If you’re contemplating how to build a property website that gets you noticed in what can be a particularly competitive market, there are many things you can do to set your estate agency apart. One of the best ways to attract prospective clients and compel them to stay on your website is to look at your property listings. These are the cornerstone of any estate agency website.  

We’ve put together some of the most useful online property listings tips and ideas so you can 
maximise opportunities. First, let’s look in more detail at what this process can do for you and your business.

Benefits of showcasing your website’s property listings effectively

• Optimising property listings will boost your online presence by showing and telling potential clients what you can offer. It will also make your brand more recognisable.
• Setting your website and listings up right is critical. A listing needs to be seen in the right places online to attract prospective buyers and renters to your website.
• Well laid out listings can add to the user experience. And this bodes well for your business.
• Improved conversions are brought about by listings. Done right, they can heighten interest in and enthusiasm for a property, making the deal much easier to close.

Tips to improve property listings on your website

When looking at how to add property listings to your website pages, consider the following:

Optimising for keyphrases
Use estate agency keyphrases that prospective clients use when looking for properties to rent or buy online. Think property type, location and amenities, for example. Hitting on accurate search terms increases your chances of being found at the top of search engine results pages (SERPS).

Well-written, optimised copy will draw prospects to your website and keep them engaged. Be sure to use a font that’s easy to read and is in keeping with your brand guidelines. Leave white space around your copy to make sure it is eye-catching and legible.

Layout considerations
The way your listings are laid out will determine how seamless the user experience will be. Key information should be easy to find and see and should be consistent with your brand and website design. For the ultimate experience, it’s important your listings feel neither too sparse, nor too cluttered and crowded.

A grid-type pattern makes a structured and highly effective way to showcase your properties if you have to choose one specific layout, however consider giving the user the option to choose how they see properties listed themselves.

Simple navigation
Filters should determine the properties that are shown, so they are wholly applicable for your potential clients. And you’ll want your website visitors to be able to click through to a property they are interested in easily.

Snippets
Using calls to action or snippets of information, that ties in with what users are browsing for, is a great way to encourage them to click on a property. A high-quality photo with tidbits of corresponding data, such as the location, property type, number of bedrooms and price, can catch the eye and make prospects want to take action and click through.

Professional photography
Talking of photographs, they are one of the most valuable tools there is when it comes to selling property.

Clear images of a property can give potential clients the opportunity to establish whether they can (literally) see themselves living, or investing, in it.

Videos and virtual tours
Videos have become increasingly utilised by estate agents. They are great for ‘walking’ prospective clients through a potential home or investment, by way of a virtual tour. Giving a fantastic overall impression of rooms and where they sit in relation to each other tells a potential client so much of what they need to know. Feature all its unique selling points and add some zest by showing the neighbourhood and what’s close by.

Build trust and credibility with video testimonials, interviews with property experts or videos sharing tips and advice for prospective homeowners.

Encourage reviews
Time it right – typically once the sale has just gone through – and then ask current clients to leave a review of your service on your Google Business Profile and other platforms. This can be a particularly persuasive promotional message, as new homeowners enthuse about how they came to be in their new dream home.

Using social media platforms
Increase your reach by using relevant social media platforms and creating content that will resonate with your intended audience. And by content, we mean all kinds – news or updates that will be of interest, good quality photographs or videos of properties you have, or have had, on your books – anything that will engage prospects. Doing this will have the added benefit of establishing you as an authority in your field.

Interacting with other industry professionals makes for great networking opportunities, so this is another avenue worth exploring.

We have looked at how to showcase properties online, attracting and engaging website visitors and potential clients. By following the above steps, you can have an estate agency website that outshines those of your competitors. Keep design and functionality in mind as you arrive at how you will lay out your listings and align them with your brand guidelines.