What the Best Real Estate Websites Have in Common
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by Brandon Cornett
Once upon a time, there weren't very many real estate websites online. So the few agents who were online could put up a very basic website and get the attention of web-savvy consumers in their areas.
Today, it almost seems like a fairy tale. Today, there are so many real estate agents battling for Internet visibility that the basic real estate website is no longer sufficient. Internet competition has driven agents to pursue more and more advanced features on their websites. As a result, only the best real estate websites will stand out and succeed these days.
So how does the modern real estate agent create the kind of website that (A) stands out from the crowd, (B) meet or exceeds consumer expectations, and (C) helps the agent grow his or her business?
Well, it's not easy to join the ranks of the best real estate websites online. But it is possible! Not only is it possible to build such a site, but today's web technologies also make it more achievable than ever.
Key Components of the Best Agent Websites
What "ingredients" does your website need to succeed in today's economy? Here are five things that the best sites have in common:
1. Enhanced Listing Data
These days, saying things like "call me for property listings" does not cut it anymore. Consumers expect to see property listings on an agent's websites. Why do they expect this? Because the best real estate websites have current listings on them. In fact, I can't think of a reason for an agent website to even exist if it lacks property listings.
Listings are step one. That will get you into the race. But you should strive to have enhanced listing data as well. In other words, instead of just having a single photo of the house, create a virtual tour of the property so people can view it right from your website. Right away, they will associate you with the property because they saw it (inside and out) from your website.
There are many software programs and services available these days to help you with such things. You can even take your own photos of a property and upload them into a photo gallery program. This kind of initiative is what sets the best real estate websites apart from all the rest.
2. Daily or Weekly Updates
When it comes to real estate information, freshness is everything. Stale data and outdated information are practically useless to consumers, especially in a hot market that changes fast. This is another thing that the best agent websites have in common -- they are kept up to date with current listings, market data, local news and more.
The key to keeping a website current is to make it easy to update. The harder your site is to manage, the less likely you will be to manage it. That's how websites become stale in the first place. So shop around for the kinds of technology that make your web maintenance easier and faster.
For example, a blog program will allow you to publish new information onto your website as easily as typing an email message. For this reason, blogs are ideally suited for real estate websites because they help you keep readers informed about recent events, and they are extremely easy to use (even for web novices).
You can apply this concept to all areas of your site. For every type of website maintenance that you perform, there is a software product or program out there that can help you do it faster. How do you learn about these technologies? For starters, you can check out the best real estate websites in your market area to see what they're using. Then go onto real estate agent forums and ask around. Make a list of web tools and programs and begin evaluating them.
3. Consumer Education Resources
As an agent, you are also a frontline educator on real estate topics. So if you want your site to be in league with the best real estate websites in your area, you need to have a wealth of educational materials on your website. This might include market news relevant to your area, articles and guides about buying / selling a home, mortgage tutorials and more.
Here's a helpful hint for you. Elsewhere on this website, we offer a library of quality real estate articles that you can republish onto your own website for free.
4. Lead Generation Strategies
This is an area where a lot of real estate agents fall short and become frustrated. Getting traffic to a website is only half the battle. You also have to convert traffic into leads and inquiries, because that's the first step to developing a business relationship with your web visitors.
The best real estate websites go above and beyond to generate leads in some way. Maybe they ask people to fill out a short form to gain access to virtual tours. Or maybe they use the commenting feature of their blog to encourage participation. If you want to succeed online in today's real estate marketplace, you have to generate leads from your website.
5. Organization and Usability
You need to be ruthless when it comes to organization on your website. That's because today's web users expect organization and simplicity, and if your site is lacking these things they will hit the "back" button without a second thought.
On a real estate marketing website, the goal is usually to lead visitors down a certain path. You can't control where people will go or what they will click on, but you can at least offer your preferred path and make it easy for them to follow. The owners of the best real estate websites understand this concept very well.
Here are some specific ways to increase usability across your website:
- Web conventions. Following web conventions (like making your logo a link to the home page) helps visitors get around by using things they're familiar with.
- Navigation. Label your navigation in a clear way. Don't be cute or clever.
- Home page. This is an area of the utmost importance. The home page of your website should serve as a sort of lifeline. If somebody wanders astray, they should always be able to find things from the home page. Keep your home page clean, inviting and uncluttered.
- Action paths. Define the actions you want people to take and the paths you want them to follow. Then present those paths in a clear way that makes it impossible to get "lost."
- Calls to action. It certainly never hurts to tell people where to go on your site. Sure, they'll go wherever they want to go. But it helps immensely to offer some direction.
- Interactivity. If you have listing data and search tools on your website, be sure to offer clear and ample instructions.
Conclusion and Summary
So there you have it, a list of ingredients that today's best real estate websites all have in common. If you want to put your agent website in the same league as the top-performing sites in your market area, you'll have to invest some time and energy putting these ingredients in place on your site as well.
