Building your real estate agent website is an exciting part of building your brand. It is the first thing that potential buyers and sellers see when they look you up online, and sets the tone for what they can expect from you. If your website is hard to navigate, clunky, and outdated, website visitors make the impression that you don’t pay close attention to detail or that you’re not up-to-date with current technology.
Because a real estate website is so important, many real estate professionals choose to hire professional web designers to create a custom website that showcases who they are and what they can do. This is an investment that is definitely worth the money, but there are also many website template providers that will give you the real estate website essentials.
As you are thinking about and planning your real estate website, make sure that your designs include these seven things:
Professional Quality Photos
As a real estate agent, you’re no stranger to the power that professional photos have. You’ve seen what a difference professional photos can make for a real estate listing, and how much faster homes sell when you take the time to incorporate high-quality photos. You should be using the same strategy for your real estate website. Your website should be visually appealing and include high-quality photos of the area and homes that you represent. Don’t forget to include a professional headshot on the contact page!
Neighborhood Guides
One of the main goals for your website should be to establish you as a neighborhood expert. You want to be the one that people go to when they have questions about a particular neighborhood or community. Include a section on your website dedicated to detailed information about the different neighborhoods in your community. Your neighborhood guide should include:
- The location of a neighborhood, community, or district
- The types of real estate options available in the area
- Natural landmarks in the area (like parks, lakes, mountains, etc)
- Schools, universities, and other government agencies in the area
- Restaurants, shops, and places of interest nearby
- A description of the lifestyle in a particular neighborhood (college town, rural farming neighborhood, vibrant art and culture district, luxury lake homes, etc)
Not only will well-written neighborhood guides help establish you as an expert, but they will also help with SEO and make it easier for buyers and sellers to find you online.
A Blog
Blogs, like neighborhood guides, give potential buyers and sellers useful information that they need to help them make confident and informed decisions. These blogs can touch on a wide range of topics and are another way to let online visitors know that you know what you’re talking about.
Blogs with a focus on SEO will make it easier for Google and other search engines to find your website and bring it to the people who are looking for it. Blogs also help facilitate conversation and dialogue between you and your audience and give your readers an inside look into who you are and what you do.
The most important thing about having a blog is being consistent. Posting on and off does not give website visitors a sense of consistency, and consistency is something most people are looking for in a real estate agent. Be intentional about what you post and make sure it is relevant to your audience. You don’t have to be the world’s greatest writer to start a blog, you just have to have a list of ideas and the commitment to sit down and write it. If writing isn’t your thing, hire a freelance writer who can create original content for you.
Some popular blog ideas for real estate agent websites include:
- Interviews with local businesses
- Explaining real estate lingo
- Guides for first-time homeowners
- Tips for packing / moving
- How to find the right home
- How to host an effective open house
- Understanding real estate commissions
- How to stage your house for sale
- Highlight getting local restaurants in the area
- How-to’s on home maintenance, interior design, etc
You can be as formal or informal as you like. Blogs should reflect you and your personality, and give your target audience useful information.
Reviews
87% of consumers report reading online reviews before buying a product or using a service. People want to know what other people think about the product or service before committing to it. Online reviews are crucial to your real estate business, and they should be easy to find on your website. As you’re deciding which review should make it onto your website, look for the ones that highlight the services and practices that you feel make you stand out amongst the competition.
If you pride yourself on being techy and using apps and software to give clients what they need, look for the reviews that mention this and make sure that is front and center on your website. If you’re known for being a real estate agent that specializes in helping first-time homeowners find their perfect home, look for quotes and reviews from these types of buyers to highlight what you can do.
There is a time and place to be humble and quiet about your accomplishments, but your website is not it. Your website should let people know exactly why you are the best fit for the job, and hearing it from dozens of other happy clients is a great place to start.
Contact Info
It may seem obvious, but contact information is such an important part of building a website. You’d be surprised at how many websites make you click, search, and scroll just to find a phone number or an email address. In this day and age where people are used to getting all the information they need right away, if it takes a few extra seconds to find a phone number or contact information, they may just move right along. Make sure your name, email address, social media links, and phone number are easy to see on every page of the website. Make sure this information is constantly updated as well.
Cohesive and Consistent Design
Your website is a visual reflection of you and your business. The colors, fonts, styles, and design you choose for your website should be a reflection of your professional style. Your website must be easy to navigate, cohesive, and consistent. The colors and design should flow effortlessly from one page to the next, and your website should align with your other branding strategies, including your marketing materials, business cards, and social media platforms. You want to build a brand that is easily recognizable and stands out in a crowd. You want people to visit your website or see your business card and immediately know who they’re working with and what you offer.
Remember, if you’re not making a mobile-friendly website, you’re doing yourself a major disservice. A significant percentage of buyers and sellers do a lot of their scrolling and searching from their phones, and if it’s hard to use your website on a mobile device, you may unintentionally send potential leads away.
Behind the Scenes Databases
A lot of the features that are important to include in your website are for the benefit of the user. But you need your website to work for you as well. Implementing backend databases like CRS and CRM make your website more than just a pretty face. It allows you to collect contact information, grow your email list, and generate leads.
When you start to research real estate database software to include in your website, you’ll immediately notice that you have a lot of options. Real estate database software varies in price, features, customization options, and integration. The one you choose depends on the size of your business and your budget. You may want to work with a web developer to help you decide which CRM system will work the best for your website.
CRM is software that you use to run your business, so it’s an important decision to make. Without it, your website is simply a place where people can see what you do and move on. Integration with this type of technology allows you to capture their contact information and turn it into leads.
Final Thoughts
Building your real estate agent website is one of the most important investments you can make in your career. It’s often your clients’ first impression of you, and it’s up to you whether it’s a good one or a bad one.
Along with professional branding, continued education is another important aspect of growing a real estate business. Constantly pushing yourself to learn more and grow in your career will help you reach the next level. Mbition has a long list of online courses and classes you can take to push your career to the next level.
