Make 2024 the Year You Get Your Property’s Website in Tip-Top Shape

The start of a new year is the perfect time to revitalize your company’s online presence. With a clear focus on improving your marketing efforts, you’re in the perfect frame of mind to begin transforming your website into the conversion-generating machine it was created to be.

The best way to get started is to focus on the three foundational pillars of website best practices for multifamily:

• Accessibility compliance
• Conversion optimization
• Brand clarity

Accessibility and compliance

Making your website accessible and compliant opens your properties to a wider audience. When prospects reach your website, you’ve won a few minutes of their time. However, failing to meet their accessibility needs can lead to ending the interaction and conversion immediately. Bottom line, your websites need to meet basic accessibility requirements. The best resource and most widely accepted standards for website accessibility are the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). These standards provide structure for developing websites that accommodate users who rely on assistive devices, adding a layer of usability to your website and improving the experience for all users. 

Not only can website accessibility help your website stand out from the competition and show renters you care, but you’ll also reach a wider audience, as nearly 20% of the population has a disability (a number that’s closer to 46% in senior populations). Everything from making sure your website is screen-reader compatible to selecting colors for your website falls into making sure your materials are accessible (8% of men and .5% of women are affected by color vision deficiency, sometimes called color blindness, and 99% of those impacted are affected by red-green color blindness).

There’s also a legal issue.

The risk of website accessibility lawsuits is increasing. In 2023, there were 8,200 federal lawsuits under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Title III — 3,086 of which were focused on digital accessibility.

And “no,” adding an accessibility widget to your website won’t make it accessible and WCAG compliant. Some manual, behind-the-scenes efforts are needed to ensure your website accommodates all researching renters and residents.

(Here’s an easy way to confirm your property website is compliant.)

Conversion optimization

You should always be optimizing for conversions. A simple place to start is by meeting customer expectations by reflecting current design trends and best practices. This ensures that your website has a contemporary feel, is easy to understand and creates less friction, translating to more conversions.

And always ensure it’s easy for prospects to contact you, schedule a tour and have their questions answered through the content provided, like a FAQ section or an AI-powered chatbot.

Here are a few things to think about regarding page layout and design to reduce friction and drive conversion:

Logo

Standard UX placement in top left will act as a “home” link from all internal pages.

Navigation

Use horizontal navigation (or a “toggle” or hamburger menu) with simple headings that are clear to all visitors. Picking your navigation at the top is important so it is always visible.

Introduction and CTA

Use a large hero image or video and a unique value proposition to quickly explain your property's best qualities, followed by a strategically placed single call-to-action that takes the user where you want them to go next.

Callouts

Highlight the main pages you think your audience will want to engage with and very brief text to help them navigate on the fly.

Content stripes

Organize pages using content stripes that respond gracefully across devices and provide access to motivating content.

Content

Create short paragraphs focused on singular topics. This will help address different browsing styles, from reading to scanning — think laptop vs. mobile phone.

As for overall UX and viewer engagement, the following dos and don’ts are a great first step to enhancing conversion rates:

Performance

• Do pay attention to the speed of your page. Users are impatient and will likely think your website is broken if it doesn’t load quickly. 
• Do use video in place of large, heavy GIFs. Similar aesthetic result + better performance = UX Win. 
• Don’t have missing links or information. Check everything before publishing.
• Don’t sacrifice performance for design. Too many heavy elements will hurt your page speed score. 

Navigation

• Do make it easy to find. Average web sessions last little more than 30 seconds. 
• Do use terminology that is clear, concise and makes sense to your user. Lose the marketing jargon. 
• Don’t have repetitive pages. It confuses your visitor. 
• Don’t place too many items in your navigation. Simplify your website for ease-of-use. 

Devices

• Do size interactive elements on your site according to the screen size.
• Do look at your site on an actual device. Don’t rely on a smartphone simulator. 
• Don’t forget to check the design of your website on all screen sizes. It might look beautiful on your desktop but not so great on a small mobile or laptop. 
• Don’t use the word “click” on your responsive website. “Click” doesn’t translate well to mobile experiences. 

Calls-to-Action (CTA)

• Do use action-oriented language. Clearly communicate what will happen if a user clicks on the CTA button (think “schedule a tour” instead of “click here”).
• Don’t let them blend in; CTAs need to be easy to find. 
• Do minimize the number of choices to avoid decision paralysis. 
• Don’t use text colors that don’t contrast well with the button's color.

Creating a pleasing and seamless website experience will help drive conversion and enhance preference for your property.

See how you can easily master the art and science of property websites.

Brand clarity

Your brand is what connects people to your property. We are all innately drawn to brands (properties) that reflect our lifestyle preferences or the lifestyle we want to portray. Properties become indistinguishable — or worse, unmemorable — without good branding or design. Yikes. 

Your brand identity is your promise to potential residents through your values, ethos and how you communicate about your property or community. This is why it is critical that your brand be genuine and authentic.

Customers are incredibly savvy. It’s a huge failure to create a brand or persona not representative of your property and the services you provide. Prospective tenants might be unable to point to the part of your branding that isn’t quite right — but eventually, they’ll vote with their wallets. These sometimes hard-to-articulate branding elements work subconsciously and are the hallmarks of a well-built brand when done right. 

The worst thing you can do is try to please everyone. Think of your brand like a magnet: attract and repel. When you follow these branding and UX dos and don’ts, you’ll draw in more potential residents and leave them thinking, “YES! This is the place!” 

Color

• Do select colors that work well both in print and online.
• Do research color theory when developing your brand colors. 
• Don’t go overboard. Pick 3 - 5 brand colors and have a clear idea of how to implement them.
• Don’t be afraid to make thoughtful but bold choices.

Imagery

• Do use photos that accurately represent your brand and resident experience. 
• Don’t overdo it. No billboard-sized staff photos when a phone number will do. 
• Do apply alt text that allows screen readers to communicate what is in the photo to users with disabilities (remember “compliance”). 
• Do be inclusive when selecting your lifestyle images. Make sure the page is welcoming to anyone who might be visiting your website. 

Voice

• Do choose language that is representative of your property’s “personality.” 
• Don’t sound like everyone else. Tone and voice are very important for brand recognition. You’re building a relationship with your customer — “average” is not memorable. 
• Do use engaging headings and subheadings that reinforce your brand tonality. 
• Don’t get mired in industry speak. In other words, don’t make it all about you. 

Now that you know all about the importance of Accessibility Compliance, Conversion Optimization and Brand Clarity, how do you get started?

Meet G5^® Marketing Solutions by RealPage^®.

G5 can help you build your website in a way that makes it fast, convenient, and effortless for your renters to find and connect with your properties. We create exceptional online experiences that lead to better customer engagement and results for your properties.

We specialize in thoughtful, contemporary design, creating great experiences through design-forward websites and digital content that not only looks good but never gets in the way of your first objective — turning interest into quality leads.

We use customer data to tailor your prospect’s digital shopping experience to meet their expectations best and quickly turn interest into action.

When it comes to compliance, we’ve been launching WCAG-compliant websites since 2019. Compliance is a moving target, which is why we believe in ongoing website compliance audits with up-to-date accessibility standards.

To learn more about optimizing website performance or to contact G5 Marketing Solutions, visit G5 today.