Showing Off Some Green Site's on St. Patricks Day!

Green occupies more space in the spectrum visible to the human eye than most colors, and is second only to blue as a favorite color. Green is the pervasive color in the natural world, making it an ideal backdrop in interior design because we are so used to seeing it everywhere.The natural greens, from forest to lime, are seen as tranquil and refreshing, with a natural balance of cool and warm (blue and yellow) undertones. Green is considered the color of peace and ecology. However, there is an “institutional” side to green, associated with illness and government-issued green cards, that conjures up negative emotions, as do the “slimy” or “bilious” greens.

Read more at: http://www.sensationalcolor.com/color-meaning/color-meaning-symbolism-psychology/all-about-the-color-green-4309#.VQht0Y55L1I

Did you know that the color green occupies more space on the color spectrum than any other color? It is second to blue in being a favorite color. Green soothes, relaxes mentally and even helps with anxiety. So in honor of St. Patrick's Day we thought it would be fun to highlight a few green-themed sites from our clients and pass on some "green" love!

In web design, color theory is essential to branding your website and creating the most effective atmosphere for your brands messaging. The color green displays positivity and it can give users the feeling of calm and optimism. Businesses use green to exude success and stability.

1. Phillip & Ryan Real Estate Services

Phillip & Ryan Real Estate Services website is set up on LinkURealty's vertical design. The bold use of green and complimenting images give their company site a very professional and inviting environment.

Beyond the color green is the site's easy to use design with all the essential elements for a successful real estate website. Some include:

• Home search bar utilizing IDX, front and center for prospective buyers
• Access to the company's blog
• Instant Home Value Field for prospective sellers
• Social Media icons 
• A contact form that is inviting and easy to spot.

 2. Johnson & Mussman Properties

Johnson & Mussman Properties uses LinkURealty's versatile Spectra design. This site uses imagery to captivate it's audience.  The primary color choice of black with an subtle accent of green displays a very modern and sleek design. This home page nicely displays 6 easy to use and understand buttons to help viewers find the information they are looking for. These include:

• Search Homes button for buyers
• Home Value Request button for Sellers
• Featured Properties button
• Pre-qualify button for potential buyers
• About button to highlight the companies bio
• A contact button so interested buyers or sellers have an easy way to reach out to the business

These are just two green examples of great real estate websites created here at LinkURealty. Hey maybe you're considering using green on your site! Or maybe not, but hopefully this was a fun way to look at real estate web designs and it left you feeling excited about your own new design and color scheme!

Need a real estate website? Be sure to visit us at linkurealty.com. We'd love to help!

Green occupies more space in the spectrum visible to the human eye than most colors, and is second only to blue as a favorite color. Green is the pervasive color in the natural world, making it an ideal backdrop in interior design because we are so used to seeing it everywhere.The natural greens, from forest to lime, are seen as tranquil and refreshing, with a natural balance of cool and warm (blue and yellow) undertones. Green is considered the color of peace and ecology. However, there is an “institutional” side to green, associated with illness and government-issued green cards, that conjures up negative emotions, as do the “slimy” or “bilious” greens.

Read more at: http://www.sensationalcolor.com/color-meaning/color-meaning-symbolism-psychology/all-about-the-color-green-4309#.VQht0Y55L1I

Green occupies more space in the spectrum visible to the human eye than most colors, and is second only to blue as a favorite color. Green is the pervasive color in the natural world, making it an ideal backdrop in interior design because we are so used to seeing it everywhere.The natural greens, from forest to lime, are seen as tranquil and refreshing, with a natural balance of cool and warm (blue and yellow) undertones. Green is considered the color of peace and ecology. However, there is an “institutional” side to green, associated with illness and government-issued green cards, that conjures up negative emotions, as do the “slimy” or “bilious” greens. How The Color Green Affects Us Physically Soothes Relaxes mentally, as well as physically Helps alleviate depression, nervousness, and anxiety Offers a sense of renewal, self-control, and harmony

Read more at: http://www.sensationalcolor.com/color-meaning/color-meaning-symbolism-psychology/all-about-the-color-green-4309#.VQht0Y55L1I

5 Must-Haves for the Best Real Estate Website

 So you walk the walk and talk the talk, you’re a real estate agent in all aspects of the definition, but you’re needing something more. Something that will give you a leg up on your competitors and will give you the professionalism and efficiencies you need to market yourself and gain more leads. Working on a dynamic website and rock solid online presence is what’s next on your crazy, busy agenda. When you finally find the time in between phone calls, appointments and reports to either reevaluate your site or sketch out the blue prints, consider these top 5 must-haves on your real estate website.

1. Add Updated and Useful Content – Key word here is “useful”

You want to show potential clients how you specifically work in the local area and are familiar with the different neighborhoods and current rates of properties. Show them you are the “expert” in so-in-so city. Post videos, images, and a have a section for frequently asked questions so visitors can become familiar with who you are and the city that you represent. As an added bonus to your online marketing, great content lead to great search engine optimization.

2. Invite Visitors to Submit Their Info

If the main purpose of your website is to increase your business, make sure you allow visitors to submit their information on your home page. Make it easy by creating a simple form that they can fill out.  We did say “simple” by the way, don’t load the form with anything you can’t later collect over the phone or in person. Maybe give them an option of signing up for local market data or invite them to receive an e-mail newsletter with information on the industry and updates on your listings. Show value to your knowledge and expertise. 

3. IDX Search Bar in the Spotlight

One of the easiest ways to capture the attention of your visitors is to provide a quick search option for them to search local listings right on your home page. Take this concept a step further and add a quick search to all pages of your website so that no matter where they go they have quick and easy access to get to listing information. Give clients what they want to see and make it simple for them to see it. They want an easy search option with lots of added features and the ability to see all the listings in their area. They want the ability to customize their search, save listings, search by map, and receive e-mail notifications on the homes they are most interested in. With a premium IDX option you will gain leads from the users that create an account using your IDX. Having a fully integrated IDX on your site can turn your site into a lead generating machine…don’t miss out on this feature on your website.

4. Offer an Organized Layout

Avoid having a cluttered and overwhelming layout, which will make it difficult for potential clients to navigate the website and get the information that they're looking for. Make it concise, to the point, and easy to read. Just remember, when building a real estate website and working to promote your business, it's important to offer a clear format that is easy to navigate for visitors. Engrain in your brain “simple is better”. 

5. Include Links

To have a website that is dimensional and offers a variety of useful content and resources, you'll need to include links to other pages of the site. Make sure your navigation menu is clear and well planned out with links to only relevant information. Put yourself in the viewer’s seat and imagine the flow of navigation. You can add links to keywords and important items that lead them to the information they need from within the content of your site.

Although it's important to have a website that is professional and easy to use for visitors, it's even more important to build a platform that can also work as a lead generating machine. When the machine is built right, your next step is to dive into the world of all things online marketing. There is a lot to it and it will take time, but the benefits reaped will be well worth it. And when your website is working for you, you will be able to focus on what you loved most about being a realtor in the first place. If you lack the luxury of time, there are many applications and full-service marketing companies that can help you navigate through the trenches of website development and online marketing…hey, there’s LinkU!

Client Spotlight: MyPerfectTexasHome.com

Welcome to the LinkU Client spotlight portion of our blog where we will be featuring a LinkU client who we feel has taken their website to the next level. The idea of this series is to provide inspiration, ideas, and insight for those who are looking to get more out of their current efforts.

Our first client spotlight is Rebecca Wooten of Spencer Properties and LinkU Client of 10 Years!! Her beautiful signature series website helps set Rebecca apart from the rest. The full width style of her website not only showcases all the important features right up front but it also makes it extremely user friendly.

We asked Rebecca a few questions, here’s what she had to say:

1. How long have you been using LinkURealty? 

Since 2004!!!

2. Did you have a website prior to LinkURealty? If so, with who? 

I have used godaddy when building "other" sites but prefer LinkU!!!

3. Why did you choose LinkURealty for your real estate website? 

My very first job in Austin was working as a secretary for a broker downtown. Little did I know I was in training on how to be a Realtor! I spent many hours talking on the phone with Jason and attending several LinkU online training sessions. After working for several different agents and brokers I ended up starting my own real estate company, Pure Designs and became a re-seller for LinkURealty. Long story short God's plan for me all along was to be right where I am at now...I give all of the credit to Him...

4. What other LinkURealty services do you use? 

I have all of the bells and whistles (hosting, premium IDX, SEO & marketing), but the service that I appreciate the most is the marketing service with JOHN!! When I have an idea or question he’s always quick to respond with a knowledgeable answer. Thanks to John my website looks AWESOME and most importantly functions!

5. What features do you feel are the most important to provide on your website? 

The quick search feature and the ability for my clients to save their searches and sign up for email alerts. I also really like the registration feature that requires a client to register after viewing so many properties which allows me to collect email addresses and ultimately more leads.

Employee Spotlight: Danny Valdez

Danny Valdez

Our greatest strength here at LinkU is the people that serve on our team. In August, we had our company quarterly meeting and handed out awards to some of our *star* employees for the quarter. The special thing about these awards, is that they are nominated by their peers. There is no better way to know who the shining stars of the team are then asking the team itself. By pointing a spotlight on each of the winners, we hope you get to know them and our company culture a little bit more.

Danny Valdez a.k.a. "The Little Designer of LinkU" is a Senior Designer at LinkU. Danny received an award for "Above and Beyond" at LinkU. The "Above and Beyond" award is awarded to the employee who truly goes above and beyond their job description to provide our clients the best product and service. Danny has been with LinkU since its humble beginnings and has had a pivotal role in making LinkU what it is today. Please meet Danny....

Give me a little info on you. Where you grew up? What did you enjoy as a kid?

I grew up in San Jacinto, California, a rural/suburban town about 2 hours east of Los Angeles. As a kid I would often dress up as Batman or a Ghostbuster. My teenage years were lived in front of a Super Nintendo or Nintendo 64. And much of high school was spent awkwardly quoting Austin Powers. One constant though, was an interest in art; specifically drawing. I went to UC Riverside where I graduated in 2005 with a BA in Fine Art.  It was there that I was first introduced to digital art, Photoshop, and web design.

What inspires you?

Art/Design/Creativity/Experimentation/etc. I'm inspired by artists and craftsmen who are passionate about the work they create: who strive not to just learn new skills, but to create new techniques, to perfect their knowledge of a specific medium, and to become masters at what they do, through precision and dedication, all with a socially conscious awareness as to how their work may affect the world around them.

What do you love most about your current role?

Having been with LinkU for nearly 8 years now, I have definitely been able to watch this company grow. But it has only been recently that I felt I had any say in "how" we grew. I am now more closely involved with the implementation of larger company projects, including the evolution and maintenance of our back-end systems, and I love being able to have a say in what the face of LinkU will look like in the years to come.

What have you learned while working at LinkU?

Nearly everything I know about web design.  I left college with little more than a vague introduction to HTML authorship (and Flash; this was 2005), and thought of entering the web design field as merely a backup plan to other artistic pursuits. But my time with LinkU has been extraordinary in their ability to let me learn and grow both technically and creatively. I went from fumbling my way through projects, not always fully understanding why or how things were working, to a lead designer who feels like they have complete artistic control over the technology in front of him.

What are your current hobbies/interests outside of work?

Since college I've been into comics.  But not comics like the Batman/Superman type. More like small, independent, stories, without men in tights and scantily clad women battling to save the world. I've been creating small comics since that same time. I'm currently trying my hand at a long-form web-based comic project, updated weekly.  It's available here: http://tenyears.dmvcomics.com. I also like to run.  And when I travel I take way too many photos.

What’s your favorite music, movies, foods, etc.?

I've been listening to Tool on repeat every day of my life since 2000. (Well, maybe not the much. But I've listed to them a lot.) I think The Wire is a (nearly) perfect show. I'm not sure I label movies as "favorites" anymore, since I almost never watch anything twice—but I think the last movie I saw in theaters was Boyhood, and it was amazing. I love pesto. Anything with pesto. Also, living in LA, I feel personally connected to the Metro system here and use it every chance I get. I think that is literally everything there is to know about me! The end!

The Ultimate Online Marketing Training System

We're excited about a new product that is releasing this year, designed to help real estate agents and brokers build their business online. This system will teach how to build a great website, build a e-mail list, build a bullet-proof reputation online, increase your search engine rankings, succeed with Pay-Per-Click and so much more.

Expanding your real estate business online is becoming one of the most important steps you can take to ensure success now and in the future.

To receive updates about this product, join our mailing list.

LinkURealty launches new website and marketing packages.

LinkURealty has categorized itself as a premium real estate website provider, by providing high end designs and full service setup for our clients.

We see there is a need for agents and brokers that don't want to setup their own sites and need assistance in getting their site up. There are already tons of choices for cheap do-it-youself websites and LinkURealty hasn't been in that category for a long time. So we really didn't want to be compared to those services anymore. Prospects would ask us, why should I choose you over this $10/mo. Zillow website?

Well, there really is no comparison between what we provide and what they provide. While they are both websites, the rest is very different, from setup, to features and service. It is all very different.

As a result we felt it was important to separate ourselves from these services and focus even more on a being more than a website provider, but to offer services that allow us to be part of your team, rather then a web host. As a result we have created new services offered through our marketing packages, going further than SEO, but to offer a full team of experts in SEO, E-mail Marketing, Social Media and more.

To reflect these changes we have launched our new "guided website", at www.linkurealty.com and also moved our self-serve and economy products and services to a new brand, now known as Agent Premier, which can be found at www.agentpremier.com.

Welcome to the new LinkURealty!

LinkURealty exhibits at the California Association of Realtors trade show

This past week we exhibited at the C.A.R expo. Thank you to everyone who stopped by to say Hi. It is nice to see clients in person when we attend these types of events.