What do you think when you stumble across a website that It looks like it was created in 2005? You might not believe that an outdated
website could influence your buying decisions, but just as we unconsciously
judge people based on the clothes they wear, we feel good and bad design in our
gut. Take a quick look at these rudimentary websites and note the involuntary
emotional response as you gaze upon these eyesores. Chances are, your Real Estate Website
looks much better than those monstrosities, but there’s always room for
improvement. If you’re thinking about updating your website anytime soon,
Consider bouncing the following ideas off your web designer.
A talented designer can integrate these concepts in
your overall vision, and these tips can serve as a springboard for a larger
conversation about design and usability. Go Beyond the Fold: Web designers once
believed that you should feature all the important information for your
business above “the fold”—that space where the text runs off the screen on a
typical computer monitor and you’re forced to scroll. However, that myth was
debunked many years ago. Studies have repeatedly found that consumer actually
like to scroll, especially if you give them a good reason to keep reading.
Putting enticing content up front and making them work a
little to read the rest is like handing them a beautifully wrapped gift. It
piques their interest, and when they feel compelled to scroll, they’ll feel a
bit more actively engaged. It sounds counter-intuitive that someone would want
to work to read our website, but it’s a perfect example of what psychologists
call “effort justification theory.” If you make them work for it, they’ll often
decide after the fact that it was worth the effort.
Here are just a few examples of highly successful,
tech-savvy companies that tempt you to scroll beyond the fold: Apple, airbnb,
Lyft, Starbucks, Getaround, Whole Foods… the list goes on and on! Hover
Effects: A hover effect is a simple animation that brings an icon or menu
option alive when you hover your mouse pointer over it. Before reading any
further, go to Humaan.com and hover your pointer over the images at the bottom
of the screen to see how emotionally satisfying this can be. Beautiful, no?
Rather than creating a link to their portfolio, this Australian marketing firm
piques your curiosity with colorful imagery, and when you hover over the image,
you’ll discover exactly what they’ve done for some of their best clients.
Focus on User Experience: User experience is an entire
sub-field of web design, and while it may seem obvious that you’re designing
your website with consumers in mind, we sometimes forget this basic truth when
our creative juices start flowing. In fact, there was a trend in the early
2000s where flash animations would dance across the screen. It was cool for
about five seconds, but it quickly became annoying. Let’s face it, we’re all
busy, and nobody is visiting your website because they want to marvel at how
creative your designer can be (except maybe your designer’s mom). In the end,
you want to strike a balance between interesting new trends and creating a
website that gives your clients the information they need with a few simple
clicks.
For an excellent example of striking this balance, go
back to Humaan.com and take a look at the menu items in the upper, right-hand
corner of their homepage. “What We Do,” “Our Work,” and “About Us” are
prominently featured in a simple, no-frills font. If their clients aren’t in
the mood to hover their mouse over the icons at the bottom, they can jump
straight to the information they need.
Again, nothing is black and white when it comes to
design, and these ideas are only a starting point. Instead of asking your
designer to blindly apply all three concepts to your next website, mention
these ideas and give him or her the freedom to create. Review highly ranked
real estate websites (the 2015 Real Estate Website Rankings from REALTRENDS is
a good place to start), pass your favorites along to your designer for
inspiration and direction, and collaborate to put your best digital foot
forward.