Drive More Leads With A Mobile-First Website Design

Drive More Leads With A Mobile-First Website Design

Angel Roa

Now more than ever, people are accessing the internet through their mobile devices and tablets. Long gone are the days of desktop-only users! According to StatCounter, a web traffic analysis website, a whopping 59.25% of global online traffic came from mobile users alone, followed by 38.53% desktop users, and just 2.22% tablet users. 

This displays the importance of where we must start our design, and where we should be focusing our efforts in making an effective and dynamic real estate website that drives leads. Designing mobile first, and then expanding to a desktop friendly site, is the most user-centric and accommodating to most target audiences. 

What is mobile first design?

A philosophy which aims to create better user experiences by starting the design process with prioritizing the smallest screens first. This strategy is often referred to as the concept of progressive advancement. Once a mobile design is in place, designing for larger screens becomes easier and we have the core elements of the design established. Starting a design with mobile also enforces aspects such as bandwidth, screen size, and multitasking capabilities. As you progress onto larger devices, it’s easier to expand the functionality with supplemental elements and features. Remember: it’s always easier to add than to take away!

We’ve put together a few design principles to get us started in our mobile first design stage. 

  • Users should be at the forefront of your design

    • The design of your real estate website must help users solve a problem or complete a task quickly and effectively. Users should easily be able to view floor plans, virtual tours, check availability, call or contact your community, and ultimately, apply and sign a lease. Keep in mind user flow – convenience is key to generating more leads!
    • Look at your competitors’ mobile websites and check out what they do and don’t offer. How can you improve your user’s experience compared to your competitors? Maybe it’s adding a floor plan filter to make it easier for prospects to find exactly what they’re looking for. Or maybe you notice that a competitor doesn’t have virtual tours on the website. As crazy as it may sound, over 80% of renters apply and secure a lease without ever visiting the property, thanks to online marketing. Adding virtual tours to your website can increase website engagement and provide a convenient option for people who prefer to tour virtually as opposed to in-person.
  • Keep it simple

    • Improve content clarity on your mobile site while helping the user focus on what content is most important. This can be done by reducing links in your navigation menu, reducing the number of pages, and keeping borders wide and lines clean.
    • Use white space to your advantage to make the layout less cluttered and more readable, which will also improve your SEO and increase organic traffic. 
      • Prioritize the content you want displayed on the website: Ex: Floor plans, Location, Gallery, Amenities, Blog, etc.
      • Prioritize the hierarchy of that content. Understand what the user flow is and how to display the most important content. For example, we recommend prioritizing floor plans because data confirms that people spend the most time looking at floor plans on the website, and it’s usually the first stop after visiting the homepage.
  • Incorporate bold and consistent CTAs

    • A call-to-action needs to be easily located by users throughout your website. Not doing so can lead to a loss of leads and decreased conversions.
  • Adhere to mobile friendly practices 

    • Choose fonts that are web safe and keep font styles to a minimum. 
    • Select contrasting colors and make text legible according to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).

In Conclusion

Now that you know what a mobile-first design is and its importance moving forward, we hope you will incorporate this new knowledge into your real estate website to generate more leads. By remembering to put users at the forefront of your website design, improving content clarity, and incorporating consistent CTAs, maximizing your lead generation should be a walk in the park.

For more tips and information about digital and real estate marketing, take a look at the rest of our blogs, right here on our website! You can also subscribe to our email newsletter, or follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter!

Thresh Faces: Kelly Cavener

Name: Kelly Cavener

Title: Art Director

Creating apartment marketing materials that pop off the page takes talent and hard work. That’s why we have Kelly here to bring all of our student housing marketing ideas to life.

Get to know Kelly below!

What are 3 words you would use to describe Threshold?

Creative, Adaptive, Experts

If you had an office nickname, what would it be?

Threshland

What is your favorite line from a movie?

“I’m different from the rest… To them, life is nothing but a fear of dying.” Julius Caeser from “Cleopatra”

If you were stuck on an island, what three things would you bring?

1. adhesive 2. a big knife 3. a knife sharpener

What is the title of your autobiography?

Creativity: The Greatest Weapon.

What is/would be your motto or slogan?

If you are green, you are growing. If you are ripe, you are dead.

If you had a superpower, what would it be?

Mind control of others.

What is your hidden talent?

Piano.

If you were famous, what would it be for?

My kindness.

Favorite Austin eats?

Tom Kha at Saps Thai

Student Housing and Residential Marketing Trends

Every January I get excited for the new opportunities and challenges that will present themselves over the next 12 months.  Not only personal opportunities and challenges, but also for our business and clients.  Whether you are in student housing or senior living, the same opportunities and challenges exist and the new year is ripe for making some changes to improve year-end results.

With the new opportunities and challenges it is important to stay on top of new trends. Here are the top 3 trends/changes we’re seeing in student housing marketing and residential housing in general.

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