Website: Introduction

In this article, you will learn:

• why a website is essential for estate agents today
• what visitors expect
• how to design your site so it brings you more enquiries
• how search engines see your site
• which technical basics matter
• which modern requirements a current estate agent website should meet

This article summarises all important basics – without requiring any prior technical knowledge.

1. Why your own website is so important

Your website is a central part of your marketing. It connects:

• your offline marketing (flyers, adverts, signs)
• your social media marketing
• your Google ads
• your BOTTIMMO landing pages

Everything eventually leads to your website – it is the home base of your brand.

A good website helps you:

• be seen as a trustworthy property expert
• reach sellers quickly
• explain your services easily
• receive more qualified enquiries
• show Google that your site is relevant

2. Who visits your site?

Your website must convince three groups:

1. People who want to sell, buy or learn about property.
2. Search engines that assess your site and decide how high you appear on Google.
3. AI language models like ChatGPT, which should be able to recognise your website as a strong information source when prompted.

All these “audiences” need clarity and structure – just in different ways:

• People want to quickly understand: “Am I in the right place?”
• Search engines and AIs need technically clean content that is easy to read.

Your website must therefore be clear for humans AND machines.

3. What visitors must recognise immediately

Imagine visiting your own website for the first time. 
The key questions are:

• Do I instantly understand what you offer?
• Do I understand who your services are for?
• Do I understand where you operate?
• Do I feel comfortable and trust you?
• Can I act quickly: contact you, start a valuation, read information?

If visitors cannot answer these questions quickly, they will often leave.

Example of clarity:

“Estate agent in Hamburg – selling, valuation and advice”

This is clear to visitors at first glance.

4. Structure and clarity: How visitors find their way

To ensure visitors do not have to search for long, the following elements should be clearly visible:

• Properties (current listings)
• Valuation (your online valuation tool)
• Guides or information for owners (this shows your expertise)
• Ways to contact you
• Information about you or your team

Tip: Ask people who do not know your brand to test your website. 
Observe:

• Do they find the valuation tool quickly?
• Can they contact you easily?
• Do they find the most important content without confusion?

Their answers will immediately show you what can be improved.

5. Calls to action: Leading visitors to take the next step

A website only helps you if visitors take action. 
Therefore, you need clear and easily accessible calls to action, such as:

• Start valuation
• Request a callback
• Make contact
• Download guide
• Book an appointment

Visitors love it when they do not have to think. 
Make it as easy as possible for them.

6. How Google sees your site

Search engines like Google assess your site using clear criteria. 
Key basics include:

Good content

For example:

• Guides
• Property listings
• Client testimonials
• Blog articles for owners
• local information

Clear structure

Google reads your site like a book:

• one main heading (H1)
• clear subheadings (H2, H3 …)
• easy-to-understand text
• meaningful paragraphs

Relevant search terms

Use terms property owners look for – but do not overdo it.

Example:

“Estate agent Constance” 
“Sell house in Constance”

Technical cleanliness

This includes:

• fast loading times
• optimised images
• clean code
• stable hosting
• mobile-friendly design (extremely important!)

Internal linking

Link your subpages to each other:

• Homepage → Valuation
• Valuation → Contact
• Guide → Properties

This helps both visitors and Google.

Backlinks

When other websites link to you, it strengthens your credibility. 
Example: a listing in a local directory.

7. Modern requirements for an estate agent website (as of today)

In addition to classical fundamentals, modern expectations must also be met:

Mobile optimisation

Over 70 percent of visitors access estate agent websites on their smartphone. 
Your site must work perfectly on mobile.

Fast loading times

Every second of delay costs potential leads. 
Load times are also an important Google factor.

Scroll-friendly layout

Users today prefer scrolling instead of clicking through menus.

Recommendation:

• short text sections
• short teasers
• clear headings
• always include a button after each section

Trust through personality

The following points are often underestimated on estate agent websites:

• a photo of you or your team
• your way of working
• local expertise
• real reviews
• real references

Safety and data protection

Your site needs:

• an SSL certificate (recognisable by “https”)
• cookie notice
• data protection page
• legal imprint

Accessibility

Your site should be usable for everyone. Otherwise, you lose important contact opportunities and generate fewer leads because you exclude a large group of people.

8. Check your own website

Ask yourself these simple questions:

• What is the first thing visitors see?
• Is your appearance professional and consistent?
• Are property owners addressed clearly?
• Is your region visible?