Running a commercial real estate business, or any business for that matter means actively engaging in the marketplace. Companies serious about doing these send representatives to events, fill sales pipelines, interact with customers and build relationships with their audiences.

Similarly, today’s businesses also need to pay attention to the design and functionality of their website. This modern-day welcome mat is an essential component to making a good first impression and establishing thought leadership. Pundits on the topic suggest that you’ve got about 7 seconds to make a positive impression on a visitor to your site. While that’s a narrow margin for error, it’s significantly longer than the 1/10 of a second it takes us to pass judgment in a face-to-face meeting.

Good Web Design Can Positively Impact Revenues

According to Benedict Sheppard, who leads McKinsey & Company’s Product Development and Design practices in the United Kingdom, design means business. The author notes that design is not just about making things pretty, “…companies that performed the best in design achieved average revenue growth that was 32 percent higher than their peers over five years. They also had a 56 percent higher shareholder return during the same period.”

Achieving good design for your website means giving it a checkup occasionally to ensure that positive user experiences are being created. If you’re not sure whether your site requires a re-design, here are a few places to check:

Responsive Design – Visit your website from your computer. Next, visit it from all of your other digital devices. Is the experience the same? Responsive design ensures that no matter how people are interacting with your website, they have a positive experience. Most modern sites use this approach to provide multi-platform, consistent user experiences (UX).

Key Strategies for Creating Your Brand

Make sure it all works – According to Hubspot, almost half of all website visitors will leave if a site seems unkempt. Making sure navigation, graphics, links to materials, forms and even error messages are user-friendly. Also, be sure to check how long it takes for various pages to load. Slow page load times are another culprit behind poor user experiences.

Go read your blog – If you haven’t got a blog, start one now. Blogging paves the path to thought leadership as well as success in making your site more easily found by search engines. When you blog, you’re building your thought leadership reputation, demonstrating your understanding of the market, and you’re working to grab your audience’s attention.

Stay current – Keeping your website up-to-date shows that you take pride in your brand and your position in the commercial real estate community. Allowing old listings or out-of-date offers to linger on your site may be telling visitors that you’re not engaged or out of touch. A regular spin through your copy and content will ensure that you’re putting your best foot forward.

If some or any of these seem like they require a change, it may be a good time to consider a website redesign. Rather than detracting from internal resources, it may be best to leave the management of your digital presence to commercial real estate marketing company that specializes in website design for this industry.