Google levels the playing field

Google levels the playing field

There has never been a better time to invest in updating your own website. With Google Base giving the Real Estate portals a run for their money, you could be driving web traffic to your own site without the need for a middle-man. Story by James Rubulis.

"Remember almost 83% of householders now use the internet as an information source when shopping locally for products and services!"

A massive shake-up in the online Real Estate industry has local agents scrambling to re-invent their own websites thanks to the launch of Google Base in Australia in July, a free Real Estate search mapping tool.

In essence, Google Base allows agents, franchise groups and portals to avoid going through middle-men like realestate.com.au (REA) and domain.com.au and upload their listings direct to Google Maps for absolutely no cost.

And while it’s not essential to have a website in order to do this (Homehound, for example, has already uploaded its clients’ listings onto Google Base), the best way to maximise the benefits on offer is for agents to direct traffic back to their own well-set-up, independent websites. Of course these websites need to be compatible with Google Base tools (in order to bulk upload current listings) and some research and training is required to get the whole process up and running smoothly, but in the scheme of things it’s not a bad trade-off.  Remember, almost 87% of Australian homebuyers now use the internet to research properties and most of these probably opt for Google as their starting point.

 In fact, some Google Base users are reporting up to double the amount of traffic visiting their own free listings and website in comparison to their paid listings on Real Estate portals. This has prompted many Real Estate agencies to rethink their future marketing strategies with some, like the Ray White Group opting to sell their complete shareholding in the REA Group (News Corp has also allegedly decided not to invest further in the same company).

No doubt many agents reading this article are now shaking their heads and wondering, “Why did I invest so much of my time and money listing my properties with a middle-man instead of investing it in my own website dominance?” The obvious answer – at the time there was no other choice. Online Real Estate marketing giants have for many years capitalised on the money flowing in from the industry to strengthen their own position in Google at the expense of a Real Estate agent’s own website. It’s a catch 22 situation – the big sites buy Google traffic cheap using an agent’s own money and then sell it back to them at a massive profit, thereby increasing their dependence on them!

So how does Google Base level the playing field for the smaller operator? Basically anyone looking for a home can now go to Google and type in “real estate” and the city or suburb location and be presented with a Google Map link detailing the most relevant individual listings with thumbnail pictures, pins and pop-ups at each location and links to more comprehensive information as well as the agent’s own website.

The upshot is that Google Base results will eventually feature above the results of the big marketing portals like REA and Domain in an internet search and put the emphasis back on the agent’s own website and free listings.

“We know that many Australian home buyers already use Google Maps to help their house-buying and renting decisions, especially driving directions and Street View, and by making Real Estate listings available right in Google Maps we can drive qualified buyers directly to listings,” says Andrew Foster, product manager of Google.

While some worry that Google will, in the near future, start charging for their listings once they get everyone on board (thereby fuelling a new wave of co-dependency), the outcome seems unlikely given Google’s current business model and that fact that its own blogsite states:- “We don’t charge for photos or offer featured listings. We believe buyers just want to see the home that fits them best... and providers shouldn’t have to pay to show it to them.”