General Site Setup Instructions

Click here for a copy of these instructions as an Adobe PDF file.

* Please allow 7 to 30 days to complete your website.

Step One - Register a domain name

Every website on the Internet must have a domain name.

Please go to domainalmostfree.com to set up a free account and choose a domain name. They are very reasonable at this site and Marina will help you set up the domain name so it points to our servers.

Try to choose a domain name that coordinates with your business. Avoid long domain names since they are more likely to be typed incorrectly and they're harder for your customers to remember.

Step 2 - Purchase a website package

Once you have a domain name, you can complete the purchase process by choosing the website package that best suits your needs. You can always start with a simple package and upgrade later.

Step 3 - Contact information

Once the purchase has been completed, you will be taken to a Purchase Confirmation page where you will be asked to provide the following information:

Basic Information - We'll need your name... address... phone number... cell number... fax
number... email address... real estate license number... MLS identification number... and your broker's name.

Template - You'll be asked for the name of the template you chose, and if you want the site navigation on the left or on the top. If you only anticipate a few pages on your site, top navigation is best. If you anticipate more than a half dozen pages on your site, left navigation is best.

• If you purchased a template from an outside vendor such as BigTemplates.net, please either email us the template package, or send us yor login information so we can download it for you.

Step 4 - Provide the remaining information we need to design your website

Once we have your email address we will contact you so that you can provide the following information via email. This will also give us a means of establishing two-way communications so that you can give us feedback as we design your site and we can request additional materials or clarification of any information or design considerations we are uncertain about.

Text - We need your bio for the “About Me” or "About Us" page and the text you want to use to introduce yourself on the Home page.

• You can check out other realty websites... such as mdn-realtors.com to get ideas as to what you want to say.

Photos - Attach any photo you want us to include on your site. Click here for photo submission guidelines. If you have multiple photos of yourself, send all of them so we have more options to choose from.

Colors - If you like the look of a particular template but the colors aren't exactly what you had in mind, have have the option of emailing us a digital image with a sample of the colors you'd prefer.

Logos - If you have a logo you want us to include on your website, we'll need a digital version of it emailed to us or delivered to us on a CD or floppy disc. The file can be in virtually any format.

• Please let us know if you want us to match the color scheme of the website to the colors in your logo, or if you want us to leave the colors as they appear in the template you've chosen.
  
  
• If you don't have one, we can create a simple logo that matches your website. Custom logos can be created at an additional charge.
  
  
• We also need to know if you work for a franchise broker so we can place the franchise logo on the site. If your office is not a franchise, does your broker have a logo? If so, we'll need to put that on the site also.

Links - Please let us know if you have other websites you want to link to from your site. If you want to highlight a business on your site that doesn't have its own website, send us the text, logo, etc.

Step 5 - MLS authorization

Once you've signed up, we will email you the the documents required by the MLS so they can authorize us to put the IDX MLS search on your website. Your site cannot "go live" until this authorization is received... unless you purchased a package without the IDX feature.

PLEASE UNDERSTAND - MLS will not approve your IDX until we have all above steps completed. They must have a site in some form of working order in order to approve your IDX link connection.