As a real estate agent, your job is to visually please your clients into using a service and buying a property from you. You also need to offer them a great user experience that will make them stay on your website and not click back on your competition.
But among the multitude of website providers, which one is the most reliable option? Which one can show off your pictures safely and efficiently, while protecting the privacy and integrity of your clients? This article may contain information of value to you.
Why Be Pretentious About Your Website Hosting?
As a real estate agent, you need to make a good impression from the very first contact with your potential client – and nowadays, this contact happens online. No one calls first, or steps into your office to learn more about your service. Now they simply do a Google search that lands them on your website.
If the client has a good experience with your website, not only will they stay longer and improve your retention, but there is also a good chance that they will turn into actual leads.
By choosing a good hosting website, you will improve trust and may also increase your online visibility. Plus, the platform that you choose will also ensure the safety of your business. With cyber-attacks increasing in number in Texas over the last few years, business owners in Houston are taking extra measures.
Almost every Houston estate planning attorney partnering with real estate agents has noted that there were fewer cyber-attack lawsuits in companies that choose highly-secured platforms. For this reason, to improve client retention and avoid legal issues, hostings should be chosen very carefully.
Most Popular Platforms For Real Estate Agents
There are many hosting options that you can go for when planning your real estate website. Here are a couple of popular platforms:
1. Duda
If you want the freedom to customize your website, then Duda is the platform to go for. It is slightly more expensive than other platforms, but you have several templates available that are extremely easy to use.
For those that are still on the fence, there is also a free trial that they can use. Duda also has a variety of lead-generating tools. It features multiple forms for appointments, contact, and email marketing that you may use to bring your leads all in one place.
Plus, considering that it has a website template designed especially for the real estate field, it is a preferred quick option for many people in the industry.
2. InterServer Hosting
According to statistics, around 70% of small businesses fall victim to cyber-attacks, and it only takes a professional hacker around 12 hours to infiltrate an organization, should they want to.
As a result, if you are very keen on security or are paranoid about a cybersecurity attack, you may want to consider InterServer Hosting. InterServer has a security feature called InterShield that can block web attacks and malware.
It also incorporates a virus scanner that protects not only your computer but also the computer of your clients. You may even connect it with a WordPress account if you want to get access to the themes or to link your blog.
3. Bluehost Hosting
Bluehost has been around for quite some time and is quite popular among real estate agents. It offers great security, 50GB of SSD storage (if you go for the basic plan), and also VPS. During the first year, you get one free domain name, along with permission for five email accounts.
Plus, even if you go for the lowest-price plan, you still get an SSL certificate. There are several promotions throughout the year that you may grab as well for the higher plans, giving you access to more features.
4. WordPress
WordPress is among the most common hosting options for real estate agents, as it has many templates that they can benefit from. If you have a large number of listings, you can use the WordPress builder to create the structure that you want, using the free or paid templates (your choice).
WordPress also has several lead generation tools that you may use, adding features that may attract clients your way. You can easily insert images and videos, schedule blogs, and view drafts. The platform itself is quite intuitive, making it a good option for beginners and new small business owners.
The Bottom Line
There are many website hostings for you to choose from, each with its benefits. You should compare their features and choose the one that seems most appropriate for your needs.
