25 Must Have Real Estate Website Features In 2024

There are certain things that are essential for a real estate website and that you cannot live without as a real estate agent. Make sure your website contains these components, and you’ll be able to give visitors the information they require, nurture leads, grow your clientele, and build search engine authority to increase organic traffic—the gold standard in digital marketing. What, therefore, ought to be on every real estate website? This is an explanation.

1. Extension and Domain Name

A domain name is a type of digital address that is used to locate websites. It gives the location that customers must visit while searching for your business online, just like a physical address. It matters since it is how people will find you on the internet.

The fact that a domain name is memorable, relevant, and unique are some of its key characteristics. For instance, “homesbyhelen.com” might be a suitable domain name for a real estate agent.

A domain name registrar such as GoDaddy, Namecheap, Domain.com, Dreamhost, Bluehost, and others is where you can purchase one or more domain names. Typically, domain names cost between $10 and $15 annually.

The portion of the domain name that appears after the dot is referred to as the domain extension. For instance, the extension “.com” appears in the domain name www.example.com.

The most widely used domain extension,.com, is used by companies. It’s also the simplest to recall.

.net is a less common but still extensively used domain extension that is frequently used for servers, networks, and other online enterprises.

The majority of organizations, charities, and not-for-profits utilize the.org domain extension.

The.gov domain extension is exclusive to government organizations.

Only educational institutions use the.edu domain extension.

Informational websites utilize the.info domain extension.

Websites for businesses use the.biz domain extension.

Mobile websites are hosted on domain extensions ending in.mobi.

Additionally, there are domain names that are country-specific, like:

Domain names ending in.us are appropriate for American companies and organizations.

Canada-specific domain names for companies and organizations

UK domain names are available for companies and institutions in the United Kingdom.

.au domain names are available for Australian companies and organizations.

2. Domain Registration

A web host is a business that specializes in offering servers for websites, allowing them to be accessed via the internet. The server that contains the content of the website a user wants to see is accessed when they type in the web URL. Web servers are great for hosting websites because they are strong machines with lots of RAM and storage.

Web servers also offer other crucial services like email, domain names, and website security.

Conducting business with a substandard web host carries some hazards. For instance, it could be challenging to seek assistance if your website goes down if your web host doesn’t offer trustworthy customer service. Furthermore, an unreliable web host may overcharge for server space, which could result in crashes and slow load times.

There are some qualities to search for while selecting the ideal web hosting provider. Sufficient storage capacity, affordable costs, and top-notch customer support are characteristics of a quality web hosting provider.

3. Website Platform:

A pre-made framework or foundation that is utilized to build websites is called a website platform. A content management system (CMS), which assists users in managing the content of their websites, and various design templates and tools are usually included in a website platform.

Selecting the best website platform is essential since it affects how simple or complex it is to build and maintain your website.

For a number of reasons, WordPress is the most popular website building platform worldwide and is the ideal option for creating your website.

WordPress is quite easy to use, even for novices. With the wide range of design templates and plugins it provides, creating a website with a polished appearance is simple.

Software that you can add to your WordPress website to increase its capabilities is called a plugin. Almost anything can have a special plugin, including social media integration, contact forms, and real estate listings.

Plugins for real estate websites that let users look for houses, get in touch with agents, and discover more about the neighborhood market can be quite helpful. Your WordPress real estate website can become an effective tool for generating leads and expanding your company by installing the appropriate plugins.

Additionally, WordPress is one of the most dependable and secure systems available because new features are added on a regular basis.

4. Optimization for Search Engines

Optimizing a website to rank highly in search engine results pages is known as search engine optimization, or SEO (SERPs). This is achieved by adding specific components to the layout, content, and design of the website. These factors are taken into consideration by website crawlers, which search engines utilize to index websites, to determine a website’s placement in SERPs.

Including pertinent keywords in the content and back end of the website is a critical component of SEO. These terms may be long-tail or short-tail in nature.

General terms are known as short-tail keywords, and they are usually employed by consumers who are just starting their search for a good or service. However, long-tail keywords are more focused and are typically utilized by users who have already reduced the number of possibilities available to them. A larger spectrum of searchers may be drawn to your material if you use both kinds of keywords.

Off-site SEO is equally crucial to raising the ranking of your website as on-site SEO. Activities conducted off your website, such link-building and social media interaction, are referred to as off-site SEO. You may raise your website’s ranking by doing these things, which tell search engines that your content is reliable and relevant.

Any firm that wants to draw customers from online searches must prioritize SEO. You run the danger of being buried in SERPs and losing out on prospective clients to competing real estate brokers if you don’t optimize your website.

5. Designed with user experience in mind

User experience (UX) includes every facet of how customers engage with a business, its offerings, and services. If you want visitors to your website to come back, you must provide a great user experience (UX). A good UX should have the following essential elements:

• Simple design: People will leave a busy, cluttered website. Make sure your layout has lots of white space and is uncomplicated.
• Easy navigation is important for users to be able to navigate your website. Make use of logical organization and unambiguous labeling.
• Quick load times: Nobody enjoys having to wait for a website to load slowly. If it takes more than three seconds for your website to load, the majority of visitors will click away. Ensure that your website has sufficient performance optimization.
• Good customer service: Customers are more likely to go elsewhere if they receive poor service from you. Make sure you’re offering amiable, timely service.

6. Identity

Your real estate company should have a distinct personality on your website, which is created through website branding. There are a several ways to do this, such as creating a unique logo, selecting a catchy color scheme, and coming up with a catchy catchphrase. Your website, yard signs, social network accounts, print ads, business cards, and other traditional and digital marketing materials should all have the same branding. In order to differentiate your website from the competition and leave a lasting impression on visitors, branding is crucial.

7. Images and Videos

Professional images and videos are essential components of a real estate website for a number of reasons.

They first give prospective buyers a true representation of the properties that an agent is selling.

Secondly, superior images and videos can make an agent stand out from the crowd. Expert graphics can make all the difference in drawing attention and producing leads in a congested market.

Lastly, using images and videos to establish a rapport with possible customers is highly recommended. Agents who share interesting and educational content might position themselves as reliable authorities in the industry.

On their websites, agents can include a variety of videos, including virtual tours, walkthroughs of their properties, summaries of the surrounding areas, and testimonies from previous clients. Every kind of video has benefits and can be used to accomplish various marketing objectives.

Walk-through films, for instance, provide visitors with a close-up perspective of a property. Recorded client testimonials can contribute to the development of credibility and trust, and area summaries are great for providing prospective buyers with an idea of what it would be like to live in a specific community.

8. The About Us tab

Potential clients might learn more about a real estate agent or team by visiting the “About Us” tab on their website. A “about us” page is crucial since it fosters credibility and confidence among prospective customers.

The experience, qualifications, and honors of the agent or team should be included on the “about us” page. It ought to outline expectations for prospective customers dealing with you and your group. For instance, the “about us” page ought to mention that you or your group specialize in first-time home buyers.

9. Forms and Contact Details

Your contact information must to be prominently displayed on your website as a real estate agent. List your information in the site’s header, on each page, and on a special “Contact Us” page to make it as simple as possible for prospects and clients to get in touch with you.

You might also consider putting a contact form on each page so that people can get in touch with you without having to search for your information.  Making it simple for individuals to contact you can help you to establish stronger bonds with them and close more business.

10. Including Social Media

One of the most well-established and ancient industries is real estate. To stay ahead of the curve, it must constantly adjust to the newest developments and technological advancements. Integrating social media into real estate is one of the newest trends.

The majority of people are aware of social media sites like Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. They could be unaware that these platforms are much more useful than just places to share photos and status updates. Social media can be a very effective marketing tool if handled properly.

Integration of social media can help with it. It’s simple for visitors to access your social media accounts and share your material with friends and followers when you incorporate social media connections into your real estate website. This not only helps to advertise your company but also to establish credibility and trust. After all, the likelihood that someone may utilize your services themselves increases if friends or relatives promote them. 

11. Taking Leads

Having a method for capturing leads is essential when operating a real estate company. Simply put, lead capture is the process of getting interested persons’ contact information so you may get in touch with them later.

There are several strategies you can use to persuade viewers to give you their information. One is to provide a cost-free house assessment. The viewer can learn the prospective value of their home from this report. They are prepared to exchange their contact details for this important piece of information.

Giving away a free e-book or guide on buying or selling a house is another strategy to get leads. This is an excellent approach to add value and foster trust with prospective customers.

To obtain lead information, you will need to use a lead capture application or service. You can gather and keep the contact details in your database with these tools.

12. CRM

One tool that helps organizations monitor their interactions with clients and consumers is a CRM, or customer relationship management system. A CRM can be used in the real estate sector to track customer conversations, handle deals and transactions, and retain contact information.

For real estate agents, a CRM is essential since it keeps them organized and records their customer interactions. In addition, it can be applied to target marketing efforts and foster relationships with leads and consumers.

Based on their degree of interest, you may classify prospects in your CRM and arrange them as hot, warm, or cold in your sales funnel. While warm leads may be considering purchasing or selling real estate in the near or far future, hot leads are individuals that are prepared to buy or sell a property. Those who are not now interested in purchasing or selling a home are known as cold leads.

A CRM can be used by real estate brokers to design customized marketing strategies for every kind of lead. Sending personal emails or phone calls, for instance, could be part of a campaign aimed at generating hot leads; on the other hand, direct mailers or postcards could be part of a campaign aimed at generating cold leads.

13. Automated Marketing

The process of employing technology to automate marketing tasks is known as marketing automation in the real estate industry. Campaigns on social media and email marketing are examples of this. Marketing automation can be a very effective strategy for real estate agents to boost productivity and generate prospects.

One tool that provides sales and marketing automation is called Keap CRM. Agents can use Keap to broadcast email marketing, manage their sales pipeline, use integrated landing pages, deploy automated text messages, track appointments, manage tasks, and keep their contacts updated. They can also interface Keap with other systems. With its various features, Keap can assist real estate professionals win more business and save time.

14. IDX Broker (IDX)

Real estate agents can use the IDX, or Internet Data Exchange, system to display listings from their Multiple Listing Service (MLS) on their own websites. The infrastructure for accessing and displaying this data on an agent’s website is provided by an IDX service.

IDX services are essential for real estate agents trying to generate leads online because they provide the tools and resources needed to highlight listings and gather leads.  For instance, IDX services frequently let agents syndicate their listings on a variety of well-known portals and search engines, including Trulia, Zillow, Google, Yahoo!, Bing, AOL, and others. Additionally, lead collection forms and mobile-friendly property search capabilities are provided by the majority of IDX platforms.

For any real estate agent trying to generate leads online, selecting the appropriate IDX provider is essential. Since there are numerous IDX providers available, it’s critical to weigh features and customer feedback before making a choice. IDX BrokerTM is a well-liked choice that provides sophisticated lead creation options, such as lead syndication and custom mapping capabilities.

15. Sorting Properties

With the help of the property sorting feature, consumers can look for homes that meet certain requirements. A user might wish to view all properties that fall within a particular price range or all properties that have been advertised recently, for instance.

Sorting properties can be a useful tool for an agent looking to attract new customers. It’s easier for prospective customers to locate the homes they’re interested in when you offer this function on your website.

In addition, you can target particular audiences with your marketing campaigns by grouping assets according to particular parameters. For instance, you can email a customer with listings that fit their criteria if you are aware that they are looking for homes in a specific price range. 

16. Comprehensive Real Estate Lookup

Many real estate websites have an advanced property search function that lets users filter their home search based on particular requirements. To identify residences that meet certain criteria, a viewer may type in search terms like “three bedrooms, two baths, 1800 sq. ft., mountain view.”

Because it saves visitors time by allowing them to examine only the homes that meet their needs, advanced property search is vital. Viewers with certain needs may also find it useful.

17. Local Real Estate Listings

It is imperative that you prominently show local property listings on your website and blog pages, in addition to offering the option to sort homes or perform an advanced search.

Anyone trying to purchase or sell a property in their neighborhood should be able to find all they need on a real estate agent’s website. An agent’s website should have a detailed inventory of nearby properties that are for sale in addition to the agent’s basic contact details. This facilitates the browsing of available listings by prospective buyers and enhances the agent’s reputation as a reliable source of information about the local real estate market.

An agent is presented with a variety of options when it comes to listing format. Providing a list of houses with basic details like price, square footage, and the number of bedrooms and bathrooms is the simplest method. Some agents, on the other hand, adopt a more assertive stance and provide thorough listings complete with images, virtual tours, and lengthy descriptions.

The most crucial element is that an agent can give prospective buyers the vital information they need to make an informed decision about buying a property, regardless of the listing style they select.

18. Map Point

Map location is one of the elements that many websites for real estate agents provide. This makes it possible for prospective purchasers to understand how a house is situated in relation to other facilities and landmarks. This is an essential feature to have on your website for a number of reasons.

First, improving the usability of your website contributes to increased lead generation. Second, it helps purchasers get a deeper understanding of the neighborhood, which can play a significant role in their choice. Lastly, it lets you demonstrate your proficiency and local knowledge.

Your agent website can be integrated with a map location using a variety of resources. Using Google Maps is the most common alternative because it has a lot of features and possibilities. Using a mapping service like MapQuest or Bing Maps is an additional choice.

Whichever strategy you decide on, be sure to invest the necessary time to include the feature into your website in a way that is both educational and user-friendly.

19. Calculator for Home Value

An instrument that determines a home’s worth based on current market conditions is a home valuation calculator. As a technique for capturing leads, real estate brokers ought to provide a house valuation calculator on their websites. Homeowners provide you with their contact information so you can get in touch with them after entering their information into the calculator.

20. A blog

A blog is an essential component of any real estate agent website because it lets you consistently offer your audience insightful content and build search engine authority for natural results that can drive additional traffic. Hyperlocal content, articles for buyers and sellers, and community sections are all essential components of a successful real estate agent blog.

You can learn more about the communities you serve by visiting the community pages on your website. They ought to provide details about the public transportation system, local facilities, schools, weather, and other aspects of each city.

Material that is unique to a certain geographic area is known as hyperlocal content. It is crucial to a real estate agent’s website since it demonstrates your proficiency in the neighborhood real estate market. The greatest restaurants, the greatest spots for a romantic evening, family-friendly activities, neighborhood parks, Easter egg hunts, holiday parades, and other local events are examples of hyperlocal article themes.

A buyer’s agent may provide articles with advice on how to find the ideal house, get the best deal, and secure financing. Articles for sellers may concentrate on getting the house ready for the market, setting a fair price, and doing a good job of marketing it. You can establish credibility with your intended real estate audience and establish yourself as an informed and reliable source of information on the real estate industry by offering this kind of helpful content on your blog.

21. Exhortations to Take Action

A call to action (CTA) is a feature on a website that prompts users to complete a certain activity, like purchasing a product, downloading a free e-book, or signing up for a newsletter. Although CTAs can take many different forms, they usually consist of text and/or an image and link to another page on the website.

CTAs come in a variety of forms, but some popular ones include “subscribe now,” “download now,” and “buy now.” Every page of your website should have a call to action (CTA) since it directs users through the site and motivates them to proceed. Without CTAs, users could become disoriented or perplexed and eventually quit your website without taking any action.

While there isn’t a set formula for what constitutes a strong call to action, there are a few considerations you should make when crafting your own. Initially, make sure your call to action (CTA) is clear and succinct; you want visitors to understand exactly what they need to do. Second, employ wording that will persuade readers to take action. Finally, utilize contrasting colors or an eye-catching design to ensure that your CTA stands out from the rest of the material on the page.

22. Testimonies

Customer endorsements are brief remarks made by satisfied clients endorsing a good or service. They provide clients the chance to talk about their experiences and give prospective customers an unbiased assessment of a business.

Testimonials from real estate agents are particularly significant since they can foster confidence with prospective customers. A strong reference will highlight the agent’s ethics, professionalism, and familiarity with the local real estate market. It’s also beneficial if the testimonial details the outcomes the agent was able to get for the client.

Requesting testimonials from clients can be as easy as sending them an email with a few phrases summarizing their collaboration with you. A link to an online form where they can submit their comments can also be included.

23. Electronic Mail Bulletin

A great approach to stay in touch with your customers and advertise your business is through an email newsletter. Feature listings, highlight recent accomplishments, and include recent blog entries in your newsletter as a real estate agent.

Email newsletters provide a high return on investment for branding and lead generation, and they are reasonably simple and affordable to generate. When done correctly, email newsletters can increase website traffic, lead generation, and customer connections.

24. Instruments for Monitoring and Assessing

Clicky.com and Google Analytics are two tools that you may use to monitor and assess the performance of your website.

Monitoring and evaluating the performance of your website is crucial since it enables you to assess its effectiveness and make necessary adjustments.

For instance, you might want to alter the content or appearance of your website if your bounce rate is high in order to keep users on your site longer.

Monitoring and evaluating the performance of your website will assist you in determining which marketing initiatives are successful and which are not. You can utilize this information to modify your marketing plan in order to maximize your return on investment.

25. An Excellent Web Development Firm

A web development firm is a business that provides enterprises, organizations, or individuals with website development services. The process and tasks involved in building, designing, coding, and launching a website are collectively referred to as website development.

A reputable web development business will employ a group of web developers with extensive experience in their industry who can offer a variety of website development services.

Working with a professional web development business is generally more effective and efficient than doing it yourself, even though it may seem like a smart idea at first. Reputable web development firms are able to design a custom website that fits your unique requirements and will have a solid understanding of your company’s aims and ambitions. In order to keep your website current and operating properly, they can also offer you continuing support and maintenance.

It’s crucial to pick a web development business that has experience in your sector and provides a selection of services within your price range.

Conclusion