After working furiously to get the listing, creating the online presentation, optimizing and driving traffic to your single-listing website (edit) please, oh please, do not make this photo mistake. It’s simple to overlook but can do wonders for your response rates.
First off, you probably already know the critical importance of including photos on your site. In fact, 83% of home buyers consider pictures “very useful” in making their decisions (folks are pining for floorplans now, too).
Check out these websites for some insight into taking quality photos of your listings.
Now, I don’t consider myself a photo pro. I’m more of a wordsmith which is what’s missing from most real estate photos on the web and an ingredient for greater response.
Here’s the secret: just as people read pull-quotes and sidebars, they tend to read the captions under photos.
Each and every photo should have a caption under it. Plus, every caption should include a relevant call to action. Remember, if it doesn’t advance the sale, get rid of it or replace it with something that does.
Caption Example
The open living room and natural view
Better Caption Example
Enjoy lush landscapes and blue ocean views each and every day…
from the comfort of your own living room.
Best Caption Example
In the last example, notice I also turned the caption into a clickable link. Here, the link just goes to Google, but on your site you would have the link go to your contact or lead-capture page.
It’s small tweaks like this that, over time, bring you the greatest return and response from your online marketing efforts. Plus, it’s easy… who doesn’t like that 
What are some other tips and tricks for giving photos more impact?
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Great tips Mark! However, adding links to the MLS portion of the comments are not allowed in most MLS’. Many agents and brokers just use the same comments from the MLS captions to auto-populate their websites. It is the MLS comments that are also syndicated across the web via IDX and listing feeds. I think the “Better Caption Example” is the best most can hope for captions. Unless they post their listings individually, which many do not as this is duplicate entry and very time consuming.
@Brad Nix - yeah, i’m aware of the unfortunate MLS limitations.
i actually had single listing websites in mind when i wrote this (why i mentioned optimizing and driving traffic, etc) which shouldn’t be autopopulated if the agent is really trying to showcase the home in as positive a light as possible. i should have been more specific in the post, though.
however, the lesson can also be applied to more than listing photos but other photos on an agent’s site… testimonials, past sales, neighborhood shots, etc.
No doubt the lesson of good captions is one all agents need to here and single property websites are certainly worth optimizing with links, etc…
This does lead me to think about the bigger issue for agents being the time and energy it takes to market every listing effectively. There needs to be some innovations made (by MLS, IDX, or new 3rd Party) that can simplify the original point of entry for listing information into a one-time process. Syndication to MLS, T, Z, R, G Base, FrontDoor, AND ‘Single Property Websites’ should be a one-click step. Whoever creates this software solution will be rich the next day. It is quite possibly the largest barrier to adoption of new marketing tools. Eliminating duplicate work on the agent would free them up to do a better job for the clients, grow their business, and bring this industry into the 21st Century with mass adoption of technology. (I should write this post soon)