As an agent in today's competitive real estate market, you need a professional website to establish your online presence and attract new clients. An eye-catching yet straightforward website is essential for any real estate agency, but building an effective one requires time, money, and technical skills that many agents lack. Fortunately, website builders like Unicorn Platform offer an easy solution. With Unicorn, you can create a custom real estate website in minutes without any coding required. Their drag and drop interface provides pre-designed sections and templates so you can choose layouts and styles tailored to real estate agencies. For a small monthly fee, Unicorn empowers you to build a responsive, lead-generating website that will impress your clients and help your agency stand out.
Why You Need a High-Converting Real Estate Website
As a real estate agent, your website is one of the most important tools for generating new leads and growing your business. An effective real estate website should be professionally designed, optimized for search engines, and focused on converting visitors into leads.
First and foremost, your website needs to look polished and reputable. Use high-quality photos, an easy-to-navigate design, and a consistent brand to build trust with visitors. A cluttered or outdated website will reflect poorly on you and your business.
Second, make sure your website is optimized for search engines like Google. Include location-specific keywords, page titles, meta descriptions, and alt text for images. An SEO-optimized website will rank higher in search results, driving more organic traffic to your site.
Finally, your website should have clear calls-to-action to capture leads. Include lead capture forms for visitors to request more information or schedule a showing. You can also promote your listings via virtual tours, property videos, and listing pages with lead forms. The more ways you give visitors to contact you, the more leads you'll generate.
In today's competitive market, real estate agents need to leverage the power of digital marketing and an optimized website to stand out. By focusing on a professional design, search engine optimization, and lead conversion, you can build an effective website that will take your real estate business to the next level. A high-quality, lead-generating website is essential for success as an agent.
One way to improve your real estate website is by using a landing page builder. Unicorn Platform offers a variety of options, including a builder for event landing pages and one made specifically for real estate agents. Check out their article on the best real estate landing pages of 2023 for more information and inspiration.
How to Build a Real Estate Website in 2023
To build an effective real estate website in 2023, there are several key steps you should follow:
- Choose a website builder that is tailored for real estate agencies. Platforms like Unicorn provide templates, features, and integrations specific to real estate that will save you time. They handle elements like property listings, agent profiles, lead capture forms, and more.
- Select an attractive yet professional design. Your website design should convey your agency’s brand and instill confidence in potential clients. Opt for a clean layout, high-quality photos, and easy navigation.
- Include detailed agent bios and listings. Feature your agents prominently on the homepage and individual profile pages. List current properties with multiple photos, specifics on amenities and features, and the latest listing status.
- Focus on lead generation. Your website should make it easy for visitors to contact you about listings or working with your agency. Include prominent contact forms, live chat options, and social media links. You might also offer resources like home buying guides or market reports to capture email addresses.
- Optimize for search engines. Use keywords related to your location and services throughout your content. Create unique page titles, meta descriptions, and content for each page. Build internal links between pages and list your website in key business directories. These steps will improve your rankings in search results.
- Promote your new website. Announce your website launch on social media platforms where your target audiences spend time. Send an email announcement to your current clients and connections. Begin blogging or publishing video content on topics that would interest potential clients to drive more traffic to your site.
With an attractive, user-friendly website tailored to real estate and focused on connecting with more clients, you'll take your agency's digital presence to the next level. A professional website is essential for success and growth in today's real estate market.
Best Real Estate Agency Website Design Trends
To build an effective real estate agency website, there are several design trends worth considering. These trends can help improve user experience, increase traffic, and generate more leads.
Mobile-Friendly and Responsive Design
With more people accessing the internet via mobile devices, having a responsive website optimized for mobile viewing is essential. A mobile-friendly site will automatically resize and reformat to fit the screen of any device. This provides an optimal viewing experience for visitors on smartphones, tablets, laptops or desktop computers.
Compelling Visuals
High-quality photos and videos are vital for any real estate website. Feature professional photos of properties, neighborhood amenities, city skylines or landscapes. Video tours, drone footage and virtual reality experiences are becoming increasingly popular and help bring listings to life. Visuals should capture the attention of visitors and highlight the best aspects of what you offer.
Easy Property Search
An intuitive property search function is one of the most important features of a real estate website. Visitors should be able to easily filter available listings by location, price, number of bedrooms, property type and more. Be sure to include detailed listing information with multiple photos for each property. A map view of search results is also helpful for visitors to see the locations of matches.
Lead Generation Forms
Including lead generation forms, like contact request forms, email signup forms or property inquiry forms, allows you to capture visitor information. By requiring only essential details, you make it simple for people to reach out and express interest in your services or listings. Be sure to provide value, resources or incentives in exchange for someone's information and contact details.
Blog or News Section
Having a blog, news or updates section on your site establishes it as an ongoing resource for people interested in real estate in your area. Publish posts about local market trends, neighborhood guides, home tips, real estate advice and company updates. Fresh, high-quality content will bring repeat traffic to your site and position you as an industry expert.
6 Must-Have Features for a Real Estate Website
A Responsive Design
A responsive design is crucial for real estate websites. According to studies, over 60% of people searching for homes now do so on mobile devices. A responsive website automatically adjusts to fit the screen of any device, whether it’s a smartphone, tablet, laptop or desktop computer. This provides an optimal viewing experience for all visitors and ensures no one will abandon your site due to a poor mobile experience.
Large, High-Quality Photos
For real estate, images are everything. Your website should prominently feature professional photos of homes, community amenities and the surrounding neighborhood. Images should be large, high-resolution and capture the property and location in an appealing way. Photo galleries, slideshows and video tours are also effective for giving visitors a sense of what it would be like to live in a particular home or community.
Detailed Property Listings
Your website should include detailed listings for all properties currently on the market. Listings should specify attributes like the number of rooms, square footage, year built, price, lot size, school district, annual taxes and available amenities. The more details provided the better, as visitors want to determine if a property meets their needs before reaching out or scheduling a showing.
Blog or Resource Center
A blog, resource center or both on your website establishes your agency as a helpful, knowledgeable source for people interested in real estate. You can post tips for buying or selling a home, information on mortgages and financing, local market reports, and spotlights on popular neighborhoods. This type of value-added content gives visitors a reason to return to your site again and again.
Contact Information
Make it easy for visitors to get in touch with your agency. Prominently display contact details like your phone number, email address, office address and hours of operation. You should also include bios and photos of agents so visitors know specifically who to contact regarding properties of interest. Quick response times and helpfulness are essential, as people expect a high level of service when making such an important life decision as buying or selling a home.
Lead Generation Options
Your site should provide ways for visitors to share their contact information with your agency. This could be in the form of a contact or signup form to receive listings via email, a phone number to schedule a consultation, or a link to arrange an in-person meeting with an agent. Collecting lead information allows you to build your client database and follow up promptly with those expressing interest in your services.
How Unicorn Platform Makes It Easy to Build Your Real Estate Website
Unicorn Platform makes it simple to build an attractive, high-converting real estate website. ###Effortless Drag and Drop Builder
The intuitive drag and drop builder requires no coding skills. You can easily:
- Add sections like hero banners, About Us, Listings, Contact, and more
- Include images, videos, maps, and other multimedia
- Choose from 100+ stylish templates or start from scratch
- Update colors, fonts, and other elements with just a few clicks
Optimized for Conversions
Unicorn Platform websites are optimized to convert visitors into leads and clients. Some of the conversion-focused features include:
- Lead capture forms to get visitor contact information
- Calls-to-action to capture interest
- Integrated live chat to engage visitors in real time
- Customizable blog to position you as an industry expert and drive organic traffic
Mobile-Friendly and Fast
Over 50% of web traffic now comes from mobile devices. Unicorn Platform creates fully responsive websites that look great on any device. Your site will also load quickly thanks to built-in performance optimizations. Fast, mobile-optimized websites improve search rankings and conversions.
Integrations to Streamline Your Business
Unicorn Platform integrates with many popular third-party services to help automate and improve your real estate business. Some options include:
- Property listing syndication to sites like Zillow, Realtor.com, and Homes.com
- Customer relationship management (CRM) software like HubSpot to manage leads and contacts
- Accounting apps like QuickBooks to keep your books in order
- Email marketing services like Mailchimp to stay in touch with clients and leads
Affordable Pricing
Unicorn Platform is very affordable, with plans starting at just $12/month. You get unlimited bandwidth and storage, as well as 24/7 support to help anytime you have questions. There are no setup fees or long-term contracts. You can cancel at any time.
With an easy to use website builder, powerful features made for real estate, and affordable, flexible pricing, Unicorn Platform makes it simple to build a website that will take your real estate business to the next level.
Real Customer Examples of Beautiful Real Estate Websites Made With Unicorn
Unicorn Platform’s Real Customer Websites
Unicorn Platform is proud to showcase beautiful real estate websites built by real customers using our simple drag and drop website builder. These stunning examples demonstrate the power and versatility of our platform.
Keller Williams Realty
Keller Williams Realty is a global real estate franchise with over 180,000 agents. Their corporate website is sleek and modern, highlighting their innovative company culture and commitment to agent success. The intuitive interface and impactful visuals were created without needing to code.
HomeSmart International
HomeSmart International is one of the largest real estate brokerages in the U.S. with over 15,000 agents. Their corporate website effectively communicates their value proposition with bold colors, engaging graphics, and a responsive mobile-friendly design. The content strategy and layout were developed by non-technical marketing professionals using Unicorn Platform.
eXp Realty
eXp Realty is a fast-growing global real estate brokerage supporting over 25,000 agents across 50 states and 4 countries. Their website showcases their cloud-based model and attracts new agents with an optimized user experience, vibrant brand esthetic, and bold mission statement. The website was launched by eXp’s marketing team in just 3 weeks without requiring an agency or technical skills.
Unicorn Platform provides real estate brands the ability to build a professional, high-converting website to strengthen their digital presence without needing an advanced technical background. The intuitive drag and drop builder gives you full creative control to showcase your unique brand and value proposition. Connect with your website visitors and turn them into customers with our built-in lead generation features like blog, email capture, and contact forms. Join thousands of real estate professionals leveraging Unicorn Platform to build their brand and boost business.
How to Optimize Your Real Estate Website for Lead Generation
To optimize your real estate website for lead generation, focus on specific areas that will drive traffic and convert visitors.
Load Speed and Mobile-Friendliness
With the majority of web traffic now coming from mobile devices, your website needs to be optimized for smaller screens. A fast loading, mobile-friendly website will rank higher in Google and provide a good user experience. Use a page builder that creates responsive websites and test your site's speed to ensure quick load times.
High-Quality Photography
Professional photos are essential for any real estate website. Listing photos should be high resolution, focused, and highlight the best features of each property. Drone footage and video walkthroughs are also engaging for potential buyers. With eye-catching photos, you'll capture more interest and leads.
Detailed Property Descriptions
Don't skimp on listing descriptions. Provide details on square footage, amenities, recent upgrades, nearby attractions, and the neighborhood. The more information you include, the more qualified your leads will be. Mention any highlights or selling points that make the property unique. Use headings and bullet points to make long descriptions easy to read.
Blog and Resources
A blog is a key feature for establishing your agency as an authority in the local market. Write posts on topics like neighborhood overviews, real estate tips for homebuyers and sellers, profiles of popular landmarks, etc. You should also provide relevant resources like market reports, school information, tax rates, etc. An informative website will position you as the go-to expert in your area.
Calls-to-Action
Your website should clearly prompt visitors to take action, whether it's contacting an agent for a showing, signing up for a newsletter, or following on social media. Place calls-to-action prominently on your site with buttons that stand out. The easier you make it for people to reach out, the more leads you'll generate.
An optimized real estate website is the foundation for a successful online marketing strategy. By focusing on elements like mobile-friendliness, professional photography, detailed content, and clear calls-to-action, you'll drive more high-quality leads and establish your agency as the local expert. Continuous improvements to your website will yield ongoing benefits for your business.
For example, if you need a simple way to build a real estate listing landing page, check out Unicorn Platform's guide on the simplest way to build a real estate listing landing page.
Driving Traffic to Your Real Estate Website: Best Strategies
To drive more traffic to your real estate website, focus on three main strategies: content creation, search engine optimization (SEO), and social media marketing.
Content Creation
Publishing helpful content on your website keeps visitors engaged and coming back. Write blog posts about local market updates, home buying/selling tips, and profiles of listings. Include high-quality photos and videos when possible. Regularly update and optimize older content as well. The more value you provide, the higher your search rankings and referral traffic will become.
Search Engine Optimization
SEO helps people find your site when searching online for real estate related terms. On-page SEO includes optimizing your page titles, URLs, header tags, image alt text and internal linking. Build quality backlinks by guest blogging on industry sites. Conduct keyword research to determine the terms your target audience uses, then include those terms on your site and in your content. As search engines crawl your optimized content, you'll rank higher in results.
Social Media Marketing
Create social media profiles on platforms where your target audience spends time, such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Post listings, blog content, community updates and engage with your followers. Run social media ads to increase your exposure. Participate in real estate groups and connect with influencers. Offer promotions and contests to increase engagement and referral traffic. Track your social media analytics to see what's generating the most traffic and leads, then do more of that.
By focusing on content, search optimization and social media, you'll establish your real estate website as a helpful resource for home buyers and sellers. Driving consistent traffic and high quality leads will allow your business to grow sustainably over the long run. Keep experimenting with different strategies and tools to find what works best for your agency. With time and practice, you'll become an expert at digital marketing for real estate.
FAQs: Common Questions About Building a Real Estate Website
What CMS or platform should I use to build my real estate website?
There are many options for building a real estate website, from DIY website builders to custom development. For most agents and brokerages, a website builder like Unicorn Platform is an ideal choice. It provides an easy-to-use interface to create an attractive, professional site without needing any coding experience.
How much does it cost to build a real estate website?
The cost to build a real estate website can range from under $100 per month to $5,000 or more for a custom site. Using a website builder like Unicorn Platform typically starts at around $20 per month. The exact price will depend on the specific features and functionality you need. Some of the factors that determine cost include:
- The website builder or platform you choose. DIY builders are the most affordable, while custom development is the most expensive.
- The template or theme you select. More premium, customized designs typically cost more.
- Integrated tools and features like customer relationship management (CRM) software, listing services, and payment processing.
- Additional pages, blog posts, photos, and other content. Most builders charge based on the amount of content and media you add.
How long does it take to build a real estate website?
The timeline for building a real estate website can take anywhere from a few hours to several months depending on the complexity and approach. Using a DIY website builder like Unicorn Platform, you can easily create a basic but professional site in just a few hours. Adding more content and customizing the design typically takes 5 to 15 hours for most agents and brokerages.
For a fully custom site, the process includes planning, design, development, testing, and launch. This can take 3 to 6 months when working with a web design agency. The exact timeline will depend on factors like:
- The specifications of your website including tools, features, and integrations needed
- The amount of content like descriptions, photos, and blog posts
- Additional functionality such as online listings, property search, and customer portals
- The availability and workload of the web developers and designers
- Revisions and feedback cycles to finalize the design and content
The most important thing is to start building your real estate website as soon as possible. An attractive yet user-friendly site is essential for promoting your business and attracting new clients in today's digital world. With the right platform and approach, you can launch a professional website quickly and affordably.
Conclusion
As you've seen, Unicorn Platform offers an incredibly simple yet powerful solution for real estate agencies looking to establish a professional web presence. With its intuitive drag and drop interface, stunning templates, and robust features, you can quickly build and launch a custom website to help your agency stand out. Whether promoting listings, sharing success stories, or simply providing helpful resources for clients, Unicorn Platform gives you the tools to make a great first and lasting impression. For real estate agencies seeking an easy, affordable way to boost their online visibility and connect with more clients, Unicorn Platform should be at the top of your list. With this platform, you have everything you need to build one of the best real estate agency websites and achieve your business goals.
