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How to get your appraisal firm
on the Internet
This article was previously published in Appraisal Today (2/99) and was written by Ann
O'Rourke. It is copyrighted. For reprint permission, Contact Us.
An updated article was published in the October, 2003 issue of Appraisal Today.
To see other appraisers' links, go to the Appraiser Links
Page.
We are all bombarded with Web
site addresses - television shows, radio programs, and print advertising. People are
putting their Web sites on their business cards and stationery.
Does it pay off for an appraisal firm? How do people find you on the
Internet?
Why does my company need a Web site?
Will you get any business off the Internet? Most appraisal firms only
get a few jobs, if any, directly off their Web sites. The only appraisal firm I know that
gets many jobs off the Internet is Ken Rossman's at www.quickval.com, who markets to the
public, not lenders.
The most likely leads and assignments will come from private
individuals for estate, sale, PMI removal, etc.
So why have a Web site? Public relations. It shows you're keeping up to
date. If a client sees your Web site on a business card, Yellow Page ad, or a brochure,
they can get more information without having to make a phone call or wait for a fax or
snail mail.
Per "impression" or people who view your site, a Web site is
relatively cheap. As compared with a brochure or print advertising, updating it is
inexpensive and it is "always on."
You probably send out lots of qualifications and resumes to prospective
clients. Instead, they could read your qualifications on your Web site, saving both of you
time and money.
Step 1 - get a domain name
A domain name is like an 800 number. You own it and can use it when you
move. For example, if you have your Web site on AOL, if you want to quit AOL you have to
change your Web site address. If you have your own domain name, for example
smithappraisal.com, you can move your Web site whenever you like.
If you have an account with an Internet Service Provider (ISP), you can
get your own domain name. Do it now, so you get it before someone else does. Until your
Web site is up, you can use it for email. I only use appraiz.com for email, not for a Web
site.
To see if your domain name is taken, go to rs.internic.net.
You can do the registration yourself, but it is complicated. I
recommend having your ISP do it, for a nominal fee, say $20 to $50. The cost is an
up-front $100 for two years of registration. Get a domain name ending in .com if possible.
Other domains will be available soon (i.e., .shop) but .com is the most widely recognized.
Step 2 - look at other appraisers' Web sites
I am always surprised at how much time and money companies spend on Web
sites without spending little, is any, time looking at other sites.
Two Web sites have lists of appraiser sites, with ratings.
• Go to www.pikenet.com and search for
appraisal (largest list), appraiser, and appraisers. For unknown reasons, the lists are
different!
• Go to www.ired.com and search for
appraisal, then click on Appraisals, International Real Estate Directory to go to a long
list of appraiser sites, with ratings.
• Go to www.yahoo.com and search for
"appraisal" or "appraisers"
Try using a search engine to see if you can find local appraisal firms.
However, many don't show up! Make sure that yours shows up on the first page after all
your work and expense.
Bookmark and make notes on which sites you liked and didn't like. You
can use this list to find a Web site designer and to help the designer know the
"look" you want.
Step 3 - decide what you want on your site
After you have looked at other appraisers' Web sites, you'll have a
pretty good idea of what you want.
First decide your goal: get nonlender clients, general
"brochure" site, etc.
Do you want to emphasize the experience of your staff, or where you
work? Do you want to provide information about appraising? Do you want links to other
sites, such as in your local community or appraisal associations? Do you want some fun
stuff, company photos, etc.? Do you want your clients to be able to print out order forms
or send appraisal requests?
The "basics" should be on your Web site:
• Your name, address, email address, and phone number (You'd be surprised how many
Web sites don't have this basic information)
• Where you accept assignments
• The type of assignments you accept
• The rest of the usual resume/brochure material
• No typos or grammatical errors!
I strongly recommend some different non-appraisal stuff, such as a
photograph or information on local sights to see in your city, your hobbies or
non-appraisal interests, or a joke or two. Be creative! Why do I recommend this? Your site
will be remembered long after a visitor leaves.
I recently gave an Internet presentation to my local appraisal
organization chapter. I was surprised how many had Web sites. A few I saw were:
• www.landmarkappraisal.com has
a quiz page for famous landmarks. Designed by a spouse (professional graphic designer) and
coded for under $2,000.
• www.mannappraisals.com has a photo
of the owner holding a big, long fish (She's an avid fisher.) The cost of the original
site was around $1,800.
• www.hulberg.com has a joke page (A new
site. Still waiting for the joke!)
- www.scottappraisal.com - a newsletter
with some fun personal stuff
- www.appraisenow.com and www.grifway.com - basic "resume" sites,
but well done by local Web designers for around $500.
Who should design your Web site?
Speaking from the experience of someone who has been "working
on" a Web site for over two years, I don't recommend doing your own site. If you do
it yourself, there is a high probability that:
1. It will never get done, and/or
2. It will be ugly and have technical problems, and/or
3. It will never be updated.
If someone in your office is an Internet techie and you want to
"do it yourself" there are many Web site (HTML) editors to use. I use Microsoft
FrontPage, which is easy to use and has very good site management feature as I have a
large site. If you are using Word, you can easily import pages. However, my site must be
hosted on a computer that has the FrontPage extensions (special programs) which can be a
hassle.
I did my own publishing site because it is very large (over 100 pages)
and is continuously updated. The price I paid was taking way too long to get it up, plus a
very boring layout (I will jazz it up later with a graphic designer's help), plus turning
down some big commercial appraisal assignments to make the time!
How to find a Web site designer
When you're looking at Web sites, see who designed the ones you like.
Contact the designer and ask for a list of references. View the Web sites of the
references and contact them.
Web designers are a combination of designer and computer
"programmer." Because the Web is so new, many "designers" don't have
design schooling and training, but instead learned on their own. There is nothing wrong
with this, it just means you have to carefully check their work before hiring them. They
also vary widely in their computer ability and experience.
A designer with experience in designing appraisal Web sites can work
well, as appraisal Web sites tend to be very similar and the designer doesn't have to
"reinvent the wheel."
Here's some tips from Eric Lee, a Web site designer in Alameda, Calif,
who spoke to a group of appraisers recently.
• Check out their own Web site. Do they have their own domain name? What impression
do you get from their site?
• Look at their portfolio (sites they have designed)
Be wary if they:
• Are reluctant to provide a listing of sites designed
• No website of their own
• Upfront pricing without knowing the details
• If they know less than you do, run!
You can use a designer anywhere in the world, communicating via email.
How to work with a Web site designer
I have worked with five or six professionally trained print graphics
designers in my publishing business. Each one was different. I learned to provide all the
content (text and images) and be very specific about what I wanted emphasized. Then let
the designer "do their own thing" when doing the layout. The only problem I had
with a few was inability to meet deadlines, so I only used them once.
I provided "story boards" or a thumbnail of each page with
what content I wanted on it. The designer did the layout.
Appraisers (and others) I have spoken with who had problems mentioned
that the designer didn't start it, didn't finish it, the cost was too high, had difficulty
communicating with the designer, etc. Be sure to check with their references and be very
clear what you want.
What are the limitations of Web site design?
As compared with print, there are many limitations on Web pages:
• HTML coding limitations
• Different "rendering" or viewing by different browsers and monitors
• Bandwidth and time constraints for downloading onto your visitor's computers
Putting a Web page on the Internet has many more limitations than a
paper document. For example, this newsletter could be put up "as is" on a Web
site, but would be hard to set up and read because of the three column formatting. The
pages would break differently, depending on your browser and screen. It could be put up as
an image, but then would take too long to download and read. In other words, formatting is
limited. When you view a Web page on your computer, it probably looks slightly different
than on mine.
Images are a big problem, as they must be made small enough to download
fast, otherwise visitors will just click the stop button and move to anther site.
How can I get information about a Web site?
You can see when a page was last updated, the HTML coding, etc. In
Netscape, use View, then click on Page Source for the coding, and Page Info for dates,
image sizes, etc. You can also sometimes see which HTML editor was used.
In Internet Explorer, use View, then Source.
What will it cost?
Prices vary from $200 to tens of thousands of dollars for an appraisal
company Web site. For a simple Web site, with 3 to 5 pages, the cost should be under $500.
The more the designer does, the higher the cost. Factors to keep costs
down include:
• Writing and editing your own content
• Content in electronic format. Email is good, but a disk is okay
• Decide as much as possible ahead of time and the fewer the changes the lower the
cost
• Not too many custom graphics
• Limited, or no, programming, except for simple forms
If the designer has to write and edit the content, make a lot of
changes, design many custom graphics, and set up special features requiring programming,
the costs will increase.
What about maintenance?
Have an agreement with your designer about any changes you want made to
your site. Appraisal company sites tend to be pretty "static." Even if the
company plans on making changes, somehow they don't get made. Hopefully, you'll be
different, adding some new content. At a minimum, be sure you make any personnel or
address changes!!
You should plan on a "rework" of your site after a few years,
so that it stays "fresh" as Web site trends change fairly quickly.
Navigation - getting around on your site
Have you ever clicked on a link to a page somewhere in a Web site that
didn't tell you how to get to the home page, or any other page? Make it easy as possible
for visitors to get around your site, with links on each page, if only a link to your home
page.
Linking back to the home page is a "no brainer" and should be
on every page in your site. Links between pages takes more time and thought. Coding the
links is easy. Planning them is hard.
How to make sure viewers can find your Web site
Of the five appraisal firm Web sites listed above, I could only find
www.scottappraisal.com by using a search engine and searching for "appraisal in
Fresno." How did I know about the other sites? They are all members of my local
appraisal chapter and I had their email addresses!
If you're in Atlanta you want to be sure that your Web site comes up on
the first page of listings. If some one
types, "appraisers in Atlanta," for
example, you want your Web site to be in the first ten sites listed. Accomplishing this
can be somewhat difficult, as how search engines index and categorize pages changes over
time.
Here's some ways to get noticed:
• List your site with many search engines. Preferably do it yourself, at least on the
largest ones, so you can be sure to give them the information they need. Alternatively,
you can use one of the free or fee based services available on the Internet
• Make sure you have a description and metatags with the appropriate words for your
site on your home page. For example, keywords could be real estate appraisal in Atlanta,
Atlanta appraisal, Atlanta appraiser, etc. If you specialize in mobile home parks, you
could have "mobile home park appraisals."
• Have a good description on each page.
• After you have registered your site, be sure to check if the search engines are
finding it.
To see what metatags an appraisal site uses, in Netscape, click on
View, then Page Source. Near the top of the page should be "keywords" followed
by the keywords for the site, and "description" followed by a description of the
site. In Internet Explorer, use View, then Source.
How to publicize your Web site
Surprisingly, print media is one of the best ways to let everyone know
about your site.
Ways to get the word out include putting your Web address:
• On all business cards, letters, brochures, etc.
• In any appraiser directories, with a link, such as the Appraisal Institute
directory
• On any handouts when giving a speech
• In any advertising, such as Yellow Pages or legal directories
Where to get more information
There are many sites on design and getting your site notice by search
engines. A few good ones are www.useit.com , www.searchenginewatch.com , and www.builder.com .
Go online and see what is out there. Just do it!
Many thanks to Eric Lee, principal of atomicstudios in Alameda, Calif for his help on this
article. Eric is an unusual combination of a Web site designer with professional design
training who is also good with computers! Check him out at www.atomicstudios.com .
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