The first thing potential customers look for when seeking to hire a real estate agent is proof of credentials and other than a hard-copy resume your real estate website can also be a very effective means to promote yourself and your business.
But when do you know if your portfolio or website needs some work to perform better, such as a portfolio update or redesign?
Here are some of the vital yet often ignored signs you need to be aware of when you need to consider redesigning your portfolio.
Business is slow
In this day and age of the Coronavirus, getting ahead of your competitors means having a solid online presence. Most people tend to do things online than having to personally step through the doors of your real estate agency.
The general perception indeed is that the pandemic has caused the slowdown of the real estate market, however, that is not the only reason. But one very plausible reason could also be that your competition could be getting the most out of the consumer market.
Has your website traffic slowed down? If you have started losing traffic, then you may have an issue with your search visibility and you need a good SEO strategy to fix the issue.
Another problem could be your website’s loading speed resulting in high bounce rates and low time on page by site visitors. Several online tools could help with the diagnosis of these problems that can provide fixes or suggest what you could do to remedy the issues.
Also, if you have good site traffic but with minimal to no leads, then it is highly likely that the issue is with your portfolio.
There are several factors behind this such as poor and obsolete information, unimpressive copy, or improper audience targeting. Worse, your portfolio does not hold its relevance to the existing conditions and consumer behaviours that prevail on the market.
You should be aware of where your traffic is going inside your portfolio site and see where the ball stops. For instance, when you see visitors viewing your listings but are not taking action, this could be a good time to seriously consider redesigning or reworking your website.
The business has been very busy
When you started with your portfolio website and it worked out well by bringing in a good stream of business, you think you have the winning online formula for your business. But for how long?
Market conditions are not constant, so does consumer behaviours.
When your real estate business picks up, it often follows that your attention gets directed to dealing with your clients regularly and make every effort to maintain your numbers. As a consequence, you end up with no time to check and see if your portfolio is still relevant or missing out on gaining new and emerging market players.
It is best to check your portfolio for updates or modifications at least two or three times a year at a minimum.
Acquiring new professional skills
Ideally, your real estate portfolio should reflect your current skill set and level, as well as keep it aligned with current web design trends, ideals, and practices.
As such, it is vital that your website depicts your current and updated profile accurately, as well as staying abreast with the latest design trends that appeal to your target audience.
Remember that design trends come and go quickly, so it’s not surprising to see a lot has happened in a year. The good thing though, is that your redesign need not be a major overhaul, just focus on what would appeal to your audience and how it can add a fresh new look to your current website without sacrificing your core design principles, features, and add-ons.
For instance, current technology allows your CTA button to be configured with an automated response feature using a chatbot that can help schedule appointments or answer FAQ from customers.
Play safe, update
Understandably, you can get tied up with your busy schedules tending to clients and doing other stuff for business, however, your portfolio website is something you cannot afford to neglect otherwise, you could end up getting new customers or clients going the wrong path.
Just like any type of website, your real estate portfolio website is something that needs to be maintained and updated. It does not have to eat up a lot of your time, just as long as you make sure that you find the time to see it through and ensure that it’s performing the way it should.