Name of your website?Tampa Locators
Your name?
Dave Kinkade
Your Location (city, etc)
Tampa
Please give us a short summary of your website?
This website is a uniquely designed way to present Tampa Bay Florida apartments, condos and houses for rent to the world. It is designed with an outsider in mind, blending maps, video tours and lots of information and local links. It helps people who don't know Tampa to become informed and have some perspective of this area before they arrive in person. Locals appreciate the clear layout and selection of homes.
What inspired you to launch your own website?
It was frustration, really. I searched for months for one of those pre-made sites that would quickly allow me to develop a credible web presence with the turn of a key and adding a few pretty pictures. It wasn't nearly that simple. The first generation of the website was an exercise of mind over matter. I didn't know how to make it do all the things I needed it to do. It definitely was (and is) a learning process.
When did you launch your first website, and what was it?
Fall of 2007. It was this site. After a little over a year, it is about to be completely revamped by a professional designer so not only will it do what I want, it will do it while looking good and functioning smoothly.
How did you decide on a name for your website?
Most of the name had to do with the name of the business. That being said, there don't seem to be many unique names available that are both descriptive and short.
What makes your website different from other, similar offerings?
It is the blend of intuitive searching and visual output that make this site different. Several of our homes not only offer many photos but also video tours.
What is your eventual goal? (To sell it, keep it for income, secure a book or other mainstream media deal?)
I want this site to set the standard for real estate website design. While it is still in its infancy, the vision is there and the execution will continue to improve.
How does your investment of time and money balance against your success?
This is an absolute labor of love. The amount of time invested is too large for me to calculate. The results have been positive but this is just the beginning. It would have been cost-prohibitive to have brought in a professional designer because it wasn't entirely clear where the site was going at the outset of the project.
If you had an unlimited development budget for development, how would you change your site?
Funny you should ask. The site is now being entirely reconfigured by a professional designer. It should be online by March 2009 and will incorporate many features I could have only dreamed of a year ago. I have enough imagination that the site could never run out of new things to do and areas of concentration. I would utilize more high-end interactive features with my clients. I want this site to be all about them.
If your site got really big, really quickly, would you be able to keep up with the demand?
I am unafraid of being deluged by customer response. That is a great thing, in fact. My company would be glad to handle the increased traffic. We are ready.
What unexpected costs and headaches have you had to deal with?
It is by far the headache of Search Engine Optimization (SEO). I continue to be amazed at what a dark art SEO can be.
What has been your biggest challenge?
Knowledge gaps. This project has been run on a shoe string and is much like a skunk-works sort of operation. It has been by sheer force of will that the site even exists. Anything that has been done had to be learned by a non-professional. Before starting this site, I knew absolutely nothing about website development. I just knew what I wanted and could not find a ready-made solution.
What method has been most successful for promoting your website?
The best way I have found to raise awareness and traffic is by linking back to my website on craigslist advertisements of individual properties. Even as crude as the first generation site was, feedback by customers has been enormously favorable.
How has running your website differed from your expectations?
Time. I cannot believe how much time it takes to maintain the site, communicate with clients and continue to learn new ways to increase the relevance and effectiveness of the site.
How long have you run the site already, and how long will you continue to keep it up if you don't enjoy big gains in traffic, income or popularity?
It has been just over a year now. As much time and effort as I have expended I cannot imagine ever just letting it go. The show must go on.
If you could, would you do it all over again?
I honestly don't know. On a bad day I would swear there is no way I would do it again. Most of the time, I am very satisfied and optimistic about the direction this site is headed.
What is your website address?
Tampa Locators
