5 Things Learned from Launching a New Website

Lone Wolf recently launched a new website with the same goals any brokerage would have: increase traffic, improve visitor experience and increase conversion rates.

Consumers expect your website to be fresh and modern. As technology and real estate evolve, your consumers' needs evolve. Whether your site needs a new look, to become mobile friendly, or have content rewritten or reorganized, a new website may be a cost effective investment for your brokerage.

Here are 5 things to consider when refreshing your website:

1. Purposeful Content

Have a clear plan for your content needs. Writing and editing new content takes more time than you expect. If you are going to be migrating content from a current website, this is a good time to evaluate if any pages are unnecessary or require updates or edits to reflect current information or statistics.

2. Mobile Responsive

Websites need to provide a smooth mobile experience. Even if your mobile traffic is in the 10-20 percent range, mobile traffic will increase in the future. In addition, if you plan on using email or social media campaigns to drive traffic to your website, most click-throughs from these advertising efforts will originate from mobile devices.

3. Strong SEO

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is critical to increasing organic traffic to your new website. Today, the goal of SEO is to connect the right webpages to the right search phrases. In building strong SEO for your website, take time to learn what the newest SEO standards are or work with a company to help set a firm foundation for you. As an example – did you know that having your website hosted on a secure domain is a preference for search engines? Installing a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), or security certificate, on your domain, can help your website rankings.

4. Sleek Design

Today's consumer is looking for a sleek and aesthetically appealing experience. Many new websites are single column, with lots of scrolling, little text, lots of images and videos. Images often fill the screen, making high image resolution critical. Make sure you own the rights to the images – copyright infringement is not something you want to deal with. With video gaining significant traction, you'll want to accommodate for this in your new site design.

5. Simple Home Page

The home page is the heart of your site. It is the first impression your potential clients will have with you. Keep your navigation simple. Categorizing certain or similar types of pages will help improve your site engagement. The homepage should be clean – don't have too much text or too many pictures. The most important content should be higher up on the page. The more you make someone scroll, the more opportunity your visitor has to stop or leave. No matter what, make sure you're proud of your home page – this is the most commonly viewed page on a website, so it's important it reflects the image you want people to associate with your company.

Launching a new website can be a monumental task even if websites only have a lifespan of 2.66 years! The best advice: don't take it all on yourself. Seek external help from companies that give you the tools to be flexible and the guidance to be successful.

To view the original article, visit the Lone Wolf blog.