So you have the best team of brokers, and you just feel that marketing is “Meh.” You’ve built your site in 2012, 2013, and well, you think it’s good enough because marketing is just fluff. Or is it… Well, business owners are experts in their field but not website experts. And that’s why 95% of small businesses have outdated websites. A lot of small and medium brokerages either don’t think about their website much, or don’t realize that it’s outdated. Here are some ways to know whether it’s time to revamp your site.
1. Your site looks outdated.
Websites have drastically changed over the last few years. Web design is leaning towards clearer, more minimalistic layouts and of course towards great user experience. Just a few years ago, you had to hire an ad agency to design a very simple website for $5,000. But those days are over, and real estate companies now have access to much more affordable solutions. It comes as no surprise, as studies have shown, that customers have more trust and are willing to spend more with businesses offering better-designed websites.
2. Your site is not mobile friendly.
Your website looked great on a desktop five years ago, when you built it, but looks just odd on a mobile today. That’s okay. A website is a constant work in progress and has to evolve along with the company. Even if you did a great job just a few years ago, updating and improving your online presence is an absolute necessity. Most people are going to visit your website from a mobile, and you want to make a best first impression as possible. Responsive design is a new technology that makes your website work flawlessly on all devices by automatically adjusting to each device.
3. It’s hard to update
You need to be able to do these things without wasting money by hiring a web company to do it for you. So, either you are lucky and have an admin, or an office manager that knows how to use your old Wordpress template, or an IT guy who is kind enough to add your recent closings, or new listings to your website. However most likely, you don’t update your site often; your recent transactions are not up to date, your “team” section has brokers who no longer work for your company, and there is still that typo you hate on the home page. Most modern website builders have tools that make updating your site easy. I love Squarespace because of their beautiful design and their user-friendly experience for non-tech users.
4. Your competitors changed their site.
I know. You don’t need to give your site an overhaul every time one of your competitors changes theirs. But having said that, if they make substantial changes, improving their look and rankings, it also means they are pushing you down in searches. If you spend some time on a competitor’s site and realize “Wow it’s sexy” (= “they’re much more appealing than we are”), it’s time to roll-up your sleeves and get busy. It’s time to get cracking on a new design.