Is your website getting the exposure it deserves?

Every estate agent today has to have an online presence of some sort or another, whether that be their own website or space on RightMove, it’s simply and vitally important to have some place for buyers to view properties. As well as the obvious costs incurred with using the portals the majority of agents spend many hundreds, and in a lot of cases thousands of pounds getting a bespoke website created to showcase their stock list.

 

So, why is it that so many estate agents complain that their website doesn’t get the hits that it should be getting?

The answer is simple. In this day and age there are numerous portals that can be used, the drawback is that each one of them will use their own URL’s to display the property details. It is therefore highly unlikely that you could beat any of the portals at Google’s algorhythm game.

 

When a potential buyer has seen their dream home, they will probably go home and type the road name, plus if you are really lucky the name on the board that’s been planted in the front garden into Google. Now it doesn’t matter whether you are the only agent with a property on that road, 90% of the time RightMove will be the first few options for people to click, closely followed by the other portals, then finally you, and if you are really, really lucky you’ll be on page 1.

 

Consequently, what this has actually done is divert any traffic that should have found its way to your website over to the portals, but that’s fine, don’t worry, because most of your business comes through the portals anyway.

 

Don’t get me wrong this is not a problem if it sells the property, the problem only arises when the property the buyer was interested in is SSTC, or has been taken of the market for whatever reason, the buyer will inevitably be diverted away from that agent altogether (remember they saw YOUR board) to ‘view similar properties’ from all of the agents in that area, surely this needs to be addressed as it will have a similar effect when you are looking for valuations and instructions.

 

So, now when you wonder why your ROI for your website is not quite as you expected you’ll have a good idea why.

 

We know that the industry itself has created this monster, but the question is this, is it too late to do anything about it?

Do you think that the industry could use a “Loyal Portal” one that sent all of it’s visitors to the agents websites?

Food for thought maybe, I’d welcome your comments and thoughts.

You May Also Enjoy

small house bird box
Breaking News

UK First Time Buyers better off than many other global nations

Is it really that bad being a first-time buyer? UK better off than many other global nations when it comes to affordability The latest market analysis from Yopa, the full-service estate agents, reveals that first-time buyers (FTBs) in the UK may be paying 63% more to get a foot on the property ladder than they…
Read More
new build homes colchester essex
Breaking News

Building Safety Regulator Reform

The Government has announced reforms to the Building Safety Regulator, including leadership, process and investment. The changes are hoped to deliver 1.5 million homes. The reforms pave the way for creation of a single construction safety regulator, as recommended by the Grenfell Tower enquiry. David Smith, property litigation partner at London law firm Spector Constant…
Read More
Breaking News

New anti-money laundering rules now in effect: what landlords need to know

New anti-money laundering (AML) rules came into effect this month, marking a significant change for landlords and the lettings industry as a whole. The new rules mean financial sanctions checks are now required for all lettings, regardless of how much rent is charged. Here, Steve Bond, managing director of residential lettings for Beresfords, explains what…
Read More
Breaking News

What landlords need to know about the upcoming Renters Rights Bill

The government’s long-awaited Renters Rights Bill is one of the most significant overhauls of the private rental sector in decades. While it has not yet received royal assent, the legislation is expected to come into effect late this year, or early in 2026. With the bill moving closer to becoming law, Steven Bond, managing director…
Read More
Breaking News

Mortgage approvals bounce back in May

The latest figures show that: – Mortgage approvals on house purchases for May sat at 63,032 up 3.9% from 60,656 in April. The monthly increase seen in May marks the end of four months of previous decline, with approval levels having fallen each month since January of this year. Approvals are also 2.5% higher than…
Read More
Breaking News

Money and Credit – May 2025

Key points: Net borrowing of mortgage debt by individuals increased by £2.8 billion to £2.1 billion in May, following a large decrease in net borrowing of £13.8 billion to -£0.8 billion in April. Net mortgage approvals for house purchases increased by 2,400 to 63,000 in May. Approvals for remortgaging also increased by 6,200 to 41,500…
Read More