Tracking Traffic With Google Analytics

I’m a long way from being a highly acclaimed member of the new technological world; for the most part I’m not particularly interested in every new program, gadget, widget (say, what?) or web site. I’m still learning how to use my new Blackberry and reminding myself why I bother with Facebook and LinkedIn. Really…I feel like I’m always catching up to the curve. About the time I figure out I like something, I’m light years behind. 

There are some tools, however, that I think every agent needs to take advantage of. Google Analytics (www.google.com/analytics) is one of them. If you’re not using this tool, you should be. It’s an amazingly cool tool that tracks where your listings are seen on the internet, whether the viewer started at Windermere.com or from another real estate-related web site, how long the viewer stayed, where (globally!) they were sitting at a computer, how long they stayed and how quickly they left. (By the way, a ‘bounce’ rate is just that…how quickly the person stopped looking at your listing.)

How powerful to be able to use Google Analytics as part of the science of getting a house sold. At the click of a button, you have an amazing array of statistics to help you-and your seller-see who’s looking at their property and whether the viewers are staying long enough to get a feel for it. Are the viewers bouncing off the listing quickly? Most likely the price is too high. Or the house needs some TLC, staging and better photos to justify the price.

Imagine having actual statistics to back up your marketing plan, and a reason to stay in contact with a possibly frustrated seller. Instead of ducking that weekly call because, frankly, you have little to tell them except that the market is still very slow, you now have interesting, and hopefully positive, information to share.

For us Windermere agents, Google Analytics is so easy to set up. One of our Mount Vernon agents, Jamie Yantis, has 17 listings. It took about 20 minutes to set them up the first time. And she’s now got an entire arsenal of information to help her help her sellers examine and quantify how they want to approach getting their properties sold.

All you need to get set up is a Photo Gallery for each listing. Not just photos on the MLS, a Windermere Photo Gallery. If you need help getting set up, check with your office IC. Or call me. I’ve got a great tutorial that will walk you through the process quickly and easily (Thanks, Brian Kayler!).        

 

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