This post by was written by contributor Aleksandra Missbrener.

Don’t underestimate the power of an email list. It’s a vital part of your real estate business and can carry you through market volatility—and it’s also something you have complete control over. Here’s how to grow it to propel your business.

Place Opt-ins on Your Page

It’s puzzling. Real estate professionals spend time and money to create websites without giving thought to what will happen when someone actually lands on these pages. Once someone leaves your website, chances of him coming back are almost none.

Don’t lose the lead—put an opt-in form on your site to capture contact information. Where you place the opt-in form matters. The best performing spots are in the header, near the top of the right sidebar, at the bottom of your content, or as a pop-up.

Declutter Your Website

It should be obvious to website visitors what the next step is. A cluttered website confuses people, and a confused mind always says no to the next step. Eliminate things like AdSense ads, more than one or two calls to action, busy backgrounds, and unnecessary text and images. Today’s well-converting websites have a clean look, with lots of white space, large sections, and eye-catching graphics.

Keep in mind that every page on your website has a different task; therefore, each page should have a different set of elements. Do not model a design from somewhere else just because you like it. Certain pages with specific tasks need to have specific elements to function effectively. Everything else needs to be removed or those elements will lose visitors.

Aleksandra Missbrener, co-founder of NanexDigitalMediaGroup.com, is a digital marketing strategist, real estate agent and investor, who has been consulting in U.S. and Europe. She’s obsessed with helping small real estate businesses grow through the power of digital marketing and can be contacted at aleksandra@nanexdigitalmediagroup.com.