Real estate is a hard business. Anything that can make your life easier as a Realtor is well worth the investment. One of the best and most effective ways you can market yourself and your business is through a professional, well-organized realty website.
These days, websites, social media interactions, and blog posts are just as crucial to your business as phone calls and faxes were back in the day. Your online presence is an integral part of your success. How can real estate companies and agents use websites to their full advantage?
Aesthetics Are Important
As a Realtor, you know that first impressions are everything. How many buyers pass by a home based merely on its curb appeal, or reject a listing because of poorly shot photos?
Your website is no different. A recent study reported by Forbes Magazine found that clients judge a company’s trustworthiness based on the visual appeal of a website even more than the website’s content quality. Clients visit websites that are visually pleasing. Well-composed photographs, overall site design, and easy-to-navigate pages will attract your clients’ attention and keep them on your site longer.
That’s why professional web design is so important. Here at Winning Agent, we provide real estate companies with stunning WordPress themes explicitly designed with your clients in mind. Creating an aesthetically-appealing website is easy with our products, meaning your clients can enjoy your site design and you can get back to running your business.
Attractive Websites Can Increase SEO and Page Views
An attention-grabbing website will encourage readers to stay longer, view more content, and share your information more readily. All that viewing, sharing, and backlinking means your SEO—search engine optimization, or your “ranking” on search engine search results—will increase over time. A rise in rankings allows more users to find and visit your site, which in turn leads to more clients and more business for you.
Leading customer marketing website Nimble reports that direct traffic—users that come directly to your site for information and interaction—is a crucial element in Google’s ranking algorithm. That means, according to Nimble, you need to create a website that gives the user a reason to keep coming back to your site: relevant information that is regularly updated, easy search tools, and an experience that is pleasant overall.
You might also consider including a blog or articles to your website and update them consistently. Well-researched articles are a great way to get users to your site. Visitors want to learn more about the real estate process, and sharing your expertise with readers is a great way to increase your page views and SEO while also establishing yourself as an expert in the industry.
Provide Easy-to-Use Search Tools
One easy way to keep clients coming back is to include intuitive search tools on your website. Users can seamlessly browse through homes for sale in their area from your site. Your clients want to purchase properties that are a perfect fit for their lifestyle. By providing tools to assist them in their home search, you’re exhibiting attention to detail and concern for your clients.
Numerous companies offer MLS search tools for your website, but we recommend the products at IDX Broker. IDX Broker is the premier source for realty search tools that you can quickly add to your existing website. With this software, clients are able to search MLS listings directly through your page.
When clients use your website to perform an MLS search instead of a third-party website, they’re more likely to spend serious time on your site. That time positively affects your SEO rankings, which in turn leads to more views of your page and more new clients. See how this is all coming full circle?
A Professional Realty Website Builds Trust with Your Clients
When your clients come to your website and see that it’s not only clean and organized, but also full of reliable and relevant information, they’ll find you more trustworthy. Your attention to detail and investment in the overall look of your site increases your credibility. Clients want detail-oriented real estate agents, so you can start developing rapport through a quality website.
Conversely, a website filled with ads, pop-ups, spelling errors, and irrelevant content will drive away potential clients. Be sure your site is a place your clients want to visit.
Where to Begin
If all this talk about website design has you feeling a bit overwhelmed, check out these ten tips for launching a great website from the design and software innovation company WP Engine.
First impressions are important. Investing in a quality, professionally-designed site will pay off in the long run. A visually-appealing, organized, and easily searchable site will keep your current clients satisfied and bring new clients into the fold. That’s reason enough to spend some time polishing your website.
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