The importance of integrated IDX for Realtors has been discussed for over a decade. Today, we still come across real estate websites that don’t have integrated IDX along with some who don’t fully understand its importance. 

Keep reading to learn more about integrated IDX and why it’s essential for your real estate website.

What is IDX?

IDX is short for “Internet Data Exchange,” and it dictates how listings from your local MLS show up on your website. Essentially, IDX lets you show all of the listings for sale in your market if you agree to let them be shown on other Realtor’s websites. In some markets, there are offices that withhold their listing data. However, participation in the IDX is (nearly) universal. Why? Because the more places a listing is shown, the more likely a potential buyer will see it and the more likely that the listing will sell for a higher price. Participating in IDX is the best way to get a listing the exposure it needs to sell at the best price.

How does the IDX appear on a Realtor’s website?

There are two ways to implement the IDX on your real estate website: framed IDX and integrated IDX.

What is framed IDX?

Integrated, framed… What’s the difference? Let’s skip the mumbo jumbo and dig into what’s really important for a real estate website: search engine optimization. Framed IDX is generally a cheaper solution, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s better. By using a framed IDX, it appears that you’re displaying a page within your website, but it is not actually on [yourcompanywebsite.com]. Instead, the property search and listing results appear on [idxvendorsite.com] and this core functionality is hosted by an outside party. 

What does a framed IDX look like? There are a few ways to tell if your IDX is framed. Check to see if it belongs to a different URL or a subdomain. Does a visitor have to navigate away from the site to see listings? If so, your IDX feed is probably framed. Another way to tell if your site implements a framed IDX solution is if you have to manage your listings on a separate platform from your website. Do you manage your homepage content on one platform while managing listings on another site? If that’s the case – unless you already know that your IDX vendor provides you with an integrated solution – then your IDX feed is probably framed.

What is integrated IDX?

An integrated IDX solution creates crawlable pages for each listing on your site – which could include all of the listings in your MLS. These crawlable pages mean that your site has literally thousands of pages that can be seen by major search engines. The more pages you have, the more opportunity there is for your site to rank well on search engines.

Why does integrated IDX matter?

The more content you have on your site, the more potential customers you can catch. An integrated IDX website allows your website to have thousands of pages indexed by search engines and gives you a bigger net to cast out into the internet. Every Realtor pays their dues to their local MLS. Why not get the full SEO benefit from your membership?

Having an integrated IDX not only gives your website a boost on search engine results pages but also elevates your website to provide the best user experience that potential clients expect these days.

Looking for a beautiful and powerfully built real estate website with integrated IDX? Take a look at some of our award-winning websites or contact us today to discuss your website goals.