I’ve talked to several people lately who  want unusual websites.  They don’t want the regular design – a header, menu, etc.  They want something different.  And, I understand that.  After you’ve looked at several dozen real estate websites, they all start looking the same.

Best to ask yourself why that is.  There are a number of reasons.

Your Visitors are Trained

The visitors to your website are undoubtedly Internet-savvy to some extent.  At least, I think it’s a safe bet that they’ve been to at least one other website before they landed on yours.  They are familiar, and perhaps even comfortable, with how a website is normally laid out.

They expect to see some type of a header.  The header usually tells them what the website is about.  If it doesn’t, chances are they won’t stay long.  They expect to have a consistent way of getting around the website.  Usually, that’s a menu of some type.  And, they expect to see the content of the site displayed in words and images.

It’s also helpful if a good bit of the content appears “above the fold”.  That means that they can scan down the content to see if they want to stick around without having to scroll vertically.

Unusual Site Design Doesn’t Make Your Website More Effective

Usually, the examples people give me for unusual site designs start out with a lot of flash.  You’ve seen those before – they’re called Splash pages or Intro pages.  And, unfortunately, they don’t work.  Search engines can’t read flash.  So, that pretty opening page with no content except the cute buttons that change color and style when you scroll over them will eliminate any possibility that your website will be ranked by the search engines.

In addition, what if your visitor wants to find market information for your area?  Are they going to guess whether they should click on the Buyers button, or the Area Information button or the Listings button?  I don’t think so.  Odds are, they’ll just go find a website where they can see what they’ll be getting before they start clicking all the buttons.

Many (Most?) of Your Visitors Can’t Spot an Unusual Site Design

Keep in mind that your visitors will not land on your website after just pouring over several dozen other real estate websites.  You’re the only one who does that. 

Give Your Visitors What They Want

Here’s what your visitors want:

1. INFORMATION – Give them the information and tools they need to make an informed real estate decision and that will also illustrate your expertise.
2. EASY NAVIGATION – Keep it simple.  Yes, it’s just a boring menu, but it’s what they expect and it should be consistent on all the pages of the site.  Having one set of navigation on the home page and different navigation on the other pages just causes confusion.
3. CLEAN DESIGN – Your site needs to be attractive and professional.  It needs to welcome visitors and make it easy to stay a while.

So, by all means, make your site the best it can be.  Make it informational and easy to navigate.  But, unusual?  THAT will probably backfire on you!