Getting bogged down in research? Are you looking for an easy to use content management system (CMS) website that incorporates an IDX solution quickly and easily? Do you want a website you finally own and can grow with you? If you’re having trouble choosing which platform to build your real estate site on, this guide will explain that there’s really only one choice. Here is why WordPress real estate websites are ranked #1 CMS for REALTORS.
Why is WordPress the best CMS for your real estate website?
What makes WordPress perfect for real estate agents websites? For starters, WordPress is the undisputed leader in website building, powering an impressive 43% of all the websites online right now. That’s a jump from 31% in 2019, proving that WordPress is only getting more popular with time.
But what does that mean for real estate sites specifically? Our industry has very specific demands in a CMS (Content Management System), the software that runs your website and allows you to oversee it. Here’s a quick rundown of some native WordPress features:
- Real estate plugins – WordPress’s massive plugin library is one of the reasons it’s number 1, with everything a real estate site needs, including IDX capabilities and plenty of secondary features. IDXCentral includes $600+ of essential, premium paid-for plugins with their real estate WordPress websites.
- Real estate themes – Talented developers, like IDXCentral, can build amazing themes using the WordPress platform. And best of all? The platform excels at allowing real estate agents to manage their own content, like adding blog posts and videos, without sacrificing design or functionality.
- User-friendly controls – WordPress makes adding content a breeze for real estate professionals and allows developers like IDXCentral to design their own custom website features.
- Native SEO advantages – WordPress originated as a blogging platform, so they know the importance of search engine optimization better than anyone, with built-in solutions for both backend and frontend SEO.
- Integrations – WordPress integrates seamlessly with IDX, social media, email marketing campaigns, user testing software, blogs, chat, and organizational apps like Zapier.
- Security and Spam Protection – The WordPress platform adds extra protections from cyber attacks and can even monitor comments for spam, so you have less to worry about. Sign up for a WordPress Care Plan for even more protection.
- Community – As the most popular website CMS in the world, there’s a community of millions who can help you with any questions or give you ideas if you need inspiration.
- Open Source – WordPress is open source, which means anyone can modify the code, so there’s no shortage of third-party plugins and themes to optimize your site just how you want it.
- Site Ownership – If you build a site on WordPress, you hold ownership of your own site – that’s a big deal, as we explain in the next section.
WordPress vs. Wix, Squarespace, Weebly
Where does WordPress fit in next to other popular CMS platforms like Wix, Squarespace, and Weebly? These site-builders offer some of the same benefits as WordPress, but they target businesses with simpler needs. Real estate websites have more intricate demands especially when it comes to integrating the IDX. A WordPress website or a fully customized HTML/CSS website is ideal for enabling IDX in the way it was intended.
To see how much more you can do with WordPress, just compare the number of available add-ons, plugins, extensions, and apps, each of which gives your site extra features and customizations. Wix has just over 800 items in their app store. Weebly has nearly 400. Squarespace has just 24. But WordPress, with its open-source community of developers, offers 59,000 plugins, with more on the way. Think about all the extra options you get with WordPress that you won’t find on another CMS.
Why is it so important to own my real estate website?
Long-term success in real estate hinges on owning your own website, a topic we explore more thoroughly in our article Realtor Website Ownership Critical for Long Term Success.
For one thing, you have absolute control over your design. Some platforms put forced ads on your site, or have their own banners and logos at the bottom of a page. Owning your own site means you get to choose what goes on it — and what doesn’t.
With proprietary website platforms like Broker provided sites, Real Estate Webmasters, Boomtown, Real Geeks, Placester, and iHouse, you’re basically just leasing your own site. The real trouble arises if you ever want to move to a new platform; that’s what makes website ownership a long-term investment. If you don’t own your own website, you can’t migrate — you’ll have to build an entirely new website from the ground-up. That’s no accident either; web-building platforms use that as leverage to raise rates, knowing it’ll be more expensive to move than to just pay up.
Moreover, a lot of platforms hide the fact that you don’t actually own your website, one reason you shouldn’t build a business site on Wix. It’s not something they want to broadcast, for obvious reasons. WordPress is the exception, though — as open-source software, they make it clear you own your website, not them.
What are the best IDX plugins for WordPress real estate websites?
Any industry, including real estate, can use WordPress plugins for SEO, social media integration, or on-screen effects, and much, much more. But real estate websites have a particular need for IDX integration on top of everything else.
In our guide What Is IDX?, we explain Internet Data Exchange and how it works in detail. In a discussion about WordPress, though, you’ll want to know about the top plugins that enable IDX for your real estate website.
We discuss the best IDX plugins for WordPress here, although for quick reference we recommend iHomefinder and IDXBroker. Our guide explains the pros and cons of each, as well as their pricing, to help you determine which is best for you.
What are the best WordPress real estate themes with IDX?
The best WordPress real estate themes with an IDX are developed by professionals who know what REALTORS need to succeed. They are well thought out, user friendly and include all the bells and whistles to make their site stand out. Professional developers like ourselves know how to extract the best features of the IDX solution and can make custom edits to the code to meet the needs of their clients.
A successful real estate website needs to reflect the agent or brokerage they represent. They should be catered to that particular brand and their particular audience, with strategic decisions for layouts, fonts, colors, and visuals that align with the specifics of the business model. You can’t get that optimized precision with the cookie-cutter templates offered by WordPress, Wix, and Squarespace.
That’s one of the solutions we offer here at IDXCentral, our design studio that specializes only in real estate websites. Based on your input, we can create a custom website based on your specifications. You can choose the finer details of your site like layout, navigation, or interface controls.
We offer packages for a variety of needs:
- Semi-Custom WordPress Theme – we set you up with a preexisting design, altered to fit your specific needs, whether design changes or IDX requests.
- Limited Edition WordPress Theme – we set you up with a preexisting design, altered to fit your specific needs, but then take that template off the market for your specific territory, so no competing agents will have the same design.
- Custom WordPress Theme – we build you a wholly original site from scratch, based on your needs and input.
View Our Real Estate Website Designs
If you already have a WordPress website you’re happy with, we also offer WordPress Care Plans, where we maintain the site for you, keeping it safe and up-to-date.
WordPress real estate website examples.
Dive into these stunning WordPress real estate websites with IDX, all showcasing the many real estate features every Realtor should have to be competitive today.
Getting Started
Establishing your online presence with a WordPress real estate theme starts here! IDXCentral has been working with real estate agents and brokers for 27 years and counting! We have an experienced and friendly support team, talented designers, and a staff dedicated to seeing your business succeed. Our specialty is real estate website design and IDX integration with an emphasis on client-owned website investments. Get started with a free consultation today! Contact us via email or phone (888) 577-8027.