Designing A Mobile Website For Real Estate

When designing a mobile website for real estate, or any business for that matter, it’s time to throw out the old and plan for the new. Mobile users are different than the usual website visitors and require a more targeted way of delivering predefined information and results. They are more than likely on the move, possibly even driving around looking at property and want this information without having to perform as many tasks to gain the benefits your site has to offer. And once delivered to the users satisfaction, there needs to be a way for them to make contact with you easily and quickly.

We are going to introduce the main elements here for designing a Mobile Real Estate website (featured in our FREE Planning Kit) and cover how the IDX can be used to successfully reach mobile users encouraging them to click the “CALL US” or “EMAIL US” links.

First and foremost if you have not received your “FREE REAL ESTATE MOBILE PLANNING KIT”, please order here. It will give you “easy to use” layout forms to help plan the design of your mobile website.

Here are just a few things that you need to consider:

1) From Website To Mobile: It is important to have an Auto Redirect from your main website that detects the mobile device the user is on, and redirects them to the mobile website. You have spent time and money branding/marketing your Business Name, and your website and most likely your website has been published in local Real Estate Publications, on yard signs, and virtually everywhere your name appears. At least I hope this is the case! Anyways, there is no reason to re-brand a new domain name for your mobile website. It can be designed with auto-detection from your website and can be included in Google Analytics for mobile stats.

2) The Main Landing Screen: When the mobile visitor first lands on your site, they need to be hit with easy links targeting exactly (or at lease vertically) what they are seeking. There needs to be no question in their mind whatsoever that your mobile site is not what they are looking for. To accomplish this, you need to break down the target areas of your market. What are you specializing in? What are the refined areas? Price ranges? Amenities? etc.? Using the layout forms in the kit, start filling out MAIN AREAS first, then vreak down to specialization. Once complete, fill in the titles on the Mobile Graphic. i.e. If you are specializing in GOLF Communities in Las Vegas (Nope never been there, just using as an expample), you could have the communities broken down by community name. That’s easy. But also, by type of home (Single family, condo, townhome, etc.), price ranges, N-S-E-W of the city, Luxury Homes, and Other Amenities. You may also want to tie-in Twitter andFacebook feeds about Golf in Vegas.

3) Target Pages (Predefined search queries for your users “PDQ”): This is the power source of your mobile website. After one or two taps on the mobile screen, the user is going to know “Yes” I have the information or “No” I am wasting my time. This is blunt and may be a bit derogatory, but the fact is, in a fast world, you need to be fast. Mobile is fast and in the NOW! You need to capture and deliver quickly. And even if the results are not 100% on target at first, the user must see that the results are in sight. This is where you break down your areas by figuring out what it is the user is searching for. And it’s not as complicated as it sounds. Using the provided forms and examples, you will have this in a short time and will understand why we at WPIDX push predefined queries so hard. The PDQ is the bulk of your mobile site that delivers results with a single tap. This gives your potential client instant results that are very close to what they seek. They can also refine there results again with a simple tap or two. Instant gratification!

4) A “CALL” to action on every single page. Statistics show that greater than 50% of those who search on a mobile device are more inclined to click the CALL or EMAIL button. Your mobile website needs to be a lead generation machine. Offering an immediate call to action lets the user know that your just a simple button click away.

5) Search on Mobile: You do not want to have an over advanced search feature. This is just overkill on a mobile device. And if you did your planning correctly, a simple quick search will suffice. Remember, less complicated – more complete!

6) Adding your ICON to ther home screen. Have an ICON designed so that your best branding can be placed on the users home screen. This is good marketing and it’s easy to accomplish.

These are just a few of the things that will help you in planning a successful real estate mobile website. Let us know your thoughts. Also a “LIKE” would be nice. Thanks!