Give them what they want

Want to keep visitors to your Web site on your Web site?

by Ward Lowe   Homebuyers visit your Web site for listings, but do you provide them with the information and tools to keep them on your site? Your Internet presence should showcase your listings, facilitate searching for homes, and expedite browsing through and making informed decisions on the results. House hunters who fail to find those features on your site will turn elsewhere.

While the idea of a user-friendly way for homebuyers to find what they’re looking for seems elementary, it’s not as common as you’d think. Surf a few agent or company Web sites and you’ll realize that many real estate professionals don’t provide basic features that today’s online buyers expect. By incorporating straightforward content, simple search features, and better utilizing images, your site will stand out.

How you implement these features remains up to you, but keep in mind that too many bells and whistles may drive visitors away (see "Lead-losing Web mistakes" in the June issue of Texas REALTOR®).

Whether you’re creating a new Web site or assessing effectiveness of your existing pages, think about function and look at the site through the user’s eyes. Buyers will express their appreciation with repeat visits to your site and, perhaps, purchase one of your listings or contact you to represent them as a client.

The search is on

Your site brings homebuyers and listings together, so it’s imperative that you dedicate sufficient resources to your search function. Ensure that your search bridges the gap between home and consumer with ease of use and intuitive design. Give house hunters multiple ways to search for properties and let them decide which factors to search by, depending on their familiarity with the area.

Local residents may want to search by ZIP code or town name, while out-of-towners need more help. Provide a map on your home-search page chock full of useful information: town and county borders, ZIP codes, highways, and other points of reference. Make the map interactive so users can zoom in on the areas that interest them and, with a simple click, have that area plugged into their search parameters.

To further help site visitors decide where they want to look, prominently feature links to area information and other local services on your search page. Many real estate sites have this information, but too often this valuable data is buried in a menu or located away from search options.

These links to demographic information and community Web sites should take the user directly to a page relevant to their search. For example, don’t link to the home page of the U.S. Census Bureau. Find a page on the site with statistics about your area and link to that URL. Show consumers that you know your corner of Texas and are willing to share that knowledge and experience with them.

Picture this …

Today’s homebuyers want to look at online listings with photos. Wouldn’t you? Reading about a house is not the same as seeing it with your own eyes. But that doesn’t mean that any old picture will do.

Perhaps a few years ago, most buyers would at least drive by every house that met their criteria. Now that so many properties can be viewed online, some house hunters are instead getting on the Internet for this first "viewing." Don’t risk buyers counting out a property simply because the photo did not appeal to them. Strive to include property photos so striking they draw the visitor’s attention to the house. (See "Think before you shoot" in the June issue of Texas REALTOR®.)

Posting a poor photo on your site also sends a message to buyers: "I didn’t make the effort to take a good picture." Buyers want to know you’re willing to spend time on their home search and work hard for them. They want someone to represent them who cares about the details. If framing an appealing property photo was too much for you to handle, what else might you be careless or lazy about?

When your site displays search results with a list of properties, use photo thumbnails next to each listing. These smaller pictures help pages download quickly, and buyers can view the houses without loading each page. If they’re interested in a listing, clicking on its thumbnail photo should bring them to a page with detailed information about the property, interior photos, and, if appropriate, a virtual tour.

A map is worth 1,000 words

House hunters expect to see a property’s address published with the listing. With this information, buyers can pinpoint the location of a property on an interactive map using an online service like Mapquest. This valuable technology helps them complete their picture of the home, while omitting the address leaves a gaping hole in that picture.

Listings on your site without addresses frustrate consumers. This omission may annoy them, because the buyers didn’t want to contact you yet. It may make them suspicious and wonder if you’re trying to hide something. They also might be searching an area more specific than your search criteria allow; missing addresses will hamper their ability to search effectively and waste everyone’s time.

None of the aforementioned reactions benefit you or your business. Provide addresses and incorporate mapping technology into your listing information. You’ll empower buyers to make more-informed decisions and keep them from jumping off your site. Don’t give them a reason to leave your pages; they might not find their way back.

Don’t be a tease

Are any pages or sections of your Web site under construction? While some technical glitches are unavoidable and may necessitate taking down pages temporarily, buyers count on your site to work and provide the features promised on its home page and in your marketing materials. If a page or feature is not ready for public consumption, keep it offline. Homebuyers understand your desire to show your plans for the site’s future, but want to see only features that help them now.

Check your links, especially those that route users to area information and other local Web sites. Periodically test those links to ensure they work and go where you think they do. An error flashing on a buyer’s screen when he clicks on a link is frustrating; inadvertently sending a buyer to a Web site with offensive content because a domain name changed owners is worse.

And your point is?

Photos, easy-to-use search functions, and helpful links heavily influence users’ reaction to your site, but words also play a role. The text on your Web site sets the tone for all its pages, from the welcome message on your home page to the descriptions of the listings.

The Internet offers an environment free from page limits, but visitors don’t want to wade through lots of text looking for information. They’ll abandon your site and try someone else’s.

Make it easy for homebuyers and other site visitors to find what they’re looking for: Be brief. Write a sentence or two that explains a topic and provide a link to more detailed information.

When possible, incorporate lists, headlines, and subheads into your copy. Web-usability studies show that people don’t typically read Web pages the same way they read printed material. Instead, they scan the text, looking for the next item or link that will take them to the information they desire.

Who are you?

Visitors to your site want to know who you are and what you can do for them, but they don’t want that information to be forced on them everywhere they look. They will look for more information about you when convinced you can help them reach their home-searching goals. Place a link to your contact information in a visible spot of your site’s navigation and include a section on your credentials and services, but shy away from lengthy "sales copy" about yourself on listings pages.

Sellers think like buyers, too

Create a Web site that appeals to buyers, and you will have something impressive to show sellers at a listing presentation. The majority of sellers have been, are currently, or soon will be buyers, too, and they know how an effective Web site can facilitate a home search.

Form needs function

Good Web-site design requires as much common sense as technical know-how. Even if you hire a Web programmer to develop your place on the Internet, use your professional experience to help create a site that appeals to house hunters. Assess your pages as a homebuyer, not a REALTOR®, and incorporate the features a buyer would want. You’ll be rewarded with increased traffic, which translates into more leads and sales generated from your Web site.

Photo illustration by Sheryl Stone; photos © Stockbyte, Corbis Images, and Brand X Pictures.

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