Setting up web statistics tracking

IDX Blogger is compatible with the two most common web statistics trackers available; Google Analytics, and Visistat.  Google Analytics can be setup using the instructions below, for Visistat please email your Visistat code snippet to support and let us know which website you would like it added to.  These web statistics companies track the visitor traffic on your website to let you know useful numbers and details about the effectiveness of your website and marketing.

Google Analytics is free and can be setup fairly easily. Each site that you track on Google Analytics is given a Site ID as shown below:

 

Step 1: Get your Site ID from the Google Analytics website after you have signed up and registered your website:

 

Step 2: In your Site Admin, select “Google Analytics” from the “Manage” menu.

 

Step 3: Enter your Site ID for Google Analytics and click the “Update Options” button.

 

Congratulations, you now have Google Analytics setup.  Statistics and other information should start appearing in your Google Analytics account within a day or so.

Browser Compatibility

HomeQuest and IDX Blogger are compatible with nearly all modern browsers in use today.  This means that by being a HomeQuest user you and your clients can access anything you need from any internet connected computer.  Whether you are on Windows, Mac, or even Linux you can use HomeQuest and IDX Blogger the same way.

Supported Browsers:

• Internet Explorer 7 or higher
• Mozilla Firefox 2 or higher
• Safari 2 or higher

Although browsers that are not on this list will still work with HomeQuest and IDX Blogger sites, you may not get the best experience with all features working.  For instance, Internet Explorer 6 is not supported because of its old age and security issues.  Google Chrome works for nearly everything, but the WordPress menus appear organized horizontally instead of vertically which can make navigating your Site Admin difficult.

Page Templates Explained

Page Templates are a piece of WordPress that allows HomeQuest to craft special pages for special functions.  For instance, the Daily Email map page is still a page like any other, but instead of displaying static content, it knows to display a map instead.  Currently the templates include an Archives, Daily Email, and Blog Page template.  Check back frequently, as we will be adding new features over time and they will be announced and documented here.

When you are writing a standard static page, you do not need to change the Page Template.  However, if you need to create a special page like a Daily Email signup page, a Recent Posts page, or an Archives page you will use their special page template.

New Support Index

We have added a “Support” page to our IDX Blogger site here.   Click the Support link above to see an index of the most common articles and questions on IDX Blogger, and many very helpful how-to documents.  This page is great for getting started, creating your website, customizing your website, and getting the most out of the IDX Blogger platform.

http://realestate-idx.com/support/

Thanks for joining us at Phoenix ARMLS Technopalooza

The Phoenix ARMLS Technopalooza fair was a great success, we appreciated everyone stopping by to take a look at HomeQuest and IDX Blogger.  We have been answering questions non-stop for excited agents who would like to take their website to the next level with a blog and a public IDX search.

 

Creating a “Recent Posts” page

Your IDX Blogger site includes a “Recent Posts” page by default, however this can be hidden or deleted if you do not wish to use it.  The “Recent Posts” page displays the five most recent blog posts that you have written, with the newest post on top.  This page displays all blog posts, whether they have been geocoded or not.  This page also does not have a map interface as the Blog Posts map does (Click here to see how a Recent Posts page and a Blog Posts map are different).  If you deleted this page, you can create another using the instructions below.  The page can be titled anything you wish, “Recent Posts” is only a suggestion, not a requirement.

Step 1: From the “Write” menu, click “Page”

 

Step 2: Enter your page title, and scroll to the bottom of the page without entering any page content.

 

Step 3:  From the “Page Template” drop down menu at the bottom, select “Blog Page” as the page template.

IDX Blogger Basics: Finding the Site Admin tool

Your IDX Blogger website is edited through the “Site Admin” tool.  The Site Admin tool is what you will use to add and edit your website content as well as change design, layout, and administrative options.  Your clients and website visitors will not see this Site Admin screen, this is only for you as the owner of the site.  To access the Site Admin tool, click the “Websites” tab in your HomeQuest account.  Each website that you have with HomeQuest will be listed here, and each IDX Blogger site will have a “Site Admin” button next to it.  Remember that each IDX Blogger site is independent and unique, so changing content and options in one will not do so to the others.

In your HomeQuest account, click the “Websites” tab.  Click the “Site Admin” button.

Anatomy of a WordPress page

IDX Blogger is based off of the WordPress platform which provides a very clean, elegant way to manage a blog and a website.  IDX Blogger adds onto WordPress to include the special mapping features as well as the HomeQuest integration features.  Follow along below to see the different pieces of a WordPress page and how they work together to form your IDX Blogger agent website.

1) The Header:  Your IDX Blogger header is automatically created by the template and will always appear at the top of every page.  The header includes information pulled from your HomeQuest contact information (Click here to see how to change your Contact Info).  If you change your HomeQuest contact information, your websites will reflect the new information automatically.  The header color and background color are determined by your “Theme” (Click here to see how to change your IDX Blogger theme).  The header is not customizable unless a Custom Header is ordered.

 

2) The Navigation Bar:  The navigation bar is the horizontal list of links that appears below the header of each page.  The navigation bar lists each page in your IDX Blogger system (unless the page has been hidden).  The links in the navigation bar are used by your website visitors to get to the different pages in your site.

 

3) The page content:  The page content is where the bulk of your information will be displayed.  Ultimately, the header, sidebar, and navigation bar are only supporting actors to this star role.  The page content is the star of the show because this is where the relevent information exists, while the header is only for aesthetics and contact information, and the sidebar contains only widgets.

 

4) The Sidebar:  The sidebar of your IDX Blogger site is where the widgets will appear.  Widgets are great for displaying little “accessory information” tidbits.  This can include things like your agent profile, logo, agency information and logo, as well as other useful items like a mortgage calculator or a list of your recent blog posts.  Click here to see all articles on widgets.

Note: The widget sidebar does not appear at all on pages with a map.  This includes the Search Listings map, the Blog Posts map, and the Daily Email signup map.  The special mapping functionality requires the use of the entire page, so the sidebar is not shown.

Creating new pages on your IDX Blogger website

You can create custom pages with static content on your IDX Blogger site to include extra information for your clients.  The information that you enter on your custom page is up to you, which can include text, images, slideshows, galleries, and even embedded YouTube videos.  The page that you create will fit your content automatically into the correct spot below the header and next to your widget bar.  Each page that you create is automatically added to your upper navigation links bar, but can be hidden afterwards if you do not want it to appear there (Click here to see more about hiding pages).  Follow the instructions below to create a new page on your IDX Blogger site.

How to add a page to your IDX Blogger website:

Step 1: From the “Write” menu, click “Page”.

Step 2: Enter the title and content of your page.  (Click here to see how to add images and media to this page.)  Click “Publish” when you are finished to add this page to your site.

Note: This is just a quick example, you will want to add more content and explanation than I have entered on this example site.

Step 3: Reload your website to see the new page that we just created.

Creating an “Archives” page

An Archives page in your IDX Blogger site lists all of your blog posts and pages.  Posts are listed by category, month, and most recent.  The Archives page is helpful to your clients because they are able to navigate to it for use as a site map, and they are able to see a list of many blog posts at once.  Archives pages are also useful for SEO purposes, since a search engine is able to index a lot of your content at once quickly and easily.  You are not required to have an Archives page.  You may already have an Archives page, but you can follow the directions below to create an Archives page for your site if you do not have one.

Creating an Archives page:

Step 1: From the “Write” menu, click “Page”

Step 2: TItle your page at the top, but don’t add any content.

Note:  Content added to this page will not display, it will be ignored since this is a special page.

Step 3: In the “Page Template” drop down section, select “Archives Page”

Step 4: Click “Publish”.

Your IDX Blogger site now has an “Archives” page displaying your page and blog links.

Next Page »