Hi, I’m Walker. I’m a digital real estate professional who made a career helping real estate brands thrive online. At Real Web Pros our sole focus is getting our clients more traction with their Website and CRM to expand their loyal client base.
In this post, we unveil the five pillars of the perfect real estate homepage. Forget pricey designs and jargon; all that matters is authenticity, utility, and presenting your expertise. Let’s dive in!
1. Clear Branding
Your homepage introduces viewers to your brand, but what does ‘brand’ evoke for you? Logos, colors? While these elements are integral, branding delves deeper than simple visuals. It’s dynamic, evolving with time. For agents, you embody your brand; for teams or offices, it’s crucial to align the brand with your core values. While choosing the right colors, font, and logo is vital, pinpointing and conveying your unique value proposition takes precedence.
What sets you apart from the competition? It could be knowledge of a specific city area or a unique hobby that complements your passion for real estate. Your distinctive edge should be clearly articulated in a value proposition, prominently displayed on your website, either through compelling visuals or crisp text. For instance, I combine my love for real estate and art, leveraging the power of social media videos to captivate buyers with listings. Now that’s a cool brand!
Once you have identified the foundation of your brand, it’s time to put the mojo to work. We highly recommend hiring a designer to translate your vision into a cohesive color palette, font selection, and logo that truly embodies your brand. If you need help finding someone, RWP has an excellent designer on staff that can deliver all your brand’s assets for a reasonable price. You’ll need these assets to pull from as you create your website, social media pages, and email signature.
With a brand you’re proud of in hand, it’s time to integrate it into your website’s settings. Most platforms provide options to upload your logo, choose fonts, and set color palettes. Be prepared: mastering software and adjusting media sizes and styles to achieve the desired appearance may require some time and patience. Dedicating this time or paying a professional to do it for you, will all pay off when visitors are greeted by a brand that’s clear, inviting, and resonates deeply with them. Having established that foundation, let’s transition to the next crucial aspect of your website: the hero section.
2. Hero Section
The hero section should immediately capture attention. Typically, this involves a high-resolution image or a short high quality video, paired with a compelling value proposition or tagline that epitomizes your brand. This section should capture the visitor’s attention and motivate them to explore further.
Imagine you’re visiting an open house. The first thing you typically see is the curb appeal: the landscaping, the facade, the front door. That initial view can greatly influence your perception of the entire house. If the front of the house is inviting, well-maintained, and aesthetically pleasing, you’re more likely to enter with a positive mindset, curious and eager to see more. This initial impression sets the tone for your expectations of the value waiting inside.
Similarly, your brand and the hero section on a website is like the curb appeal of a house. It’s the first impression that online visitors have. If it’s compelling, relevant, and professionally presented, visitors are more inclined to trust the site, dive deeper into its content, and value what it has to offer. Just as a well-kept front yard can lure potential buyers inside, a captivating hero section can entice website visitors to stay and engage.
This is also the section where you can add a caption that helps visitors understand your unique value proposition. In one sentence or less, what is the unique expertise that you offer that clients can count on to make their dreams come true? Go ahead and say it out loud. Feels good right? Ok, so what’s next?
3. Search Functionality
A robust search functionality is table stakes for the modern real estate website. Fortunately, many Website CRM platforms have mastered the art of emulating industry giants like Zillow and Realtor.com. Your Search needs to be front and center and easy-to-use. Users should be able to filter listings by location, property type, price range, and other relevant criteria. As well as the ability to flip to a Map view that feels like their searching on Google.
We’ll dive more into the nitty-gritty of these tools in upcoming posts. But for now, just remember: that nifty magnifying glass and the location search bar aren’t just for show. They’re the heart and soul of your website and deserve prime real estate right up front.
4. Call-To-Action
The cherry on top, which should be visible without a scroll, is a sticky CTA. Let’s not forget, your website’s mission is to guide folks through transacting real estate. To genuinely assist, you’ve got to chat with them – and that starts with collecting a name, email, or phone number. When you’re all about delivering the goods, there’s no shame in asking for a little bit of information in return.
You should strategically place CTAs throughout the homepage to encourage users to take specific actions, such as inquiring about a property, signing up for email updates, or contacting your team. A Call-To-Action (CTA) heading should be compelling, clear, and relevant to the target audience, with a button to ‘Sign up now’ or ‘Book a meeting’.
Here are a few examples to chew on:
“What’s your home really worth? Find out now!”
“Stay in the know with our monthly neighborhood insights!”
“Download your free Twin Peaks Buyers Guide!”
5. Story Beneath the Scroll
So far we’ve covered the most important components that should live above the scroll. Now it’s time to talk about the story that will unfold as your visitors and clients start to explore further down the page. Down here you can unleash your creativity or take a more traditional approach.
For all the traditionalists out there, nearly every real estate website platform has pre-built components for featured properties, featured areas, testimonials, and the like. These sections are important and should be incorporated into your site either on the home page, in the interior pages, or both. Especially testimonials. Everyone appreciates solid evidence that you truly excel in what you claim to do.
However, the bottom half of the Homepage is also an opportunity to show some authenticity and personality. If you have videos that showcase you and your team, add them! If you have a buyer guide and seller guide that you spent time developing, make sure it’s found close to the top of the page. The scroll of your home page should tell a vivid story, and guess what ol chap, your brand is the main character.
To recap the pillars for the ideal real estate homepage, anchor it in authenticity, utility, and expertise. From clear branding to a captivating hero section, robust search functionality, and compelling CTAs, each element plays a pivotal role. As visitors dive deeper, let your brand’s narrative shine, whether it follows a classic trajectory or blazes a trail of its own. Remember, your homepage isn’t just a digital business card; it’s the embodiment of your brand’s promise.
