Paul Anthony, internet marketing manager at Northern Irish portal propertypal.com, has got in touch with a guest post on what makes a great real estate website. propertypal.com’s employees have spent quite a bit of time thinking about that question recently, as they’ve been putting together a free WordPress theme built specifically for real estate professionals. Check out the theme here.
It stands to reason that if you want to begin marketing online, your website needs to be in tip top shape. There’s absolutely no point in working hard building website traffic if your website doesn’t deliver.
So what makes a good estate agency website?
Look and Feel
A great design inspires confidence and trust in a brand, as consumers make decisions on your business in extremely small amounts of time. Studies have shown time and time again that trust is an underlying factor in delivering sales online. Your website design should reflect your brand and be aesthetically pleasing to the eye.
If it isn’t, visitors could land on your website and “bounce” – a term used to describe what happens when someone visits, then immediately leaves. If you aren’t already monitoring Google Analytics or similar tools, now is the time to get your head around understanding what is happening on your site. Savvy agents are asking their web vendor for access to statistics so they can work out what needs work.
Property Listings
All too often estate agents think they can get away with a one page website with a telephone number and contact form. Visitors have told us time and time again they will search for property online, and enquire online. A good property listing will showcase the interior and exterior of the property, and give the consumers an overview of the property itself.
It’s also important to keep your website fresh, and up to date. No one is going to enquire on a site which stays static, doesn’t change and shows a lack of online activity. No movement online is generally a reflection of no movement offline.
Photos and Imagery
Photos are an essential part of building that trust we’ve talked about. Invest in a decent digital camera, and if you aren’t sure how to use it, consider taking a night class in doing so. Photos are one of the main ways to promote a property, and crisp clean images are essential to get results.
Many agents get this wrong by failing to ensure properties are clean prior to taking photos, or sending an inexperienced camera user to take photos. Think about photography as inspirational and aspirational - no one wants to look at a picture of a vast expanse of grass, yet a scenery shot can do wonders for enquiry levels. It’s all in the composition.
Video
Video, in a similar vein to images, can help encourage visitors to respond and increase conversion rates by as much as 25 percent in some instances. It also can result in more traffic to your site, by syndicating to video sites such as YouTube that are already getting traffic.
This traffic can then be redirected back to your own estate agency website. Video tours and 360 degree panoramas are going to be big as people look for more interactive experiences online.
Content
The more content you put on your website, the better. Smart agents are now blogging for business, attempting to attract traffic and links from other websites. As Google revisits websites that update regularly more often, this can often result in more traffic.
This is one of the primary ways on the web to grow online. Unlike a brochure, a website should be continually refined, and enhanced over time to create a presence that wows visitors and keeps them on your site longer.
Ease consumer concerns through FAQs
Firstly, your website should focus on delivering goals for the consumer. So ask yourself: “What questions do I answer in my everyday business?” Your website should answer those questions, which reinforce trust, and encourage contact with you. It also saves time with staff being able to refer customers back to the website, and exposing your brand (and properties) to them.
Promote personal touch
Don’t be scared of showcasing your staff, and their qualifications, as this can help build trust. The benefits of estate agency are in large personal contact, and the looking after of clients. A good estate agent builds his reputation by being a people person and by delivering on promises – your website should do the same.
Related posts:
- An Insider’s Take on Real Estate Website Design
- Top 10 Tips for Your Agency Website
- Real Estate Website Inspiration at the IMAs
- Can Widgets Boost Your Real Estate Website?
- Real Estate Advertising Tips from homefinder.com
- Website Spotlight: WebAward Real Estate Winners
- Five Inspirational Real Estate Videos
- Six Tips for Website Stickiness
- Real Estate SEO Part 1
- Create Your Own Real Estate Shows
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