Thread: IDX RETS vs. Frame-in, related questions.

Originally Posted by maui

I have searched this forum and on google yet I can't find a definite answer to this question: when visiting a real estate site, how can you tell if they receive raw data or if it is a frame in? Also, I have a site being done by agentimage and they deferred the idx part to idxbroker, what questions or issues should be addressed in order to implement an SEO-oriented, user-friendly IDX platform? Can somebody who uses idxbroker comment on their service and quality. Also, if you believe you have a great IDX search on your site, please comment on what features your users find most useful/convenient.

This is something I have noticed there are resellers of Iframed IDX solutions that sell to devlopers. These people will never stop shoveling crap at agents as along as they continue to buy it. Iframes are crapolla ! If you are going to build a website do it right the first time, build a system that builds properties at the page level. I frames are terrible for SEO... Sure you can still rank a i framed solution but a non i frame solution will always give you better results.

Thanks for the response. I ended up using idxbroker (as that is who the designer uses) and the put a 'global wrap'. I am new to all these technical aspects but I have been doing research here and other forums. Can anybody give their input on 'global wrap'?

Originally Posted by maui

Thanks for the response. I ended up using idxbroker (as that is who the designer uses) and the put a 'global wrap'. I am new to all these technical aspects but I have been doing research here and other forums. Can anybody give their input on 'global wrap'?

Let me see your URL, if its a wrapper its very similar to an i frame. The biggest problem with most idx companies is that many of them are running on the premise of replicating the same system over and over and selling it for 29.95 per month. Its all about volume and little about quality or in this case custom features. Years ago the template site was a valuable asset to any agent. Today they are a dime a dozen. Remember there are two critical components to a website, Marketing and Content. Marketing costs the same whether you have one basic page or an entire complex data base driven system. If you are going to spend the required money for SEO why would anyone skimp on the website. Do it right the first time and build a custom solution that fits your needs, and not the developers needs. You will have full control over your website and you will be able to add on whenever you want. You pay for what you get !

The days of template systems are coming to an end !

If you need help drop me an email anytime or a PM, I can show you how to do it right .

There is a ton of ways to tell if you have the worthless frame or the super hot direct IDX. The idx direct is worth its weight in gold in regards to lead capture.
One of many quick ways to see if someone is running a frame is to just look at the edges of the page and if you can see a sort of wood look and the corners are very square... and slide your hand down the edge of the page to see if you can feel any nails.. Last resort, take a hammer and hit it dead center. If its a frame glass will fall all over the floor.. hee..hee....

Just kidding now here is the real answer... for IE but similar for FireFox..
1. Click View then Source.
2. There will be a bunch of stuff talking about frames in a very small page of text.
3. Vaguely remember how small the page is and remember a few things on the page.
4. Close the page down now.
5. Right click on the center section of the page... then click on View Soruce
6. Should be a large page of text and the beginning should not have any Frame words...

These are the best frames but many use Ifrmes also... so right click in the center of the page where you see the homes and it will be different from what you see with View Source from the menu.

To identify sites with No frames you will find the menu View Source and the right click View Source will be identical text...

Also you can id the framers by their PR score... google hates frames and will give you low pr scores for using them.... Full IDX is the only way to go.... anything else requires frames... not worth a darn.. poor mans web.


Hope that helps... and if you have been thinking about getting your feet wet with the Google Adwords Pay per click...PM me and I will give you the url to a free 20,000 keyword adwords PPC fully functional site for free.... one per state please.

Thanks for all the info, that's exactly what I wanted to know. I will PM you about the ad words url.

Another quick way to determine if someone is using frames is to scroll the page. If any part, top, bottom side of page moves separate from the rest of the page its frames. Most Iframes gives something toward the center of the page and scrolls separate from the page. Sometimes they insert them so neatly that you cannot visually sse it...
If they get tricky... then View Source and use Edit and find and look for "iframe" if you find that term its an iframe.. Do they not have a PM capability here... if not to find out about the Free Adwords 30,000 keywords related to your neighborhood just use quotes and Google the line below.
"It seems like every day another 100 PPC advertisers are coming on line with adwords"
IF its not exciting tell all your friends about it... could be a wonderful oppurtunity for 52 folks (1 per state)

Thanks for sharing, I have been thinking about this for a long time, had used Iframe for a while but I was not sure the solution of it

As far as IDXs go, I don't think they have that much impact on SEO. The thing that is nice about the Custom IDX compared to an Iframed one is that you can make the custom IDX fit better to your sites template. The features on the custom IDX can be made more user friendly. A custom IDX will help with SEO but not dramatically. It will also help give you more pages to your site.

A custom IDX can have a HUGE impact on your SEO. Don't get me wrong, there are still numerous factors that would outweigh just a fancy IDX (i.e. inbound links, unique content on site). Look at how successful REW sites are in different markets.