What Is Real Estate Website Hosting

USING A FLYER TO EXPLAIN HOSTING

Hosting flyer analogy

We have all created a real estate flyer.  You start with a blank template, on Publisher, Canva, or Indesign (for you pros).

We will get back to that blank template in a second.

Once you have put the pictures of listing, some text, your image and contact information and printed it onto a piece of paper you have your self a flyer.  Or for the sake of this analogy, a website.

In order for people to be able to see that flyer we need to put it/store it somewhere.  Like in a flyer box on a for sale sign, or a flyer holder in your clients house.

Those flyer holders are like website hosting.  They give the flyer somewhere to “live” that allows people to find them and view them.

In the same way that your flyers need a place to live… your website also needs a place to live.  Website Hosting.

What we are really doing is renting a space on a cloud based server.

If you are working with a proprietary website company like Wix or WordPress.com then part of the service includes web hosting.  You only need to worry about getting web hosting set up if you are running a self-hosted CMS.

BUILDING A REAL ESTATE WEBSITE

THERE ARE SOME BASIC BUILDING BLOCKS THAT EVERY SITE NEEDS

Cloud Based Servers

AWS AMAZON CLOUD SERVERS

I remember a few years back when cloud based was this ominous buzz word that was thrown around for all things web.  It seemed like a distant fantasy idea that I had trouble wrapping my head around.

Turns out the idea is quite simple.

Cloud Based just means that the processing power and storage power is derived by a high-powered server that you have access to via the internet and not on your own computer.

The majority of cloud based servers today are Amazon Servers.  Or as they call it the AWS Cloud.

They have gigantic server “farms”, or super computers, all across the globe that are finely tuned to be fast, secure, and reliable.  Amazon rents out space on these servers.

There are other cloud based server providers.  And some server providers actually rent the Amazon servers, and add a bunch of features and then sub-let that space.

The point is, for a small monthly fee you rent a portion of a high-powered server that is maintained by a team and backed up in the cloud to host, or store, your real estate website so that people have a place to go to see it.

Self-Hosted CMS

CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

Remember earlier I mentioned the flyer templates… most of you are probably using Publisher to create your flyers.  Well think of WordPress for your website like Publisher is for your flyer.

Self-hosted means that you need a hosting provider to “serve up” or display your website.

CMS means Content Management System or the tool that you use to build a website.  Such as; WordPress, Drupal, or Joomla.

We prefer WordPress… mostly because that is just what we have always used and most tools are compatible with WordPress.

WordPress uses Themes, and Plugins to give the website a unique look, feel, and features.

HOSTING PROVIDERS

NOT ALL HOSTING PROVIDERS ARE CREATED EQUAL

Renting space on a server must be a highly profitable business model because there are a ton of hosting providers.

Not all hosting providers are created equal… and a good majority of them are just not good at what they do.

A few of the more popular website hosting providers:

These are just some of the big name brands.

I have used and or worked with most of these hosts at one point or another.  Many of them I refuse to work with… I will leave them nameless.

There are two that I use to host my website and all websites that I build… WPEngine and SiteGround.

  • WPEngine

  • AMAZON AWS

  • Siteground

  • Bluehost

  • Godaddy

  • Hostgator

  • Media Temple

  • 1&1

  • inMotion

  • Dreamhost

SIGNING UP FOR WPENGINE

USE OUR SIGN UP METHOD FOR THE LOWEST POSSIBLE PRICE

Real Estate Hosting
  • Select Startup

  • Enter the Code:  DB30

Real Estate Hosting
  • Select Annual
  • Leave Default: 0 Additional Sites
Real Estate Hosting
  • Enter Your Email
  • Account Name: Enter a Username
  • Select: PHP 7.2
  • Enter Your First Name
  • Enter Your Last Name

Enter Your Payment Information

Real Estate Hosting
  • Check that you have read terms of service
  • Click: Create My Site

You will receive a Username and Password to your fresh WordPress install.  Login to your new WordPress website and start building!  We suggest that you use:

SIGNING UP FOR SITEGROUND

USE OUR SIGN UP METHOD FOR THE LOWEST POSSIBLE PRICE

Real Estate Hosting
  • Select Go Geek
  • You will appreciate the extra support and the faster processor speeds.
Choose Domain
  • If You Do Not Have a Domain Select Register A New Domain
  • If You Have a Domain Select I Already Have a Domain
  • Enter Your Email
  • Account Name: Enter a Password
  • Enter: Client Information
  • Enter: Payment Inforamation
  • Enter: Purchase Information
  • Check that you have read terms of service
  • Click: Pay Now

You will receive a Username and Password to your fresh WordPress install.  Login to your new WordPress website and start building!  We suggest that you use:

WHY WE USE WPENGINE AND SITEGROUND

A LIST OF REASONS WE SWITCHED AND NEVER LOOKED BACK

There are 2 realistic options for most real estate websites, Shared Hosting or Managed Hosting

TYPE OF HOSTING

PROS

CONS

Shared Hosting Cost Lack of performance
Lack of support
Lack of security
Lack of scalability
Managed Hosting Performance Cost
Security
Support
Scalability

In my mind there is no doubt that a little piece of mind is worth an extra $5-15 month when it comes to website.  I mean it is your Internet Marketing Hub after all.

THERE IS NO GOOD REASON TO NOT USE WPENINGE OR SITEGROUND FOR YOUR REAL ESTATE WEBSITE HOSTING

If you are going to build a real estate website that can grow with your business, that you own and operate, and that can (over time) start to generate you leads and referrals… we suggest that you build a WordPress website.

You will need to get Web Hosting, IDX, WordPress.org, and a Domain.

There are 2 realistic choices for a real estate website host type; Shared Hosting, or Managed Hosting.

We switched to Managed Hosting many years ago, and have not looked back.  The many advantages and features that you get over shared hosting is worth the extra $15 month.

We have been using WPEngine for over 3 years now and have never had any problems, and in fact they have saved our bacon on numerous occasions.

Start Your Free Consultation

The initial consultation usually takes about 30 minutes to discuss our product, your current situation, and your potential needs.