- January 10, 2025
- Reading time about 6 minutes
A reliable website is the heart of every successful real estate business. Yet, most businesses tend to ignore the critical role that their website plays in lead generation, listing showcases, and establishing credibility. If your website is old or is not performing as well as it should, redesigning it could be a boon for you. Here’s how to do this strategically.
Why Redesigning your Real Estate Website is a must?
Your website is your 24/7 digital storefront. In a visually driven, competitive industry such as real estate, a bad website can push away prospects and break trust. Conversely, a great, user-friendly site brings in more traffic, converts visitors into leads, and builds long-term relationships.
Websites usually stay relevant for 1.5 to 2.5 years, but redesigning needs vary with functionality and user metrics. In case the bounce rates are high, the traffic is static, or the design is old, it is time to change.
Let’s know how you can redesign your website and how a real estate website builder can help in this process.
Step 1: Evaluate Your Existing Website
Give your existing website a perfect audit before you decide anything regarding revamping. Ask yourself if your website is living up to your real estate lead generation expectations. If not, it is time to look it over carefully.
First, audit the performance of your site:
Usability
· Review the layout and navigation. Is it intuitive?
· Test the ease with which users can locate features such as property search tools or contact forms.
SEO and Content
· Analyze all key pages: Are they well-optimized with keywords?
· Identify old and/or irrelevant content that is not updated.
· Use Google Analytics to understand traffic patterns and user behavior.
Conversion Optimization
· Review your CTAs. Are they compelling and strategically placed?
· Forms, buttons, and lead capture mechanisms should work towards your intended goals.
Step 2: Competitor Research
Look at what other real estate professionals are doing. It’s important to identify gaps and opportunities. The market is constantly upgrading, with many agents and brokers investing in robust real estate listing platforms. Realtors who are designing their websites using real estate website builders are setting high benchmarks for those who are yet to upgrade their websites. Make sure to take note of the following details while doing competitors’ research.
· Design: Notice what color schemes, layouts, and typography you like.
· Functionality: Pay attention to advanced search filters, interactive maps, or virtual tours.
· Content: Note the tone, language, and value-driven messaging. Pay attention to areas where you can differ from others by providing better or more detailed information.
Step 3: Set Clear Goals
Having a clear roadmap of what you want to achieve through your real estate agent website can help you reach your goals. Here’s how you can approach this phase of website review.
What do you want to achieve?
– More traffic
– Better lead generation
– Do you want to show your listings better?
Make sure your goals are quantifiable. For instance, you want to decrease bounce rates by 20% or double the number of property inquiries. Realistic goals help you quantify the results and introduce remediation plans in time to stay on track.
Step 4: Renovation vs. Full Redesign
If the existing structure is good, then just tweaking the layout or updating the imagery might be enough. However, if the base is outdated, a full redesign is often the way to go.
Consider the following while reviewing the design of your real estate agent website.
· Budget: Can you afford a complete overhaul?
· Timeframe: How soon do you need to see results?
· Scope: Are there structural issues that require rebuilding?
Step 5: Develop a Redesign Roadmap
A successful redesign requires careful planning. Once you are clear in your head about the decision to redesign your website, make a list of all aspects you want to revamp.
Simplify the Design
· Prioritize clean, uncluttered layouts that highlight key information.
· Avoid visual noise; every element should serve a purpose.
· Focus on Mobile Responsiveness
With over half of web traffic originating from mobile devices, ensure your site adapts seamlessly to smaller screens.
Optimize for SEO
· Revamp meta descriptions and alt tags.
· Structured data to make property listings pop in search results.
High-Quality Imagery
Real estate is a visual industry. Use professional photos and videos to showcase your properties.
Tailor the User Experience
· Implement intuitive search and filtering tools.
· Use categorization to allow for easy browsing, such as featured and best deals.
Follow these Simple Tips for Success
The process of redesigning a real estate website can be overwhelming, but breaking it down into smaller steps can make it more manageable:
1. Begin small: If an entire redesign feels overwhelming, make sure to include the most pressing updates, mobile optimization, or navigation.
2. Solicit feedback: Talk to your clients, colleagues, and even your friends to hear what they find appealing or difficult about your website.
3. Test everything: Don’t put a redesigned website live without plenty of testing. Try multiple devices, browsers, and scenarios to ensure that everything works correctly.
A Reliable Website Builder for Real Estate Professionals Real estate website builders, such as BidHom, can be particularly helpful for DIY redesigns or tight budgets. Custom templates are readily available on BidHom for real estate use. Here are the hero features that can benefit real estate agents and brokers.
· Customizable Templates: Tailored designs for realtors, agents, and brokers.
· Integrated Auctions: Easy management of online property auctions.
· SEO-Friendly: Optimized tools to boost online visibility.
· Mobile Responsive: Seamless performance across devices.
· User-Friendly Dashboard: Simple property and listing management.
· Lead Capture: Integrated forms for inquiries and leads.
· Secure Hosting: Reliable and safe platform for data protection.
· Analytics: Insights to track site performance and user behavior.
In a Nutshell
A redesigned website is an investment for your brand’s future. As you focus on usability, aesthetics, and strategic goals, you will be able to create a real estate agent website that not only attracts leads but holds onto them, too. Just remember, an engaging website is a dynamic tool: it changes in tandem with your changing business needs.
In this competitive landscape for real estate today, having an up-to-date, easy-to-use website isn’t a privilege; it’s a must-do. BidHom’s robust website builder is highly intuitive and helps realtors set up or overhaul their websites in some simple steps.
If you are thinking of redesigning your real estate agent website, start it today with BidHom.