Most people place an IDX map search on a page of their site with a url structure that looks something like the following:

yoursite.com/search-for-homes

yoursite.com/home-search

yoursite.com/search-phoenix-homes-for-sale

yoursite.com/mls-home-search

…and dozens of other potential variations.

Well, when a new user registers to use the IDX search on your website, they may or may not bookmark the actual IDX search page. Which means that every time they want to log into their account, they either have to type in the page address that hosts your IDX search, or click on the Search page from your site’s navigation menu.

Nothing overly complicated, but still, I can see where some people might find it a slight inconvenience. So, in today’s post, we cover a quick an easy way to display a “Log-in or Register” Call To Action on your home page.

Creating a Log-in Page: 

All you have to do to prompt the log-in page for your IDX map search is append the following to the end of the URL where you’re hosting your IDX map search: /#ShowLogin.

So if you’re URL is: johndoerealestate.com – you would add #ShowLogin to the end of the URL like this: johndoerealestate.com/#ShowLogin.

This will then take users to the IDX map search on your website and will prompt the log-in form in the following manner:

Creating an Account Registration Page: 

Similar to creating a Log-in page, in order to create an Account Registration page, all you have to do is append the following to the end of the URL where you’re hosting your IDX map search: /#ShowRegister.

So if you’re URL is: johndoerealestate.com – you would add #ShowLogin to the end of the URL like this: johndoerealestate.com/#ShowRegister.

This will then take users to the IDX map search on your website and will prompt the log-in form in the following manner:

Linking To Your Log-In & Registration Pages From Your Home Page:

Now that you know how to link to the Log-in and Account Registration pages on your IDX map search, the last step is to create an easy access link to those pages from your home page. You can do this in a couple of different ways:

1.) Link to it from your sidebar.

You can add a simple widget on your sidebar – here’s a great example from an Agent Evolution site: (a standard design feature they add to every site they design)

This way, it’s prominently placed on your various blog posts and interior pages of your site. It serves as a Call To Action to new users to create an account and it’s an easy access page for existing IDX users.

2.) Link to it on the header of your site.

When I go to a website, and I want to find a company’s phone number, my eyes always go to the upper right-hand side of the site. It’s prominent real estate space and for the most part, I know I can always access the phone number there. So why not create an easy way for existing (and new) IDX visitors to log-in or create an account as well.

Here’s a great example from Bill McCue:

Really, you can link to those new log-in and registration URL’s from anywhere – including them in your email signature is one idea.

How else might this be useful? Do you currently provide an easy way for site visitors to log-in or create an account on your IDX search page?