If you’re like me and use your cell phone as your main point of contact, you’ll love the ability to block certain calls and also screen calls when you don’t want to be disturbed. For example, between 1 AM and 5 AM (I’m looking at you, Mrs. random british prospect who called me about rentals at 3 AM a few weeks back).

Ok, you don’t need any more convincing, you’re sold on Google Voice (it was that easy, you pushover?). Here’s how to start using it:

1. Invite yourself.

That’s right, Google Voice is invitation only. This is standard Google practice to build buzz for a new product, and basically it means you’re going to need to sign up to Google Voice and wait. It took me about a week from when I signed up until they emailed my with an invitation. It may be longer or shorter for you, depending on whatever algorithm Google uses to determine your worth as a human being. Anyway, see you in a week…

#2 Respond to Invite and Pick Your Number

Wow, that week really flew by, no? Now it’s time to pick your number. Google Voice won’t let you pick a custom number, but you can keep clicking next until you find one that’s relatively easy to remember.

#3 Tweak your settings

This is where it gets a bit personal, depending on how you want to use Google Voice. I’ve turned off Call Screening, because I don’t want to bother prospects by having Google ask them their name. I’ve also turned off Call Presentation, since with the option afterwards I’ve chosen to display my Google Voice number so that I always know when I have a prospect calling. Before, I had to run around like a crazy person trying to get the dog in a headlock so it’d be quiet, only to have the caller end up being a Blockbuster robot calling to tell me Super Troopers is still late.

The caller’s number is still saved and I can see it online anytime, so there’s no loss. The last function, “Do Not Distub”, can also come in handy if you can remember to activate it. I’m still looking for a setting to automatically turn that on during the middle of the night, but haven’t found it yet. In the meantime, my nightmares of throngs of British prospects calling me at all hours continue.

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#4 If you’re a team, add your teamates:

The next setting screen is a killer feature if you have an assistant or work on a team. It lets you add additional phone numbers, then when somebody calls your Google Voice number it rings all the numbers. If you’ve ever tried to hork down a mouthful of sandwich just to answer a lead call, you’ll appreciate this flexibility. It also makes it seamless when one person goes on vacation (hah!).

#6 Get Widgy With It

Who doesn’t love widgets? Go ahead and cut and paste your Google Voice code on your blog, website, your single property websites, your “facespace” as they call it 0n Law & Order, and everywhere else you please.

Update: I just saw another excellent post about Google Voice For Real Estate by Damon Chetson on the Bloodhound Blog

So how do you figure out what the 20% is? By using website statistics, that’s how. This tutorial will get you up and running using Google Anayltics on your real estate website.

Google Analytics is a free service offered by Google (surprise!). To get started, go to:

Google Analytics for Real Estate Websites

The signup page for Google Real Estate Website Analytics

If you don’t have a Google account yet, then you’ll need to go ahead and make one (click the link near the bottom right that says “Don’t have a Google Account? Sign Up Now”).

In the next screen, you’ll want to enter your website’s web address, and pick a name for it. I just use the web address for the name also. In the next screen, you’ll enter your personal info. After that, they’ll require you to agree to their terms of service.

Enter your real estate website domain name.

The next step is where it actually requires work: you’ll need to select and copy the tracking code they provide you. If you have no idea what HTML is, and you’re not the person who actually works on your website, then email this code to your web admin. Tell them you want it included on every page of your website, immediately before the </body> tag. They should know what you mean, but if not send them to Google Analytics and they should be able to figure it out.

Analytics Tracking Code For Your Real Estate Website

If you’re the person that works on your website, then you’ll want to manually paste that code into the HTML of every page you want to track. Google suggests you add it right before the closing </body> tag.

Now, sit back and relax. It will take a few hours or even a day or two before Google Analytics gets enough results back from your site to show that everything is working. Once it’s working, you can view a plethora of data, including details on the number of visitors, what they’re view, and especially where they’re coming from.

Viewing Real Estate Website Statistics On Your Dashboard

Since search is such a big part of traffic these days, one of the main areas I focus on is keywords, found under the “Traffic Sources” tab on the left (see above screenshot). It’s helpful for figuring out ideas for future blog posts or content pages.