In the last year, more than half of all internet usage worldwide was on mobile devices, more than 70% of Americans accessed the internet using a smartphone, and rates of “near me” searches have doubled. Studies have also shown that people who use mobile search to make a decision are 40% more likely to make a phone call. As a real estate agent, you depend on contact with your customers. A mobile website can help this happen.
What is a mobile website?
Web pages with responsive design will automatically respond to the device being used to view them. Text, images, buttons, and navigation should all resize automatically. If content can’t be seen easily on a mobile device, it may be removed. IXACT Contact’s real estate agent websites look great on every device. When more than 70% of people search for and view real estate websites on a mobile device, having an IXACT Contact website will bring more business your way.
To make your website responsive, or mobile-friendly, remember that every page on your site can be a mobile landing page. Each page should have only one goal, and this goal should be clearly communicated. There should be one main Call to Action button within two screens of the top of each page, and another CTA button at the bottom. These buttons should be big! Make it easy for fingers to navigate on a small screen, and have the buttons extend across the width of the screen. Finally, keep your phone number clear, easy to read, and make it easy to “tap to call,” so prospects and customers can reach you without any hassles. A mobile-friendly website from IXACT Contact also includes lead capture forms for buyers and sellers. This makes it easy to attract and automatically capture high quality leads.
Benefits of responsive websites
Responsive websites can bring a number of benefits. If you’ve ever been to a website on your phone and had to scroll side-to-side, or zoom in to see content, you probably didn’t have a great experience. A mobile site that presents necessary content in a clear and easy-to-use format gives users a much better experience. According to a 2017 study, nearly half of users said that if a site didn’t work well on their smartphones, it made them feel like the company didn’t care about their business. 52% of users, in fact, said that a bad mobile experience made them less likely to engage with that company, and 50% of people said that even if they like a business, they will use them less often if the website isn’t mobile friendly. It’s clear that a well-designed mobile website can be critical to the success of your real estate agency.
Mobile speed matters
Nearly all users (91%) will leave a mobile website if it doesn’t meet their needs, letting them navigate and find information quickly and easily. 61% will leave a mobile website if they don’t find what they’re looking for right away. With a successful mobile website, you can experience increased search results rankings. It’s no secret that Google loves mobile search: since 2015, searches done on mobile devices have actively demoted desktop sites in their results. And in July 2018, Google will begin including mobile site speed in its search result rankings.
Make sure your mobile website meets your users’ needs
Most people don’t use their smartphones the same way they use their desktop or laptop computer. Instead of doing in-depth research, mobile users are more likely to want to find information quickly and easily. Because they offer a way to access top-level website content that is optimized for a smaller screen, mobile websites are better suited to consumer behavior. And because smartphones are also one of the primary ways that people access social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, you can use IXACT Contact to integrate your social media feeds with your real estate website. This makes it easy for prospects to check out your social media channels, and helps you build your social media presence when website visitors promote you on their own networks. If you’re taking advantage of our optional listings integration (IDX), visitors to your website can even share specific listings by clicking to Tweet, post on Facebook, and more.
Want to learn more about how you can have a responsive mobile website that will both meet your users’ needs and keep your business at the top of the search results for your area? Start your FREE 5 week free trial of IXACT Contact now.
