posts all go back to your personal website.  Set up google analytics on your site to view the traffic.  

Outbound Engine, 888-988-5526, Andrew Huddleston, tell him Deb Devlin sent you!

Hi, Shella. this really is a big subject. I think all the other advice you been given connected to having the url of the website on all your printed and other online properties is great advice.

Also having a good quality IDX setup is also very important. However, I also feel there are three to four to five really major areas that  you must get right connected to having a really effective website in 2015!

1 - Is you website to be fully iPhone and smart phone friendly? I.e. an agent website  must be now fully responsive.

2 - You must what I call go "fully local" You just can't and won't be able to compete with the big boys like Zillow. However, you don't have to, see you should know you local area and be able to talk about this in much more detail then the big boys could or can and becasus of this Google will just love you!

3 - Have you consider podcasting i.e. interviewing local important and interesting people in your local area?

4 - Social media is really important not just Faceobook but also Twitter  Instagram.

5 - Video this is really big in 2015. All you have to do some quick and dirty videos using your smart phone and get them up on YouTube you be amazed at the amount of hits you can generate and have you link to your website with larger post which provides more info. Everything you do should be about driving traffic to your website and then hopefully it set-up so you can get visitors contact details.

If you want more free info go to Mail-RIght blog and we have series of videos and posts that give a load of free info on how agents can effetely market themselves online. Also my co-host Bill Conrad trains single agents or team of agents plus brokers on how to set-up and use podcasting to promote their business realy effectly locally. I personally feel this is great technology and new marketing tool that few agents or brokers are really using at the presentment.

https://www.mail-right.com/blog/

If you need any further info just email me jonathan@mail-right.com

Landing pages, blogs, video, and indexed pages.

The easiest answer to this is to put it everywhere.  However, I normally find it best to focus on one aspect at a time.  The fastest way to get more traffic is to use social media and drive traffic that way and using different online sources to send people over.  You can create profiles with the website link in your bio on different sites.  Also, I highly recommend blogging.

What is your website URL? The first step would be to add it to your ActiveRain Profile so we can find it. Then plaster that URL everywhere. 

If you put it at the bottom of your email signature, you'll start getting traffic. Be sure to add it to all of your online profiles. 

Best of luck. 

Shelia, 

There is only one rule.....KNOW YOUR CUSTOMER.

From that position, FACEBOOK provides to you FREE everything you need to know.

If you do not know who your customer is, you will spend money and time flailing about with meager return.

So, explore those panels behind the FACEBOOK ads pull down.

Then YOU  will be the expert.

link it to Facebook and put it on all your business mailings

Good morning Sheila. My blogging and social media efforts bring a steady stream of business to my website.

blogging does help, and the rates here went up to have your blogs count. i just joined ihouse . i have other sites but am joining and linking the there over the next couple weeks.

Blogging is a good way!

I have a whole blog around this topic. More content than you have time to read. :)

www.mr-leads.com/blog

 Suggest you start out talking to your office manager.  I am unaware of any agents have people find them on their website unless it is their own listings.

If you have listings you get calls, if you don't you look for them in person.

Start link building process... Good start is to submit your website on local business listing. :)

Excellent answers from everyone!  As most stated promote your site on every electronic and paper communication as well as social media and blog, blog. blog!

You can make a Free QR Code and have it put on your business cards and flyers you print for homes.

Some great stuff here. I have even picked up a few good tips! 

It was mentioned here but do put your website everywhere you can, especially on sical media but here's the key....

Be social!

Hi Sheila Robinson before even answering your question, it is very important to understand why you want to market your website. What are your goals and what are you trying to achieve? Marketing something is never successful without having very specific goals and a desired outcome.

For instance, are you marketing your website to get leads? Are you marketing your website to get better name recognition? By marketing your website do you want to get known as the person that offers a solution to a specific problem clients or potential clients are facing.

It is important to look at your overall business plan and objectives and within it you need to isolate what role your website will play. 

I know I am posing more questions that answering yours, but you need to think strategically about what you are trying to accomplish before you start buying ads featuring your website.

You also need to keep in mind that you will need to update your website on a regular basis. In other words, you need to offer people value so they will continue to come back.

The most importnat step is to identify your goals and then break them down in deliverable actions.  

Get quality content from places like Keeping Current Matters or My Real Helper, post onto one (you should have MANY) Facebook Business Pages with links to your buyer and/or seller parts of your web, then spend a few bucks to "Boost" your post. Direct toward your main work area, and keep the budget modest. Leads will come and follow when you post regularly. Of course, dual post to Active Rain!!