Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

Following the recommendations of HDean, here is my request for critique of my recently hosted website, www.AgentValet.com

The site represents a re-branding  of www.verustar.com, my previous venture. Verustar was successful, however it was required that I re-brand due to partnership complications. (An amicable parting, fortunately!)

I am open to change and happy receive any and all criticism that will help me improve my site. My goal is not to show off. I only want results.

AgentValet is a service provided to the sellers of real estate who want to maximize the service and results that they receive from the real estate professional(s) representing them. We target the sellers of all kinds for real estate from homes, to raw land, to industrial buildings, to ranches and more.

Our target market is the owners of real estate who are contemplating a sale. We also receive business from advisors such as divorce attorneys, CPA’s, Estate Planning Attorneys etc. Sellers and these advisors are also our target audience for our website.

Our core service is the identification, introduction and relationship management of the real estate agent/broker who is deemed most likely to achieve the goals of the customer while delivering the highest in customer service standards.  Essentially, we spend 3 days performing a comprehensive “due diligence” which includes analyzing sales performance data, interviewing the top agents, interviewing the agents’ recent clients, verifying credentials etc. Our service is completed on demand for each customer. The unique needs of the customer and the location, price range, property type are all taken into consideration so that a perfect match is made. We then introduce the agent/broker to the customer. The customer is under no obligation to contract with the broker/agent however, because of our high standards show through, they almost always hire the referred agent. Once the property in on the market, we monitor the customer-agent relationship. Each week, we contact both the customer and the agent to insure that the customer is satisfied and that the agent is following through.

The purpose of our website is to convert sellers (and/or their advisors) to customers. We attract the visitors to our site through pay-per-click advertising and other online and offline strategies. Our visitors come in knowing that we are in the business of matching them to great agents for the sale of their property. They are NOT necessarily aware of all that we go through to insure their satisfaction. Our “competitors” sell leads to agents. They refer only those agents that have signed up with them. We find the very best based upon the customer’s unique needs and specific property. Our challenge is to convey this message and demonstrate the relative value.

The site was designed by me in collaboration with a professional web design firm. I gave the idea, theme, and content, they took it form there. I put about 50 hours into the project including writing and editing all the content.

I have retained an SEO firm that is about to begin their initial analysis for search engine optimization.

Please visit www.AgentValet.com (No relationship to HDean’s downloadvalet.com who posts on this site. The name similarity is pure coincidence.)

 

Thank you.

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When Selling Real Estate, always get the most for your property. Identifying the best agent for your specific property and your unique needs is vital. Selection of an agent must include interviewing local, top producing agents and their recent clients, analyzing their sales performance, verifying their credentials, and more. AgentValet does this at no cost or obligation. Visit www.AgentValet.com.

How do you get agents into your roster?

Craig,

If you reviewed my site and you have that question, then that`s the first bit of very valuable feedback for me!

I will get back to you via email and then post for all to see later. First I would like to see if others are left with the same question before I make it public.

Do you have any suggestions?

Thank you!

 

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When Selling Real Estate, always get the most for your property. Identifying the best agent for your specific property and your unique needs is vital. Selection of an agent must include interviewing local, top producing agents and their recent clients, analyzing their sales performance, verifying their credentials, and more. AgentValet does this at no cost or obligation. Visit www.AgentValet.com.

I don`t like the arrow button. I think it`s the English that is bothering me.
FREE, takes 45 seconds, START HERE.

The fixed height with scrollbars on the page is bothering me. I can`t use the double-finger-trackpad scroll on it. Plus, your page still scrolls on my monitor, and the inside thing scrolls - so it might as well have been a real page without the weird scroll.

Your page titles don`t make great sense and aren`t Google-friendly.

The Tell-a-Friend button seems like an afterthought - thrown in.

Your blog should be branded instead of the WordPress default.
Speaking of branding, it feels like the site lacks it. It`s just whitewashed ... like nothing noteworthy there.

The URLs are not Google-friendly. They are better off being something like blah-blah-service.php, not sub_page.php?id=25

Your marketing needs a bit of work. Do I really care if you invest 3 full days, 1, or 20? No, I just want the job done. This is unnecessary information.

You need something more than "logo" in the header. Google doesn`t read images, so it can`t even see your company name.

Sorry if some of this is confusing - let me know and I can explain it better.
I know you were trying to launch this thing after our prior discussions, so I`m just trying to give you all the info I can.

Nikole,

Wow. Thanks for the thoughtful critique. I really appreciate the time that you took to review the site and make the comments. I have a couple of follow-up questions and comments:

Up until your feedback, I have had only positive comments on the Start button. Positive comments are not nearly as good as critical ones, for sure. What do you ( and others in the forum) think would be an improvement to this button?

So, do you think the inner pages should not have the center scroll? My concern was that when a visitor scrolled down a long page, the buttons would no longer be showing.

Regarding the "google friendly titles, etc., I am awaiting analysis from the SEO firm that I original contracted with (and have already paid!) I suspect that their recommendations will address these issues.

What specifically do you think I can do to brand the blog?

I was going for a clean look. But I certainly did not want a "whitewashed" look. You make a great point. I suspect that I`ll need a design pro to help with this.

Regarding what we do, that is specifically what sets us apart from our "competition". I can say we refer the best, but that is what everyone says. IN our experience, it is those points that bonded our customer to us. Maybe, this info is misplaced. If you, as a property seller only care about the result, specifically, what result do you want (I`ll need a claim that is different from the hundreds of thousands of agents that promise to get your property sold fast, for more money, with great service.) More importantly, what claim would draw you, as someone considering the hire of an agent to sell your property, to fill out our request form?

You got it. The tell-a-friend WAS an afterthought. I put it in after hearing a suggestion on a SuN podcast that there be one on every page of the site. Is there a functional problem with it looking like an afterthought or is it just aesthetics, or do you think it makes the site and my company look unsubstantial. Any suggestions on how I can improve it would be great. 

Your feedback was not at all confusing. It`s very helpful to know what does not work. Some ideas on improvement would be excellent.

For the rest of the forum participants, critical feedback such as Nikole’s is most welcomed. What points did she make that you agree with? Are there any that you disagree with? Do you have any suggestions as to what might be better.

My site was a collaboration between myself and a design firm. I have not budgeted for a complete redesign, so for now I`ll have to make piecemeal improvements. Unfortunately, I think that I`ve reached my personal limit as far as competence and creativity in web design, so any specific suggestions from any would be most welcome!

Thank You.

 

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When Selling Real Estate, always get the most for your property. Identifying the best agent for your specific property and your unique needs is vital. Selection of an agent must include interviewing local, top producing agents and their recent clients, analyzing their sales performance, verifying their credentials, and more. AgentValet does this at no cost or obligation. Visit www.AgentValet.com.

I think maybe the bit about how quick it is should go above, and the start button only says "Get Started Now >>"
Like

It`s fast and free!
Get Started Now >>

I still have to scroll now to see your bottom nav. I think the middle scroll makes people think of the days of frames.

I think the SEO will and should address all the page titles.

I think the tell a friend is good ... just needs better integration.

I just think that 3 days doesn`t matter. I don`t care about the length of time, only that you will get it done and get it done right. At least that`s my opinion on it.

In any case ... I have to cut this short because I have a toddler to go pick up! I`ll check back later and see if there`s anything else I can add.

Thanks Nikole. That`s excellent help.

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When Selling Real Estate, always get the most for your property. Identifying the best agent for your specific property and your unique needs is vital. Selection of an agent must include interviewing local, top producing agents and their recent clients, analyzing their sales performance, verifying their credentials, and more. AgentValet does this at no cost or obligation. Visit www.AgentValet.com.

Having your PM was helpful, and because you took the time, I thought I`d go back to the site and evaluate it from a critique perspective this time.

Regarding your logo, one thing you could immediately do it put an Alt-Text property tag with your company name. Yes, those are supposed to display the text message IF the image fails, but everyone knows the image didn`t load and could care less why. Instead, use it for USEful information, like your name. So the Alt-Text property would be "Agent Valet, finding you the best real estate agent." or something along those lines. Google then will read the image text, anyway.

I read your mission statement:

It`s a bit too "jargony," I think. Not to mention the typo and grammar issue. So how about:
This part isn`t a mission statement, it`s an argument as to why your company is different. Ergo, it should go under sales, not mission. Personally, I think that given the awkwardness of the language, you`d be better to just drop it entirely.

Also, watch it on the hyperbole. :-)
(Unh-hunh....right.....thousands?) And again here (seems to be a pattern in your lead paragraphs...
Who says that? "Activating...." a service?

You`re going into a lot of "big" discussion about 1 step (sign up), how easy this is, what a breeze, and so forth. But then you have this heading:

Yikes! 18 steps? I`m tired already! :-D And besides, what if you take 19 steps, or should I pay attention in case you only take 17 steps? Why not just say, "Here`s what we offer," then list bullet points of the main 5.

I think during the sales presentation in a phone call, you can bring up the many things you intend to do. But otherwise, bullet 5 and put the rest into a FAQ on its own page. Better yet, write a nice summary of each of the 18 steps in the "How it Works" page.

Right now that page tells me there`s a simple form. But I`m still hung up on those 18 steps...even though I don`t have to do them...YOU`re going to. :-) I`m with Nikole on this....so what? I don`t care, and it reminds me of Bill Clinton telling us that he`s "worked harder than he ever did in his life." So?

When you toss in "Concierge," that makes no sense at all. The word you`re looking for is "Ombudsman." A concierge goes out and gets your pants pressed while you`re waiting for a contract to show up on the FAX machine. Since few people really know the term ombudsman, maybe you might change it to "Mediation" or "Moderator" or "Monitor."

I`m not interested in your pledge, either. I got that from the Mission Statement, and to have a whole menu tab dedicated to your "saying" you`re going to really really work hard....well, so what? :-) Just delete it, in my opinion. If you can`t come across professional, elegant, and sincere in all the other content on your page, a "pledge" isn`t going to do anything. Now a Guarantee....THAT would be something!

The whole "Compare" tab also makes no sense. Compare what? Another valet or selection company? I didn`t know they existed in the first place, and found this site. All I want to know is what`s so good about THIS site. I don`t want to be led off the site to now go find lots of other guys doing what you`re doing, maybe for a better price, who`ve been around longer, or whatever.
More info didn`t give me more info. It just gave me more spiel. I`d either remove this tab or actually give me more info. One example would be some links to news or magazine reports discussing how these "valet" services for sellers and buyers make a real difference in today`s market. Or, you could use it as a FAQ page.

The blog text font could be larger. On my 19" LCD I could hardly read it. My guess is you`re using a point-size reference, or % reference. Instead, make it "small" and you`ll find that comes across well on just about any screen...at least in my experience.

The content in the blog wasn`t interesting, so I read a bit, then blew it off. However, I rarely find any blogs interesting, other than a few here and there regarding subjects personally interesting to my hobbies or lifestyle.

Yes, I get the idea that having a blog is the Magic Bullet and will instantly push you to page 1 of search-engine results pages. Maybe. Okay...probably not. Having readable, interesting CONTENT in a blog or on a site, in a magazine, or in a book....THAT might make you move up to page 1.

All in all, Nikole (known for her brevity) says it all in her own post. It`s a basic site, doesn`t stand out, has little "branding," and isn`t persuasive.

Immediate fix (low budget) would be to take a piece of paper, put a heading something like "We`ll do this for you!" and "We promise this to you!". Then go through every page and put tick-marks for each time you see one of these references.

Then, count them up, divide by 4, and remove 75% of those references. Replace them with something that you *offer* instead! Not what YOU do "to" me, but what "I GET" from buying into your service. :-) That would definitely help on the branding side, I suspect.

Based on your PM, I took a look at the Verustar site, to get some comparision. Quite a different look and feel..!

On the Verustar site, I immediately get a listing of what exactly is being offered, what I get out of it. There`s a clean and elegant feel to the Verustar site, where the AgentValet site actually looks empty...not sparse.

The Verustar site *instantly* gets me thinking about top 1% of agents, and "no obligation" (free). AgentValet doesn`t say much of anything on the home page, and certainly not in the direct way Verustar does.

I get on Verustar, an immediate understanding of "competition," and what that means. The table on the lower half is very clear, and also has me thinking about analyzing "area agents." It shows me that there are "oversight" companies to whom even real estate agents have to "report to," and that can hold agents accountable to some degree.

I think what I`m seeing is that a real estate agent/broker seems to be entirely maverick. They report to nobody, can`t be held accountable for their time and effort, only the legal obligations, and they do what they feel like doing. Sort of like a musical agent, a booking agent, publishing agent, etc.

An "agent" has only their reputation. But even with that, there isn`t any national or regional ethics committee, that I`m aware of. It`s not like a lawyer who can be threatened with disbarrment. However, Verustar seems to produce a direct and immediate feeling that "If you`re not happy with how your agent is selling your property, we can help." They "feel" as if they can actually do something about potential dissatisfaction.

AgentValet is saying "We`re great, and we promise we`re great." But that`s all. Nothing concrete or specific.

Verustar has three trademarked processes. They may be bogus, for all I know, but at least they "seem" long-term, legitimate, and important. THEN come the standards. AgentValet is just saying we`re great, and we promise to be great. :-) Y`know?

All in all, Verustar seems to have a real product, where AgentValet doesn`t seem to have such a product. That`s not a comment on reality, it`s a comment on *impressions* from looking at the two Web sites.

Hi
I have two graphic issues:

1. As soon as your site begins to load, i get a small window from "Adobe Flash 9" that says "Where is the debugger or host application running?" I think the reason I`m getting this window is because i have the Flash (creation) Program installed.  When a .swf file is created there is a setting that says "allow debugging", you want this set to OFF, My best guess.
2. Your (AgentValet) logo has a bad case of the jaggies. Artsy  fartsy types, like me, lock on to a bad logo like a deer in headlights.