5 Signs Your Real Estate Website Needs Some Attention
Old. Tired. Shabby. These are not the words that should come to mind when you think about your real estate website. But in today’s ever changing world of technology, it can be a constant struggle to keep your website up-to-date. Just having a real estate website is not enough.
Even if you’ve recently completed a new website project, it’s important to stay abreast of changes that will impact your site. You must stay proactive – paying attention to new search engine optimization techniques and trends in website design.
You’ll also need to decide whether or not you want to tackle the maintenance and upkeep of your site alone. As a full time real estate agent, will you have the time, energy and knowledge to stay up-to-date with the changes and implement them successfully?
Whether you decide to manage your real estate website alone or hire a professional web design and internet marketing firm, you’ll need to first decide just how outdated it really is.
Here’s our take on the top 5 signs that your real estate website needs some attention – and how to fix it!
Old Website Design
Do you find yourself making excuses when you show your website to your colleagues? Have you tried to perform a home search via your site? Does your site offer calls to action that are helping you convert visitors into leads? Does your website project your personal brand image?
It’s no surprise that our 50 Beautiful Real Estate Websites page is one of the most visited on our site. Agents know what a beautiful and functional website is when they see it. If you’re not proud of your website design, that's a sure sign that a redesign is in order!
See it in action
Check out one of our recent projects for IS Luxury. This site offers cutting edge design with all the functionalities today’s buyers and sellers are looking for!
Slow Page Loading
Fact: each additional second of load time decreases conversion rates by 4.42%.The need for speed is even more critical on mobile devices, where the probability of a user “bouncing” away from a website increases by 32% as page load time goes from one to three seconds.
At a time when 97% of all buyers use the internet in their home search, the last thing you want is a website that has them leaving before it’s even loaded.
Needless to say, if your website takes too long to load, you are losing potential revenue. The cause is often an outdated website that relies on a server that is incapable of handling the volume of data coming through on your site, or your page is overloaded with images and functionalities that are not optimized for quick load times.
See it in action
Kommerina Luxury Real Estate recently completed their Agent Image website. Notice how quickly it loads and how the photos are optimized to load and change quickly?
Not Optimized for Mobile
Did you know that 76% of all property buyers use a mobile or tablet device in their home search? This is hardly surprising, given that 59.4% of all web traffic comes from smartphones nowadays.
What’s more, Google has updated its algorithm to give websites that are optimized for mobile a higher priority in the search results over those that are not. This means if your real estate website is not optimized for mobile, you could be getting buried in the search engines by your mobile-friendly competitors.
Not sure if your website is mobile-friendly? You can use this Google mobile-friendly test to see how your website performs. Based on the results, you can decide if your site is ready for a reboot!
See it in action
Simon Polito just completed their website project, and being mobile-friendly was high on their list of priorities. It’s completely functional on a multitude of devices.
Not Taking Advantage of Social Media Platforms
New media platforms are popping up nearly every day, but the big four remain the same: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and LinkedIn have changed the way realtors connect with prospective clients. And if you’re not linking your website to these platforms, you’re way behind the game.
Believe it or not, your prospective customers are looking for you on social media. They want to know who they’re potentially working with. What do your social media profiles say about you, and how can you use them to show your expertise in the local market? It all starts with a strong profile and great content – and then connecting these platforms to your website so you can be found.
See it in action
Check out the new website we just launched for Venema Homes. Their site seamlessly integrates their Facebook feed and offers visitors direct links to all of their social networks.
Outdated Content
You want your site to become a place where users can find useful and updated information. There’s an added benefit to frequently posting on your website as well: frequently adding valuable content (i.e. through blogging) can actually improve site traffic and lead conversion.
See it in action
Elevate Real Estate Group recently completed their Agent Image website project. There’s no stale content here! Check out their market updates, videos, neighborhood pages and more!
Interested in making your real estate website more beautiful? The real estate marketing specialists at Agent Image can help you improve your real estate business goals by creating stunning website makeovers matched with successful internet marketing strategies.
Get a beautiful website and stand out from your competitors. Complete this form to learn more and get a free consultation.
