In today’s Internet driven environment, the usability and design of your website is critical for driving business. Research suggests that 80% of estate agent enquiries are made through the Internet. Your website needs to reflect your core message and establish your agency as an authority within your specific field.
1. Design
Your website must make a positive impression within the first five seconds and be easy to navigate. Your branding should be strong and consistent, with an easily recognisable logo and an engaging tone of voice.
2. Search functionality and contact information
When looking for properties, users want to access information easily. An effective search tool is vital. You also want to ensure that your contact information is clearly displayed on every page. Don’t make your information difficult to discover.
3. Technical aspects
As well as a great design, the inner workings of your website need to run smoothly. On-the-go searches are increasing, so to maximise potential traffic, your website must function properly on all mobile devices and load quickly.
4. An up-to-date portfolio
As one of the areas that will be attracting the most traffic, your property portfolio must be updated regularly. Images for each property should be high quality and sit alongside clear, concise information. Don’t forget to include location information, including an interactive map, so customers can gain a solid understanding of the area.
5. Offer additional features
Having an option for sellers to feature their property to ensure maximum visibility may encourage more individuals to market their property with you. On each page suggest and link to similar available properties. Integrating a comparison tool could also be very helpful.
6. Video
Although it should never replace still images, video can often convey information that photographs cannot. Include walkthroughs of properties to help customers gain an enhanced understanding of the layout of a property.
7. Content
Creating engaging, valuable and fully optimised content can demonstrate that you are a trustworthy authority in your field. Sharing expertise and offering advice on mortgages, buying to let, or how to visualise how a property could look following some TLC can help to build trust and assist with SEO.
8. Encourage interaction
Engage with your audience and start conversations. Regularly update your social media accounts and establish a mailing list. This can be another tool through which to convey information and show what it’s like behind the scenes of your business. An engaged audience is invaluable.
9. Feedback
As many customers look for reviews online, including a section for client testimonials and feedback will help you to demonstrate that your services are valuable and deliver results.
10. Analytics
Install analytics to monitor traffic and conversions, as well as seeing how your audience is finding you. Your website needs to work for you and it’s only going to do that following the successful implementation of a strategy that appeals to and engages your customers.
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