There are really only two reasons to have a website. One is for branding and the other is for connectingwith your avatar, or your ideal prospect who will turn into your ideal customer.
When agents ask me to review their websites, 85% or more of the time, I have to break bad news to them. The sites are rarely set up to be focused on a specific niche or a specific avatar.
The look and feel of your website needs to connect with whoever it is you want to do business with.
In this post we will go over look and feel of websites:
The first thing you want to make sure of is that your site is not too busy. If your visitor gets confused, they will leave your site. Confused minds don't buy or sell.
You want to have a lot of white space with plenty of room in between lines and paragraphs, etc.
Your website has a very important focus:
1. 10% of the job of your website is to make it clear to your visitor that he or she has landed in the right place.
2. 90% of the rest of the job of your website is to convince the vistitor to work with you instead of the thousands of other agents he or she could choose to work with.
Your home page needs to accomplish this.
The most clicked on page on a website is the "about" page.
This is across all businesses, all niches. This includes real estate agent websites.
But 90% or more of the websites I look at are really missing the opportunity to connect from their about page. Most about pages are boring and read like canned content. Rarely are they personal. But they should be.
Review your about page:
- Add a personal photo of yourself. Make sure it is authentic. I like photos that are taken outdoors around gardens or waterfront. This makes you appear more approachable. Refrain from the temptation of adding glamour shots or portrait studio photos as those rarely look real.
- Write your about page in first person; tell your story. Human beings LOVE storytelling. Remember, before people were writing they would pass down stories from generation to generation. It is the fastest way to learn. People love to be involved in the story. So open up your journey to welcome your visitors along.
Here is part of an example. The story continues with more images, etc.
Back to home page messaging:
- Think about the main image which needs to be extremely relatable and match your geo target.
For instance just because you sell real estate in Florida does not mean you should have a graphic of the beach on your home page as your main web graphic.
What if you work inland and the beach is over 30 minutes from where you sell homes? It is not representative of your geo target and it is also not going to attract the person that wants to live in the area you work.
If you sell homes in the country, don't use images of the city.
If you sell homes on the beach, don't use images of the desert.
Some of these are obvious but I see SO many agents make this mistake.
If you sell condos, don't use images of single family homes and visa versa.
If you sell on the river, share images of the river and homes with a view on the river, but not the lake and not the ocean.
Once you have your main message laid out:
Create the reasons why the visitor should choose you as their agent. Share your expertise of your market, have your home page keep on going. Many people will not scroll for long, but the serious ones will.
Sprinkle CTAs all through your pages and posts. You should have very easy to see, easy to understand 'call to actions' on all the pages of your website.
Check out these websites I designed - some are still in progress.
Pittsburgh Waterfront Homes for Sale
Santa Cruz Oceanfront Homes for Sale
Lake Tahoe Lakefront Homes for Sale
International Properties & Investments
and more are coming on board as we speak.
If you want me to help you with your website,
text me at 561-502-1577.
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