2013 will be the year more consumers search for real estate on their mobile device then on their desktop computer. This is a monumental change. It also brings up a critical question: is your websites providing the best experience on mobile? If not, this may be a great time to consider a responsive real estate website. Responsive design aims to make your website look great on all mobile and tablet devices by incorporating “fluid design principals.” Essentially, as the width changes, so does the layout of your website. It transforms the way consumers experience your content on the web.
I put together this infographic along with my brilliant colleagues at Placester to help inform your decision. Think of this as a checklist so when you’re kicking-the-tires in your next design, you’ll have an eye out for the critical design elements and features.
(Download the full infographic)
Why is responsive design important?
Simple: In 2013 there will be more folks browsing the Internet, and your listings, using mobile devices then with traditional computers. Mobile devices are “touch-based.” There’s no cursor to point and click with. This means that unlike with a desktop browser, mobile users can interact directly with the information onscreen. These new devices require new tools and techniques—and responsive design takes care of them all.
The most important thing to look for when assessing a responsive design is support for both portrait and landscape viewing.
Users are visiting your site on devices of all different sizes and proportions. They’re also rotating their devices to better interact with them. Your new real estate website should react to the orientation of the device—not just to fill their screen, but also to provide visitors with better access to essential information about you and your listings.
It’s also important to point out that responsive design doesn’t have to mean fewer features.
A responsive website is designed to tailor the browsing experience to the user, but that doesn’t mean removing functionality. Registration is a feature often overlooked and a responsive design should support registration so that users can save searches and favorite properties—and, of course, pick up later where they left off, back on a traditional computer or on another device.
A great responsive website captures just as many leads on mobile as it does on a desktop.
After all, many users are doing their primary searching on mobile devices. The key is to make sure that all forms and clickable items like drop-down menus and buttons are easy to work with. Before you choose a responsive site solution, be sure to do a full demo for functionality.
Let me know what you think about the infographic – what do you look for in a responsive real estate website? What would you want to see?
In full disclosure, this is a responsive theme being built by our team at Placester
