Your realtor website should help people find a property and understand why they should work with you. Offer a home search but don't let the listings do all the talking.
- Your realtor website needs to explain who you help, where you work, and how to contact you.
- Keep property search useful, but make your own experience and approach easy to find.
- Check your broker’s website options before paying for something new.
- Purple Essence starts with your business, not a requirement to join every social platform.
You’ve put real work into your business. You know your area, your clients, and the questions that come up when someone is buying or selling. Your website should help people see that.
I’m Kathy G. Through my agency, I’ve worked with three realtors over the years, including my very first client. A recent conversation with another realtor brought up something familiar. His colleague wanted to move beyond social media for her marketing, but when he mentioned creating a website it was "deer in the headlights." Where do you even start?
If that sounds familiar, let’s take some of the pressure off. Like the questions I ask before you buy another marketing course, this starts with what your business actually needs—not another pile of homework.
A property search is useful, but it isn’t your whole business.
People visiting your realtor website probably want to browse homes. Give them a clear way to do that. But someone choosing an agent has other questions, too.
Do you understand the neighborhood they’re considering like the back of your hand? Do you work with people in their situation (e.g., relocation, estates, first-time home buyers)? What would working with you feel like?
The property search helps someone explore homes. Your own words help them choose you.
That doesn’t mean hiding the listings or replacing a working search tool. It means making room for your local knowledge, your approach, and an obvious way to get in touch.
A prospective client shouldn’t have to finish browsing houses before learning anything about the person who will help them buy one.
Start with the people and places you know
Before I suggest a website change or another social account, I want to understand your business. Geography matters. So does the kind of client you enjoy helping.
A first-time buyer might need reassurance about the process. Someone downsizing might want to know how you handle the move from a longtime home. A relocation client might need help understanding the area before narrowing their search.
Start with what’s true for you. Write down:
- The neighborhoods you actually serve.
- The clients you’re best equipped to help.
- The top 5 questions those clients ask before hiring you.
- What you want a website visitor to do if they want to connect.
You don’t need fancy marketing language. Clear, familiar words are a better starting point.
Give your website two clear jobs
Your realtor website can support both property browsing and choosing an agent. Think about those as two routes that are easy to find.
Help visitors find properties
If your site includes a property search, review it on your phone. Is it easy to spot? Can someone use it without getting confused? Is it clear who to contact about a home?
You don’t need to change a useful tool just because you’re updating the rest of the site. Check what works before replacing anything.
Help visitors get to know you
Near your search tool, give people a reason to keep reading about you. A short introduction can name your service area, explain who you help, and lead to your contact information.
Then check whether the site includes:
- A current photo and an introduction that sounds like you.
- A clear description of the help you provide.
- Useful local information based on your actual knowledge.
- Client feedback or a review you have permission to share.
- A straightforward way to ask a question or talk with you (e.g., Button or contact form).
Not all of that has to fit on the homepage. Your homepage just needs to make the next step easy.
Check what your broker already provides
Before you assume you need a whole new website, ask your broker what’s available. A profile page or agent website might already give you a practical starting point.
The question isn’t whether it’s as elaborate as someone else’s site. It’s whether it lets you share your work and helps a prospective client reach you.
Ask:
- Can I update my introduction, photo, service areas, and contact details?
- Can I add useful information beyond property listings?
- Can I see visitor information or receive reports (aka: analytics)?
- What happens to the page and my content if I leave the brokerage?
A broker-provided page can be useful. Just understand its limits before building your whole online presence around it.
Choose a website option that fits your business
Always know you always have options. A simple starting point is not a failure, and a custom site is not automatically the right first step. Less is more.
| Option | Best for | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Broker-provided profile or agent website | Using what’s already available before adding another tool | Editing access, contact options, visitor reports, and what happens if you change brokers or locations |
| A simple website you build yourself | Starting small when you have time and feel comfortable learning the builder | Ongoing costs, domain arrangements, mobile layout, and how you’ll maintain it |
| A professionally built website | Getting help with structure, writing, design, or features you don’t want to handle yourself | Exactly what’s included, who controls the accounts, and who makes future updates, costs for edits |
A no-cost starting option doesn't mean every part of running a website is free. Ask about the domain (URL), extra features, maintenance, hosting, and the time you’ll need to put into it.
Before hiring someone, ask them to separate the initial work from ongoing costs. And don’t assume you need a large custom build before you’ve identified what your clients need to find.
Let social media support your website
If Facebook is where you’ve been connecting with people for years, I’m not going to tell you to abandon it. I do want you to know what it’s doing for your business, however.
Having 200 followers does not mean 200 people see every post. Instead of using a blanket percentage, look at your Facebook page's analytics: which posts reached people, which links brought visitors, and which conversations became real inquiries?
Social platforms are run by other companies. Paying for advertising or a subscription does not give you control over their rules or guarantee continued access. However, when you connect your social to your website, they're now all connected and can be found in one place. You're not relying on one platform or company for your leads.
Give each place you show up a purpose. A social post can introduce you. A chamber listing can help someone find you. Your website can explain your services and give them a clear next step.
That’s a connected plan, not a requirement to be everywhere.
Look at what’s working before adding more
When I review a prospective client's online presence, I want to understand the full picture. I look at what the available reports can tell us, whether the messaging fits your brand, and where visitors are being sent.
Before we chat, you can start with a small check:
- Which pages are people visiting?
- Are they reaching your services page and contact information?
- Do your social and directory links point to the right place?
- What do actual inquiries tell you about how clients found you?
Visitor numbers are clues, not the whole story. A busy property search does not automatically mean people are choosing you as their agent. And a quiet social account does not automatically mean your business needs another platform.
At Purple Essence, my digital strategy work starts with your brand and the connections between these pieces. The aim is to make the next decision clearer, not make your list longer.
Questions you might be asking
Do I need my own realtor website if my broker gives me a page?
Not necessarily. First check whether the broker’s page lets you describe your services, show your local knowledge, and receive inquiries; also understand what happens if you change brokerages.
Should my realtor website include a property search?
Usually. Include a property search when it serves your visitors and fits your website arrangements. Make information about you and your contact options just as easy to find.
Can I start with a simple realtor website?
Yes. A clear introduction, your service area, helpful service information, and an easy contact route give you a practical starting point; add other features when there’s a reason.
Does my website need to be expensive?
No single budget fits every realtor website. Compare what’s included, ongoing costs, and maintenance responsibilities before choosing between a broker page, a do-it-yourself site, and professional help.
Should I stop using Facebook once I have a website?
No. Keep Facebook if it supports your business, and give interested people a relevant place to go on your website; use your own reports and inquiries to judge whether it’s helping.
What should I update first on my realtor website?
Make sure the mobile site works and is clear. Start with whether a prospective client can tell who you help, where you work, and how to contact you. Fix missing or confusing information before adding more features.
You don’t have to build everything today
Here’s a useful place to start: open your website or broker profile on your phone and read it as someone who has never met you. Can you find the agent behind the property listings?
If the answer is no, that’s something to work on—not a reason to start over.
Whether you’re a realtor, a personal stylist, or another woman running a small business, you deserve a plan that fits the work you actually do. You’re the boss. You don’t have to become an expert in every part of the digital space, too.
Request a consult and tell me what you already have and what feels overwhelming. We’ll start there.
— Kathy G, Purple Essence
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