Real Estate Web Hosting - Tips & Tools
Summary: This article offers advice on real estate web hosting and also provides some recommendations for website hosting companies. If you are launching a new real estate website, this tutorial is worth reading!
You know a real estate website will help you market your services, educate your clients and prospects, and build business relationships. You're ready to get your site up and running. You even have a picture in your head of what it should look like.
There's one question ... how do you get started?
Basically, there are three things you need to get your real estate website up and running:
Elements of a Real Estate Website
To have a website live on the Internet, you'll need three primary things. I'll talk most about item #2 on the list below, since this is a real estate web hosting tutorial.
- You need a domain name (like www.mysite.com)
- You need a web hosting company (like these)
- You need the actual web pages that make up your site
The Domain Name
A domain name is simply the name and address of a website. My domain, for example, is www.ArmingYourFarming.com. Getting a domain name is easy. You just go to any domain registrar to see what's available. When you find an available domain name that you want, you register it. The cost to register a domain is about $10 per year. More than that, and you're overpaying.
Snatch up a domain name now: www.GoDaddy.com
The Web Host
A web host is a company that provides web hosting services. These companies own servers (extremely powerful computers) that host and "serve" the files that make up their clients' web pages.
You can create a website on your computer. But you have to put the files onto a web server before anybody can access them over the Internet. That is why you need the services of a real estate web hosting company (unless, of course, you have a super-computer tucked away in your basement).
Web Hosting Recommendations
The key with web hosting companies is to find one that's reliable, easy to use, and with decent customer service. In web host standards, "decent customer service" means you can actually get somebody on the phone when you have a problem.
I use and recommend GoDaddy (see below) for my individual websites. A medium-sized hosting plan might run about $9 a month. Check the link below for current pricing. You get a little more for the money at GoDaddy though, at least in my experience.
For a Single Website
For real estate agents - If you only plan to use one real estate website for your business, then I recommend the hosting services of GoDaddy. Their prices are hard to beat, and they offer plenty of useful features with their hosting packages.
For Multiple Websites
For real estate agents - If you need a more advanced website to support your company, or if you plan to use several different websites, I recommend the professional-grade hosting packages offered by Good Avocado.
Website Design + Hosting
Web.com also has a solid reputation for web hosting services. They've been around for quite some time, and they offer have tools to help you create your new site.
Conclusion
Before spending any money on your real estate website, educate yourself. Read as much as you can on the subject, and comparison-shop between different real estate web hosting vendors. Determine your web goals, and make a list of features you'll need to support those goals. Start small with only a basic plan -- you can always add features later as you find the need for them.
