Your website is looking great, and the number of visitors is steadily on the rise. Increased traffic is good, but not an end in itself. In the world of commercial web-speak, one term stands head and shoulders above the rest: Conversion. The theory is that a casual browser should be converted to a subscriber, a subscriber to a lead and a lead to an actual client. But how is this achieved in practice?

Let's explore the mechanisms a property development company can employ to actively engage visitors.

Impression

At the risk of stating the obvious, first impressions are lasting. Landing pages should communicate the core message within seconds. Think broader than your home page, as the majority of visitors will reach your site via a different point of entry. Your goals are simplicity, elegance and eloquence, with textual and visual information targeted specifically at the market profile you wish to engage and eventually sell property to. By definition this implies a ruthless avoidance of copy-cluttering, bright-and-busy pages and too-good-to-be-true infomercial-style deals. But wait, there's more :-)

Function

Make it look really, really good, but do not promote form at the expense of function. In simple terms, too fancy can work against you if it compromises ease-of-use. Pay attention to the user feedback, subscription and communication areas of your site. Shorten web forms to their friendliest minimum and make interaction a breeze.

Conversation

The typical web user is becoming more and more accustomed to engaging in conversation, whether this be emailing, texting, blogging, tweeting, responding to friends or leaving comments. However, the majority of property related websites still read like an online brochure, presenting stale information in a tone akin to that of a press release. Opportunity beckons for those companies who transform their pages into a responsive hub, promoting interaction and stimulating a more human conversation. These organisations have realised that the slice of time during which they have the potential purchaser's focused attention will soon wither and be replaced by another voice, unless participation is warmly encouraged. Creating multiple touch points on your website will in turn create more avenues for your visitors to communicate with you, which will in turn...you get the picture!

Content

Content is king and Google is the most popular search engine : both statements are true, but neither suffices as an adequate description. A hotel block full of pages has been written regarding the importance of a solid content creation strategy, and we will devote a forthcoming post to collating these thoughts as they pertain to the real estate industry. In summary, relevant content delivered regularly will not only draw visitors to your site, but also increase its stickiness and compel them to return. You can trade some of your unique content for user enrolment or registration, making it the most valuable asset in the quest to engage a burgeoning audience of real estate investors.