Great Real Estate Websites: Essential Strategies to Integrate (+Tips)

The real estate industry is doing amazing and the time for great real estate websites has come! In fact, according to data from IBISWorld, the industry in the United States alone is worth $4billion per year.

Real Estate customers are searching every day for finding a new home to purchase or rent, selling a current home, property valuation and market analysis, negotiating the terms of a real estate transaction, handling the paperwork and legal aspects of a real estate transaction, home staging and preparation for sale, or a number of other services you provide and they wanting to find real estate websites that represent accordingly!

Having a great real estate website can give your business the edge it needs to beat out competitors, attract new customers and expand. A Pew Resarch survey found that 80% of real estate businesses with a website reported that it helped them grow their busienss by increasing new customers.

On the flip side, not having a website for your real estate business can lose you business. A study by Clutch found that 57% of of customers will not recommend a business if it doesn't have a website.

In addition, realtor websites never sleep, call in sick and work 24/7 behind-the-scenes communicating services to customers, sharing reviews and providing the information your customers need to choose the right realtor.

As a business owner, we understand that building a realtor website is hard and you need inspiration. Fortunately, we work with hundreds of realtors and know exactly what makes a website stand out from the competition.

So let's get to it and dive in to make sure you have one of the best real estate websites out there!

In this article, we'll cover:

UX optimization for realtor websites

Important real estate pages to have on your website

On-Page SEO

Real Estate website examples

How to build your real estate website quickly

Real Estate Websites Need Great UX Optimization

When it comes to real estate websites, UX (user experience) is more than just a nice-to-have – it can be the deciding factor in whether or not customers choose your business and equally important, whether Google gives your site the thumbs up for good rankings.

A real estate website with excellent UX is like a well-oiled machine. It's effortless for your customers to maneuver and pleasing on the eyes, providing customers and potential customers with an enjoyable yet efficient experience that can be navigated without any hitches.

It's also critically important to Google. Think about it, Google users could be visiting your real estate website after searching for:

"negotiating the terms of a real estate transaction"
"property valuation and market analysis"
"handling the paperwork and legal aspects of a real estate transaction"
"finding rental properties and managing rental properties"
"identifying properties with potential for renovation and flipping"
"finding a new home to purchase or rent"
"investing in real estate properties"
"real estate [city]"
"realtor [city]"
"realtors [zip code]"
"selling a current home [zip code]"

And if Google users don't have a good user experience, then Google will not be happy. And we all know what happens if Google isn't happy with your realtor website- yep, down the rankings drain it shall go.

Happy Google = Happy Rankings

What do we mean by a happy Google? Let's say a user starts on Google's servers and types in a search term like property valuation and market analysis, handling the paperwork and legal aspects of a real estate transaction, finding rental properties and managing rental properties, home staging and preparation for sale or another related service. Next, the user views the top real estate websites on page 1 and clicks over to the site that most appealed to them.

Google is happy when the user found the real estate website that satisfied what they were looking for and does not return to Google.

Google is NOT happy when the user 'hits the back button' because they didn't find what they were looking for and returns to Google.

Below are several things you can do to get started with the UX optimization:

Responsive Design

Realtors can maximize the potential of their website by making it responsive. A well-designed, adaptive site allows real estate visitors to view content no matter what device they are using - be it a desktop computer, laptop, tablet or smartphone!

Responsive websites offer several benefits for realtors including improved customer experience and seamless access across multiple devices. More benefits include:

Mobile compatibility: With the majority of real estate searches like negotiating the terms of a real estate transaction, home staging and preparation for sale, finding rental properties and managing rental properties, identifying properties with potential for renovation and flipping, property valuation and market analysis, relocation services, etc., now being done on mobile devices, it's important for realtors to have a website that is easily accessible and usable on a variety of mobile phones, including the latest iPhone, Androids and tablets.

Convenience: A responsive website allows customers to easily find and contact the realtor, schedule real estate appointments, and make payments, regardless of the device they're using.

Professionalism: Responsive real estate websites also help to establish the realtor as a professional and reputable business, which can help to build trust and credibility with potential customers.

Cost-effective: Responsive websites for realtors are cost-effective as it eliminates the need to maintain and develop separate mobile and desktop versions, reducing costs and speeding up the development process.

PRO TIP: Additionally, Google uses the mobile version of your real estate website for ranking. In fact, Google has been using mobile-first indexing for several years, which means that it uses the mobile version of a website for indexing and ranking, rather than the desktop version.

This is because the majority of real estate related searches, like finding rental properties and managing rental properties, handling the paperwork and legal aspects of a real estate transaction, negotiating the terms of a real estate transaction, property valuation and market analysis, etc., are now done on mobile devices. By using mobile-first indexing, Google aims to improve the search experience for users by providing them with relevant and user-friendly content, regardless of the device they're using.

The best real estate websites will be optimized for mobile devices and have a responsive design, giving them a better opportunity to rank higher in search results, as they provide a better user experience.

It's worth noting that if a realtor's website doesn't have a mobile version, Google will still index and rank it, but it may not perform as well as a mobile-optimized website.

Well Placed Call-to-Actions (CTA)

Real Estate websites should be designed to inspire action from your visitors - and the key to that are carefully crafted call-to-actions (CTAs). By strategically placing CTAs throughout the site, you can encourage people to take desired actions and ultimately increase conversions.

Having well-placed CTAs on your website will help it:

Guides users to take a desired action, such as scheduling a real estate estimate or easily calling in with a simple click.

Increases conversions and improves the user experience, which Google wants to see!

Helps track the success of real estate marketing and advertising efforts by providing insight into which marketing channels drive the most conversions by tracking where clicks on the CTA come from.

Without a effective CTAs, your real estate website may be missing out on a huge opportunity to engage and convert visitors. Ensure that yours is strategically placed - it could make all the difference!

Navigation Built for the Real Estate Customer's Journey

Your realtor's website must have a navigation that built to provide a fluid customer journey. Navigation is the way visitors find their way around your website and it's crucial to make it easy for them to reach the information they are looking for.

A well-organized and intuitive navigation structure can improve the overall user experience and help your customers (and potential customers) quickly and easily find the content they are interested in.

Key Real Estate Pages to Have on Your Website

There are several important pages that should be included on a real estate website in order to provide potential customers with the information they need and to help establish the business as a reputable and professional one. Some key pages to include are:

Homepage: A clear and well-designed homepage that gives an overview of the real estate business and its services.
About Your Real Estate Team: A page that provides information about the realtor's team, the business and its history, along with the qualifications and certifications.
Real Estate Services Provided: A page that lists the real estate services offered by the business, along with detailed information about each service.
Portfolio: A page that showcases the realtor's past work, including before-and-after photos of completed projects.
Real Estate Testimonials: A page that features customer reviews and testimonials from past real estate projects, which can help to build trust and credibility with potential customers.
Contact Us: A page that provides the contact information for the real estate business, including phone number, email, and physical address, as well as a contact form to allow customers to easily get in touch.
FAQs: A page that answers common realtor questions customers may have about the business and its services.
Blog: Blog: A page that provides helpful tips and advice on real estate-related issues and can help the website to rank higher on search engines.
Emergency Real Estate Services: A page that provides information about emergency services that the realtor offers and how to contact them in case of emergency.

PRO TIP: Stand out from the competition even more by covering the latest real estate trends. Below are a few trends in the real estate industry that your website should go over.

Remote Work and the Impact on Real Estate: With the rise of remote work, many people are moving away from densely populated cities to find more affordable housing and a better quality of life in suburban and rural areas. This has led to changes in the real estate market, with increased demand for single-family homes and a shift away from the traditional office market.
The Growth of Proptech: The use of technology in real estate, such as virtual home tours, online mortgage applications, and AI-powered property search engines, is growing rapidly. This is making the real estate process more efficient, accessible, and convenient for consumers.
The Emergence of Co-Living: This trend involves the creation of shared living spaces, such as co-living apartments and dorm-style micro-apartments, aimed at young professionals and urban dwellers looking for affordable and convenient housing options.
The Greening of Real Estate: As concerns about environmental sustainability grow, there is increasing demand for green buildings and homes that are energy-efficient, have low carbon footprints, and use sustainable materials.
The Rise of Suburban Living: With remote work becoming more common, many people are leaving the cities and moving to the suburbs in search of more space, a better quality of life, and lower costs of living. This is leading to changes in the real estate market, with increased demand for single-family homes and other suburban properties.

On-Page Real Estate SEO

On-page real estate SEO plays a crucial role when it comes to creating a website for your real estate company; not only does it make sure that search engines can index your content, but also allows them to instantly identify how relevant your real estate website is for a particular search term.

After disecting the top websites for realtors, we correlated the top areas to focus on when it comes to on-page realtor SEO:

Use keyword-rich titles and meta descriptions: The title tag and meta description are among the most important on-page real estate SEO elements. Make sure they accurately reflect the content of the webpage and include the target keywords.

Example: If you're wanting to be found for "real estate services" you'll want to include this phrase in the areas mentioned above.
Use header tags appropriately: Use header tags (H1, H2, H3, etc.) to organize the content of the page and make it easy for search engines to understand the structure of the page.
Optimize images and videos: Use descriptive file names and alt tags for images and videos to make them more easily discoverable by search engines.
Optimize internal linking structure: Use internal linking to help search engines understand the hierarchy of your website and the relative importance of different pages.
Use schema markup: Schema markup is a type of structured data that can help search engines understand the content of a webpage more effectively.
Keep it fresh: Regularly updating your real estate website with fresh, relevant content can help boost your rankings and drive more traffic to your site.
Use tools: Use SEO tools to track your on-page SEO progress and find areas that need improvement.

PRO TIP: The best real estate websites don't over-do-it. You want to stay away from going overboard with adding unessecary keywords to avoid an overoptimization penalty.

Overoptimization, also known as "keyword stuffing," refers to the practice of including too many keywords on a webpage in an attempt to manipulate search engine rankings. This can include using the same keyword multiple times in the same sentence or paragraph, using hidden text or links, or creating fake pages with irrelevant content.

Example: At ACME Real Estate Services, we offer real estate services for those wanting real estate services in areas that I offer real estate services.

Error on the side of caution and follow the 'less is more' strategy.

Examples of the Best Real Estate Websites

Ok, let's get into it! Below, we listed the top realtor websites for this coming year!

Zillow

With 36 million visitors each month, Zillow is undoubtedly one of the most popular real estate websites out there. Its user-friendly design simplifies the home search process and makes finding a new place to live effortless. With its helpful features such as city searches, map views, and price filters, it's understandable why so many people turn to this site for their housing needs—and it provides plenty of inspiration on how other sites in the same space can engage customers with simplified navigation options!

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Barrett Sotheby’s International Realty

Connecting with potential clients is essential, and Sotheby’s has cracked the code. With their chatbot popping up at just the right time—when visitors are viewing a property—they make sure to give customers help when it's most relevant. Furthermore, this contact method goes beyond the basics; instead of merely providing an email or phone number for further information, users can easily schedule showings directly from their website!

Compass

As an agent, you need to create a unified presence across your physical and virtual platforms. Your in-person interactions should complement digital strategies that showcase the essence of your brand—think beyond just ads and websites! A great example of this is Compass' yard sign, which functions as both a tangible reminder of listings with vibrant colors and bold design choices while also seamlessly integrating into their online marketing campaigns.

Long and Foster

Moving can be a powerful and emotional experience, from leaving the familiarity of your old home to beginning anew with someone you love. To ensure that potential clients feel heard in their quest for a new place, it is important to express empathy through one's real estate website. At Long & Foster, an inspiring video captures subtle gestures of comfort at home, like cooking together or simply relaxing in the living room—all highlighting how this transitional period doesn't have to be daunting but should instead evoke lasting moments filled with joy and contentment.

New England Real Estate Company

It's no secret that moving can be a daunting process with its complex steps and endless details. Fortunately, The New England Real Estate Company has made navigating their website much easier than the actual task of finding your new home, allowing you to quickly feel confident in taking on this stressful undertaking.

Neren

With the New England Real Estate Network (NEREN) website, inclusivity and accessibility are key. Through a simple button on their homepage, users can customize their experience to meet their unique needs, making sure everyone has access. NEREN is at the forefront of web design best practices when it comes to creating an accessible environment online!

Beach & Bartolo

Beach & Bartolo understand that the key to success in real estate is understanding their local market. Their website showcases that they have a wealth of knowledge about Columbia County, NY, and marketing this expertise can help attract potential clients as well as provide a boost for SEO on search engines like Google. Investing in location-specific content lets people know you’re not just any agent—you are an expert when it comes to buying or selling property within your community!

Dawn McKenna

As Dawn McKenna shows, tailoring your website to those you wish to reach can be paramount for a successful digital marketing campaign. When it comes down to identifying who your customer is and how best to serve them, expertise plays an essential role, whether that's providing the language needed by executives or highlighting school districts into which families are looking to move. With waterfront homes being especially popular choices for second residences, understanding one’s target demographic also opens up opportunities for creating specialized content tailored specifically towards this audience.

Sweet Living Realty

Sweet Living Realty knows that a personal touch can make all the difference in successful customer engagements. That's why they've included satisfied client testimonials throughout their homepage, highlighting one specific review with an accompanying photo and a direct link to more reviews. Don't miss out on this opportunity; start asking for your own positive reviews today!

Know of a great real estate website?

Let us know of one!

Time to Build Your Realtor Website!

(Simple action steps to build a website for your real estate business)

Let's do it!

Register Your Domain Name

Before you can start building the perfect website for your real estate business, the first order of business is to register your unique domain name (URL). Your domain name will be like an address for your online home – make sure it’s unforgettable and aligns with your brand!

Action items steps to register your realtors business domain name:

Choose a domain name: Your domain name should be related to your business name or service, and should be easy to remember and type. You can check the availability of a domain name by using a domain name registrar or a domain name checker tool.

Example domain names:
coolnamerealestatepros.com
coolnamerealestate.com
coolname.com

Choose a domain registrar: A domain registrar is a company that manages the reservation of internet domain names. Some popular domain registrars include GoDaddy, Namecheap, Network Solutions, and 1&1.

Register your domain name: Once you have chosen a domain registrar and a domain name, you can register your domain name by providing your contact information and paying the annual registration fee.

Configure your DNS: DNS (Domain Name System) is the system that connects your domain name to your website's hosting server. You will need to configure your DNS settings with your domain registrar in order to connect your domain name to your website.

Verify your domain registration: Once your domain name is registered, you will receive a confirmation email from your domain registrar. Follow the instructions in the email to verify your registration.

Renew your domain name: Domain names must be renewed annually to keep them active. Your domain registrar will send you a reminder to renew your domain name before it expires.

Design a Real Estate Website

Choose a website builder or platform: There are many real estate website builders and platforms available, such as Wix, Squarespace, Weebly, and WordPress. Choose one that is easy to use and has the features and capabilities you need to create the perfect real estate website you envision.

Choose a template or theme: Most website builders and platforms offer a variety of carpet cleaning templates or themes to choose from. Select a template or theme that is appropriate for the carpet cleaning industry.

Customize your design: Customize the template or theme by adding your own realtors logo, images, text, and other elements. Make sure the design is consistent with your branding and messaging.

Add content: The best real estate websites have great content. Create content for your website, including text, images, and videos. Make sure the content is engaging, informative, and relevant to your target audience.

Optimize for SEO: Optimize your website's content, images, and meta tags to improve your search engine rankings. This will help more people find your website when they search for real estate services.

Test and Launch: Before launching your real estate website, test it to make sure it is functioning properly and that all links and forms are working correctly. Once you are satisfied with your website, launch it and make it live.

Update and maintain: Keep your website up-to-date with fresh content and make any necessary updates to keep it running smoothly. Monitor your website's performance, and make adjustments as needed to improve its functionality and user experience.

Track Performance

Now that your site is live, you'll want to track your real estate website's performance. This allows you to measure the success of your online presence. You can see how many people are visiting your website, how long they're staying, and what pages they're viewing. This information can help you determine how well your website is meeting your goals and objectives.

Google analytics a great tool for this, in fact, tracking tools are up their with the top tools for window cleaners, but this is for your website. Sign up for Google Analytics to make sure you're tracking at a pro level.

The Best Real Estate Websites - The Final Takeaway

The best real estate websites mean the difference between success and stagnation. Turning your site into an effective lead-generating powerhouse requires dedication and hard work - but it'll definitely pay off!

Harness the power of these tips above, and you'll be able to create an all-star website for your real estate business that works tirelessly on your behalf.