Here's How to Always Have an Online 'Home Base'- Get a Darn Website!

There has been a lot of debate on BiggerPockets as to whether a real estate investor should have a website or not. There's a lot of emphasis on "make the deals, worry about the rest later" and that's true to a certain degree. As a real estate investor, you should be focusing on making the deals. But if you're working with lenders (hard money, private money or otherwise), they probably want to know that you done this a time or ten before. And as a business owner (because that's what you are), you have to be aware that this is 2015 and the internet is the first place people are going to vet you. 

I am fully aware that there are a lot of veteran real estate investors out there who started before there even was an internet. And your ways may work fine for you. But every day, there are droves of new people, younger people, starting out in their real estate journey. Like it or not, the internet is here to stay and is an integral part of every day living for a majority of the world. So it's a no-brainer that if you're going to be doing business (real estate investing) in this hyper technologically driven world, you need a website.

Now wait, let me clear a few things up for you. A website is not just a living brochure or proof that you know your stuff. It's your command base. It's how you generate leads, communicate with potential buyers, sellers, funders, etc, showcase your properties and/or work, share your story and journey, and how you start the foundation for building trust.It is where each and every social media outlet you choose to utilize needs to drive people back to. In a previous post, I talked about social media and how you should always use it to build your community and spread your message, but also drive your people. Look at Bigger Pockets. No matter what they post on Twitter, Facebook and the like, all roads lead right back here, where we're all commenting and discussing. See how that works.

So just how do you build a website that is functional, informative, interactive and hard working...without spending thousands of dollars? Well there is no one right answer. But for first timers or even those with crappy sites who want a fresh makeover, I'll share my most powerful go-to tool. 

WORDPRESS

Yup. That's it. Wordpress. Nothing big, expensive or fancy, but when done correctly, can be the most powerful tool in your arsenal. And it's FREE. Sure, you can have a general HTML site or Joomla. But there is something powerful about Wordpress that gives even the most technically inept person a feeling of control. I started doing websites way back in the 90's, before there was a Wordpress. I can code an HTML site and I know Joomla. I was self taught. But Wordpress offers flexibility for just about any kind of business you want, and you can most likely get your site up in as little as a day to one week depending on the complexity. Plus there's no software required. You do it all online in your own dashboard.

There are some free ebooks on Amazon on Wordpress. But the book I suggest is Sams Teach Yourself Wordpress in 10 Minutes. http://www.amazon.com/Sams-Teach-Yourself-WordPress-Minutes/dp/0672331209/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8 It's straight forward, to the point and easy to follow. It really does get you up and running in less than 10 minutes. And of course the Wordpress.org website and Youtube are loaded with tutorials for the DIY set. 

Making the site "pretty" isn't the focus in using this amazing platform. It's the plugins you use that make it do what it does. Plugins are add ons that make some function happen for end users and visitors that works within your website. For instance, WooCommerce is an ecommerce plugin that allows your website to perform sales transactions and inventory control. Coursepress Pro is an e-learning plugin that allows you to run online courses. Edit Flow is a plugin that allows you to manage a team of bloggers and your blog content. I can go on and on, but you get the point. You can do just about anything with a Wordpress site and the right plugins.

Setting up a Wordpress site takes literally less than 10 minutes with no coding experience required. All you need to do it:

• Register your domain name (if you haven't already). GoDaddy (I'm not an affiliate but I do use them) will let you register for $9.99 for the first year ($14.99 per year each year after). And here's a little tip. Sign up for ShopAtHome.com (again, not an affiliate) and you can probably get some great coupon code that will let you sign up for anywhere from .99 to $5 for your first year. I would suggest using your name or company name. The whole "webuyuglyhomesfromyou.com" thing is wearing thin. Besides, what if you want to expand your brand and your business? You don't want to be stuck with a name that's obsolete.
• Once you register, you need hosting. I use GoDaddy, but you can also try BlueHost, HostGator, or any other web host. It depends on how robust your site is going to be and what you've budgeted. Hosting can be paid monthly, quarterly or annually. I choose annually so I can take advantage of the discounted price and so I don't have to keep worrying about renewing. Again, choose the company and plan that works best for you. While some of the sites I've done have chosen purely Wordpress Hosting services it is not mandatory . In fact, it limits what you can do. I'd go for a C Panel hosting site to allow for expansion and more flexibility. You can still use Wordpress on a C Panel site.
• After you've set up a hosting account for your domain, you must of course download the free version of Wordpress. That's rather simple. Go to www.wordpress.org (not .com) and download the latest version. Once you've installed it on your domain, you are ready to rock. Now is the time you begin to flesh out what kind of site you want. What is the main purpose of the website? Who are you looking to attract? What actions do you want them to take? What reasons will they have for staying or coming back to your site repeatedly? What transactions will they be completing? What will you be giving them? Answering these questions will help you decide which plugins will work for your website and the people perusing it. It'll also dictate how much work and time you will need to put in. 
• You've decided what you want the site to do, and you've secured it, now you need to design it. The next stop I would recommend is ThemeForest.net. Again, I'm not an affiliate, but I am a customer. For anywhere from $27 to $68 you can find a theme to build out for your site. Most of the themes come with a detailed manual and will walk you through adding and tweaking the theme to make it work for your site. They even have Demo Content you can upload and just get in and edit the text and images to suit your needs. But if you're like me, you want to make sure your site doesn't look cookie cutter, because remember, lots of people are purchasing the same theme. So I use my coding skills to work behind the scenes to alter some of the back end so I can make the site my own. It's really not that hard, but it takes patience. It's worth a few hours of aggravation to have a powerful website that will require little to no real maintenance long term.
• You've got your theme and you know what you want to do, so you're ready to rock. But I forgot to mention, you must make sure that the theme you use is compatible with the plugins you plan to use. Always have backup plugins just in case. I try not to get to attached to plugins because I may need to substitute them for the sake of compatibility. 
• You've got your theme, plugins, and your content and images. So it's time to get to work! I would make sure you have the basic five components in your website: Home Page, About Us, Contact Page, Blog, Properties Page. If you offer additional types of services, you can add that page too, but I'd include it on the About Us page unless it's really detailed services. I'll do another post at another time about content and how to make it pop. 
• Turn your website into a lead magnet. In order to do that you have to have compelling content (of course), a lead capture (sign up) box, an offer, and of course a way to track and be found. Google Analytics (free with a Google/Gmail account) is a powerful tool that can help you understand where your traffic is coming from and how to utilize to turn into leads. An email newsletter coupled with an offer is also powerful. I use MailChimp (free up to 2000 subscribers), but there is Constant Contact, AWeber, and Infusionsoft. They all allow you to integrate a lead capture onto your website. 
• And good old SEO (search engine optimization). You have to make sure you are doing everything possible to target the right people looking for what you offer. To do that you must make sure you understand exactly what it is that your ideal buyer, seller, customer is looking for. "I need to sell my house pre foreclosure" "Renovated Condo in Miami Shores" "Want to invest in duplex property in Hampton, VA" are all examples of what people would type into Google. "We buy houses" "Save your house from foreclosure" "Work with a wholesaler" are all too broad and vague. The more specific you get, the better quality of traffic you get. There are free plugins (Yoast, Google Analyticator, All in One Seo) that integrate with your website and work in tandem with Google Analytics to help you achieve your objectives and get a better understanding of how SEO works. I'll do a post on that another time. Consider this the Cliffs Notes.

Once you get your site up and running, it shouldn't take as much time to manage it. Of course you (or your VA or assistant) can update the blog and upload new photos as necessary. But once the foundation has been laid, it'll all work out for you. I haven't even talked about the blog or what offers to make or what you need to do to make the website interactive and interesting. The purpose of this post was to give you an idea of how easy it is to get started with your website. How much time and effort you put in to it will determine how successful it can be as a powerful lead generator and brand awareness builder. And how you link it to your social media efforts will effect how much you grow your brand and footprint online. You've got to start somewhere. So why not take the time today and start your website.

Oh and one word of caution. Just because you CAN use free themes for your website, doesn't mean you SHOULD. Many are bare basic and out of date. Don't look at your website from your eyes (perspective). Look at it from the eyes of a prospect who will decide to dismiss you or take you serious based upon that first impression. Splurge and get a real theme, one that can be modified to your liking. To be honest and blunt (only way I know) I've seen some websites (yes some of yours) that make me cringe. Lack of money or not wanting to set aside a budget is no excuse. Even simple themes can be classy. It doesn't have to be flashy or over the top to be effective. They just should be cleanly done and up to date. Take a look at different sites online, both in real estate and in other industries. Google certain terms and see who comes up on that first page (organically, not paid ads) and study their websites and check out their social media profiles.

Do you need a website? No, not necessarily if you're old school and established in your business. But if you're a 2015 business owner, yes you absolutely do. I hope my post has made it easier for you to start building your own website. And if it's more work than you want to do, hire someone to do it.