Frequently Asked Questions
- How is iHOUSE PPC different from other paid search products?
- Why is IDX so important to a successful PPC campaign?
- Do I need a website to have iHOUSE PPC?
- Can I use the IDX MLS search website you provide on my own website?
- I already have IDXPro® MLS Search or an IDX service from another vendor. Do I get a discount and can you just hook your PPC service into it?
- Why is it better to send a visitor to a custom IDX page with property listings than to the homepage of my website?
- What if I don’t receive the number of clicks I had paid for in my iHOUSE PPC package?
- Do you limit the number of PPC clients in any geographic area?
- Can I use iHOUSE PPC as a broker?
- Can I or my agents access and see my leads and contact them?
- Can I see what my homebuyers are searching for?
- What do you cover in the initial interview?
- Why is it always $2 per click?
- What if my budget is used up before the month is over?
- Can I purchase more than 500 clicks in a month?
- How is iHOUSE PPC different from purchasing leads from resellers such as HomeGain or HouseValues?
- How do I know if iHOUSE PPC is working?
- What do you do when you have more than one client in an area? Will my PPC campaign be affected?
- Can I cancel at any time?
- I am familiar with Pay-Per-Click, can I choose the keywords that you will be using?
- Why can’t I just do PPC myself?
1: How is iHOUSE PPC different from other paid search products?
iHOUSE PPC is designed specifically for REALTORS® and for homebuyer lead generation. Our service is designed to convert visitors to leads with our customized IDX MLS search feature. This unique feature is built into our PPC program. We send visitors and clickers directly from the search results pages on Google and Yahoo to relevant property search results. You will get more clients with the lead capture features that are part of our IDX MLS search tool than with any other paid search tool. No one else provides such a solution.
2: Why is IDX so important to a successful PPC campaign?
Integrating IDX with PPC is extremely important to any successful REALTOR’s® paid search campaign because it lands searchers on exactly what they were looking for — listings. iHOUSE PPC also converts more leads than any other product because it uses our unique “Teaser Registration” method. This registration technique can gather 14x more leads than other methods.
3: Do I need a website to have iHOUSE PPC?
No. You do not need to have your own website to enjoy the benefits of our program.
4: Can I use the IDX MLS search website you provide on my own website?
Unfortunately no. The version of IDX that is built in to your PPC advertising program is a customized version that is set up for the sole purpose to generate search results and leads from your paid search advertising.
5: I already have an IDXPro® or an IDX service from another vendor. Do I get a discount and can you just hook your PPC service into it?
Unfortunately no. The version of our IDX that we use has been configured and tweaked for our PPC program so that it automatically generates search results and maximizes lead generation from your paid search advertising.
6: Why is it better to send a visitor to a custom IDX page with property listings than to the homepage of my website?
96% of real estate website visitors are looking for listings. iHOUSE PPC focuses on this fact and delivers automatically targeted results directly to the searcher. Once the homebuyer is on your customized IDX page, IDXPro has many powerful tools that encourage the visitor to register, so you get the lead. IDXPro also maintains your branding so you don’t have to worry about loss of branding by visitors not landing on your website homepage.
7: What if I don’t receive the number of clicks I had paid for in my iHOUSE PPC package?
We guarantee you will receive the number of clicks to your website that you have paid for in your iHOUSE PPC package. If, by chance, we do not deliver the required number of clicks, you will be credited for any unused clicks. We provide you with a customized version of our IDX branded MLS search, which will turn a proportion of those clicks into real, quality leads for you. Our IDX for PPC solution provides searching homebuyers with the listings they are looking for and encourages several different types of registration via contact forms to ensure maximum lead capture for you. As a result, our iHOUSE PPC clients enjoy click to lead capture rates of 10–15 percent — far higher than other paid search programs.
8: Do you limit the number of PPC clients in any geographic area?
Yes, we actively limit the number of clients to 1 or at most 2 per geographic area. As demonstrated with our 100% Guarantee, we take our clients’ success seriously and we refuse to over saturate any paid search market. Contact us for availability information in your area.
9: Can I use iHOUSE PPC as a broker?
As a broker, if you subscribe to iHOUSE PPC, you’ll just choose how you would like to disperse the leads to your agents.
10: Can I or my agents access and see the leads and contact them?
Of course! Our PPC system will email you leads immediately after they are generated and comes with an easy–to–use Contact Manager. You can track client interactions and even email them directly from our software.
11: Can I see what homebuyers are searching for?
Yes you can! Our software will tell you precisely what types of properties your clients are interested in (price range, neighborhood, etc). In addition, our Client Activity Report will tell you specific properties they have viewed, when they last visited, and how long they were active. You can view the Client Activity Report at any time by logging into your account or you can review the activity summary that will be emailed to you weekly. Always know who is HOT and who is NOT!
12: What do you cover in the initial interview?
Our PPC experts will ask questions to understand your needs and services that you offer. They will discuss your geographical area and what type of market you are in so they can better understand what type of budget you are looking at and what kind of traffic you are expecting to generate via a real estate paid search program. After this conversation, our experts will be able to customize your keywords and phrases as well as recommend a level of investment that will benefit your business.
13: Why is it always $2 per click?
Cost–per–click does vary depending on keywords and phrases and somewhat between regions. On average, it costs us approximately $2 per click for the keywords we are using. Remember also that we absorb the costs of any bogus or irrelevant clicks.
14: What if my budget is used up before the month is over?
Our PPC experts manage your campaigns so that your click budget is spread throughout the month. However, if your budget happens to run out before month end, your campaigns will simply be paused until the end of the month and resume at the beginning of the following month.
15: Can I purchase more than 500 clicks in a month?
Yes you can. iHOUSE PPC customers can purchase additional clicks at any time. Just contact us and we will set whatever click levels you require.
16: How is iHOUSE PPC different from purchasing leads from resellers such as HomeGain or HouseValues?
REALTORS® are always after more leads, but by pouring money into lead resellers such as HomeGain or HouseValues, agents and brokers are simply paying high prices for leads you could be generating yourself at a far lower cost. Usually, these lead resellers are simply running PPC campaigns and then marking up the cost of low quality leads dramatically before passing them onto you. They may also be dispersing leads to a number of agents. iHOUSE PPC clicks and leads are yours and yours alone.
17: How do I know if iHOUSE PPC is working?
You will notice a significant jump in the visitor registrations you receive from the IDX MLS search page. Homebuyers who click on the ads we run for your PPC program will be directed to your IDX search results page and encouraged to register, save searches, listings and more. You can then login to your IDX account to monitor visitor activity and manage client relationships. You will also receive a monthly report that provides total clicks and the keyword searches that generated them.
18: What do you do when you have more than one client in an area? Will my PPC campaign be affected?
Our PPC experts make sure that any clicks in that area are equitably rotated between clients so that all clients receive their allotted clicks. iHOUSE PPC does not regulate which clients receive specific leads or clicks. We carefully regulate how many clients we have in an area and how their campaigns are doing to prevent over saturation of the market.
As with all iHOUSE products, you can cancel your service with 30 days notice. No questions asked. We want our products to work for you and earn your business every month!
20: I am familiar with Pay-Per-Click, can I choose the keywords that you will be using?
The short answer is No. Our Click Guarantee backs the research and expertise of our PPC experts. If we let you pick your own keywords then we would not be able to guarantee that you will receive your allotted clicks. Remember, if you don’t receive the clicks you paid for, we credit you for the cost of those clicks.
21: Why can’t I just do PPC myself?
You can manage your own PPC campaigns yourself by setting up an account with each search engine and managing your own campaigns, keywords and ads. But why waste your time and dollars learning a trade that our certified experts have already mastered? Use our PPC experience and skills to make your business shine online. Don’t worry about the day-to-day maintenance and testing involved in making your PPC program a dynamic lead generator for your business. Find out what managing a PPC advertising campaign is all about – Download our Whitepaper about PPC Marketing and claim your piece of the pie!
