Website design for estate agents and SEO

Estate agent website design is important for your business. Not only does it have to look spotless and show exactly what the brand is about, but it also has to provide a large amount of traffic. There's no point spending valued resources on a website design if no one is there to access it, irrelevant on how the website looks. Therefore website designers today have to appease to the mighty search engine giants and also to the everyday internet user that has a range of knowledge and experience. With 72% of customers seeing you first on the internet, you cannot underestimate the importance of getting this right.

The everyday user

People searching for estate agents online will have a wide range of experience with websites. Some of the younger generation will have been using websites all their life and others will have limited experience. Since more and more people will be using the internet for property it is important to cater for everyone. This is done by using certain techniques.

Firstly you need to greet the user onto the website. Having a lot of content and images flash up will disorientate the user and increase the chance that they will simply click off the website and move onto another estate agent website. Therefore having an animated introduction to greet the user and establish your brand name or logo gently introduces them into the website. Next you naturally guide the eye to a 'Call to Action'.

A Call to Action is where the website gives the user a clearly defined route to take. For estate agent websites, the Call to Action is the property search. This is because over 97% of users visiting estate agents websites are just simply looking for property. With this fact in mind, why would you make it difficult for them? Providing a large and clear 'Property Search' will give both you and the user exactly what you want. They want to view the available properties and you want them to contact you for viewings.

So you've got the user viewing you're properties, whats next?

Things have moved on from just having 'property listings'. The savvy internet user wants a bit extra. They want:

* Large quality images
* Full search options
* Enhanced mapping - indicating local amendments
* The latest viewer technology
* Floorplans
* EPC
* A printable PDF brochure
* Virtual Tour or Video
* Email alerts
* News Section
* Google Street View

All this plus a simple design that lets everyone make use of any feature they want to use. Some users will want to receive emails of similar properties whereas others will prefer just to keep coming back and using Google maps to see the houses for sale nearest their children's school. It is the option that counts.

Modern trend

Website design has continued to evolve and modern estate agents understand that brand image is reflected from what is on their website. A tawdry website with cheap gimmicks won't do your brand justice. Whereas a website that reflects the colour scheme and the underlying brand image could strengthen your overall brand and keep people coming back again and again.

The modern trend at the moment is to use large imagery combined with simplistic navigation process to guide the user to each Call to Action. For a website selling clothes, the Call to Action would be to go to the checkout and then finally purchase the items of clothing. Property website's call to Action (as mentioned above) is primarily the 'Property Search' button, then after viewing each property the Call to Action would be to contact the estate agent. For this to happen there has to be clear contact details with every listing.

Search engine optimisation (SEO)

So far the user side has been covered. As equally important is getting people onto your website. This is done by putting yourself onto the results listings of search engines and hence the birth of SEO.

Search engines were made because of the need for people to try and find websites that they did not know the addresses for. While defining exactly how to list websites, Sergey Brin and Larry Page produced an algorithm that created the search engine giant Google. This algorithm is a way of putting ranking weights on different aspects of how the website is constructed. The more a website fits the algorithm the more likely it is to appear on Google's results page. Therefore SEO is optimising or modifying websites so that it complies with the most up to date algorithms. By doing this your website will be higher up the rankings and therefore have more traffic.

One major way of utilising SEO is providing relevant current content. Even Google has gone on record and stated that "Content is King". Better content means a better user experience which means the higher up the rankings you will go. One way of doing this is to have a 'News feature'. Google's programs will see that not only your website has content from local or national news but it will also notice that it has been updated recently.

Another way to do this is to have particular keywords within your website. These keywords are embedded into your website as a whole and represent the terms in which users would search for. For example, people in Watford finding a house to buy would most likely search for 'estate agent in Watford' or 'property in Watford'. Utilising your website to these search terms means that you can maximise the amount of people (traffic) that views your website and pin point exactly the type of people who go on your website.

Another way is having many in-bound links to your website. The more links you have pointing to your website the more your website can be viewed as popular. A popular website will have content that people want to read and therefore these are the websites that Google wants to list, popular websites with relevant current content.

Resource Techniques is dedicated to providing estate agents with website design that will be visually impressive while also performing well in search engines using the latest SEO techniques. To enquire about web sites for estate agents, SEO Services or any other services we provide, contact us on 0208 457 4777 or visit our contact us page.

Back to basics for estate agents, Search engine optimisation (SEO): Part 2

Before you can stun a customer with visual imagery and functions that will enhance their online property search, estate agents must have a website that performs well in search engines so that there is a healthy stream of users looking for property. Without a healthy stream of online property searchers, the website is useless.

There are a wide variety of things a web designer can do to help or hinder a website's SEO. Below are the top ways estate agents can make sure that the SEO on their website is on the right path.
1). Content is King

This rule is generally undisputed. If you have original and desirable content, your estate agent website will be indexed higher. Estate agents who have websites that have more content on their website, such as staff profiles, local area information and services provided, will have better SEO than estate agent websites that have a homepage and a property listings page. The news section on your estate agent website is a perfect way of increasing your SEO as search engines are looking for websites that have relevant, updating content.
2). Keywords

There have to be certain keywords within the content that show search engines what your estate agent website contains. Having major keywords for estate agents such as 'property in..' or 'estate agent in..' and the local area. When considering keywords, estate agents have to think of the words or phrases that users will type into search engines. Over using keywords for SEO can flag your estate agent website as spam.

Resource Techniques will personally advice every new customer the types of keywords that they should be thinking about.
3). Meta Tags

Meta Tags are invisible to anyone viewing the website. They are within the code or html within the website. Again, just like keywords, the keywords in the Meta tags can be overused and this will count against the SEO of your website. The two main Meta tags are the description and keywords. The role of Meta tags in SEO is low but does count towards your website's overall SEO.
4). Links

Links that point to a website help towards SEO. It shows search engines that your website has content that people not only want to see, but also point or 'link' to. Estate agents have to be wary of sites claiming 'link building services' as Google sees that these sites are directories and therefore lower the importance of the links going out.
5). Site Map

Search engines love estate agent website organisation. By providing a sitemap, estate agents will help search engines index their site quicker, which will help your estate agent website SEO. Resource Techniques provides a sitemap for every estate agent website we design which helps their SEO.

For the part 1 of our SEO back to basics, click here.

Resource Techniques provides SEO services for estate agents, website design for estate agents, domain name hosting, and many other services for property professionals. To hear the full range of services, visit our contact us page or call us on 0208 457 4777.

Back to basics for estate agents, Search engine optimisation (SEO): Part 1

Search engine optimisation or SEO is the process of organising the design on the estate agency webpage so that they agree with the mathematical formula that searh engines have in place to organise the internet. This mathematical formula is extremely complex but there are some basic rules that estate agents can follow for SEO.

Let's start at the beginning. If someone decides to search for property on the internet, they will start with a search engine (unless they have the estate agent's website address in mind). Once on the search engine, they will to type in words that best describes what they are looking for. For property searches, our years of experience has found that majority people will type in 'Estate agents in' and their local area.

When people type in 'Estate agent in...' or 'Property in...' and their local area, you want your estate agency website to have SEO so that you appear at the top of any particular search engine. Estate agents want their website to be at the top of Google search results page because this means that more people will be accessing the website and viewing the properties that they have to offer.

There has even been eye tracking studies to confirm this. What has resulted is the Golden Google triangle where the most concentrated views by internet users are on the top left hand side of the results page. These sites will have the best SEO.

In the next article, 'Back to basics for estate agents, search engine optimisation (SEO): part 2' Resource Techniques will be showing estate agents how SEO is implemented in the design of their estate agent website.

Don't forget that Resource Techniques provides a free website review on the design of your estate agency website with useful SEO information. To get your free website review, please visit here.

Back to basics for estate agents.

Don't be afraid or confused about technology. As soon as you, the estate agent, understand the fundamentals of estate agent website design, Search engine optimisation (SEO), estate agent social networking and many others, you will be fully prepared for the imminent digital golden age.

During the next following articles, Resource Techniques will be going back to basics. Letting estate agents completely understand the foundation of knowledge that will help them in the future. We will cover everything that the modern estate agent will need to know about technology in an easy to read guide.

If you have any questions on SEO, website design, social networking or anything that confuses you, a free website review or would like a topic to be included, please do not hesitate to contact Resource Techniques or email us at design@restech.co.uk

Social networking is growing up.

Social networking now has an older audience. No longer will it be known as a teenage fad that stops them doing their homework, but an adult passion that will be integrated into their everyday lives. So much so, social networking could be replaced by emails. To read more on social networking replacing email, click here.

A recent study by Ofcom found that social networking website Facebook is the most popular in the UK. This shouldn't be shocking but the study also found that social networking demographic showing that 35 to 54 year olds regularly checking their social networking profile has risen to a staggering 46% and the number of British adults who have a social networking profile is 30%.

These are the x and y gen property buyers that estate agents should be targeting online. 30% of adults own a social networking profile. It is a statistic that cannot be ignored especially since it is completely free for estate agents to use and has a global audience. People from all over the world (that has a profile themselves) will be able to access your online profile.

From there you need to entice them. Users will click from your online profile to your estate agent website, but you have to give them a reason to. Estate agents need to be imaginative with social networking. Having a stagnant profile that is gathering digital dust will turn potential customers away. Either use it, or lose it!

Resource Techniques is able to provide a personal service to guide estate agents step-by-step through the process of understanding, creating and maintaining an estate agent social networking profile along with our estate agent website design as well as a specialist SEO service for estate agents. To see what is possible, visit our contact us page.

Estate agents, SEO services are not just for Christmas

SEO services are easily forgotten once they are implemented.

Clients of SEO services end up forgetting the work that SEO service providers do, but it isn't their fault.

For those that are unsure, search engine optimisation or SEO is the process of changing a website so that it will appear higher in Google's search results. The reason why web site designers would like their website higher in Google is that the higher up a website is in Goole's search results, the more likely people are to access their website.

SEO is a very important starting point for company websites or websites that are looking to make money as web site designers need people to access the web site. Without SEO, members of the public won't be able to find your website unless the website designer or estate agent pays for PPC (Pay-Per-Click). Per-Per-Click literally makes the website owner pay money every time a member of the public clicks on an advert that relates to the search term that they're looking for.

Troy Stanley, CTO of Resource Techniques, says 'Pay-Per-Click is useful for infantile websites. They provide a good initial boost of visitors but it is expensive and will not be able to support the long term goals of your website. The best way is to get a reliable source of new and returning visitors is to use the latest white hat SEO techniques.'.

Once SEO has been implemented for a website, the web site designer or SEO services provider should continue to monitor the website's SEO progress and adjust the website design or add more content accordingly. What tends to happen is that estate agents will have either never checked their website or stop checking their position in search engines.

Troy Stanley says 'this is not their fault. Estate agents are very busy people and some estate agents may not have the technical knowledge needed to check up on the SEO of their websites.'

There are two ways that estate agents can overcome this:

Firstly estate agents can ask their SEO service provider for a weekly or monthly PDF report on the website's progress. In this report there should be not only search engine placements and search terms used but also the progress from last month.

Secondly estate agents can check themselves. Think about the search terms that people will use to access your website and type them into a search engine. Note down the results and then talk the SEO service provider. Ask them for the search terms they optimise for and compare notes. Opening these lines of communication will increase the SEO service that estate agents receive and in turn provide estate agents with more business.

Troy Stanley, CTO of Resource Techniques says 'Estate agents need to work closely with website developers to ensure that their websites will be high enough in search engines to generate organic visitors.'

Resource Techniques provides ultimate website design for estate agents, IT services for property professionals and the latest SEO services for estate agents. Visit our contact us page or for more information check out ‘estate agents, are social networks replacing email?'

Resource Techniques announce release of new website for Robert Williams Estate Agents

Resource Techniques are delighted to announce the unveiling of a new website: www.RobertWilliams.co.uk

Robert Williams Estate Agents in Exeter have built a long term reputation for valuing, selling and letting properties in and around Exeter and its surrounding towns, villages, countryside and coast.
Robert Williams are passionate, enthusiastic, professional and can offer tailored advice backed with many years of experience, whatever your property needs. Robert Williams are members of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and the team network of estate agents, which enables your property to be marketed automatically with hundreds of team agents all over the country – including London.

Steve Alford, Director of Robert Williams says, ‘how delighted we are with the website that Resource Techniques have just completed for us. I have no doubt that your creativity has contributed to the fact that the site is both simple and very eye-catching. Moreover, the new features, such as the large, high resolution photos, the link to Google Maps with its aerial photos and excellent search facility, make it as good technically and it is aesthetically. Overall, 10 out of 10!
Many thanks for all your help,’

This fantastic new website has a whole host of new properties that are available to buy or rent in and around the Exeter area. Troy Stanley, Technical Director at Resource Techniques, personally loves the website and thinks that the development team continually outdo themselves with each new estate agent website.

Expert advice for estate agents looking to increase their web profile, improve their web design for estate agents, understanding Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), SEO for Estate Agents and SEO services, marketing property or your estate agency business using Social Networking or for a FREE assessment of your website and how well it performs with search engines contact Troy Stanley, CTO Resource Techniques on 0208 457 4777 or visit our contact page.

Estate agents - internet users loves animations on your property website.

So you've got people accessing your property website, what's next? Well animation or 'flash' has come a long way and website designers do not now make websites completely in flash. Combining a good balance of flash and text impresses users and also caters for your Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) needs.

Ideally estate agents do not need a website with too much animation, just something that gently introduces the internet user to the website. Below are some examples of estate agents that have some of the best animations for property websites.

www.dartandpartners.com

This is a fantastic animation. The image starts off as a drawn outline and then changes into a vibrant image with billowing clouds. There is a flag on top of the castle that flaps in the wind. This adds a very subtle movement that makes the user study the animation before moving onto the desired property search.

Their website also has fantastic SEO. The SEO provided by Resource Techniques has boosted their page rank to second on page one when you type in 'Estate agents in Teignmouth'.

http://www.penyards.com

This is another animation that makes the website stand out from other property websites. It starts off with an impressive country estate in black and white and then has a steady transition into colour. The sky starts moving and completes the animation. This animation fits perfectly for a high end estate agent.

The SEO for Penyards is perfect. The SEO provided by Resource Techniques has put the Penyards to page one, position one when users type in 'Estate Agents in Winchester'. This SEO will guarantee a very healthy stream of customers looking for property in the Winchester area.

http://www.turneyassoclettings.co.uk

This is the latest estate agency website released by Resource Techniques. It shows a realistic river with a punt floating down the river. The impressive aspect of this animation is that the punt has waves and a shadow on the water, whist increasing in size as it moves down the river.

Resource Techniques are almost limitless with the animation that we can produce. Why not try calling Resource Techniques on 0208 457 4777 to see what we can do for your estate agent website.

Troy Stanley

Complete Twitter guide for estate agents

Technophobic estate agents, we have good news! Twitter, a fast-growing social network, understands that people still may not 'get' twitter so they have provided a guide especially for businesses.

Twitter recap

Twitter is a social network where people communicate in 140 characters or less. This is very much like SMS or texting and is completely free. To view other people's messages you have to 'follow' them. Once you follow them you'll receive all the messages that they send out. Obviously, this works the other way round and anyone 'following' you will be able to see all your messages.

Your messages or 'Tweets', can also be seen by the entire internet. Twitter has an inbuilt search function so people searching for property can type in 'one bedroom flat' and your estate agent 'Tweets' containing 'one bedroom flat' will be picked up. There is also a function that shows what everyone is mostly talking about (these are called 'trending topics'). This can be useful to get the real-time news, with the latest information.

Twitter guide for businesses

The guide will be able to help estate agents use twitter to its full potential.

The topics covered are:

• What is Twitter
• Getting started
• Learning the lingo
• Best practices
• Case studies
• Other resources

This seems to cover all avenues so estate agents will be able connect to people looking for property in their local area. To visit the guide, click here. Alternatively, you can contact Resource Techniques on 0208 457 4777 or email design@restech.co.uk

Explore your city with a new social network

There is a new social network that's growing and is very different from the rest. It's called foursquare. Foursquare describes themselves as:

"50% friend-finder, 30% social city guide, 20% nightlife game. We wanted to build something that not only helps you keep up with your friends, but exposes you to new things in and challenges you to explore cities in different ways."

What is it, I hear you say?

Foursquare is orientated towards exploring things to do in and around your own city. Users provided with the usual profile picture (after being asked to provide simple details) and then users are given 12 'squares' in which to share their experiences of venues in their city. These 12 squares are linked to a venue profile and have a maximum number of 180 characters to give people tips on the venue. These are changeable and give your friends and people who view your profile, where you personally like to go in the surrounding area.

Venues automatically have their own profiles, with full addresses and a Google map to help you view the location. On each venue there will be the total number of 'check-ins'. A check-in, is when you tell Foursquare when you are at a particular venue using your mobile phone. The person that has the most check-ins of a particular venue is given 'Mayor' status of the venue. This status is obviously not binding in real life, but does give people an incentive to regularly check-in.

One member commented on a Bar in New York: "Order a 'Stanley Cup' (not on the menu)". Its hints like these that make this social network so special. Instead of just recommended a place to go, users are asked to give specific tips such as what to do, or what to eat. This is much more direct than reading through endless reviews where users don't really say much.

Unfortunately this is only available to 21 cities in the U.S. but it won't be long till this fantastic social network comes to the UK. It will most likely start off in London and then move to other larger cities within the UK.

Did this article interest you? Why not try 'Estate agents are you having social networking burnout?'

For the latest social networking news, keep up-to-date with the Resource Techniques Twitter account for estate agents: http://twitter.com/RTechniques or our Facebook profile http://bit.ly/BWFkT

Troy Stanley

eBay estate agents can profit from the recession

Launched in October 1999, eBay now has revenues of $7.7 billion (2008) and currently there are just under 200,000 properties being advertised on eBay in the UK. Many people, including estate agents, can easily forget that eBay is a fantastic medium for selling property, as eBay is associated with selling junk and memorabilia.

What would eBay cost an estate agent?

Estate agents listing properties as a classified ad, as the transaction will not be transferred through eBay. Each property will only have an insertion fee of £35, which compared to the price of an advertisement local newspaper, is a bargain.

With this £35, the classified ad for the property will stay up on eBay for a whole 28days, which works out as £1.25 per 24 hours!

What are the benefits?

Even though this could be very expensive if every property was on eBay, estate agents could put on featured properties that would link back to their own estate agency website. Doing this will drive traffic to their estate agency website and increase sales while also showing an advertisement for a property at the same time.

Estate agents would have to be crazy to miss out on this. The price is small compared to traditional avenues and estate agents would be increasing online their exposure for an ever increasing online demand for property.

If you would require help setting up property on eBay to help with your online property sales, please call Resource Techniques on 0208 457 4777 or contact us for a free step-by-step guide.

Troy Stanley