5 Best WordPress IDX Plugins
The way clients buy and rent properties has changed. Today, buyers go online to view and compare property listings, and real estate agents are expected to have property listings on their websites.
Research shows that 44% of property buyers start their research process online before contacting an agent. If you don’t have property listings on your website, you will be at a severe disadvantage.
The vast majority of real estate websites are built with the WordPress CMS, and fortunately, there is an abundance of WordPress IDX plugins.
These plugins give you the ability to display property listings on your website and your relevant web pages will appear in search results when potential buyers are searching for property in your local area.
That is why we wrote this article about the best WordPress IDX plugins to show you the best options for your website and to help you better understand what IDX is all about.
Contents
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What Is IDX For Real Estate?
IDX (Internal Data Exchange) is an industry policy (broker reciprocity) that allows real estate agents and brokers to display one another’s MLS (Multiple Listing Service) for-sale properties on their respective websites.
This mutually beneficial policy only comes to life when the right tools are used to make it happen. Tools like WordPress IDX plugins.
Your IDX platform of choice will link your website with the relevant MLS listings and show them on your website for visitors to search and view the available properties on the market.
It will display your own properties and that of your competitors. This improves the chances of each agent to promote listings and close deals.
Buyers also benefit from getting access to all the available properties in one place and the search and filter functionalities to find the ideal home for their needs.
IDX tools are different from real estate and rental marketplaces like Zillow and Trulia. These platforms don’t use IDX and that’s why many of their listings are no longer for sale. IDX data is comprehensive and up-to-date.
It is not difficult to see how having up-to-date property listings on your website can give you a leg up on the competition.
When buyers search for available properties and discover what they are looking for on your website, it will encourage them to keep coming back to your site for information on available properties, and this will build familiarity with your brand.
This is why WordPress IDX plugins are so important. As soon as you install them on your WordPress site – usually with a shortcode, you will be able to add MLS properties to your real estate website.
These plugins are robust tools with functionalities that go beyond displaying property listings.
The best IDX plugins will help boost your SEO by ensuring each listing has a separate page that will be indexed by Google. This vastly increases your chances of appearing in search results for relevant queries.
Your IDX plugin will also provide you with lead generation forms and tools to follow up the subscribers on your email list.
Your WordPress IDX plugin will shape what property buyers see when they visit your listing pages and it’s important that you only settle for one of the best WordPress IDX plugins.
We have done the research for you, and below we will show you how we evaluated the WordPress IDX plugins on our list.
How We Evaluated WordPress IDX Plugins
Here are the criteria we used to compile our list:
Intuitive Search Tool
We focused on IDX plugins with powerful search tools. The search tool must make it easy for buyers to sort property by city/town, county, state, postal code, address, and more. Buyers should also be able to filter property by features, price, location, and other factors.
To avoid confusing site visitors with unnecessary search options, the agent must be able to customize the search tool and set relevant search features.
Mapping
Many buyers rely on geographical mapping to find the property of their choice. Only IDX plugins with state-of-the-art map-based search tools are included in our list.
These plugins combine beautiful maps with advanced filter functionality that lets property buyers easily search for detailed MLS features.
Lead Generation
A good IDX plugin should be able to capture leads from the search traffic generated by your listing pages. The tools on your list help you collect, follow up, and nurture leads.
Each of the plugins on our list has CRM (Customer Relationship Management) functionality that helps you manage your email list and send branded newsletters.
Social Sharing
Social shares can drive additional traffic to your website and further generate awareness about your brand. The plugins on this list make it easy for site visitors to share the properties they love on social media.
Ease of Use
The plugins listed below are intuitive, easy to set up, and use. You can easily place shortcodes and widgets on your WordPress site to start displaying listings on your site.
You won’t have to manually import your listed properties since they will be added directly from your broker feed. Your listings will also be updated automatically as the MLS changes.
Customer Service
Plugins are built with code and they can develop technical issues. We don’t expect you to be a technology savant and we have only selected platforms that are backed by world-class customer service.
Customer Reviews
We sorted through customer reviews to see what current users are saying about their experience with each plugin. We considered the reviews and only settled for the options that have garnered overwhelmingly positive comments from current users.
Those are the primary factors we considered when curating the list of the best WordPress IDX plugins for you.
Before you go through the review below, you should know that the NAR has a bunch of rules and regulations governing IDX usage and you must be MLS-approved before you can start importing IDX data to your website.
Once approved, the company behind your plugin of choice will send you installation instructions and shortcodes.
The instructions are easy to follow, and in a little time, you will generate your shortcode, place your widgets, and start displaying property listings on your real estate website.
Top 5 WordPress Real Estate IDX Plugins
Here are the 5 best WordPress IDX plugins on the market:
ShowcaseIDX Plugin
The Showcase plugin is the ultimate IDX plugin for third-party integrations and lead management.
The plugin integrates naturally with a database of hundreds of third-party apps making it ideal for agents that want a seamless co-existence with their existing marketing, CRM, and analytics solutions.
It does everything you expect from a WordPress IDX plugin perfectly, but it excels at lead generation & management.
It is equipped with a lead management dashboard that helps you capture high-quality leads, follow-up, and nurture your leads. What’s more, this lead generation functionality is completely free.
Here at Evergreen Growth Marketing, we use the ShowcaseIDX WordPress Plugin to generate property listings for the real estate websites of most of our clients.
If you are a real estate agent that is interested in a best-in-class IDX solution with comprehensive lead management features and extensive support for third-party apps – this is the WordPress IDX plugin for you.
Impressive Features
- MLS for-sale property updates every 10 minutes
- Advanced search tool
- Personalized widgets
- In-built CRM
- Impressive customer service
- Zero set up fees
- Polygon map search
- Extensive integration with third-party apps including Google Analytics, Facebook, Pipedrive, and many more.
Cons
- The extensive reliance on third-party integrations can be overwhelming for new users
- Only a 10-days free trial
Pricing
Pricing starts at $59.95/month and you get a no-credit card required free 10-day trial.
Impress For IDXBroker Plugin
The Impress for IDX Broker is part of the family of IDX plugins and tools provided by IDX broker to real estate agents and brokers. As a real estate agent, it’s likely you are already familiar with the IDX Broker IDX/MLS services.
The plugin is easy to use, packed with robust features, and very affordable. Adding property listings to your real estate website is a straightforward process with this plugin. You can add the IDX data to your site by using widgets or shortcodes.
The plugin also has advanced search and geographical mapping features. It is the WordPress IDX plugin of choice for an agent that is looking for an affordable solution packed with all the necessary features and tools.
Impressive Features
- Polygon map search
- Indexable listing pages
- Facebook IDX integration
- Automatic email responder
- Built-in CRM
- Excellent customer service
- Market report data (premium)
- Easy to use without any technical knowledge
- Advanced search tool that supports all property types
Cons
- No free trial
- Updates property listings every hour which is a much slower rate than the ShowcaseIDX Plugin
- $100 set up fee
Pricing
You will activate the plugin by linking it to your existing IDX Broker account, and pricing for IDX/MLS plans starts at $50/month.
iHomefinder Plugin
The IHomefinder Plugin has the cleanest design of all the WordPress IDX plugins and it also has the most advanced search customization options.
Real estate agents can customize the search tool to provide countless options for buyers including searches by open/closed/sold homes, location, featured listings, price, and much more.
Setting extensive search parameters makes it easy for buyers to look for property in any way that is comfortable for them. The advanced search function also includes Polygon map search.
If you want to provide advanced search customization options for visitors to your real estate website, this is the ideal IDX plugin for you.
Impressive Features
- Advanced property and map search
- Automated email responders
- Branded emails
- Mobile lead alerts
- Indexable listings
- Facebook IDX integration
- Easy to use
- Excellent customer service
- Extensive online knowledgebase that includes documentation, webinars, and YouTube videos
Cons
- The search tool can be overly complex for beginners
- Updates are too frequent and occasionally cause functionality issues
- The email automation feature costs extra
Pricing
Pricing starts at $49.95/month and there is a no-credit card required 30-day free trial.
Realtyna Organic IDX Plugin
This IDX plugin excels at creating indexable and integrated property listing pages. It works hard to get Google to index your listing pages and boost your chances of getting more visitors to your website.
The plugin is also equipped with all the essential features you will expect to find including a customizable search tool, property map, lead capture tools, and much more.
Just like the ShowcaseIDX plugin, it is a great tool for lead generation. Its lead capture features include an In-built CRM, forced registration, and saved search.
It is the perfect IDX plugin for the real estate website of a new agent that wants a powerful SEO IDX tool with impressive lead generation features at a very affordable price.
Impressive Features
- Indexable property listing pages
- Extensive SEO features
- Customizable widgets
- Lead capture tools
- Easy to use
- Excellent customer service
- Compatibility with the most commonly used WordPress themes
- Works with the most popular WordPress page builders
Cons
- Add-ons for customization cost a pretty penny
- Features are relatively basic compared to the more advanced WPL Pro
Pricing
It is a free product, but you need to pay for the Realtyna WPL Pro plugin for more advanced features.
dsIDXpress Plugin by Diverse Solutions
It is the most user-friendly WordPress IDX plugin on the market and it’s the perfect plug-and-play solution for agents that don’t have WordPress experience or the time to set up an IDX platform.
You can set up everything and start displaying property listings on your real estate website in a matter of minutes.
There is a Basic plan and a Pro plan. The plan you pay for will determine how extensive the features of your dsIDXpress plugin will be.
The basic plugin is suitable for agents that are interested in a simple and affordable IDX solution for their website. The basic plugin still includes MLS, geographical mapping, SEO functionality, and more.
The Pro plugin includes many of the features you will find in the plugins listed above – features like in-built CRM, lead capture tools, social media integration, forced registration, advanced map search, and more.
Impressive Features
- Unmatched user-friendliness
- Indexable listing pages
- SEO features
- Excellent customer service
- Lead capture tools
- Customizable widgets
- In-built CRM
- Mobile-friendly design
Cons
- Limited advanced search customization functionality
- Not as feature-rich as the IDX Broker, iHomefinder, and ShowcaseIDX plugins
- There have been complaints about the response time of customer care staff
Pricing
Pricing starts at $49.95/month with a 14-day free trial.
Final Thoughts
The 5 best WordPress IDX plugins listed in this article each have everything you need to create robust property listing pages on your real estate website. Each plugin has a clearly defined area where it is superior to the alternatives and you should pick the best plugin for your specific needs.
If you need professional assistance setting up your IDX plugin or you need to start with creating a real estate website with WordPress – Evergreen Growth Marketing can help.
We are a Raleigh NC real estate SEO & marketing services company that specializes in web design and digital marketing for real estate agents. We are partnered with the best IDX solutions, and we will help you set up flawless IDX-powered listing pages that are always up-to-date.
Get in touch with us today, and let’s work together to drive property buyers to your website and generate leads.
