Diverse Solutions releases dsIDXPress WordPress plugin
Back on December 23, I wrote an article here on GeekEstate Blog about a WordPress plugin that Diverse Solutions was developing that would allow IDX listings to be fully indexed by search engines.
Earlier this week, the plugin came out of beta testing and has been released for general availability.
Here is part of the Diverse Solutions press release (full release):
Diverse Solutions announced today that they have released a new IDX product called dsIDXpress. The product allows agents and brokers using WordPress to get property listings on their own website and own domain to be indexed by the major search engines. dsIDXpress is different than traditional IDX solutions in that it has both the standard consumer search capabilities as well as the ability to insert specific listings or groups of listings into any page or blog post with their Live Listings(sm) shortcodes. The plugin also automatically builds in search-engine-friendly city, community, and zip code pages that show available properties in the respective areas. Furthermore, listing detail pages are available for every property in the MLS. Overall, dsIDXpress is being touted as a low cost alternative to functionality that was previously only available in high- end custom websites.
Diverse also has a web site dedicated to the plugin — dsidxpress.com
Pricing is currently set at $99.95 for set up and $29.95/month per domain (some MLS’s may have additional fees).
Since installing the various beta versions of the plugin (and still not using it anywhere close to its fullest capability), I am continuing to see heavy indexing of plugin generated pages.
As you can see in the Google Analytics chart below for Phoenix Real Estate Guy (TPREG), there has been a distinct increase in traffic since installing the plugin:
The plugin was installed on Dec 18 and on Dec 26 I added several sidebar links that generate IDX pages as well as a zip code “directory”. Shortly after that, a noticeable increase in traffic occurred. The traffic bump the week prior to Jan 1 is partly due to a post about local New Year’s Eve events, but there is no question that people are Googling addresses, MLS numbers and “longtail” search terms and landing on the site. Here is a real-time shot of some Sitemeter stats showing where currently on-line visitors landed:
Red arrows indicate visitors landing on dsIDXPress generated pages
This particular mix of visitors landing on normal blog pages and dsIDXPress generated pages holds true pretty much every time I take a peek at the real-time visits.
Of note, these results may not fold true for every user. I’m not an SEO expert, but I do know that TPREG enjoys a fair amount of “Google juice” and authority. I was also the first user of the plugin in Phoenix, so there may be a “first adopter” advantage. There is a legitimate question the release of this plugin poses — what will happen when multiple people in the same market are using it? (See a good discussion of this on Jeff Corbet’s xBroker blog, and the Diverse Solutions blog).
Personally, I feel the real power of this plugin is NOT in getting every listing in your MLS indexed (that won’t happen anyway. I doubt there is a single real estate web site out there with the “juice” or authority for that to happen). The real power comes with building content around indexed IDX pages. I’m in love with the idea of writing a blog post about a particular neighborhood, or type of property, and “embedding” indexable listings into the post. This way, when a user comes by 6 months (or 6 years) after the post is published, they will be presented with live listings at the time of their visit, not from the time the post was written.
That is freaking cool. . .
Garron Selliken
Posted at 21:58h, 30 JanuaryI agree with you Jay. A little first mover advantage then its about good content supplemented with listings where appropriate. Also something to be said for planning our a logical listing structure for both users and google bots.
Ryan Hinricher
Posted at 06:13h, 31 JanuaryJay, thanks for the review. We are looking for new IDX solutions at my company. This one looks pretty strong!
Jay Thompson
Posted at 06:34h, 31 JanuaryRyan – keep in mind that this plugin doesn't really take the place of an IDX search, rather it complements (extremely well) the Diverse Solutions IDX. They have a very good product, and the addition of this plugin sets it apart from most others.
SacramentoBill
Posted at 18:49h, 31 JanuaryIn Sacramento, Metrolist has not yet agreed to allow DS to use this data for this application. There seems to be quite a lot of discussion with our MLS regarding ownership of data and who is at liberty to use it this way.
I was disappointed to learn this. Anyone wanting to use this service should check availability. It is not offered everywhere.
SacramentoBill
Posted at 02:49h, 01 FebruaryIn Sacramento, Metrolist has not yet agreed to allow DS to use this data for this application. There seems to be quite a lot of discussion with our MLS regarding ownership of data and who is at liberty to use it this way.
I was disappointed to learn this. Anyone wanting to use this service should check availability. It is not offered everywhere.
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Posted at 06:37h, 05 February[…] Diverse Solutions releases dsIDXPress WordPress plugin … […]
Hitesh
Posted at 07:30h, 08 JuneGreat plugin! I had it up and running on my website. However, I noticed my WordPress Users plugin was not working properly. When Like was activated it caused my users to appear twice on my members page at tibesar.com/members. When Like was deactivated the members page appeared normal again. Any suggestions please. Thanks again for a great and timely plugin.
cura slabire
Posted at 09:55h, 03 JanuaryI was beeing trying to find the WWW for this info and just wanted to say thanks to u for this post. Also, just off topic, how can i get a version of this theme? – Regards
Graham Ginsberg
Posted at 14:13h, 30 AugustI have had this pluggin on my site for over a year and its been nothing but a problem.
Pages load slow, about 8 to 15 seconds depending on how far away you are from California and the IDX solution has no lead capture.
Both problems mentioned are not a problem with IDX Broker. I have invested thousands of hours with this pluggin, I know it well and at this point, I wish I had used the alternative.
Jonathan Bunn
Posted at 12:33h, 01 NovemberI added this plugin a few months back and I have seen an up tick in traffic as well. However, it sucks in capturing any buyers which is the whole point… at least for me. At some point, this is what it is all about.