Are you a real estate professional looking to increase your online presence and boost your lead generation? Look no further than our blog. Here we give you a step-by-step guide to setting up a real estate website that makes an impact.
The Internet has become an essential tool for people searching for information and products or services, including those that are only available in the physical world, such as real estate. In this context, developing a real estate website can be a powerful way to reach potential clients and influence their purchasing decisions. A well-designed website for Real Estate Agents can provide valuable information about properties, connect clients with agents and property owners, and provide interactive tools that enable clients to search for, evaluate, and even book properties. By leveraging the power of the Internet, a Real Estate Website can help agents close more deals and provide clients with a convenient and efficient way to find their dream home.
Develop an extensive Brand Website for your Real Estate Agency in Birmingham city and beyond. Contact us at Apex Pro Media for complete Website Design & Development.
What Are the Benefits of Making a Real Estate Website?
Real estate agents have traditionally sought to get exposure in local publications by running classified adverts there. But as more and more things go online, it became apparent that owning a website for Real Estate Agency might open up more opportunities for a real estate business to expand and thrive.
Your clients may be using a variety of Internet channels, platforms, and websites where your company might be present. As a result, it is now more difficult than ever to break through the Internet’s clutter. Getting people’s attention is quite challenging. It is a strong enough justification for some Real Estate Brokers to forgo creating and maintaining a website. However, just because your existing and potential customers visit a variety of websites does not imply you have to be active on each one in an effort to attract their attention and avoid becoming invisible in the online world. Your own Real Estate Website is the sole location where you are not vying for anybody’s interest. Therefore, it’s a good strategy for you to think of a platform as your own marketing engine that works for your gain alone.
Basics for a Real Estate Website
When it comes to the development of real estate websites, it is important that you consider visitors’ interactions with it.
Your real estate website should be built and hosted on the following three pillars:
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
A real estate agent who wants to demonstrate their competence should develop a blog on their website. The advantages of it tend to go much farther and may assist in generating more leads.
SEO works when the content of your website or blog is enhanced to make it more relevant and appealing to search engines.
You can read more about it in our blog article about promoting your real estate agency through content writing.
SEO works when the content of your website or blog is enhanced to make it more relevant and appealing to search engines. It is typically a good idea to work with SEO specialists who can develop specific recommendations on how to increase your site’s exposure in search engines through organic or algorithmic search engine results. If you concentrate on local rankings when modifying your SEO approach, you have a possibility of ranking highly in Google.
Domain Name
When you create a real estate website, ad equally vital thing is picking a memorable domain name. This decision is typically only taken once, so you should be careful and link your business to the market successfully on your first try. Consider the following things:
- It should be succinct, formal, and aligned with your own brand.
- Consider employing phrases related to the real estate sector.
- Unless you already have a solid reputation, avoid utilising your own name.
- Avoid using acronyms or other abbreviations.
- Make sure the spelling is correct.
- Purchase alternative spellings of your domain name to prevent people from being sent to other websites while trying to reach you.
Web Design
A real estate website generally has so much material that it can be challenging to explore. For a real estate company to deliver a positive user experience, the website design needs to be as such that visitors won’t have to waste time navigating it. Make sure that your website has the following features to ensure optimal functionality:
- Dedicated Contact and About Us Pages.
- Users may access whatever page from any other page.
- An aesthetically pleasing, educational, and engaging menu.
- An ideal viewing and engagement experience.
Essential Features of a Real-Estate Website
A real estate website must have certain fundamental features that form its core. This is where the work of a website developer becomes crucial for a real estate agency. The key components that are essential to creating a real estate website include the following:
Multiple Listing Service (MLS) Integration
A real estate website must provide access to MLS data to enable users to find properties for sale, which is critical for both sellers and property owners. This allows the property to be visible and accessible to multiple agents, and integration can be managed and configured in a simple and convenient way.
Advanced Search Functionality
A good real estate website should have an advanced search feature that provides a comprehensive set of filters such as listing type, price, home type, number of bedrooms, amenities, facilities, year of construction, and more. Users should also have the ability to map out specific search boundaries to find properties in the desired neighbourhoods.
High-Quality Images
A good real estate website must have a set of high-quality images for each property listed. Professional-looking property images are critical in attracting potential buyers or tenants, and strict requirements should be set for the size, format, and resolution of photos.
A good real estate website must have a set of high-quality images for each property listed.
Virtual Tours
Giving users the ability to take a virtual tour of a property is an effective way to showcase a real estate asset. Video tours are a great alternative, and technologies such as Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality can provide users with a comprehensive understanding of a property’s exterior and interior.
Messaging System
Communication is critical when it comes to buying or renting a property, both buyers and sellers need to be able to easily express their needs and requirements. A messaging system, such as a live chat, or direct text, voice, and video messaging can enable buyers, sellers and realtors to communicate effectively.
Communication is critical when it comes to buying or renting a property.
Advanced Features of a Real Estate Website
In addition to the essentials, it can also be useful to incorporate advanced features when you build a real estate website.
Detailed Listings
Advanced features of a real estate website include the capability to provide detailed information about properties, such as demographics, crime rate, and average real estate prices. This allows buyers and tenants to have a better understanding of the properties they are interested in.
Calendar
Integrating a calendar tool into the platform can enable users to check real estate agent’s availability and schedule property viewings. Property owners, realtors, and customers can access the calendar, view and edit details of events, and syncing with external calendars like Google or Apple calendar for added convenience.
Calculator
Financial tool that allows users to calculate their ability to afford a home by considering factors such as annual household income, salary, mortgage loan term, and interest rate. Additionally, it can demonstrate the difference between the cost of buying and renting a property, which can be useful for making decisions.
Conclusion
Building a custom real estate website can be an effective tool for agents to promote and grow their businesses. A well-designed website can help establish trust and make it easier for an agency to close more commercial and residential real estate deals by catering to the wants of customers. It elevates the standing of the agency in every possible way. You can read more about it by downloading our white paper on Key Real Estate Agency Statistics.
Download KEY REAL ESTATE AGENCY STATISTICS Whitepaper
A team of skilled software engineers can help create a high-quality website that meets the needs of both real estate agents and customers. It can help agents connect with potential buyers and tenants, give them access to valuable information, and enable them to find their dream home. When complimented with the right strategy, it always delivers the desired results. You can read more about it in our separate blog about what Digital Marketing Strategy to pursue for your Real Estate Agency.
Utilise our industry-spanning expertise to make your website competitive in the digital realm. Reach out to us today at Apex Pro Media for bespoke solutions.
Summary:
- A real estate website can be a powerful way to reach potential clients and influence their purchasing decisions.
- The website should be SEO-optimised, the domain name should stand out, and the web design should make for a good user experience.
Make sure to have the following essential features in the website:
- Multiple Listing Service (MLS) Integration: Allows users to find properties for sale, visible and accessible to multiple agents, easy integration.
- Advanced Search Functionality: Comprehensive set of filters such as listing type, price, home type, number of bedrooms, amenities, facilities, year of construction, and more. Users can map out specific search boundaries to find properties in desired neighbourhoods.
- High-Quality Images: Adequate set of high-quality images for each property listed, professional-looking property images are critical in attracting potential buyers or tenants
- Virtual Tours: Giving users the ability to take a virtual tour of a property, video tours are a great alternative and technologies such as Augmented Reality, and Virtual Reality can provide users with a comprehensive understanding of a property’s exterior and interior
- Messaging System: A messaging system, such as a live chat, or direct text, voice, and video messaging can enable buyers, sellers and realtors to communicate effectively.
- Also, add calculator, calendar, and details to listings as advanced features.