The Death of Desktop

Last year, we entered a new era--the era of mobile internet. 2015 was the year that searches on mobile devices overtook searches on desktop or laptop computers, according to Google. ComScore also reported that the share of digital time that consumers spend on their computers dropped from 47 percent in 2013 to 35 percent in 2015.

While internet access via computer will not completely fade away anytime soon, changing consumer web habits means that agents and brokers need to adapt or risk missing out on sales opportunities.

A Closer Look at Mobile Use in Real Estate

To better understand what's happening within the real estate sphere when it comes to web usage, we spoke with Delta Media Group, a website and marketing solutions provider for the real estate industry. They host hundreds of broker websites, and they analyzed the traffic to their network of sites in order to offer us a clearer picture of how consumers are using real estate websites today.

Here are a few key findings, taken from a sample of 10 different websites hosted by Delta that vary in size and market:

• In July, mobile website visitors grew from 28 percent at the low end to a whopping 70 percent in a year-over-year analysis. According to Delta, the sites that experienced the most growth were more active on social media and in advertising through social channels--which are primarily mobile in nature.
• Mobile and tablet web visitors now represent at least 58 percent of traffic to Delta Media Group websites.
• Real estate professionals who switched to a mobile first website strategy saw a 20-50 percent increase in total traffic and a 20-30 percent increase in leads.

"The reason why these statistics are so important is that most companies have spent the past 15 years focused on their desktop website experience," says Mike Minard, President of Delta Media Group. "By not directly focusing on converting mobile website users into customers, a significant amount of leads are lost."

How Does Your Site Compare?

How does your company's website stack up to the statistics above? If you have a mobile friendly site, it's likely that you've seen similar numbers. However, the end game of a website isn't just increased traffic--it's increased conversions.

To help you determine how your site is performing against other real estate websites, Delta provided "non-forced" conversion rate ranges for their hosted sites:

• Showing Request on a Property - 0.069 to 0.131 percent
• Email Requests - 0.141 to 0.284 percent
• New Listing Email Signups - 0.088 to 0.197 percent

If your conversion rates are below these ranges, it may be time to take a closer look at how you can improve your website. This may be as simple as paying more attention to the details, like your calls-to-action, the color and placement of buttons, the structure of your landing pages, etc.

However, if your website is geared toward desktop users rather than mobile users, it's very likely your poor conversion numbers are due to ignoring how the majority of consumers use the web now. If you're not sure where to start with mobile first design, check out this article from Delta to learn more.

For more information and statistics, check out: Mobile Use Continues to Soar. To explore more website solutions, visit our Product Directory.