In the competitive real estate industry, having an effective website to generate leads and build a brand image is essential. Here are 5 key components that you should have on your real estate website to get the most traffic and secure the most business:
1. Featured Listings
A featured listings page on your website is a great way to guide prospects who aren’t sure what they are looking for. Searching for real estate online can be complicated, so suggesting your best deals to your visitors helps them get ideas and keeps them engaged on your website. Make it even easier for users by breaking featured listings down into pages for specific types of properties like luxury properties, condos/apartments, new constructions, etc.
2. Educational Content
Providing educational content on your real estate website is a great way to get traffic and to make your visitors trust you (gaining trust is a huge factor in real estate success). A lot of your traffic will likely be first time home buyers or sellers, so providing buying and selling guides for free on your website will make them much more comfortable with the process and more likely to work with you. You should also have a blog that you regularly update with informative, relevant articles. Other free resources you can include on your website to help position you as the real estate authority of your area include mortgage calculators, market reports, and a property value estimate tool.
3. Lead Magnet
You can’t let your real estate website visitors to leave without taking action and expect them to just come back when they’re ready. You can easily capture leads and continue to market to them by including a lead magnet on your website. That is when you offer something of real value in exchange for the prospect’s contact information. If you’ve developed a particularly informative buying/selling guide, an ebook, a current local market report, etc, offer it as a free download on the homepage of your website and require that prospects enter their email in order to receive it. Another lead magnet that many prospects will be willing to sign up for is to receive daily or weekly updates on new listings via email. From there, you can continue your marketing efforts, reminding them who to come to when they’re ready.
4. Quality Images
Aside from images of listings, it’s important to have high quality graphics and photos on your website to catch attention and engage visitors. Stock images can be effective in some cases, but it’s recommended that you invest in professional photography/videography to give your website a more authentic look. Photos of prominent buildings and landmarks in the areas you service will help prospects identify you as a member of their community. You should include a professional photo of yourself! Prospects in the real estate business typically want an idea of who they are working with before they move forward and a picture helps them feel comfortable and get a sense of who you are. Another visual element you should seriously consider including on your website is a helpful infographic. A well-designed, informative graphic that walks visitors through the buying/selling process will help boost conversions by, once again, making prospects feel more comfortable.
5. Testimonials
A section dedicated to client testimonials is crucial to the success of a real estate website. Testimonials prove legitimacy, build trust, and give prospects more confidence. Make your testimonials as detailed as possible and include photos to have the most impact.
With these 5 features, your real estate website will be optimized for maximum traffic and maximum conversion. Don’t let your potential business slip through the cracks- perfect your website and let it do the work for you. An effective real estate website will continuously generate leads for you around the clock… what more could you ask for?
BONUS TIP!
If you’re in need of a website or if your website is missing any of these key components, contact Plum Direct Marketing! We strategically design real estate websites to be mobile responsive, high-performance, and built for conversions! Check out our website calculator to take a look at all the available website features we offer.
