Buyers and sellers check you out online before they call. Your website is where they decide whether you're active, organized and on top of the market. A featured listing that sold months ago, a broken property search or an old headshot sends the opposite message.
We help agents keep their sites current. Here's what we've learned about where real estate websites go stale, and how to stop it.
Featured listings
Keep sold and expired listings in check
Featured listings are often added by hand, which means they're rarely removed. When a property sells, either remove it or clearly mark it as sold. A "Recently sold" section can work well because it shows activity, as long as it's clearly labeled and you follow your brokerage's and MLS's rules on displaying sold data.
Update prices and status quickly
Price reductions and pending status should be reflected on your site promptly. A buyer who calls about a price that's out of date starts the relationship on the wrong foot.
Use good photos and clear details
Each featured listing should have strong photos, a short description, key details and a clear way to ask about it.
IDX and property search
IDX (Internet Data Exchange) lets you display MLS listings on your site, usually through a third-party IDX provider. A few practical points:
- Your IDX provider supplies the feed. Listing data, update frequency and display rules come from your provider and MLS, not your web designer.
- Links and embeds break. When providers update their systems, or when you switch brokerages, search pages and links can stop working. Test your search regularly.
- Check it on mobile. Many IDX tools are embedded in frames that behave differently on phones.
- Know the rules. MLS and brokerage rules often require specific disclaimers and attribution. When you change brokerages, these need updating.
Speed on mobile
Real estate sites are image-heavy, and most visitors are on phones. Large, uncompressed photos are the usual culprit for slow pages.
- Compress images before uploading.
- Limit autoplay videos and heavy sliders on the homepage.
- Test your site on a phone using cellular data.
Your personal brand pages
- Headshot: keep it recent. Clients should recognize you at the showing.
- Bio: update designations, years in business, areas served and your brokerage.
- Contact: phone, email, text and showing-request links should all work with one tap.
- Reviews: link to your real review profiles so visitors can read what clients actually say. Never post reviews you didn't receive.
Local content
Neighborhood guides, market updates and buyer or seller FAQs help visitors and show local expertise. They also tend to age, though, so date your market updates and refresh neighborhood pages periodically. A short monthly market note is often more useful than a long guide that never changes.
Changing brokerages
A brokerage move touches almost every page: logos, disclaimers, contact details, IDX settings, email addresses and sometimes your domain. Make a checklist and work through it the week you move, so nothing old lingers.
A simple upkeep routine
- Weekly: update featured listings (new, price changes, pending, sold).
- Monthly: test your property search, forms and contact links on mobile; post a market update or new local content.
- Quarterly: review your bio, headshot, areas served and Google Business Profile.
- Whenever you change brokerages: run a full site review.
Lead capture that respects visitors
Many agent sites push visitors to register before they can see listings. That can generate leads, but forcing registration too early can also drive people away. Consider letting visitors browse a few listings first, and offer something genuinely useful in exchange for contact details, like a market report or new-listing alerts for a specific neighborhood.
Whatever you choose, make sure the leads actually reach you. Lead forms from IDX tools often send to an email address set up years ago, sometimes one you no longer check. Confirm where inquiries go, and test them.
Common questions from agents
Do I need my own site if my brokerage gives me a page?
A brokerage profile is useful, but you don't control it, and it disappears if you move. Your own site and domain go with you and let you build your personal brand.
How often should I post market updates?
Monthly is a realistic rhythm for most agents. Consistency matters more than length: a short, dated update every month beats a long article once a year.
How KeptWeb helps agents
We keep real estate websites fresh. Send us new listings, price changes and solds, and we update your featured properties. We add and maintain links or embeds from your IDX provider using the access they give you, and we check that your search and contact paths keep working. Our plans also cover monitoring, updates, backups and security.
For agents with frequent changes, our Pro plan ($149/mo) includes up to 10 small edits per month, two blog posts a month and a same-business-day reply target (requests in by 2 pm PT, Mon–Fri). Growth ($99/mo) includes up to four small edits, Google Business Profile updates and a monthly blog post, ideal for market updates. Plans are month-to-month, and you can cancel anytime online or by email. $0 and discounted builds need a 12-month plan.
Learn more about how we help real estate agents and brokers and small edits, or see our website building packages if you need a new agent site.
Ask for our free website review and we'll review your listings, search links and mobile speed. Or see our plans.