Even though a real estate website can be a wonderful lead generation source, you can be too aggressive in gathering information and contacting your visitors.

1. Open with Flash Intos and Other Obstacles to Information They Want.

While they may look pretty, Animated Flash Intros and banners are really a distraction to visitors searching for information. Avoid them at all costs. Website visitors have a very short attention span and do not want to make any extra clicks to get where they want to go.

2. Fill your site with pop-ups wanting information.

Though pop-up blocking is used a lot, many programs use pop-ups for valid functions, like my MLS system. So many users don't have them turned off and really hate having a "Sign My Guest Book" or some other annoyance jumping onto the screen when they want to see a neighborhood map.

3. Make them sign in for your "free" information or services.

Get into those search results with phrases like "free MLS search" and then make them sign in to do it. To the average internet prospect, "free" means without payment or anything in trade. Their contact information is something very important that they have to trade to get to the free search you advertised.

4. Gain their contact information through stealth tactics.

Though it's much more difficult to gather information without permission in today's systems, there are still those out there that do it. By gaining an IP address and tracing it back, some can eventually get to an email address. There are other ways too technical for this discussion. However, they're all very negative from the site visitor's perspective. Privacy is one valued expectation of internet shoppers.

5. Contact them too much and too early.

The average internet real estate prospect begins their research very early using the internet. That's because they expect to be able to gather information without sales or other pressures. One broker who makes 100% of real estate income from a website says that the average is eight months from first substantive contact to a transaction. That doesn't include the time they researched before contact. Don't pester the internet prospect....just provide information when they need it.