• 83% of renters shared that they visit a property or company website when searching for a rental home.
• Mobile optimized websites are your opportunity to capture new renters in the moment if they’re visiting the neighborhood and curious about nearby properties.
• Reviewing website performance and tracking engagement can bring up surprising revelations about what is working on your page and what isn’t.
• There’s a new way to launch beautiful, seamlessly integrated websites that drive renters to take action.

Renters are increasingly digital first. Make sure your property is there to meet them at the door with a property website that guides them through the apartment-finding process.

‍

Top 4 Mistakes Property Marketers Make with Websites

#1 Not Having One!

In a 2022 survey of more than 200,000 renters, 83% of renters shared that they visit a property or company website when searching for a rental home. But there are still many properties that don’t have a dedicated website. Smaller rental housing owners and operators may rely solely on listings or other methods alone to attract new renters. The property website is your hub for renters and current residents. While other digital real estate is important, renters often research a variety of different properties and homes before choosing the winning place. Once your property has made it to their wish list, having that dedicated space—free of competitor listings—is critical in leading them to explore amenities, availability and book tours. Your website is also a key factor in perceived brand value. "The website is a hub for all of your online activity. It drives traffic and engagement, nurturing that traffic down the marketing funnel so that you're ultimately driving a lead toward a tour and application,” shared Taylor Fulton, Senior Product Manager at Rent.

#2 Not Being Mobile Friendly

Have you ever visited a website on your phone and discovered it was nearly impossible to navigate? Not being mobile-friendly can mean losing renters who can’t find what they are looking for. Optimizing your property website for all devices will allow you to keep up with renters on the go. It’s also your opportunity to capture new prospects in the moment if they’re visiting the neighborhood and curious about nearby properties. As of November 2022, 60% of web traffic worldwide came from mobile phones. While mobile-friendly has been the industry standard for a while, new updates to the website are also important to test on mobile. Some helpful questions to ask are: Is your chatbot feature available on all devices? Do all forms go through and lead to mobile-friendly thank you pages or messages? Can visitors take all virtual tours, view images and sort through amenities as easily as they can on desktop?

#3 Not Anticipating Common Questions and Needs

Your website is also an extension of customer service. Amazing graphics, content, and features help you intuitively address common questions and needs that visitors have during the leasing process. Be sure to list out common questions and needs that your specific audience has and take a look at your website through that lens.

“What’s the neighborhood like?”

Renters can quickly scan the neighborhood with “Places nearby”, maps or other interactive features enabled on your website. Exciting visuals of events, partnerships with local vendors and nearby recommendations also show off all that your community has to offer.

“How much does it cost?”

If you share rates on your site, be clear about totals, additional fees and other details. If rates are addressed by your leasing team specifically, clearly show on the website how visitors can find out more information with CTAs like “request rates”, forms or contact details.

“Can I trust that it will be this good once I start living there?”

Apartment ratings, resident reviews and social media are often trusted, word-of-mouth indicators of what it’s like to live there. Build trust with prospects early and get ahead of renters’ remorse down the line by ensuring your reviews are recent and responded to.

“Is this property pet friendly?”

Pets are usually non-negotiable for renters that have furry friends and are looking for a new home. Publish clear pet policies on your website. If your property is pet-friendly, fun photos of community pets, and pet-friendly content related to your community (dog park photos, pet washing stations, etc.) are all great ways to showcase this.

“What shape is the apartment in?”

Can renters get a feel for what the apartment is like on your website? And can they see what options are available in terms of floorplans, customization and location in the building? These questions can inspire a variety of digital content. Think about how your virtual and 3D tours, photos, floor plans and other elements bring to life the onsite experience.

#4 Not Tracking Engagement

Are there any big questions you have about your website? Tracking performance could help you get to the bottom of outstanding issues. Reviewing website performance and tracking engagement can bring up surprising revelations about what is working on your page and what isn’t. For instance, tracking bounce rates on the homepage can help you identify if certain headlines, images or functionality may be throwing visitors off. Make sure your team is on the same page about the KPIs (key performance indicators). Identify what is most meaningful for your property whether that is unique visitors, time spent on page, bounce rate, clicks, lead submissions, or otherwise. Also, consider creating a report of your property’s KPIs that can easily be refreshed and updated so you can review performance over the year.

Property sites, simplified.

A beautiful apartment website designed in a flash.

With these ideas in mind, you’re already on the way to welcoming visitors with a website that is your true hub for new prospects and residents. The great news is that property website technology has made is easier to create websites that efficiently lead renters to explore the community, book more tours and eventually sign a lease.