Is Your Real Estate Website Losing Potential Customers?
I recently wrote an article about looking at your company through your customer's eyes. This couldn't be more important when it comes to your website. The reason? Because your website can attract customers that you never knew existed. It's a silent salesman working 24 hours a day 7 days a week. So take a look at your site. Is it warm and inviting, or is it chasing people away?
You can read many books and articles about website dos and don'ts. The obvious ones are avoiding large graphics, not having misspelled words, no broken links, etc. But I briefly want to give you a list of my website pet peeves. These are just some of the things that drive me crazy when I visit a site.
1. My first pet peeve is when music or audio automatically starts on the home page. Not only does it take extra time to load the page, but it's also shocking when I'm surfing late at night and am suddenly blasted with this un-welcomed sound. So please, if you have music or some sort of audio message, let the visitor decide whether it plays or not.
2. Type is all centered with different sized fonts. Nothing looks more amateurish than a site like this. It basically says 'I don't have time to create a nice clean layout so I'll appear to put some thought into my design by centering everything. Oh yeah, I also need to make sure people see certain points about my services so I'll make those words really big.
3. If there's anything that will sell more aspirins, it's a website that has text laying on top of a busy background. Unless you're trying to create a game where your visitors need to decipher a code or your site comes with a pair of 3D glasses, just use a plain background. Preferably black text on top of white.
4. Flash intros. What can I say. I'm not a fan. The only thing I'm looking for when I see a flash intro is the skip button. Yeah, flash intros look cool (once) but after a while, they become quite annoying. Especially if it's a site I visit frequently and have seen it many times already. I don't think your customers will be saying to themselves, 'I really like this agent, but if they had a flash intro to the site, I'd definitely hire them'. Please, get your visitors to the meat of your site as soon as possible. Don't delay them at the front door.
5. Photos scattered all over the place. Just like in a magazine or newspaper article, photos are used to enhance the information. They are also laid out in a pleasing manner, not thrown in at random.
6. Ever go to a site where each individual page has it's own look and feel? I have and it always makes me think that I'm visiting entirely different sites. Think of your website as part of your brand. Keep your layout and graphics consistent throughout your site. It will be much easier to navigate and will make your company recognizable.
7. Pop-ups. Enough said.
Those are 7 of many pet peeves I have when it comes to visiting websites. By no means am I a website design expert, but I would think that I represent the majority of the people out there who feel the same way. So please check your site to see if any of these elements exist. If so, either take the time for a redesign, hire a professional, or use a real estate website service to do the job right. Believe me, it will be well worth the time and effort. You'll look more professional and you'll get new customers that you never knew existed.
Related Tags: marketing, website, navigation, promotion, customers, real estate agent, graphic designer
For more marketing and promotional ideas, visit www.AgentPromotion.com.
Mike is a real estate agent who's the marketing director for his real estate team. He specializes in producing creative marketing materials for both online and offline advertising.
Your Article Search Directory : Find in ArticlesRecent articles in this category:
- 5 Reasons to Buy Jasper Real Estate
Jasper is a small town in North Georgia and it is growing rapidly. Since North Georgia Foreclosures - Ellijay Real Estate
Ellijay Georgia has always been known for it's outdoor activities and seasonal festivals. Downtown E - How to Deal With Blocked Drains
A blocked drain is an occurrence that happens eventually to all households. You may have experienced - The Benefits of Hiring a Plumbing Consultant
Your dream home may not always be brand new, with fresh paint and home essentials. There are certain - The Worst Mistake You Can Make When You Apply to Rent a Home
A whole new class of people has become renters and potential renters in America during the last thre - State of Individual Real Estate Markets
Everybody is well aware of the hit that the real estate market has taken over the past three years. - Thoughts on Avoiding the Landlord Trap
I've heard several people say they would never invest in a multifamily rental property because they - An Idea to Increase the Bottom Line of Your Investment Property
Are you pretty sure that you've already maximized the income coming from your property? If you've cl - Finding the Value of a Piece of Investment Real Estate
There is a lot of confusion about how much investment property is really worth. We'll look at three - Arkansas Land For Sale - Search Engine Optimization and Your Website
If you have Arkansas land for sale and are interested in advertising it on your website I have a few
Most viewed articles in this category:
- How High Did Home Prices Really Go
The U.S. Census Bureau released data on Tuesday that revealed where the nation's hottest markets wer - New Homeowners Tips for Household Safety
With so many items on their ¡°buying a home¡± checklist, few homeowners take into considerati - Truth About VA Foreclosures
Many people now days are finding themselves out of work and not being able to make the mortgage paym - Avoid Rookie Real Estate Investing Mistakes
When Robert Kiyosaki, author of the Rich Dad book series, bought his first property he was, of cours - Finding The Perfect Roommate On Craigslist
Craigslist, Roommates, and The Concerns Craigslist is "great" when it comes to looking for housing - The Forgotten Secret To Selling Property - Simple, Quick And Cheap
Why spend big dollars trying to get people to drive a long way to see your house, when your best pro - Get Amazing Results Selling Real Estate Online
This is the age of the internet. Why not take advantage of the widespread use of the internet to ad - Dallas Real Estate Information
In the United States, Dallas is considered as the second leading state according to the area. If any - The Largest Private Equity Indian Real Estate Deal
In the largest private equity deal won by the real estate sector, Morgan Stanley Real Estate has inv - Fractional Real Estate Ownership
Fractional ownership of vacation ski condos is growing in popularity. Park City Utah a popular ski t