For the 335th episode of the Mail Right Show, Jonathan Denwood and Robert Newman review and explore IDX Broker, a tool that boosts the overall value of your real estate website. Robert Newman has been working in the real estate SEO business as the CEO of Inbound REM, an inbound marketing firm. Meanwhile, Jonathan Denwood is the founder and CEO of Mail Right, an organization that streamlines and simplifies various digital technologies. In this episode, Jonathan Denwood and Robert Newman delve into what IDX and different IDX platforms are and why IDX broker is the best available tool you can use.
What is IDX
IDX stands for information data exchange, a software plugin that helps present data on the website. So, there are people that stay between your MLS (multiple listing service) and the end-user of your real estate website, assisting in the presentation of data in various ways. These methods of data presentation have become increasingly relevant over time. Zillow, a real estate website, is an example of someone who takes MLS data and presents it more user-friendly way.
If you’re spending money on a website that doesn’t have custom IDX, I recommend you to have a tailored search experience on the site, which someone should personalize for you.
IDX Broker
IDX Broker is a third-party paid service that provides clients with the best real estate search available. Regarding semi-customization, we exclusively look at IDX Broker as it is more extensive. The IDX broker doesn’t cover all areas, but the IDX plugin providers for WordPress have the broadest coverage in the USA. It provides real estate professionals with improved nationwide coverage and higher-end consumer customization. IDX Broker also allows access to core data and can manipulate the pages, impacting everything from lead generation to branding to SEO.
Recently, IDX Broker was sold to one of the big data suppliers, and to improve their development budget, they increased the price of each of their plans. So, there’s an IDX Broker Lite and an IDX Broker Platinum, and the cost of each plan has increased by $10. IDX Broker costs $79 per month, which is in the higher cost bracket of the IDX service price scale. For starters, there is also a more affordable option; there’s a $39 version, which is a less expensive alternative for those who want to try IDX Broker first. Overall, IDX Broker is a good investment if you would like to boost the overall value of the pages on your website.
Comparing IDX Broker to other IDX
There are various IDX alternatives available, including IDX Showcase and iHome Finder. Showcase IDX can be used on a semi-custom project. Some showcase IDX templates and out-of-the-box features are preferable in creating a complete custom website or above-normal price point. However, showcase IDX has limited functionality on your site; it is not ideal if you want to take a target URL and then make that target URL have listings that appear unique and original. There are also MLS like Trend that do IDX and calls it IDX. Companies like AgentFire and Realty tell you they have customized IDX or created their IDX. These things are basically true, but the question is, how much they do beyond re-parse or restructure the data feed from the MLS.
When it comes to IDX Broker, one of the benefits it provides is that it allows one-of-a-kind functionalities. You can benefit from this tool when you use the power of IDX broker and do all the customization – it increases the overall SEO value of your page and improves the website’s rank in search engine results.