I mean, really looked at it.
Not just opened a page with one of your listings, so you can get the link to send through to a potential buyer.
I speak with companies who have not touched their website since it was set up in 2004 or 2005!
It’s pretty much a given that most real estate companies, have had a website for the past few years or longer.
As you focus on the day to day activity of selling and listing, it can be easy to just take the attitude of “Oh, we have a website up and it is working, so I will leave it be.” The problem is, after a while a website, like many things in life, starts to look a bit outdated.
More importantly, your website can be hurting your business without you knowing!
You could be losing potential vendors to other local agents, simply because your website is not as nice as theirs, or because theirs has more information on it. Buyers may also not contact you, as they cannot find the listings that strike their fancy.
This is how your website can be hurting your business RIGHT NOW!
It is recommended that clients revise their websites about every three years (if not sooner).
I bet you are thinking that this sounds like a ridiculous and costly exercise.
But I can promise you that you will reap the benefits of a site revision.
To make things really clear & easy to follow, here is a list of straight forward reasons why you should look at revising or redesigning your company website.
- A redesign can help to improve your website’s search engine optimisation
- Believe it or not, a revamp of your online tools can actually SAVE YOU MONEY.
- Google likes sites with new &/or regularly updated content. It ranks them higher.
- Users expect to see location maps of properties these days. You can lose sales based on the lack of the ability to see where a property is located. This is especially important for out-of-area investors.
- Google also prefers sites with maps in them, as the information is deemed are more usable and relevant.
- Technology is changing so rapidly that you want to be sure your site meets the newer standards of web design and interactivity
- Your website should be representative of your company in every way. If your website looks tired and outdated, what will prospects and vendors think about your entire organization?
Many offices tell me that they feel their website is not as important anymore, because most views of their listings occur via Property Portals sites, such as realestate.com.au, domain.com.au, etc.
Whilst it is true that the portals get exposure for your listings, your website is now more import than ever.
Your website is what potential vendors use to judge who to list with.
Your website is where buyers end up when they have done enough general looking on the portals and are at the purchasing stage.
Your website is what potential sales people judge your business on, when deciding if your organisation is the one they want to work with.
Don’t take your website lightly. Take a good long look at it today.
Scroll through all the pages.
- Is it fresh? Is the content valid?
- When was the last time you added something new about the company? A new photo? A press release?
- Do your listings have multiple photos and maps?
- Are there listing categories that you no longer sell in, still showing on the site?
- Can users get automatic alerts about new listings?
In a tight market like the one that a lot of real estate agents are experiencing today, your website is the key to your company – as much as your sales and customer service staff are.
Treat it well and it will deliver the world to you.
Speak to a Brightfox website consultant today, and stop your site from hurting your business.