As online new home shopping reaches record levels, builders are trying to improve their website presence. In my travels around the country, working with homebuilders to develop websites and eLead follow up programs, I am often asked the same questions. Many of these questions come from senior leadership eager (yet struggling) to learn the nuances of online sales and marketing. These six myths come from my most frequently asked questions and hard won battles as I educate the homebuilding industry on everything "e".

Myth #1 - If we don't show our pricing online, consumers will call us for more information instead of eliminating us because we are too expensive.

One thing is certain, if you don't show pricing for your product, consumers will eliminate you. They will not take the time to call you for more information. The Web's appeal is the convenience factor. I've often said your website needs to be Staples button easy! Make it easy to view your plans, pricing and inventory. Make it easy to request information. Make it easy to print a personalized brochure. If you make consumers work for information, they will eliminate you and move on to a website with complete information.

Myth #2 - Website visitors favor websites with lots of bells and whistles.

Your website should be a reflection of your target audience. It should not be a reflection of your personal online shopping preferences (unless you are an exact demographic and psychographic match to your target audience). The bells and whistles on a website, i.e. flash movies, streaming audio/video and/or interactive floor plans, should be used if and when they are appropriate for your target audience. First ask yourself, would this feature fit my target audience? Secondly, ask what purpose does the feature serve? Finally, ask is this feature serving my ego or does it truly help to convey information consumers are seeking about my product? Web visitor's love advanced websites when the technology serves a purpose and makes sense based on their user profile.

Myth #3 - Website surfers use the Internet to research new home information.

The key word in this statement is research. Website surfers aren't researching so much as they are shopping. You might be thinking isn't that the same thing? Ask any woman if researching and shopping are the same and you will get the same response -- no way! Ninety-two percent of women use the Internet to shop for new homes. WOW! Your primary audience online are women. Men tend to research whereas women tend to shop. Researching implies pouring over material reading, comparing and analyzing the findings. Shopping implies an emotional response to a visual image. This means that your photography, renderings, floor plans and video tours must be of the highest quality for women to feel compelled to begin a dialogue with you.

Myth #4 - All website visitors "click" the same way.

A recent study found that there are seventeen types of online information seeking behaviors. Some website visitors prefer drop down menu navigation while others prefer text links and yet others prefer fill-in-the-blank forms. No two website visitors "click" the same way. Further, just because you prefer one method of searching doesn't mean all other web visitors think like you do. When you restrict navigation options in an attempt to force every visitor down a specific path, you lose the other sixteen types of online information seeking behaviors. Each page should have multiple types of navigation options that lead to your products and services.

Myth #5 - If we require more questions on our registration form we will get more complete information.

The more questions you require on your registration form, the fewer visitors will complete the form. I often hear the statement from senior leadership that if someone is really interested in buying a home they will complete all the information. Wrong! The visitor may be very interested in buying a home but they are no longer interested in buying your home! Think about it this way - do we train on-site salespeople to refuse walk-in traffic that fails to complete every field on the registration card? No. We coach them to ask for a registration with every visitor and to accept the amount of information the visitor discloses. Why are online visitors any different? Require less and you will get more.

Myth #6 - When our website is finished, our online marketing strategy is complete.

Building a website is only the foundation of an effective online sales and marketing strategy. With the foundation in place, the next step is to drive online traffic to the website. That means you need to be visible in the search engines through search engine marketing and popular home search portals like Move.com. Web surfers don't open the newspaper to find a website address. They log-on to a search engine and search online. A website with no online marketing is like a billboard in the Everglades. It doesn't exist. The final piece of an online sales and marketing strategy is eLead management. Now that visitors know about your website, they are going to be compelled to register. You need an effective follow-up program in place to convert your eLeads to eSales.

There are many misconceptions about the Web. Determining what works is sometimes a function of testing and measurement and other times a function of plain old common sense. If you remember to wear your "consumer" hat, you will find it easier to determine fact from fiction.