Did you know that 80% of homebuyers search online for homes? A professional website is crucial to attracting potential customers and to get an edge over competing companies. The right website will have the design and photographs, ease of navigation and search, and the arrangement and quality of information that is right for your customers and your company.

The first thing to think about is data. Clients will want to look at foorplans and pictures before they go see the homes in person. The ability to print plans, or save houses across the site, are excellent additions that can make your site stand out as useful and inviting. Have a balance between photos and numbers. Some people are more visual and will want a tour – even consider video tours  – while others will want to crunch text. Quality photographs make a big difference to the potential client, in seeing the type and quality of custom homebuilding you can provide.

Clients are focused on looking for a home, not looking around a website. Make your site as easy to navigate as possible: organize by model, floorplan, community, and anything else you think the client could use. Likewise, an optimal site should be searchable by categories like neighborhood, price range, and number of rooms.

After you’ve interested a potential homebuyer, provide plenty of information about your company. Along with a clear contact page, interest list forms or additional information request forms will help start a conversation. You’ll also want an About page. Offer specific information about your company. Everyone can (and will) claim interest in customer service, design, and quality. But your special sales, commitment to energy efficiency, interior design plans, and testimonials are all yours.

All of this is important to a good website, but it is enough? The design and quality of a website reflects, in many people’s minds, on the quality of the business and their homebuilding design potential. Fairly or not, a graphically inferior site can turn people away. A website that’s difficult to use, poorly designed, or outdated can make that snap judgement of surfing online a cause to click away from you. Keep in mind, too, how quickly technology changes. A fantastic site for 2005 may not be sufficient or look fashionable in 2012. With so many people looking online for their custom homebuilding, a quality website is an important investment to make.

If you would like more information on homebuilding websites – including mobile sites, SEO, and email marketing – Builder Designs offers custom homebuilder website design.