What's the design behind the design?

Estate Agent website design has a hidden fundamental design behind the main website design. This design is purely concerned on the process of which a buyer or seller will go through once they have accessed the website. This process is different to a normal website as there are no 'shopping carts' for users to place a property in and then pay for one or even multiple houses at the end of their website visit.

The start of the property search process is on the Estate Agent homepage. From there users are given a choice using primary and secondary navigation. 98% of people accessing an Estate Agent's website go straight to property search, which means that the position of a property search button is vital to ensure that it is prominent on the homepage.

Once on the property search page, users will be expecting a clear and user-friendly search function to allow them to search for the properties that they are interested in. Search results on enhanced Google Mapping even the most technological savvy user.

Each property must then have the necessary features to either allow the user to fully experience what the property has to offer or users can save the property as a favourite for future reference. Features such as high resolution photographs, EPCs, Floorplans, Google Maps, Google Street view, full description, and property particulars in a pdf format let users fully experience property online.

The last part of the process is to have clear contact details on each individual property page. Clear contact details ensure that customers can contact the Estate Agent at any point.

Designing Estate Agent websites so that they smoothen out the process of the property searcher not only reduces the frustration internet users experience but also increases the chance of buyers, and sellers, contacting the Estate Agent. A modern website design will reflect this to benefit the Estate Agent and the customer.