| Have you surfed real estate sites lately? | | | | |
| Many still make some fundamental mistakes | | | | 10. Hmm, the middle of the page is moving, |
| that tend to drive visitors away, rather than | | | | but the sides are just hanging there. This |
| offering a rich experience that people will | | | | does not seem quite right... (Children, |
| return to. | | | | don't ask why, but a long time ago, people |
| | | | used a thing called frames.) |
| A visitor who has come back to your site | | | | |
| several times is well on his way toward | | | | 11. So, what's the main course on this site? |
| picking up the phone or sending an email, and | | | | Well, tonight we're having some canned |
| beginning a business friendship with you. | | | | content: Seven Deadly Mistakes Sellers Make. |
| | | | (Who cooks up this stuff, anyway?) |
| The primary goal of a website should be to | | | | |
| establish your message quickly and simply. | | | | 12. Excuse me, folks, this text is for |
| Visitors scan sites rapidly, and want to move | | | | Google! (Repeat after me...home for sale, for |
| immediately to information that benefits | | | | sale home, sale home, home sale, for home, |
| them. Here are some ways to stop them from | | | | home for...) |
| doing just that! | | | | |
| | | | 13. Pop ups! (Back button, please! I'm out |
| 1. Force visitors to sit through your flash | | | | of here.) |
| introduction. (It's a bird, it's a | | | | |
| plane...no, it's the title to this website. | | | | 14. Have we got a ton of photos for you! |
| If you need a Skip Intro button, you're off | | | | Just sit back and relax. They may take a |
| on the wrong foot.) | | | | while to load. (Oh, here they are on their |
| | | | trip to Vegas.) |
| 2. Impress your visitors with some cool text | | | | |
| on top of background graphics, or, even | | | | 15. And speaking of myself, there is sooo |
| better, some cool text on top of background | | | | much more to say! (And, in 1982 I received |
| text. (Honey, where are my 3-D glasses?) | | | | several awards for...) |
| | | | |
| 3. Shake things up with a blast of your | | | | 16. And now you can read my new syndicated |
| favorite music. (It's midnight, and I think | | | | real estate blog! (The other day I was |
| I'll do a little house hunting before bed.) | | | | chatting with an agent who sits in the |
| | | | cubicle next to me at the office about the |
| 4. What is this? Blue text over black | | | | use of open house signs...) |
| background. (I thought this was a website, | | | | |
| not a cave. Honey, where's my flashlight?) | | | | 17. I'm game! Let's see how long can we make |
| | | | this page? (It's three feet long! Oh wait, |
| 5. Come up with a spiffy new layout for each | | | | there's more.) |
| page. (Let's see, which site was this | | | | |
| anyway?) | | | | 18. Cram your hundreds of reciprocal links |
| | | | on the main page. (What is all this stuff at |
| 6. OK, folks, let's see how well you can | | | | the bottom? Aah, helpful links. Car repair |
| find your way around! Notice we have dozens | | | | in Bulgaria?) |
| of links scattered around the page. (Honey, | | | | |
| get out the ball of string and bread crumbs.) | | | | 19. OK, people, let's cut to the chase: You |
| | | | either fill out this questionnaire, or |
| 7. Here are some fun link puzzles! You'll | | | | nothing doing! (Oh, well, I didn't really |
| find that some links duplicate other links, | | | | need to be doing this right now.) |
| but with different names. Try to guess which! | | | | |
| (Oh-oh, I opened this one already.) | | | | 20. Wait, don't leave! Here's some |
| | | | interesting real estate trivia! (Why is the |
| 8. Oh boy, it's one of those ads that flash | | | | Terra Amata site famous?) |
| at lightning speed. (May cause nausea, | | | | |
| headaches, blurred vision...) | | | | 21. Not so fast, folks! Welcome to Hotel |
| | | | California. Your fancy back button has been |
| 9. If one font does not make your site | | | | disabled! (Relax, said the night man, we are |
| interesting, try six or seven, plus some | | | | programmed to receive. You can check out |
| bold, and a SMATTERING OF ALL CAPS. (A | | | | anytime you like... but you can never leave. |
| little subtlety, please!) | | | | |