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Website Registration Strategy
Filed Under (Real Estate Website Conversion Strategies) by Lou Lynch on 27-02-2009
Tagged Under : Add new tag, conversion, real estate website, usability, user registration
Website registration is one of the most important pieces of the conversion process when it comes to real estate websites. Websites void of user registration convert at such a low rate, the cost/benefit quickly becomes unbalanced, stunting the website’s ability to sustain itself. On the other hand, websites that practice strict registration prior to the display of real estate listings fail at effectively converting users to customers as users simply won’t register. The answer lies somewhere in between, something I like to call a hybrid registration.
Hybrid Registration
There are a few versions of registration that I have seen to be effective. The most effective hybrid registration strategy (IMHO) allows the user to do unlimited searches without ever having to register. The searches of the unregistered user return the complete amount of listings making the results the same as if the user was registered. What makes unregistered search different is that each listing returned has a limited amount of detail. The limited amount of detail usually includes a single picture, price, bedrooms, bathrooms and acreage. Once the user registers, the full detail of the listing is revealed, displaying several pictures, virtual tours, school district, taxes, etc.
Why is this effective?
It is effective for a couple of reason. First off, it is good to develop trust and rapport with your users. A relationship of give and take is always the most effective (I give you something, you give me something). Giving the user nothing prior to registration usually ends up with the user hitting the back button and going to a different website. Secondly, allowing the user to do unlimited searches before asking them to register creates an investment made by the user. The user will sometimes search 3 and 4 times before getting the desired results. Once the user finds the perfect set of results (and looks to research the details of the listings), it is then when asking the user to register becomes most effective. The user is less likely to abandon the website at this point because he or she has dialed in the perfect search and would have to recreate the search at another website (it is easier to simply register at this point).
What to require in the registration form.
I found it to work best when the email address is the only thing that is required. The registration form should have other fields giving the user the opportunity to provide more but the email address is all I need. Any information given beyond the email address further qualifies the user as a lead but most of the information I need to know about the user is gathered by documenting the activity of the user. Knowing the detailed activity of your website users is the best way to learn about your prospective customer and increases the chance of converting the user to a lead. I will talk about user activity and tracking in a later blog.
It would be great if we as real estate agents didn’t have to require registration at all, unfortunately, we can’t afford to do that. The best thing we can do is treat our users with respect, protect their privacy and provide the best customer service we can.
Lou,
Were you going to write about the ethics of registration?
I thought I saw that in a post on REW.
It wasn’t so much the ethics of it, rather a strategy that seemed a little more ethical.
In terms of ethics, requiring a registration is not unethical in the least (referencing the rew post).
A subject that is close to my heart. Always looking for that perfect combo that draws the line between pushy and not, while still getting a decent roi for marketing spend.
Nice blog! Will be added to my feedreader!
Hawaii Real Estate reporter’s last blog post..Feb 2009 Video Discussion of Hawaii Real Estate
Yes, it is a fine line. I try to focus on the customer service aspect. In other words, I assume that each user that comes to my website expects to be serviced (not bothered). I capture the contact info so that I can attempt contact and properly determine the level of customer service they require. If the user prefers not to be contacted, I make a note in the database and will not contact them again until they contact me. The approach after the registration information is vital.
Keep coming back!
Lou, Thanks for covering this fascinating subject that is near and dear to my heart! Currently I require registration on my LEC2 (including phone number) as soon as the user has looked at three properties. I’m considering changing it, however, after reading your post. I think you make a good case for that. One thing I’m not convinced about, however, is not requiring a phone number. It’s just too easy for someone to hide behind an email address. Most of the people I call are extremely receptive and the only ones who aren’t usually sound a little embarrassed, like they weren’t really looking that seriously in the first place. Looking forward to reading more about this and experimenting with different strategies. -Jolenta
@Jolenta – Like I said before, each market is different in the type of real estate consumer and buyer behavior associated with those consumers. Requiring the phone number may work for you (and your market) but has the propensity to leave a significant amount of business on the table in other markets. My best advice is to test it both ways and see what works better.
With that said, one thing does stand true regardless of real estate markets: at the very beginning of the sales cycle, the majority of the registration leads want to remain anonymous. Forcing them to enter a phone number may make the user slightly uneasy, which will result in a bounce (user leaving the website) or a fake phone number. If you not getting fake phone numbers, chances are they are leaving. In addition, if a user enters a number without being required to do so, it is evidence of better buyer behavior (more qualified lead).
I had several agents close deals where a phone number wasn’t provided until several email interactions were made between agent and lead.
Timing on this is an interesting topic. Clearly, people are searching on the internet to remain a bit anonymous at the time, so why push it.
I found your blog on google and read a few of your other posts. I just added you to my Google News Reader. Keep up the good work. Look forward to reading more from you in the future.
I agree Lou, letting the user search freely builds trust and when it comes time to take action by the end user we have kept our registration form down to the minimal information required. This makes it very simple to request information on the users part and we capture the lead.