Do Agents Really Need an IDX Site?

Having an agent IDX site puts you in the spotlight.People like to talk about what they know. We know IDX. So indulge us while we talk about the topic that literally powers our livelihood - and possibly yours too.

IDX stands for Internet Data Exchange and enables you to show all of the multi-list’s active listings on your website. It’s been pretty much a standard for broker sites for decades. But right now, more and more agents are leveling up to include IDX on their own website.

Agents having IDX rights is actually brand new in our home market, the West Penn Multi-List. So now we’re fielding a lot of questions about whether or not agents should actually invest in an IDX-powered website.

It’s a fair question because each agent is different. But if you want to make a strong impression and really take control of your own marketing, an IDX site will give you so much more firepower. IDX sites can do a lot for agents, so ask yourself if you want to be able to do any of these things:

Do you want to take control of your marketing?

Agents are independent contractors. At the end of the day, you alone are responsible for your success. Why rely on your broker’s web presence to do you justice? With your own online presence, the power is in your hands. You have the control to ensure that your website is a good reflection of your success, and focuses on you alone.

Do you want to use it as your homebase for emails and ads?

Here’s an example: you just listed a new property. You have three options for emails and ads:

1. Run ads/send emails with no links (wrong answer)

2. Run ads/send emails linking to your broker’s website for more info (wrong answer)

3. Run ads/send emails linking to your website, with your contact info (ding ding ding!)

If you’ve got an email list, don’t you want recipients to click through to your site? When you post online ads, don’t you want them to click right to your contact page? That’s not possible if you’re relying on your broker’s website.

Do you want to keep them in your walls?

When a potential buyer or seller goes to your broker’s site (or worse, Zillow), they can get lost. They may request information from other agents, call the office, or send a contact form submission that goes round-robin to a different agent. It’s hard to guarantee that the lead will be directed to you, even if you originally brought them in. With your own IDX website, every lead goes to you. You bring them in, you keep them.

Do you want to empower your buyers?

With an IDX search on your website, you’ll be able to create a custom search based on your client’s criteria. 2 beds? Check. Off-street parking? Got it. Coveted school district? No problem. A good IDX system will let you run that search, then copy the URL and email it to your client.

Your client can then take the search off of your hands and explore on their own. With the full database of available listings, they’ll be able to tell you which properties they want to see instead of having you do the manual work. This is a great way to empower your clients, but also take some of the stress out of sifting through listings to find “the one.”

Bonus: if you have a feeling that someone is “just looking,” you’ll save a lot of time and energy by sending them to your website instead of getting dragged around to showings.

Do you want to impress your sellers?

Sellers want to make sure their listing is front and center. Of course they want to see it on as many websites as possible, yours especially! 

With the IDX on your website, you can guarantee that your sellers’ listings will be on your site in as little as 15 minutes. You can even include an automatic “My Listings” scroller on the homepage that features your newest properties.

This is a huge selling point for potential sellers who want to make sure you know how to feature their home.

Bottom Line

Investing in IDX is the level-up an agent needs to set him or herself apart. It’ll be a useful tool, a badge of honor, and a demonstration of professionalism you’ll love having at your disposal. Of course, if you’re not ready to commit to IDX, we recommend having a solid website at the very least.