the path ahead for property portals
DESCRIPTION
Our presentation at the Property Portal Watch session at Inman August 2009 in San FranciscoTRANSCRIPT
http://www.flickr.com/photos/darwinbell/290744139
Property Portal Watch WorkshopSan Francisco - August 4, 2009
The Path Ahead for Property Portals
Who are we?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jima/243309196/
and many more…
Clients:
We speak with everyone
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23680544@N07
Regularly speak with 50+
portals in many markets,
media sites, etc
Current web thinking
OLD NEW
• Closed• Own the user• Brand• Offline advertising• Size• Pageviews/Display• Profit Driven
• Open• Let the user go• Experience• Word of mouth• Speed• Actions• User first
Topics
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tantek/22778226/
• Is content king?
• Openness?
• At what cost SEO?
• Google?
• New models?
• Print?
Is Content King?
My database is bigger than yours
Is the database a differentiator?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/adesigna/3237575990/
Do users care?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/fun3/417463333/
Maybe bigger isn’t better?
Definition of content has evolved
User Generated Content
Or is it user experience that matters?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/superbomba/3560084221
Discussion
Is database size critical?
How is community/UGC relevant for real estate?
What matters, size or speed?
Yahoo!
Should you let the user leave your site?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cpstorm/140115572/
Who owns the user?
Portal
Estate Agent
Seller
?
Discussion
Is “owning” the user still valid?
Should you let the user leave?
Should you let others in?
Friend or Foe?
Property Portal
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ittybittiesforyou/3528619275
Free!!!!
Free!!!!
Users!!!!
Free????
If Google had to do SEO
http://www.meangene.com/google/google1.html
The Cost of SEO
• time, effort
• expertise required
• lose control over product
• lack of transparency
Discussion
Is relying on SEO healthy?
Is there any alternative?
Should you diversify your sources of traffic?
Is it safe to rely on a potential competitor?
Keeping the users
Keeping the users (2)
Is this the internet users want?
Targeting SMEs
Targeting agents
Google Real Estate
How will Google get users?
“The ascent of Google Maps is a result of the shortcut in the search results on Google. 61% of visits to Google Maps came directly from Google last week.”Heather Hopkins, Hitwise
http://weblogs.hitwise.com/us-heather-hopkins/2009/02/google_maps_edges_closer_to_ma_1.html
The cream rises to the top, right?
Who owns the user?
Portal
Estate Agent
Seller
Current web thinking
• Closed• Own the user• Brand• Offline advertising• Size• Pageviews/Display• Profit Driven
OLD NEW
• Open• Let the user go• Experience• Word of mouth• Speed• Actions• User first
Discussion
Is Google a portal?
Is Google defending the user?
Is Google neutral?
What are the challenges Google Real Estate faces?
What should portals do?
New models?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/35421063@N00/2731757488
Inclusion• flat fee• ex: Yellow Pages
Audience• Pay for audience• ex: newspapers
Performance• results• ex: search
Free• ads• ex: globrix, gumtree
Is free really viable?
Registration
Detail pages
Financial servicesRelated info
Upselling
Adsense
Should you be thinking about performance?
Agents want the users
• Not all agents, but growing number
• Invested in website
• Google trains them with Analytics, Adwords
Migration is hard
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pnoid00/1909096140
What do you sell?
Performance
http://www.flickr.com/photos/al-stan/3093809724/
Branding
http://www.flickr.com/photos/funkyah/455336901/
Discussion
Are new models viable?
What do agents want?
Is it possible for giants to change model?
Print?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bluefootedbooby/352172004
Print is dead
Interview of 1000+ German Estate Agents
00.5
11.5
22.5
33.5
44.5
5
Reach regional audienceReach national audience
Generate leadsBrand building
ROI
Performance
Newspapers
Online Portals
Source: ImmoStudie 2009
Search by id num, from newspaper
Offline and Online
Long live media groups!
Discussion
Is online AND offline more powerful than just online?
Has the window closed for old media?
Why are so many leading players pure online?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/fliegender/236372712
Conclusions
• Content still king, but less so
• Preference better than ownership
• Nothing is free
• New models coming
• Not all print is dead
• Speed is critical
Learn more
We’re here all week. Let’s chat.
http://blog.nestoria.co.uk
Twitter: @nestoria
http://www.flickr.com/photos/foundphotoslj/466722575/
Questions?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/calavera/65098350/