A lot has happened with Geek Build 2012 in the past month, and we thought it would help to summarize what we have accomplished and explain where we are in the process. About one month ago we got the steering committee decision recommending  www.wpengine.com for…

Have you heard the term “author rank” yet? If not, you’re going to start hearing it soon if you follow the online marketing and SEO industries at all. What is it? From Google’s Agent Rank patent. The identity of individual agents responsible for content can be…

I was scanning my feedreader today, and saw the news that Alain Pinel, a well known brokerage in the Bay Area, launched a redesigned website with Onboard Informatics Lifestyle Content. Great. A brokerage finally invested in their web presence. Alain Pinel is well known, so…

You want to reach residents in your local geographic area, right? Build WeekendSherpa, specifically tailored to your geographic area. What is WeekendSherpa? WeekendSherpa is a free weekly email newsletter giving you insiders’ recommendations on the best outdoor pursuits exclusive to California. It’s a drop dead…

After a very long and strongly debated case over who should be the official IDX recommendation of the Geek Build Steering Committee, we have decided on Real Geeks. Remember, the focus of Geek Build is to build websites with the following goals in mind: Maximize lead…

I wanted to take a stab at incorporating some of the design feedback that was received regarding Drew’s two wireframe layouts. The first option was the one that was most liked and used as the basis of my revision. Here is the result of that…

You’ve likely heard the word curation. But maybe you aren’t entirely sure what it is, or how you can use it in your business? Why do it? How do you make money from curation at a local level in the real estate vertical? What is…

Zillow and Realtor.com are at the top of the list for the most popular real estate destinations online.   While Realtor.com has been the leader for years, Zillow’s skyrocketing success has recently had it matching or beating Realtor.com’s traffic numbers, and its current trajectory certainly points…

Prior to starting on the actual design, wireframing our Geek Build 2012 sites is the next step in the website building process. What is “wireframing” you might ask? According to Wikepedia: A website wireframe, also known as a page schematic or screen blueprint, is a visual…

Since the majority of conversions on real estate agent and broker websites occur by funneling buyers into a compelling search experience, choosing an IDX provider is the most important decision to be made during Geek Build 2012. After a great deal of discussion, we’re almost…