The number and complexity of real estate sites has exploded over the last few years. As a result, the average website today delivers more value to consumers, and those consumers in turn have higher expectations than ever before.

So how does the modern agent create the kind of website that (A) stands out from the crowd, (B) meet or exceeds consumer expectations, and (C) helps the agent grow his or her business?

Here are five must-have ingredients for success:

1. Enhanced Listing Data

Modern consumers expect to see property listings on a real estate agent's website, but that's not all. They want to interact with those listings in some way. They want to click on thumbnail images to enlarge them. They want to take virtual tours inside the property. They expect these things because the best real estate sites deliver them. So the modern agent must stay competitive online by offering what consumers want.

Fortunately, there are plenty of software programs around these days to help with this. There are companies who specialize in virtual tours for real estate sites. There are listing-management tools that can be installed onto an existing website. There are photo gallery programs and much more.

2. Consumer Education Resources

As a real estate professional, you are also an educator on topics related to your business. So if you want your site to perform well, you should offer a wealth of educational material. This might include tutorials, about buying / selling a home, market news relevant to your area, and more.

Here's a helpful hint for you. If you refer to the author's note at the end of this article, you'll be directed to a library of quality content that you can republish onto your own website for free.

3. Daily or Weekly Updates

Home buyers and sellers want access to current information. This only makes sense, because housing markets change frequently. Stale data and outdated information are useless to consumers, and therefore have no place on a real estate website.

The key to keeping a site current is to make it easy to manage. The easier it is for you to perform web maintenance and updates, the more likely you will be to perform them on a regular basis. So shop around for the kinds of technology that can simplify your maintenance.

A blogging program, for example, can help you publish new information quickly and easily. So a blog is perfectly suited to function as a news channel (market updates, new property listings, etc.).

4. Lead Generation Strategies

I speak to a lot of real estate professionals in my line of work, so I know for a fact that this is an area of frustration for many agents and brokers. Driving traffic to a website is only part of the equation for online success. You must also convert that traffic into leads and inquiries. You must get people to "raise their hands," so to speak, and to contact you in some way. This is how business relationships begin online.

You can generate leads from your site in a variety of ways. Maybe you will ask people to fill out a short form in exchange for virtual tour access. Perhaps you will use the reader-commenting feature of your blog to encourage an online dialogue. There are many ways to produce leads through a website. The key is to try new things and then focus on the ones that work the best for you.

5. Basic Website Usability

Web usability refers to the ease with which people can use a particular website. I often use the Netflix site as an example of good usability, because it's incredibly simple to find your way around and interact with their site (even if it's your first visit).

The problem is, many of the agent websites I encounter fall short in this department. They are cluttered with all kinds of unnecessary information and graphics. The menus are hard to find. They lack instructions in key areas. The information is poorly organized and thus hard to find.

These are all critical mistakes that will reduce your online success. That's because today's web users expect organization and simplicity, and if your site is lacking these things they will hit the "back" button without a second thought.

I usually recommend that any agent who is serious about online success read a book on the topic of usability. You can find several of them at Amazon and the other online bookstores, and you can read reviews to choose the best one for your needs.

Conclusion and Summary

So there you have it, a list of ingredients that today's best real estate websites all have in common. If you want to put yourself in league with the top-performing sites in your area, you'll have to invest some time and energy putting these ingredients in place.

Brandon Cornett publishes an agent marketing website that offers free real estate content and a wealth of other useful tools for agents. Learn more by visiting http://www.armingyourfarming.com