The Importance of UX Design for Commercial Property Websites: A Guide for Professionals
In today’s digital-first world, your commercial property website is often the first point of contact between you and potential clients. Whether they’re investors, tenants, or buyers, their experience on your site can make or break a deal. This is where User Experience (UX) design comes in.
Why UX Design Matters in Commercial Property
First Impressions Count
A well-designed website can set you apart from the competition. Statics show that a user will decide whether to stay on a website in about 0.05 seconds. A cluttered, outdated, or confusing site can deter users, making them question the professionalism and quality of your properties.
Streamlined Navigation for Diverse Users
Commercial property websites attract a wide range of users—from investors and business owners to agents and brokers. Each of these users has different needs and objectives. A well-structured UX design ensures that all visitors can easily find the information they’re looking for, whether it’s property details, contact information, or market insights.
A key UX design trend for 2024 also emphasises the importance of accessibility best practices for users with disabilities. This includes implementing ALT text for images, providing closed captions and transcripts for videos, offering screen-reading and magnification options, and ensuring typography is easy to read and adapts to various screen sizes.
Enhanced Property Search Functionality
The primary function of a commercial property website is to help users find properties that meet their criteria. A robust search functionality with filters for location, property type, price, and size is crucial. However, it’s not just about having these features; the ease of use and speed of the search process are equally important. Implementing intuitive search tools, auto-suggestions, and clear categorisation can significantly enhance the user experience.
Mobile-first design.
It has been essential for a while now to have a mobile friendly website. Here at NovaLoca we have seen a steady increase of users accessing our website from mobile devices – as of August 2024 it is over 65% of visitors. Also, Google now predominantly uses the mobile version of a site’s content for indexing and ranking. So it makes sense that it is now considered best practice to begin thinking about web design with a mobile first approach.
High-Quality Visuals and Virtual Tours
In the commercial property sector, visual content plays a crucial role in showcasing properties. High-quality images, videos, and 3D virtual tours can give users a comprehensive view of your listings, making them more likely to take the next step. Moreover, integrating these elements into a user-friendly interface ensures that visitors can easily navigate through galleries and media without frustration.
Fast Loading Times and Performance
If your website takes too long to load, users are likely to abandon it. Optimising your site for speed—by compressing images, minimising code, and leveraging content delivery networks (CDNs)—is crucial for maintaining user engagement and improving your site’s SEO rankings.
Clear Calls-to-Action (CTAs)
Every page on your website should guide the user towards a specific action, whether it’s contacting an agent, signing up for a newsletter, or scheduling a property viewing. Effective CTAs are clear, concise, and strategically placed throughout the site. A well-designed UX ensures that these CTAs stand out without being intrusive, leading to higher conversion rates.
One company that understands the critical role of UX design in commercial property websites is ZipBox. ZipBox specialises in creating high-performance websites tailored to the unique needs of the property industry. By partnering with a company like ZipBox, commercial property professionals can ensure that their websites are not only visually appealing but also user-friendly and effective in converting visitors into clients.
