Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
- Review of Showcase IDX for Lead Generation 2022
- The Plugin is called Showcase IDX
- Jay Valento
- Display of Listings that Consumers Love
- Benefits of Showcase IDX Display to the Consumers
Video for Showcase IDX+−
- People Love Content that Answers Their Questions…and so do the search engines
- Hyperlocal Content Wins the Game Online With Real Estate Key Features
- Create a Target Market for Your Website to Win the Online Consumers
- Most Affordable Property Search Tool for Realtors
- Frequently Asked Questions
- What is a Plugin?
- What is IDX?
- Is Showcase IDX approved for my MLS?
- Why did you choose Showcase IDX over other vendors?
- Which Real Estate Idx Platforms have you used?
- Is there a Contact Manager that comes with Showcase IDX?
What do I use as Contact Manager Software?+−
- Do new leads automatically transfer into a 3rd party CRM?
- Can you do lead routing to other agents on your team?
- Is there a map search with Showcase IDX?
- Is it hard to install?
- Who owns Showcase IDX?
- Is the product mobile-friendly?
- Can I or my web developer use powerful CSS to customize it?
- Why should I have my own website if “everyone” goes to Zillow, Redfin, or Realtor.com?
- Competition to Consider
- Which of these Popular Las Vegas Neighborhoods do you want to generate clients from in 2022 and beyond?
Review of Showcase IDX for Lead Generation 2022
If you’re in the market for the #1 Rated IDX Plugin for Greater Las Vegas real estate MLS to generate leads for your business, then this review about the plugin Showcase IDX is just for you.
The Plugin is called Showcase IDX
It’s one of the most popular choices for real estate websites, and for good reason. I’m a Realtor® so my perspective is as a fellow agent in the industry. Not some crazy programmer who has no clue what we need as real estate professionals to generate leads online and offline.
The Showcase IDX website plugin is a great way to engage with clients and showcase your properties and the ones listed in the MLS. It links with your multiple listing service (MLS), to allow you to show listings for sale on your website. You must be a member of your MLS to use the plugin.
Whether you’re an experienced real estate professional or new in this business, it’s easy to get started on the right path thanks to their intuitive tools! I think that with the IDX plugin for Greater Las Vegas, you could stand out to the visitors to your website because on the presentation of the listings is amazing.
“I’ve been a REALTOR® for 30 years and counting so this article is from someone just like you. I’m giving you a different perspective verse a website designer or programmer. I only use products that work and generate leads and help me to follow up with them effectively.”
Display of Listings that Consumers Love
In this blog post, we’ll take a look at some of the reasons why Showcase IDX is such a popular choice and explore some of its key features. In future posts, I will compare other companies so you can decide for yourself and make a good investment decision.
The number one reason to have a website is to generate consumers that YOU want to work with now and into the future
All real estate agents want to help home buyers and sellers. You have a deep desire to help others get what they want and become investors or homeowners.
But finding clients can be challenging. That’s what I love about the internet and having a reliable real estate search like Showcase IDX is the key to my current real estate business.
Especially in this tough real estate market in 2023, we need to think outside the box to generate clients and escrows.
How can a product like Showcase IDX help you with lead generation?
One of the ways this Showcase IDX plugin for Greater Las Vegas can help you is by creating keyword-rich and targeted phrases that the consumer is searching for online.
For example, you can create custom searches for
- Las Vegas real estate on one page
- Las Vegas homes with pools on another page with a custom list of swimming pool homes
- Next page, you could add Las Vegas homes with big backyards or hardwood floors
You are probably thinking how many people would search for Las Vegas homes with pools, Right?
Let’s say it is 50 people a year. If you dominate that phrase you will outrank Zillow, Realtor.com, and Redfin. My website empire gets more traffic and leads for feature searches in California.
You can become more hyperlocal than your competition by creating a page for every feature that you have access to the MLS. This IDX plugin for Greater Las Vegas real estate is through a WordPress plugin called “Showcase IDX“.
People are searching for features as well as a phrase like “Your City homes for sale”.
How to Create Custom Feature Pages?
Let’s say the goal of your website is focused on homes for sale in Las Vegas views, then you would create 1 hot sheet for the city of Las Vegas with the feature views.
- Add a new page to your own WordPress website. Do not use WordPress.com. It will not work there.
- Your own WordPress website needs to be hosted on a hosting company’s website. I like BigScoots.com. They host a lot of high-traffic websites in other industries. Great tech support.
- Add content about Las Vegas homes with views. You need about 500 to 1,000 words about swimming pools, homes with pools, maintenance, and maybe how much more they sell for than other houses in Las Vegas.
- Add a Heading with the same Keyword name.
- Use an SEO Plugin like RankMath SEO or Yoast SEO to optimize the content, title, and description and Bam. You are one page ahead of your local competitors.
Someone searching on Google, Yahoo, or Bing for that keyword phrase would click on your page in the search engine or in a pay-per-click ad and go to a page on your website that covers that topic.
- BAM you get a new client.
I can hear you from here. “Jay, where do I get the 500 to 1,000 words of Content”
If you get writer’s block, then search for Content Writing apps like copysmith.ai, Jasper.ai, and heyfriday.ai. There are lots of them that write unique content. Contact me and I will send you some links to the content creator software I use.
The flexibility of Property Searches
Another reason Showcase IDX is a popular choice is its flexibility. There are 300 different features in my MLS in California that I use to create custom searches to outrank my competition.
- (I’ve created over 2,400 custom searches…why? The more leads, the more referrals.)
Showcase IDX offers a wide range of customization options, so you can create lifestyle searches for features for consumers.
When you click on the +Advanced Search link, you see this (in blue):
As you see above, there are 4 Tabs: General Features, Interior Features, Exterior Features, and Community Features. The links in each of these give you and consumers more features. It’s endless and easier to search than Redfin, Zillow, or Realtor.com.
Do people really search for homes with pools or just a spa?
Yes. They do. And this is where you separate yourself from your local Realtors who do not spend time building pages like this. It is hard to search for features on Zillow, Realtor.com, and Redfin.
Zillow has pages for every feature in your MLS and even features you mention in the property description of a listing.
Whether the feature gets just 10 visitors a month or 2,000, you need to look for an advantage to beat the local competition online and the big portals.
- Add local content about pools, spas, or anything else and you can beat Zillow and your local Realtor competition to win new buyers and sellers.
Benefits of Showcase IDX Display to the Consumers
The display of listings is attractive and gives the consumer time to view all photos, and local area maps, rate properties, and make notes on them. They tend to engage more with you when the presentation of the listings looks appealing to them. This overall design upgrade will make your website look more professional.
The display upgrades the look and feels of your website right away. A couple of examples, my main real estate website for covers Long Beach homes for sale and other beach cities.
This is a cool consumer engagement platform. Check out my video on how to use the search tools of Showcase IDX that I have running on my real estate website.
Video for Showcase IDX
This is a consumer video I made to help my home searchers that are on my real estate website. Pay attention to the “Friends and Family” section of the property details…ssshh.
People Love Content that Answers Their Questions…and so do the search engines
Showcase IDX can help you set up pages like this for consumers that are looking for something special that your website provides that they can find on it easier than the big real estate portals like Zillow and Realtor.com.
Zillow has a page of listings for every feature in your MLS. But, what they don’t have is unique content to support each page. This is where you can make a difference. And stand out.
Hyperlocal Content Wins the Game Online With Real Estate Key Features
People want more knowledge about an area and a feature than just listings. You can provide that local information. I call it hyperlocal information.
- Share what you know
- Make it unique with the special feature
- Give visitors to your website “insider” information about the area.
- Your opinion matters to them
- Write 500 to 1,000 words or more per feature, city, neighborhood, condo community, etc.
- Add lots of photos and graphics to help the consumer understand the value of the content you are sharing with them.
- Make a video about the information as well. Then, add it to each page. Google loves this… (ssshhh)
Create a Target Market for Your Website to Win the Online Consumers
Your website should be targeted toward a group of people you want to work with. Take time to figure out who that group of people are.
- Your website needs to answer the questions that the visitors have when they land on a page or blog post.
- You might target beach houses if you live to be the beach or you want to create a “first-time home seller website” or a luxury property website.
- Make a plan for your website and make it unique as possible.
- Set your listings to active real estate listings to save the consumer time verse showing them pending listings too. They may become confused.
Most Affordable Property Search Tool for Realtors
Showcase IDX has two pricing models: the Essentials plan $79.95 per month or the Premium plan at $119.95 per month. No setup fees. You can choose to pay for the year or on a month-to-month basis.
If I want to add it to a 2nd website, the additional monthly fee goes down. I think you really only need is one account unless you are expanding into another state. This has to be one of the most affordable products available.
- I recommend a WordPress website. Don’t use Wix or Square Space or some other type of website.
- If you want my web team to create a website for you, fill out this form and share with us your budget for this project.
- I know several developers that might be a good fit for you as well.
- You get a free 10-day trial when you click on the link that says Showcase IDX. I get a small commission when you click on the link. It does not cost you any more.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Plugin?
A plugin is a software program that enhances your WordPress-based website. Some of them are free and others are offered for sale in a one-time or yearly subscription. The plugin for real estate that this article is about is a yearly subscription. Very inexpensive compared to what is available in the real estate industry.
What is IDX?
It allows real estate professionals to display all properties from your multiple listing service on your real estate website. IDX stands for “Internet Data Exchange”. If you want to generate buyers and sellers, I suggest that you invest in a professional IDX product. It gives you a direct MLS data feed to empower your website to compete with national real estate portals like Realtor.com, Trulia, and Zillow.
Is Showcase IDX approved for my MLS?
Yes. They are an approved vendor for idx plugin for Greater Las Vegas MLS.
Why did you choose Showcase IDX over other vendors?
Flexibility, I have over 2,600 custom searches in my ShowcaseIDX account. There are thousands of pages for a wide variety of cities and target markets on my website. Is that the best way to do it? It is if your goal is “referral fee checks from other Realtors in California”.
But if you don’t want to generate referral fee checks, read about Target Markets.
Which Real Estate Idx Platforms have you used?
I used to beta test for several IDX real estate companies. I used 1parkplace from 2003 to 2005 and generated 600 leads a month.
In 2005, I moved the empire of websites to Diverse Solutions and used their cutting-edge products. Leads went down on that move…it’s kind of a long story.
Then, I used iHomefinder.com. Cool looking product but sometimes it doesn’t display listings on the page as reliably as Showcase IDX platform.
Is there a Contact Manager that comes with Showcase IDX?
There is a basic one. It looks like a spreadsheet (see below). If you are at Keller Williams, you could use KW Command. Lion Desk works with Showcase IDX. I love FollowUpBoss.com.
What do I use as Contact Manager Software?
I use Follow Up Boss. I will have a blog post about soon to show you the benefits. For now, you can check out my YouTube Channel for how I use Follow Up Boss with Showcase IDX.
Do new leads automatically transfer into a 3rd party CRM?
If you are using the Premium product of Showcase IDX, you can integrate with:
- Lion Desk,
- Follow Up Boss,
- Boomtown,
- Real Greeks,
- Prospect Converter,
- Real Synch,
- Salesforce,
- Sierra Interactive and
- Slack to receive leads as soon as they register.
- The premium plan is $119.95 a month for Showcase IDX will let you do this.
- Zapier integration will make it seamless to other CRM (contact relationship manager).
Can you do lead routing to other agents on your team?
Yes. Lead routing is available with the Premium plan. I’m not using the feature right now. I have several agents on my referral team inside my office and in other offices in Southern California.
Is there a map search with Showcase IDX?
Yes. You can search by map, quick search tool, or click on the +Advanced search link under the search bar. You can show a map of listings for a particular city, neighborhood, condo building, zip, or more. Or leave the map search off. It is up to you.
Is it hard to install?
No. You can add this leading IDX WordPress plugin from the dashboard of your website. Just go to Plugins > Add New. Search for Showcase IDX as a keyword.
Click Install now and Activate.
Who owns Showcase IDX?
In 2020, eXp Worldwide LLC purchased Showcase and started making the IDX product even better by taking on an investor who purchased the company. The showcase was able to hire more programmers and support staff to enhance the product and keep the pricing affordable.
- Will eXp Realty have access to your data or solicit you to join their company?
- NO.
Is the product mobile-friendly?
Yes. I get about 54% mobile traffic that uses the search tools to find houses, condominiums, income properties, commercial and land for sale. I host my website empire and other clients’ websites and the fastest hosting company I could find. I charge $50 per month to host a website that I build for a client.
Can I or my web developer use powerful CSS to customize it?
Yes. There are lots of ways to do that. The company’s main website gives you or your developer a few ideas on how to tweak the look and feel.
Why should I have my own website if “everyone” goes to Zillow, Redfin, or Realtor.com?
Because you are you. As I have mentioned in this article and others on my website, you can carve out a niche that separates you from the big real estate portals. I have lots of target markets that don’t include the real estate portals.
You may love the 55+ communities in Las Vegas or luxury properties. If you do, you could create a website about Retirement is not Boring in Las Vegas.
- Feature all of the communities.
- Add photos, videos, and content
- Pros and cons of living in each one
- Fun things to do in the communities
- etc.
You carve a niche in just about anything other than Las Vegas homes or Las Vegas condos. Get creative. Put on your agent market cap and think outside the box. How about a website for First Time home buyers or first-time home sellers? Brainstorm.
Competition to Consider
| Leading IDX Plugins Software | Setup Fee | Monthly Pricing | Free Trial |
| Showcase IDX | $0.00 | $79.95 to $119.95 | Yes |
| ihomefinder.com | $99 to $499 | $59.95 to $199.95 | Yes |
| IDX Broker | $100 | $55 to $140 | N/A |
| Diverse Solutions dsIdxpress | $99.95 | $49.95 to $74.95 | Yes |
| Realtyna | see website | One-time fee | N/A |
| Flex MLS | Check with your MLS | $85 to$499 per year | N/A |
| Kv Core | see website | ||
| Home Junction | View more details | $100 per month (I think) | N/A |
Subscribe Now
Visit Showcase IDX and claim a 10 Day Free Trial!
Which of these Popular Las Vegas Neighborhoods do you want to generate clients from in 2022 and beyond?
Q.) How do you plan to dominate online in 2022 and generate clients while you sleep at night and while you are helping clients during the day?
