Have you ever walked into a store, took one look around, and left when you discovered they didn’t have what you needed? Now, envision your website as a store. The same thing happens to your leads when they visit your site and abruptly leave. It is called a bounce. The goal for most website owners is to reduce bounce rates and boost conversion.
In every industry, but especially in real estate, having a high bounce rate is a nightmare. That’s because lead generation is essential to an agent’s success, as it results in closed deals, growing your reputation, and building your portfolio. Having a high bounce rate is often a sign that something is off within your website or your content strategy. The challenge is discovering what needs to change.
There are a few ways to keep leads on your site long enough to one day convert, and below, we share a few ways to reduce bounce rates and get qualified leads.
Speed Up Your Page Loading Time
The easiest way to reduce bounce rates and boost conversion is by speeding up your website. According to Google, it should take a website on average .5 to 1 second to load. Anything longer than that, and your visitor may bounce, losing you the opportunity to nurture and possibly convert the lead.
The patience and attention span of a web surfer are short thanks to expectations set by the internet, and if load times are slow, they won’t spend their time waiting, even if your site has info relevant to them. A few ways you can improve your load time include:
- Reduce image and video quality and size
- Deactivate obsolete or unused plugins
- Find a better web hosting service
- Remove redundant scripts running in the background
Offer Content They Want
It doesn’t matter how polished your website is or how quickly it loads; if you don’t have the kind of content a qualified lead wants, they won’t stick around. A surefire way to reduce bounce rates and boost conversion is to beef up your website’s content. The content you supply should be unique, original, and relevant. It is good to have powerful content, but having relevant content that gives tips on solving a homebuyer’s problems or enhancing their search will win them over and keep them on your site.
If you need guidance on what that specific content is, you can send out a survey to your email list, asking for feedback on the content you currently provide, how accurate it is to their needs, and what other pain points they would like you to cover.
Readability is another aspect of content that real estate agents should consider. Lengthy paragraphs can deter leads if they have to hunt for information in your text, so be sure to break up your text with images, quotes, bullet points, and infographics to reduce bounce rates and boost conversion.
Improve Your Site’s Layout
One of the first things a visitor looks at when they land on your site is your layout and how easily they can find what they need. It is important to remember that your potential buyers are in control here, meaning that they will likely bounce if they have to work to find information. Sites that are cluttered, ill-designed, and hard to navigate can also harm how homebuyers view you.
If you have a haphazard approach to your website, they imagine your treatment of them will be the same. Reduce bounce rates and boost conversion by making tweaks to your site, such as adding prominent labels, incorporating an intuitive design, featuring a search bar function, and being consistent with color, font, and user experience throughout.
Add Map Search
When homebuyers visit your real estate site, they are often looking for properties or to get more information on a specific property they’re interested in. A way to reduce bounce rates and boost conversion is to add a map search feature to your site. Not only does this help your qualified leads get more invested in the property, but it also encourages them to stay longer.
By adding a map, leads can visualize how far properties are from their favorite haunts, major highways, or work. You can take things a step further and establish your site as a one-stop-shop by including neighborhood breakdowns that detail things like parks, activities, schools, and grocery stores.
A Compelling Call-to-Action
A good rule of thumb is that if your qualified leads are clicking on things, then they’re not bouncing, and one way to extend your prospect’s stay on your site is by having a strong call-to-action. They come in many forms, from buttons to related post links, to internal hyperlinks and previous or next arrows, but they all have the same goal: reduce bounce rates and boost conversion.
Ideally, you want everyone who passes through to click on your call-to-action. But for this to happen, you have to have to capture your prospect’s attention. Every element of a CTA matters, from the colors you choose to its placing and size of the button or arrows. It should entice your visitors to take a peek at what’s on the other side, whether that’s joining your email list, scheduling a call with you, reading more content, or expressing interest in a property.
If you are unsure what language, offerings, or designs appeal most to your qualified leads, it is incredibly beneficial to do A/B testing on each variant. You can learn what engages your potential buyers and will get them to interact with your CTA.
Limit Your Pop-Ups
To use or not to use, that is the question. Pop-ups have been the source of much debate among marketers. Adding pop-ups to your website can be a terrific way to get visitors to join your email list or get them to download data that gets them hooked and establishes you as a resource. However, not everyone enjoys pop-ups. They can interrupt a prospect’s reading flow, leading to them leaving the site. Plus, approximately 70 percent of users find irrelevant pop-ups annoying.
A best practice that has been proven to reduce bounce rates and boost conversion is to limit the number of pop-ups that appear on your site. If you find that all of your pop-ups are necessary, try putting them on a timer. That way, they trigger at the end of a blog or after a few minutes, rather than almost immediately.
Call Motivated Sellers
Crafting the perfect website that increases your traffic while reducing bounce rates and boosting conversion is a challenging feat. With these six tips, you can jumpstart the revamp and revitalization of your real estate website.
Once the leads start rolling in, you may need help vetting them, and that’s where Call Motivated Sellers comes in. Our team of cold calling experts can contact your list of leads and provide you with the top qualified leads who are ready to buy. We can also advise your process and answer questions you have about the industry.
Ready to get started or learn more about our services? Contact our team today, and let’s talk.