9 Tips To Stand out with A Slick Real Estate Web Design

If you’re on the lookout for the best practices to keep in mind when creating a great real estate web design to go above and beyond for clients, here are 9 tips you should consider.

Optimize The Landing Page

Honing a functional and efficient landing page is a big factor in giving visitors the user experience that’ll motivate them to interact with your website and become hot leads.

As an agent, your landing page serves as a stand-alone advertising element that should be effective enough to provide what visitors came for and make them satisfied with their experience. 

The good news? If you use a real estate website builder, you’re miles ahead of someone starting from scratch. Most are pretty affordable, so we highly recommend using one instead of going the DIY route. Or, if you really want to get ahead of the competition, you could use a purpose-built realtor lead generation website (which has a main function of generating you leads).

Want to know more about what makes an effective landing page? Here are a few points you can apply:

Responsive Design

Statista notes that mobile users account for 54.8% of website traffic. Neglecting a mobile-friendly interface for your website means letting half of the potential leads be thrown off the cliff. 

Thus, while most web designers primarily use a desktop version of a website when designing, making the layout responsive to mobile users will mean catering to the majority of the market. 

Additionally, the responsiveness of design also means that your website and its content are accessible not just on any device but also on any platform or browser. 

Keep this in mind:

Smartphones have small screen sizes and utilize touch input. Will they seamlessly open your website and check on its pages?

If it does, it doesn’t just help with a good user experience, it also means search engines will have more reason to rank your website high for any related query. 

Customer-focused Language

How does your customer speak? How do they ask questions online? Knowing how they do so will make your words connect with them. 

One thing that could help is checking out the “people also ask” feature of search engines. This will tell you what your market is looking for and how they ask around for it. 

Additionally, instead of listing all your qualifications on the landing page, convey how you can solve people’s problems by saying things like: “we’ll help you find the perfect home in just a few clicks”.

Quick Expression Of What, Who, And How You Serve

You don’t want your time wasted and visitors feel the same way too. Quickly convey what you offer, right on the top fold of the landing page so visitors immediately know if your selection and services are the right fit for them.

Right on the top fold, you should always be able to see what they offer and who they cater to. 

Clear And Simple Communication

Fancy words and clever phrases can be entertaining but that’s not what visitors came to your website for. They have a goal of finding the right property and by being clear and simple, you make the search easy for them. 

User-friendly Layout

Using tons of fonts on a page flooded with too much media can be overwhelming and even annoying. 

If I ever get to that kind of website, I’d bounce right off. 

So use simple fonts and colors, 3 styles at the most. Doing so will make the layout more coherent and easy for the eyes. 

Offer Online Booking Of Appointment

The good thing about having a real estate website is that visitors can access it anytime and anywhere they are. 

When they do, you’d like them to achieve what they came for immediately, while they’re still motivated to do so. 

Having an online booking function on your real estate website makes it accessible for potential clients to schedule a callback or a property viewing so they’re one step closer to getting their dream home. 

Keep in mind that when visitors input their information, they’d only do so if they feel secure about doing so. So it’s best to employ cybersecurity best practices too like getting an SSL certificate and offering mobile security among others to make people feel comfortable. 

Add An Internal Search Feature

While others want to schedule a call or site visit, many others come to your real estate website determined to find a place even without any assistance first. 

When making your real estate website, don’t forget to incorporate a search function. You can simply add it on the top right side of the header just like how 3Wishes, a costume provider did it. 

It’s best if the search function is capable of handling advanced search filters. Adding parameters on the search will help visitors find the exact kind of property they want and will also give you an idea about it which you can use to retarget them later on 

For example, a person may be looking for a flood-free property in Texas or a Dallas home that’s near the supermarket. 

Having an advanced search feature allows you to provide the exact property they want. 

Other elements you can include in your filters are:

• Type of structure
• Price range
• Lot size
• Square footage 
• Number of bedrooms and bathrooms
• Amenities like garage, pool, and fireplace

With advanced search filters, you don’t simply provide a list of houses, but also a great experience while doing so. 

Additionally, you can also include featured listings to make it faster and effortless for homebuyers to see a good selection to choose from. Since they’re “featured” customers will get a level of assurance of a quality selection. 

Incorporate The Internal Data Exchange

IDX, also known as broker reciprocity, is a policy inside multiple listing services. It allows listings to be shared between real estate firms who signed up to be part of it. 

This cloud automation system lets clients find and update active real estate listings, integrating results from various sources.

The good thing about this is it lets you position your real estate website as a one-stop shop for the best real estate finds. 

With an IDX integration, listings will have their own page that will be crawled and indexed by search engines to appear in related searches.

Lastly, an IDX integration allows you to have a reason for retargeting previous website visitors and leads when you detect a new listing that will fit their preferences. 

Easy Navigation

Navigation on a real estate website should be easy. It makes finding homes faster and hassle-free. 

Why?

67% of mobile users bounce off the site because of complicated navigation.

Also because 94% of first impressions are related to the visual aspect of a website, including navigation. 

Nobody wants to see obscure titles and sections. It only makes finding what people need confusing. If the page looks complicated to navigate, chances are, visitors will bounce off the website. 

Use conventional and straightforward titles. A play on words can be fun for some, but for most people visiting your real estate website, they want to get straight to the reason why they’re on your website. 

As an example, check out Novum to see how a straightforward website is easy to navigate. 

Again, a good user experience doesn’t only retain people, it also gives search engines a reason to rank you, hence more organic traffic. 

Have you ever heard of the 3-click rule? 

It states that a user has to find his target content in 3 clicks, otherwise, he’ll leave the site disappointed. 

The key here is for navigation to be quick and easy so clients are kept happy. 

Here are a few more things you can do:

• Keep menu items at seven
• Use bold but unimposing buttons
• Avoid drop-down menus whenever possible
• Headers, where the main sections are located should be visible every time
• Footers should give a general list of the real estate website’s sections
• Create topic-centered and descriptive guides you can, later on, repurpose for other channels
• Add contact numbers in every footer: phone number, email, address, contact form, and even directions to a physical office.

Add Social Proof On The Landing Page

Now that you’ve presented what you can do, give visitors proof that you can really do it.

Complement enticing copy with positive testimonials from previous clients and affiliations.  

Claiming to provide good property choices and services that are coming front the company’s mouth is one thing but is it more persuasive if it comes from their peers or people who have the same needs as them.

By showing proof of how other people are satisfied with your services, you’ll make your offers more relatable to potential clients.

You can include at least 3 testimonials on the landing page, and dedicate another one for more. 

Since users are skimmers and scanners having a short attention span, it’s best to just include a portion of what they said. Choose the portions that highlight your strengths as a real estate business. 

Additionally, you can also ask previous clients for short clips and not just a written statement since the former can be more powerful in convincing others. But again, only use parts of the clip, preferably the portion where users can see the property you helped secure. 

Other than testimonials, you can also include key affiliations as well. These are recognizable brands that you partner with or did business with. 

Seeing logos from popular companies instantly increases credibility. Plus, your partners will appreciate the inclusion and might do the same for your brand on their website as well. 

Take Advantage Of Video Tours

At the outset, I mentioned maximizing interactions by satisfying potential customers in the way you showcase properties. 

Adding video tours of the properties does just that. 

Moreover, 66% of people choose to watch a video about a product or service rather than reading about it. 

Because videos are engaging, it does well in increasing a potential client’s atention span.

Doing this also saves time because it helps potential customers decide faster if the property they’re interested in is worth seeing in person. They can quickly filter what they think they want from what they really want. 

With your videos, you can also include key locations in the area, whether it’s a beach, an entertainment center, or anything that will show the lifestyle of people around the area so potential clients can also get a preview of how life will be like living in the area. 

If you don’t have resources to extensively provide videos yet, you can always offer a real-time tour of the place by using a video streaming platform. 

A Detailed Gallery Or Page Of The Property

If videos are not a feasible choice, for now, providing a thoroughly detailed display of the property will suffice. 

While others want to contact a real estate agent right from the start, others prefer to scout for properties on their own initiative. This would be a good choice for them. 

In a detailed gallery or page of the property, you should include details like:

• Number of rooms, bedrooms, and bathrooms
• Square footage of the property and sizes of the rooms or spaces (metric and imperial)
• Water, electrical, and heating systems
• Floor coverings
• Outdoor spaces like decks and porches
• Furniture and appliances included
• Year of construction and renovations
• Opportunities for renovations
• Common spaces and services (for condominium types of properties)
• Amenities
• Nearby establishments

Images of these elements will get a potential client to see every aspect of the home and give them a good picture of how it looks like they’re in the location in person. 

Add CTAs and Lead Capture Pages

Call to Action (CTA)

Your real estate website needs more than just casual visitors. Ultimately, it needs clients to convert. 

Having call-to-actions or CTAs as many know of is a great way to generate more leads. 

Why? 

Because strong and compelling CTAs increase conversion by a staggering 300%. 

If you’re not utilizing CTAs yet, it’s high time you make the most out of it now. Customers can start liking what they are seeing but don’t know the next move to take. 

Ideally, each page should have a CTA, preferably one at the top fold for those who want immediate assistance. It’s also a good call to add one after an exhibit of a property so potential customers get an intrinsic idea of what they are expected to do next. 

Here are some rules when designing a CTA:

• Make it clear and concise
• Use stimulating and prompting verbs to evoke feelings and emotions
• Use the fear-of-missing-out element
• Consider how the CTA will look like in different devices
• Use real estate industry language
• Add a bit of creativity while not compromising conveying a clear course of action

Your call-to-action can be as simple as “call now” “or book a tour now” but when placed in a strategic part of a page, it has huge potential of driving leads and conversion. 

You can also create a call-to-action to direct visitors to another part of the page. You can direct them to the “About Us” page so they’ll have a bigger idea of what your agency has already done and is currently doing. 

You can also direct them to the separate testimonial page to strengthen their trust in your agency. 

And lastly, you can direct them to internal resources like guides and blogs about what you offer. This way, you can position yourself as a thought leader in the industry, increasing reliance on you and your website for anything related to real estate. 

Clear call-to-actions keep visitors engaged and direct them to the succeeding action you want them to take. 

Lead Capture Pages

Lead capture pages can be incorporated in CTAs. It is a good way to ensure that potential clients don’t just trail off the site without giving you the chance to get back to them. 

With lead capture will be effective if:

• They perceive the benefits of subscribing (getting the timely listing and market updates)
• Using a well-designed layout that leads the user’s attention to the contact form (you can tap graphic experts for this)
• Offering enticingly written lead magnets, like an in-depth guide or a comprehensive market report 

But in many cases, users are apprehensive about signing up for forms and just want direct information.

A solution to this is providing live chat features. Use artificial intelligence to get users a prompt response to a query 24/7. This way, you can cater to their needs without having to be online all the time. 

You can strategically place it on the bottom right or left of the page with a recognizable icon they can tap to.

You can even take it to the next level by having the commonly asked question readily clickable inside the live chat.  

Some live chats also offer integration to your customer relationship management software even though users don’t fill up forms, you can still capture their information so you can follow up on them easily and quickly. 

Conclusion

With these 9 tips, you can map out the best strategies in putting together a great real estate website. 

Applying the actionable steps will maximize the effectiveness of your website and give your visitors a good user experience that will move them to become leads and over time, customers.