Like many businesses, your website is probably at the heart of your commercial real estate marketing program.  You’ve probably got the basics covered and your site has likely proven to be a great place to showcase properties, post your mission statement and highlight your team.  Are you really getting the most from your site though?  To have a really successful web presence, your commercial real estate website design should include more than just the basics. The best websites are the ones that can repeatedly hold a reader’s interest, answer questions and convey valuable information. Fortunately, with a little bit of effort or the help of a commercial real estate marketing firm this can be done pretty easily.

The best way to keep readers coming back to your site is to add fresh content regularly. It really doesn’t take too much to contribute to your website on a regular basis, but doing so has the effect of showing that you have an intrinsic knowledge of the commercial real estate industry.  It also sets you up as a thought leader.  As a thought leader, people are going to look to you for answers and opinions before they make decisions about their own businesses.
As you consider your commercial real estate website design, here are some ideas to keep visitors interested and coming back.

Start a blog
How many times have you heard this?  But it really is a best practice.  Blog about something timely or topical in the commercial real estate industry.  Write about real estate investing, new advances in property management, or even better, your own experiences. By posting regularly about your own experiences, people will get a sense of the type of business person and commercial adviser you are.  It is no secret that people like to work with other people they feel they know and are comfortable with. You may not realize the impact your having, but if you stay consistent with your posts, you’ll start to establish a following that can lead to contacts, leads and deals.  Be sure to republish your blogs on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook or anywhere you have a social media presence.  Don’t let time be factor, if you need help, there are plenty of qualified professional writers that can create your posts for you.

Develop market-specific content
If you specialize in a certain geographic area, type of property or certain investment types, display  information relevant to those prominently on your homepage. Let potential clients know the types of business that you can help them with.  You may even want to develop this type of information into your own commercial real estate flyers or brochures that you can offer for free in exchange for a visitor’s email address.

Pack your site with relevant search engine phrases
Being an industry thought leader, means making it easy for people to find you.  Make sure your website it SEO ready.  This can be done by tuning your site copy so that it is attractive to search engines and making sure that it is full of the phrases people may be searching for. More than 90% of all web-based activities start with a Google search. By using the right search phrases on your website, with enough keyword density you can ensure that commercial real estate knowledge seekers are going to find you.

Keep your listings up-to-date
Listings or investment opportunities are your bread and butter and there can be no excuse for letting these become stale, outdated or incomplete.  Updated listings are rich content for search engines as people will often search by specific property addresses.  Be sure to assign someone in your office to do this using your website’s content management system or work with your commercial real estate marketing agency to do this weekly or daily as needed.
With neglect, even the best websites can become dated.  But with a little bit of effort you can keep your websites looking refreshed and boost your company’s appearance. Without doubt, this will keep visitors coming back.