Haven’t had a lead lately? Bad websites can happen to good people, and it can cost you business. Today we’re talking about some of the things your website might be doing wrong.
Looks Aren’t Everything
A pretty website may still be a bad website. You might have a site with animated slides, funky pop-ups, cool music, and graphics jumping all over the screen when you scroll around, but if visitors have no clear idea of where to go and no content to engage with, it’s just bad and you don’t want that. An ugly website that still shows people what they want to see, and clearly tells them where to go, will perform better than a pretty website that doesn’t tell a visitor anything. Looks aren’t everything, so don’t judge your website by its appearance.
A Website Without Keywords is a Website That Won’t be Found
If the website can’t be found, it won’t do you much good. A home page with lots of images but no text won’t contain the keywords that Google needs to figure out what your page is all about. Google won’t be able to rank you, so you won’t show up in search results for your property management business, and people won’t be able to find you.
You should have keywords in the written text on your main page. Google can’t read text in an image or a photo – for instance, if you have a graphic with your company’s name and “Atlanta Property Management” in the header of your page, Google won’t be able to read it, and you will not rank as well as a page that just uses regular text.
A Website with the Wrong Keywords is a Website That Won’t be Found Either…
So, not only do you have to have keywords, they have to be the right keywords. To get your business found as a property manager working in Atlanta, you better have the terms “Atlanta Property Management” on that front page. Don’t rely on one set of keywords; reword it a little so you can be found for variants, such as “property manager,” “rental home management,” etc. You could also have some descriptions or bullet points describing what you do, so you can be found for what you do, not just what you are.
A Website That Doesn’t Engage
You don’t want to answer a visitor’s every question on the main page; engage visitors, but be sure to direct them to other pages on your website for more information. Part of the way Google works is: if someone goes to your website, and they click through to other pages within your site, you get credit towards the original keyword that they searched. But if they go to your website and they don’t interact by, for instance, clicking deeper to another page, watching a video, or filling out a form, Google counts that against you. Visitors have to interact with content on your site and spend some time there, for Google to value your website. A well-designed website will do just that. Make sure your content engages your prospective client.
A Website That Doesn’t Close
Lastly, your website has to help you close sales. If it’s simply a bunch of page-filling content that does not engage people in a way that inspires them to call you, or to leave their email by filling out a form, you’re leaving money on the table. On the surface, it would seem to be a good idea to save some money on a less expensive website, but if that website is not helping you close, you’re wasting more time and money than a more expensive website that does help you close deals. You would pay a great salesperson extra if they closed more business, right? Make sure your website helps to close business. If your website doesn’t have landing pages, easily found contact information, calls to action, and/or promotional videos, then it’s just costing you money.
These are some of the bad habits of good websites. Don’t let your website just sit there looking pretty; instead, put it to work bringing in more property management business. If you have any questions about effective websites or property management marketing, contact us at Fourandhalf.
