What differentiates a good property management website from a great one?
Back in 2018, we wrote about four of the most important aspects of a great property management website which still ring true to this day: user experience, customer-focused content, SEO, and lead conversion.
Today, we will dive deeper and give you an updated, in-depth look at what it takes to stay ahead of the competition.
Having a strong property management website is a key strategic component of having a successful property management company.
But, how is this achieved?
There are several important things to keep in mind if you want to transform your website from good to great.
1. Pay Attention to Your Site’s User Experience
Your website might look nice and modern, but that doesn’t automatically mean that it has good user experience.
To provide good user experience, it must be easy for your audience to navigate.
By audience, we mean your owners and your tenants. Your content should be relevant to them, and they should be able to find exactly what they need when they are on your website. It should look professional and it should represent your business well.
When your site includes videos and images, owners and tenants can visualize how it would be to work with you. This helps develop an instant sense of trust and familiarity.
Website Accessibility
Another important piece of user experience on your website is accessibility. Do your images have alt text? Does your website have an accessible color scheme? Do the research and create regular check-ups for your website so that you can ensure on an on-going basis that everyone has access to your information. You can get started by checking out our website accessibility blog, or listening to our interview with web accessibility expert and lawyer, Kris Rivenburgh.
2. Website Content Should Answer the Questions That Matter
Anytime you write content for your website, remember the actual person who will end up reading it. What sounds good to you may not make sense to a property owner or a potential tenant.
What Owner Leads Really Want to Know
When a prospective owner client arrives on your website, these three questions will immediately enter that person’s mind:
- Does this company have the property management services that I need?
- How much will it cost me to do business with this company?
- Can I really trust this company with my property or properties?
Your website content should answer all of these questions in an easily accessible manner. That means that your copy is easy to read, your pages have clear navigation, and the information on your site is properly organized.
Professional photos are a great way to support what you’re writing about (as long as they include alt text!), but don’t rely on them to get critical information to your users.
3. Treat SEO as a Continuous Process
In addition, you also need to continually update and add content to your website to keep up with ever-changing SEO best practices.
Focus on making sure the content and information on your website is meeting the needs of all your users. Fresh pictures, fresh information, and new twists and ideas to make it stand out are essential. You want to make sure your website changes with the right internet trends so your company isn’t left behind.
Blogs are a great way of continually adding up-to-date new content to your website. Research the questions your potential leads are searching for, and then work on creating content that answers those questions. Your visitors will be grateful for finding a solution, and they’ll see you as the expert in your area.
No Such Thing as a Quick SEO Fix
Improving your website’s SEO takes time, expertise, and regular updates. There is no such thing as a “quick SEO fix”. But the good news is that you absolutely can take it upon yourself to boost your website’s SEO, as long as you’re willing to invest the time and effort.
Or, you can always get the Fourandhalf team to take this off your plate!
4. Your Website Should Be Converting Owner Leads
Perhaps the most important measure to determine if a website is great comes from the amount of business you get from it. Think about your website ROI. You spend money building and launching your website, and you have to ask if you’re really getting anything back.
Tracking Website Conversions
How can you determine if your website is delivering you leads? In its most basic form, website conversion (converting a website visitor into a lead) happens through web-form submissions. How many form submissions are you receiving from your website every month? If you’re not sure, start counting.
As you start to track conversions, remember that not all form submissions have equal weight when it comes to monitoring how your website is helping you grow. Separate form submissions from owners and tenants. Without knowing which is which, you won’t have a good sense of whether your website is collecting additional owner leads, or just stacking up tenants and maintenance requests.
Once you start tracking, give your data 6 months to accumulate. Then, schedule a time to look at the numbers and understand how well your website is converting owner leads for you.
Trash Leads vs. Valid Owner Leads
If you’ve got someone’s name, email or phone number – anyone’s – you’ve got a lead.
But not all leads are valid owner leads.
As you’re collecting leads from your website form submissions, come up with a process for identifying each of them, and where they’re at in your sales funnel. Some owners may be a sales-qualified lead looking for you to contact them, but some might be marketing-qualified – interested in your content, but not yet ready to bite.
For more on identifying different types of leads, check out The Property Management Show Episode #91 – Good vs. Bad Property Management Leads: Where to Draw the Line.
How Many Owner Leads Should You Get From Your Website?
There is no singular answer to this question because it depends on a lot of factors like your target owners, how competitive your area is, how well your website ranks, etc.
But a more important question to ask is, “How many owner leads do you currently get from your website?”
If you can’t answer that question, you need to measure your current performance so you can understand your baseline. Then, come up with a plan on how to improve your current numbers. Try experimenting until you figure out what gets the attention of your ideal clients.
If you need help getting more owner leads to convert on your site, reach out to us at Fourandhalf. Our team has years of experience helping property managers get more owners to notice them online.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, you want a website that brings in business, and it should be a tool that helps you reach your goals and grow.
Independently, SEO user experience and content are each critical parts of your site. Don’t get stuck on just one part. Some people become obsessed with getting the first spot on Google for a narrow set of search terms, and lose sight of the fact that website rank is a means to an end.
But consider this: would you rather have a non-converting website that is ranked number one on Google, or would you rather have a website that actually helps you grow your business?
You be the judge.
If you’re ready for a great property management website with a better return on investment, set up a half-hour chat with Logan. We’ll not only take a look at your website, but chat with you about your marketing plan as a whole.
Let’s get you to where you want to be.
The Property Management Show is brought to you by Fourandhalf. We help property managers strategize and implement marketing plans that bring in owner leads. Click the image below to get a free marketing assessment and find out how to start getting better clients into your portfolio.
