Is your property management website lost in the online jungle?

Property Management

Is your property management website lost in the online jungle?

 Just because your business has a website does not mean it will automatically attract people. The online market is dense and full of competition, and being found can be tricky. Good news is that there are many ways to help your website gain better traction with search engines and attract the right people to your site.

Can your target audience find your business online?

Common Phrase Search

Will your target audience find your listings using colloquial, shorthand phrases? Are you targeting renters or new landlord business, or both? A recent survey by Stepps found that 84% of people looking for properties never visit a real estate agent’s website, with 94% naming realestate.com.au or domain.com.au as their main go to websites. So you may need to reconsider who you are targeting, as it may be more successful for your business to change your focus to landlords.

Website Page Titles and Tags

Your website will have multiple pages with different content on each page. Are your headings descriptive, and your titles succinct? Your title should not be too long, as this will weaken your keywords and search engines will automatically shorten the title on search results, which may cut out valuable words that need to be displayed.

‘Quick Fix’ Ranking Tricks

Avoid any suggestions or recommendations that promise a ‘quick’ outcome for rising in search engine ranks. Do not fall into the trap of backlink building schemes where you’re submitting links to unrepeatable websites in hope of increasing your rank. This could be very harmful to your business, and search engines will penalise your website once they crawl these spam backlink sites.

Is your property management website mobile friendly?

So you’ve designed your website and it looks great on your computer, but:

  • What does it look like on a tablet or mobile phone?
  • Is it easy to navigate on a smaller screen?
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  • Do the images scale to the screen size that the viewer is viewing on?

It has been said that 2015 will be the year that mobile searches will be greater than desktop. That’s a large audience that you could be missing out on!

What is the process for visitors to register interest? Is your call to action working?

A call to action or CTA is a very important part of your website. It is what prompts visitors to complete a particular action, whether it be to sign up for a mailing list or registering interest in a particular property. Many “call-to-action” online are in the form of a ‘clickable’ button which leads to a form, however, some are better than others.

  • Always try to be as brief as possible, and use as little words as possible. 
  • Use catchy, provoking words that suggest a particular action. For example, avoid words such as ‘send’ or ‘submit’, use phrases such as ‘talk to the team’, ‘get free access’ or ‘free appraisal’.
  • Make your CTAs visible and vibrant. 
  • Ensure that your CTA links to a new landing page that is specific to the action. 

If you send out emails to past clients and prospective clients, you should include a CTA that links to a recent company blog post, listing or news on your website. Use the communication as another way for you to direct people to your website.

What sort of content is on your website?

There’s a reason why nearly every digital expert will say “content is key” because it is! Not only does it directly affect your ranking through the use of keywords, but it is also vital in retaining your audience on your website! You need to ensure each page on your website has a specific purpose and is clear and engaging.

There is no point overcrowding a page with many different types of information. Structure it so your audience can easily find what they are looking for, otherwise, you run the risk of losing them, potentially to your competition. 

Property Search:

  • How do renters search for available properties?
  • Can they use an interactive map to see what properties are available?
  • Are they able to set local searches and exclude particular streets or areas? 

A map is also great for potential landlords to see how many properties you manage, and in what area, giving them an idea of your local knowledge and coverage.

Have you considered creating a blog on your website?

Writing often and having posts relating to your industry can not only create a following of fans but also favour your organic search ranking. By having regular new content, your website will be seen as current and legitimate and create greater authority.

Is your website fast? 

Research has shown that a slow loading website can have a negative impact on your business, with longer loading speed equaling fewer hits. There is nothing more frustrating than waiting for a website to load, especially when you want to see something quickly or look at a new product. Having a slow website can give the perception to new visitors that your service is not up to scratch.

Google has a tool that can tell you how fast your website is loaded on multiple devices such as mobile and desktop and gives you suggestions on what areas you may need to work on in order to fix it.

If you are struggling to attract traffic to your website organically or simply don’t have the time to learn and implement these techniques, then there are ways you can buy relevant visitors to your site and only pay when someone clicks your ad. Google, Facebook, YouTube and many other platforms where your audience ‘hangs out’ offer this service.

To learn more, check out our recent post on the PropertyMe blog: 52 Ways To Grow Your Rent Roll