The Best IDX Lead Generation Features Your Real Estate Website Needs

These days, it’s not enough to just have a beautifully designed real estate agent website. To really get ahead, your site needs to have the most updated listings, too.

Luckily, you don’t have to manually upload recently listed homes whenever they appear on your MLS. Thanks to Internet Data Exchange (IDX), you can pull the latest listings and display them directly on your website automatically.

However, that’s not the only reason why you should get an IDX website. As you’ll learn in this article, IDX can play a key role in lead generation, too.

So if you want to level up your bottom line and turn your website into a lead-gen magnet, this is the perfect read for you!

IDX as a lead generation tool

Simply put, IDX is a software that serves as a bridge between your website and the MLS. That means that people can search listings on your real estate website as if they were searching the MLS — the feed on your site, after all, reflects real-time changes to the MLS.

Here’s the great part: providers take that treasure trove of data and turn it into business intelligence, then build on the IDX system with robust features to help you attract and nurture potential clients.

Let’s take a look at the best lead-generating features an IDX website should have.

• Lead capture contact forms
  Whether placed on your homepage, contact page, or even on individual listing pages, having a contact form allows visitors to quickly signify interest in working with you. These can also take the form of popup forms that invite people to sign up for your newsletter to get the latest listings.

• Contact management
  Once you have leads, your IDX can also help you sort their information for ease of communication. For instance, you can cluster leads according to interest or location, allowing you to create segmented audiences.

• Contact tracking
  Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a centralized inbox where all your calls, texts, and emails with every client are logged? That way, you can efficiently chase every lead and bolster your chances of converting one into a client. Well, that’s another convenient CRM feature that top IDX solutions offer.

• Lead distribution
  Here’s a feature that brokers are sure to love: you can assign leads to different agents. That way, you can rest assured that all potential clients are assigned an agent ASAP and that the right agents are assigned to them.

• Automated follow-ups
  As they say, following up pays – but it’s also a time-consuming affair. Luckily, some IDX providers can automate this critical task for you, touching base with hot and warm leads through SMS and email send-outs.

• Appointment scheduling
  As a lead moves further down the sales funnel, you can expect them to book in-person meetings with you (including property walkthroughs). IDX solutions allow potential buyers and sellers to schedule appointments and will even send reminders to them as the date draws near.

• Email alerts
  If a visitor opts into your real estate agent website’s newsletter, they can receive email alerts whenever a new property is listed or when prices change, encouraging them to engage with you. Some IDX platforms also allow you to send pre-written email cadences that nurture prospects into customers.

• Landing page creation
  Are you advertising a certain listing on social media channels or Google search results? An IDX can help you create a landing page so prospects can learn more about the house. Your IDX can also be used to create themed landing pages (e.g., for specific neighborhoods or property types).

• Automated CMAs
  Forget about manually tabulating comparable prices. Since your IDX has a record of all listings in a specific area, it can quickly generate comparative market analyses. You can then send these to leads to help them better understand the local property market, positioning yourself as an expert in the process.

• Smart search results
  Based on a visitor’s behavior on your website, search results can be automatically tailored to suit their interests. Did a visitor interact with a featured beachfront home? Similar properties can be highlighted when they do a manual search on your real estate website.

• Saved searches
  Speaking of which, having an IDX also allows your visitors to save their searches. This isn’t just convenient for them, but it also tells you specifically what locales or properties they’re interested in – data that you can use in follow-ups.

• Social media integration
  With this IDX feature, you can easily share new listings added to your website to your social media timelines, generating greater exposure for the property.

How to choose the right IDX platform for your realtor website

We hope you’ve gained a greater appreciation of how powerful an IDX suite can be. This also begs the question: how do you select the right one for your business? Here are pro tips to help you make the choice.

• Cost
  When doing your research, pay attention to the setup and monthly costs, and inquire whether premium features come with a given plan or cost extra.

• Coverage
  Look for an IDX that covers the local MLS in your specific area.

• Compatibility
  Double-check if the IDX you’re eyeing works with your website’s content management system or CMS (e.g., WordPress).

• Mobile responsiveness
  Property searches should be just as fast and seamless to use on desktops as on mobile devices.

• Support and training
  All IDX platforms have a learning curve. But not all of them offer the same level of training and support to help you make the most of them.

• Reputation
  Pro tip: check reviews for an IDX platform to see whether it’s worth your money.

Ready to level up your realtor website?

For the best IDX websites in the business, work only with Agent Image. No matter which IDX solution you choose, we can make it work like a charm with our flexible WordPress-based real estate agent websites!

For a FREE consultation, call 1.800.979.5799 or send a message here.