Before we get on to the interesting stuff, let’s start with the basics of property portals, more specifically, Zoopla.
Zoopla
From our experience, Zoopla tends to be very popular for London buyers and Zoopla claim that 32% of buyers visiting their site don’t visit Rightmove. With an average of over 40m monthly visits to the Zoopla website and mobile app, it’s no wonder that Zoopla is a site you should be on when advertising your home for sale.
Must-Have Rating: 8/10
Rightmove
Now onto the behemoth that is Rightmove. Although Zoopla seems to be chipping away at Rightmove’s lead and is also reportedly a more recognised brand, Rightmove is head and shoulders (and waist) above Zoopla in terms of visits and quality of leads (in our opinion). Rightmove was the original portal and is still the ‘go-to’ property search website in the UK, with the vast majority of UK estate agents advertising over 1m properties on Rightmove, which attracts an average of 120m visits to the site per month—making it one of the best ways to improve the chances of selling your property online. Like we said; head, shoulders and waist ahead of their competitors.
See also: First Time Buyers
Must-Have Rating: 10/10
With these enormous audiences that the main two property portals deliver, how do you maximise your property advert and stand out from the crowd, therefore improving your chances of selling your property online? Well, there are a few ways to do it, some more effective than others…
General Advertising
Photos, floorplans and room measurements are an absolute must. It sounds daft to even mention these, but the amount of adverts I see that still don’t have a floorplan, or just 4 or 5 photos amazes me. The optimum number of photos depends on the size of your house, but a standard 3 bed semi, you should be looking at around 15 photos. A floorplan is an absolute must and room measurements are also something that should be on your advert. The argument from agents who don’t do the above is that by hiding information, you will attract more enquiries from people trying to find out more information, but in todays world, this couldn’t be further from the truth—think about how you search—if you see a property with no floorplan, and just a few photos, you’re going to click ‘back’ and look at the next property. Information is key and the more information you give, the more enquiries you will get.
Must-Have Rating: 10/10
Premium Listing
Premium Listing—you’ll all have seen this—this is where your property is highlighted in amongst the list of other properties with a couple of inset photos next to the main image. Although effective and it does increase clicks to your advert compared to those without a premium listing, it has become more and more popular recently and there could be an argument that it is becoming diluted with it being overused.
Must-Have Rating: 7/10
Featured Property of the Week
Featured Property of the Week—another one that will help you improve the chances of selling your house online. I’m sure you’ll have noticed this feature where the property is promoted right to the top of the listing; regardless of the search you have entered. So if you search up to £300,000 as a maximum price, the property at the top could be one at £250k and is highlighted in a colourful box. The featured property of the week has a massive impact on clicks and is great for that initial blast of interest. The cons; it only lasts a week
Must-Have Rating: 9/10
Virtual Tours/Virtual Reality
This concept isn’t actually that new, as it was something that agents were doing back in 2006. However, it is becoming more prevalent now with the technological barriers falling and virtual reality starting to infiltrate into the minds of the buying public. You can literally view a house now without having to leave your own front room and it is an amazing piece of kit. I can’t say that we’ve ever sold a house from someone viewing on their VR goggles, however, it will happen. In fact, I’m so confident of VR that I predict that my 4 year old daughter will buy a house in 20 years’ time by viewing it through VR.
See also: Property and Home Trends
Must-Have Rating: 4/10
Must-Have Rating in the Future: 10/10
Social & Digital Marketing
This is a new area that is only really being explored by online estate agents, including Hatched. The basic premise is that audiences can be targeted by demographic based on the information on Facebook & Twitter profiles, and target relevant searchers on Google Adwords. All of these methods compliment the advertising on Rightmove and Zoopla, and attracts new buyers that may not be proactively looking for property—the impulse buyers. Done well, a good Facebook campaign can target the right type of person, within a 2 mile radius of where you live and deliver the property advert into the users Facebook newsfeed, creating an extra 1,000 clicks, dozens of comments and multiple shares of your property, which could attract that one impulse buyer that is needed to maximise the sale price.
Must-Have Rating: 10/10
Online Dashboard
Only choose an agent with a dashboard where you can control what goes on. Many agents dismiss this as something customers aren’t interested in, or can’t be trusted with, but for me, having an area that you can log into and see feedback from viewings, activity on your advert, or the ability to control change your advert at any time, is absolutely essential. Sometimes you have to act quickly and that might be when the agent is closed, so having an online dashboard is vitally important!
Must-Have Rating: 8/10
We would like to thank Adam Day—Director of Hatched.co.uk—for his assistance with this article. Adam started in estate agency in 1997 as a trainee and worked his way up to a managerial position in the early 2000’s. After 8 years in estate agency, Adam started to grow frustrated with the fees that were being charged to owners for what was really a relatively simple job—with the growth of the internet and websites such as Rightmove. In 2006 Adam launched the Hatched website with the intent of reshaping the estate agency industry. Hatched.co.uk was created to allow homeowners to benefit from fairer fees and pose as a stable and trustworthy platform to sell their houses from. As the director of Hatched.co.uk Adam has a busy schedule; running one of the largest online estate agencies in the country, tweeting every day, along with looking after his two young children in his spare time. To find out more about Hatched visit their website: hatched.co.uk/
If you have enjoyed reading this article on the best ways to improve the chances of selling your property online, click here to read more on Celebrity Angels about making your porperty stand out.
