Five Real Estate Website Best Practices

Nearly 90% of home buyers search online during the home buying process. Not only are they using the internet for their next home, but to find a REALTOR® who has experience buying or selling their particular type of home. Many real estate agents understand that having a strong web presence is important, but don't often know where to start.

Here are the top 5 elements to consider when building out your real estate website:

1. Consider your brand. A website often serves as a visual representation of your brand, so be mindful of the voice, tone and images you elect. For example, if you specialize in selling modestly priced homes in a modestly priced area, your homepage image should reflect this. In other words, don't show pictures of flashy, urban condos if you're primarily focused on buying and selling in a suburban setting.

2. Make sure it's user-friendly. It's not enough to just have a website—you need to have a website that is informative, easy to navigate and friendly to both buyers and sellers. Consider what function you want your website to serve. What information do you want visitors to absorb when they come to your website and what's the fastest way to get them there?

3. Create clear CTAs and contact opportunities. For many real estate agents, their website serves as a form of lead generation. In this case, it's vital to have clear Calls to Action (CTAs), as well as contact information right on the homepage.

Adding a contact form to your site can also help you capture new leads. When that lead form is connected to a real estate CRM such as IXACT Contact, they can automatically be added to a drip marketing campaign that ensures you're connecting with them as swiftly as possible.