5 Helpful Tips for Creating an Effective Website

A website is a valuable key to success as a real estate professional – this is the center of your marketing world and how you make your money. Viewers can visit your website at any time of the day; it is a 24-hour shop that is always generating business. The best way to ensure your website is successful is to hire a website professional who will take the time in creating a current and up to date platform for your business. Below are 5 quick and easy tips for a successful website.

1. Think Simple and Clean

First impressions are everything. As viewers come to your website they do not want to be overwhelmed with content, images, and bright splashy colors. This will most definitely turn potential business away as viewers will back out of your site and go to another. Having a simple template with limited coloring and imaging will give off a professional feel; key content and wording is important to display on the homepage as well.

By having the main components appear bold and centered on the homepage—like a Home Search, Featured Listings, or Map Search—you'll draw in viewers, as this is why they are coming to your website. Keep your navigation simple and user-friendly – use key words like Buyers, Sellers, and Contact Me for quick and to-the-point access. Think as your client – what is it that you want to see within the first minute of opening your website?

2. Up-to-date Information

Your website must always have current and relevant information. Every 90 days is a new internet year so, at the least, your information should be updated by following this rule to keep it current. Most real estate professionals are far too busy to maintain a current website but hiring a professional can help keep your website ranked high in search engines, increasing your leads. A website professional will ensure your site is updated on a monthly basis by adding/changing/creating keywords, meta tags, content, and SEO directed to your target market.

3. Search Engine Optimization

If you want an effective website that works for you, you need proper and relevant SEO displaying throughout. SEO is key to your business when generating potential online clients. This is how your website gets ranked in search engines such as Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc. Since new clients will most likely not know your specific URL, having proper SEO throughout your website will help pull your rankings higher up in search results. You want to highlight and bold important words, like certain cities and towns you sell real estate in so that Google recognizes them as important, improving your rankings.

4. User-Friendly Content

You want people to understand the content on your website – you do not need to create an encyclopedia, as this serves no purpose to what your clients are searching for. You want visitors to understand, first off, how you are going to help them and make their life easier by finding their dream home. Visitors most likely will not know any real estate abbreviations, so try to stay away from adding that in even though you know what it means. Your content should be real estate related – information for buyers, sellers, mortgage information, quick searches, and even testimonials so you can showcase your skills. If you are unsure of how to create pages and forms, this is when a professional would come in handy by helping you keep it relevant, simple, professional, and user-friendly!

5. Call to Actions

Important! A call to action on your website is typically a large-scale button that is very visible, great for homepages, that will link to important information on your website that you want to create as a “must see” for visitors. When searching your site, forms are a great way of generating leads – by creating a call to action you are suggesting the potential client fill out their information and home criteria to connect them directly to you. This generates a lead, which will generate a relationship, followed by a sale! Any key content you have on your website should have a call to action linking visitors to it right away. You want to grab their attention and get their information!

Remember, maintaining your website is crucial for success as a real estate professional. Follow these simple steps to ensure your website is as effective as possible.

To view the original article, visit the Lone Wolf blog.