When marketing your services as a realtor, a website is one of the best ways to stand out. Real estate is a highly competitive market, and you can’t always rely on the marketing done through your brokerage.
If you’ve listened to advice from successful realtors all over the country, you’ll have developed your own website.
“Building in-person relationships is certainly a worthy and even necessary activity, but it’s not the only thing for building clientele in today’s market,” says a blog post from the Houston property management company Green Residential. “A good website is essential for getting yourself noticed by the search engines….It’s much easier to attract clients and sell homes when you have an online landing place that draws buyers and sellers.”
You’ve probably taken photos and updated it with your latest listings. But if you’re still not receiving the attention you expected, a few areas can probably be improved.
- Make Your Website Responsive
More people are accessing the internet on their phones than their desktops all over the world. In some countries, mobile usage is four times as heavy as desktop usage, and the numbers are skewing that direction in other countries.
It’s even more important for those in real estate. About 72 percent of home searchers used their mobile device to search for homes, according to an annual report from the National Association of Realtors.
What does this tell you as a website owner? Responsive design isn’t an option – it’s crucial. You might save a few bucks using a free, non-responsive template, but you’re losing customers that you’re not even aware of.
Because of the shift towards mobile usage, responsive design is more affordable than ever. You can find free or cheap themes with responsiveness built right in. In less than a day, you could overhaul your website and allow your customers access on their mobile phones.
- Speed It Up
Research shows that the average consumer wants websites to load within three seconds. If it doesn’t, they become frustrated. They may give it another second or two, but after waiting seven seconds, most visitors will abandon your site for a competitor.
Check the speed of your website with sites like Loads.in or WebpageTest.org. If it’s too slow, cache files, remove cookies, dump unnecessary plugins, or find better web hosting. In the competitive world of real estate, you can’t be weighed down by a slow website.
- Blog
Incorporate a real estate-focused blog into your website to increase online visibility and value. Prospective buyers love seeing a glimpse into the confusing world of real estate, and you can offer immense customer value with quality blog posts.
A good real estate blog contains a mixture of timeless pieces and news. Timeless pieces include tips and tricks, general advice, and client success stories. News pieces are about the here and now. They might include information about how the market fares, current interest rates, state or nationwide research, etc.
Both are valuable styles that help customers trust you. When you’ve built a library of useful content, it’s also easier for search engines to find you, so your site is more likely to end up higher in the search results.
- Update Your Lead Capture
Your website should be designed to capture leads, but without the proper backbone, you’ll have a hard time accomplishing this goal. More than 90 percent of buyers start their real estate search online, and they could end it with your services if your pages are designed to reel them in.
Call to action buttons and forms are two of the most useful lead capture strategies. Begin with a compelling hook that makes the visitor want to “Learn more!” Then, have the customer fill out a form with their name and contact information. Contact them as soon as possible to retain the lead.
- Use Video
By now, you’re probably keenly aware of the value of high quality images in attracting clients, but you need more. Videos are a compelling tool to generate leads and encourage greater interest from site visitors.
According to research from Bold Content, listings and websites featuring videos receive 403 percent more inquiries than those without. Furthermore, 73 percent of homeowners are more likely to list with a realtor who uses video.
Just by adding video to your website, you increase your earning capacity significantly!
- Create a Review Landing Page
Word of mouth marketing is the most effective form of marketing, and your website can facilitate that. Include a landing page that’s dedicated solely to client testimonials. Then, link it to a contact page so it’s easy for people to reach you.
Gathering testimonials isn’t always easy, but it’s an essential part of growing your business. Most of the time, simply asking your satisfied customers to share their experiences is enough, but you could add an incentive if they’re not sold. A $5 gift card to a local coffee shop in exchange for a review is a minor sacrifice compared to the benefits of having testimonials on your website.
The art of crafting a stunning, effective real estate website starts by recognizing flaws and then making changes here and there. It’s incredible what a dedicated real estate website with modern flare can do for your business.