While it might once have seemed as though certain industries were more likely to see higher website traffic via mobile devices than others, that is arguably no longer the case - meaning that your estate agency website can’t afford to be left behind. Those who are in the market for a new property (either to rent or buy) will often be on-the-go, checking for new results amidst their busy schedules as they try to put together the move. Having a mobile optimised estate agency website makes you as available and convenient as possible.
What does mobile optimisation mean?
If a user loads up your website on their mobile device and finds that it lags, loads slowly, with images unoptimised for the format and a page layout that feels wrong, it’ll tell them that they’re accessing it on the wrong device. There should be no wrong device, however, as that would exclude a section of your audience (a large section when it comes to property websites).
The experience that you’re trying to create on your website should be upheld regardless of whether viewed on desktop or mobile, meaning that everything flows as it should, with everything fitting well on the page and being equally accessible.
Why mobile optimisation matters for estate agents
A mobile-friendly property website is especially important for this industry due to the majority of property searches now taking place on mobile. This is going to have a direct impact on estate agent SEO as mobile-optimised websites are often indexed ahead of non-optimised pages. It’s not just about reducing bounce rates, it’s about increasing visibility and improving your lead generation, making mobile optimisation a much more foundational strategy than you might expect - especially with so many users accessing the internet through mobile exclusively.
Key elements of a mobile-optimised estate agent website
There are some components of a mobile-optimised website which are universal across industries, such as responsive design that adapts to all screen sizes, fast image loading and compressed media files. Then, there are more specific features of responsive design for estate agents, such as clear and straightforward navigation for property searches with map integration for locations and easy contact forms with click-to-call features.
How mobile optimisation boosts SEO
Not only will a poorly optimised website lead to frustration that will increase bounce rates, but the best mobile design for estate agents will actually increase the amount of time that a user spends dwelling on the site, increasing engagement and increasing rankings through the suggestion of relevant content. Google actively prioritises well-optimised sites which helps your brand to be more visible and useful to users at the same time.
Common mistakes estate agents make with mobile websites
There are several design choices that could work against you here. A page filled with large images and videos is going to be a nightmare to navigate, as it’ll seem as though they constitute most of the page - as will pop-ups that are hard to close, something that might quickly lead users to looking elsewhere. If you opt to ignore speed-testing for your mobile site, it might also take so long to load as to not be functional, especially if poorly designed search filters are requiring frequent reloads of the page.
Practical tips for improving mobile optimisation
Frequent testing can help you to determine how well optimised for mobile your website is, something that Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test can be useful for. Once you feel as though the images, files and loading speeds are all optimised as well as they can be, it’s worth thinking about how mobile devices function differently to desktop. For example, having CTA buttons that are easy to tap on a touchscreen demonstrates that you’re considering this different format, and streamlined menu navigation can prevent the experience from feeling overwhelming.
Mobile-optimised websites are more important than ever and that’s before you even consider how many people property search on mobile. A poorly optimised website will reflect negatively on your brand, with poor filters, uncompressed files and slow load times being devastating to the user experience - a mobile-optimised website, on the other hand, makes you a convenient candidate for quick and easy property searches.
