Optimising the impact of your Web Site


Extensive research into what buyers, tenants and vendors want from a real estate agency web site has been undertaken by Robert Bevan's Best Practice organisation and the findings have been summarised by Best Practice into 15 points.

The essential element of the following information is that it has been gathered from property consumers, the people who use your site. If your site has been built according to criteria set by technology experts, check the following points against the features and capabilities of your site. The time spent on such a comparison may well reward you with the reasons why your site is not performing as well as you hoped (and were lead to believe) it would.

The following information has been reproduced with the permission of Robert Bevan. A full CD presentation of this information is available to Best Practice members who can click here to order the CD. Like all other resources of Best Practice, the CD is complimentary for subscribers.

For information on becoming a Best Practice subscriber and gaining access to this and a large amount of other very valuable research, data, information and general assistance, click here.

As a developer of web sites for real estate agents, we have found the research to be so effective, we now implement these 15 points into every new web site that we construct. For further information on our capacity to construct a very effective web site for your agency using Best Practice principles, contact call us on 1300 656168 or email to info@desktop.com.au.

The 15 essential requirements of an effective real estate agency website.
1 Speed - Avoid significant amount of flash animation, particularly full flash introduction pages with a "skip intro" facility. Web site visitors loathe the full flash introduction page. The home page must load in less than 10 seconds
2 Short Domain Name - ideally shorter is better although long is acceptable if it exactly relates to a strong brand name which you have created for your agency.
3 List the properties in price order and keep the listings up to date - enquiries for properties that have already been let or sold or have the wrong price listed causes anger and frustration.
4 Plenty of photos - five photos per property is considered the minimum acceptable level
5 Lots of Description - don't leave anything out
6 New Listings - have the facility for site visitors to access new listings only. Repeat visitors do not appreciate having to scroll through lists of properties which they have already seen.
7 Full Address - Consumers want the complete street address
8 Virtual tours - although it is essential that they download quickly.
9 Open for Inspection - provide a detailed schedule of all properties open for inspection which must be current every week.
10 Online Appraisal - Make it easy for clients to provide information so that you can report back quickly.
11 E-Newsletter - A one page monthly newsletter which provides useful market information to past, current and prospective clients
12 Why Do Business With Us? - The reasons why a prospect should do business with your agency should be listed clearly on your web site. This should include short and effective testimonials.
13 Contact Us - Most agencies have a click through email link. Don't forget to include address, phone and fax numbers.
14 Our Team - All agency personnel should be listed together with photographs (professionally produced smiling head and shoulder shots) and biographical information.
15 Clear, Uncluttered, Easy to Navigate


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