There are many different ways to build a real estate website. WordPress makes a good base for a real estate website, and there are many companies that sell their own version of a real estate website. Regardless of the approach you choose, these are some of the most basic requirements for making a real estate website worth your investment.
1. Strong Keyword Targets – It doesn’t matter whether you plan to invest in SEO or not. Your site will be on the Internet, and there’s no reason not to set it up to be search engine friendly. Before starting your website, do the research to choose the keyword phrases that will work best for you.
2. Friendly Domain Name – Put some thought into the right domain name. In a perfect world, your domain name would be short and easy to remember. It would also use keyword phrases you have targeted for SEO. Since the world isn’t perfect, get as close to that ideal as you can.
3. A Domain Name You Own – Don’t delegate acquiring a domain name to anyone, especially those who aren’t part of your organization. For example, don’t let your web designer or website provider purchase your domain name. Put all domain names you own in one domain registrar account where you control the access.
The reason for this is very simple. Once you have an established presence on the Internet, that domain name is your business. It’s an asset you need to guard closely. If an outside vendor acquires your domain name, you may run into a problem gaining access to it if you ever decide to stop working with that vendor.
If you open a new registrar account every time you buy a domain name, you’ll end up scattering these important assets all over the Internet. Imagine if you missed a notice to renew your domain name in one of these accounts you’d forgotten about. Your domain name would be let loose for anyone to purchase.
This situation has happened to more than one person I know. A well-regarded domain name is often snapped up by a domain trader and it could cost you thousands to get it back.
4. Mobile Friendly – You need a mobile-ready or responsive website to attract people using mobile phones to your website. In addition, when ranking websites, the search engines look for websites that provide a good experience for mobile visitors. Make sure your website does just that.
5. Search Engine Friendly – The search engines use an extremely large set of criteria to rank websites for particular keyword phrases. The most basic requirements for your website’s structure are to use simple code and to be very fast.
Speed is also an issue for your visitors. As an experiment, time yourself the next time you find a very slow-loading website. How long are you willing to wait? My mouse finger starts itching after about three seconds!
6. Professional Design – It may seem odd that a search engine would care about what your website looks like, but they use a variety of measures to determine if your design is welcoming. Your visitors will also put emphasis on a professional and clean design.
Avoid lots of ads and pop-up messages. Don’t let a designer go crazy with the design. Unless a designer is familiar with designing specifically for the Internet and understands how search engines work, the odds are you’ll end up with a breathtaking design that no one sees.
7. Promotes Your Brand – Your website is an excellent place to promote your brand. Make sure that your brand is used in a way that is obvious and consistent with your other marketing materials.
8. Targeted to a Niche Market – A website that tries to be all things to all people has a much more difficult time attracting and retaining visitors. You only have a few seconds to attract a visitor’s attention before they decide your site doesn’t have what they need and go to the next one.
Imagine you’re relocating to Sydney. You do an Internet search for homes in Sydney, and find two websites. One has the following message at the top of the page: “Relocating? We Make It Easy for You!” The message on the second website says: “More than 10 Years of Experience!” Which website would you go back to?
9. Easy Navigation – There is nothing more frustrating than trying to explore a website with poor navigation. Have you ever had the feeling that the information you want is undoubtedly on a website you’re visiting, but you just can’t find it? Or, how frustrating is it if you’ve seen some information, but can’t find your way back to it?
My goal with navigation is usually to be able to get to any page from any page. If that isn’t possible, then I want to use the absolute minimum number of clicks to get to any page on the site. If there are too many clicks, that usually means the navigation as a whole needs a redesign.
In addition, it can be very helpful to have multiple ways to get to a page. Multiple paths aren’t redundant; they’re helpful. The easier it is for a visitor to find their way around your website, the higher the chances that they will stay for a while and come back later on.
10. Useful Content – Visitors need information and will typically reward a website that gives them the information they’re seeking. Search engines also reward content-rich websites.
When you think of content, make sure it is original, meaning that it can’t be found anywhere else on the Internet. Make sure it is truly useful. Standard real estate how-to articles are not going to help your visitors.
Find ways to add videos, too. People and search engines like those. Keep in mind that search engines can’t really “see” your videos. The best way to make the search engines give you credit for your video is by including a transcript below the video display.
11. Extensive Lead Capture – You know that the main reason for having a real estate website is to capture leads. But, websites don’t do that all by themselves. If you do everything else in this list right, you’ve set up your visitor to think that you’d be worth talking to about helping with a transaction.
But, you have to ask to make sure they follow through. Design your website with effective calls to action and contact forms. Put yourself in your prospects’ shoes. What can you offer that would motivate your prospects give up their contact information? What do you have that your prospects want?
Perhaps you can write an eBook and require registration before visitors can access it. You could offer market information or even hold a monthly drawing for a restaurant gift card. Don’t let your website turn into a local utility. Impress your visitors with your knowledge and expertise, but don’t give them everything without reciprocation.
