Page Design

Home Page

The home page is arguably the most important individual page of your website. It is not only the first page that your potential clients will see, but it sets the tone for the rest of your website and your company as a whole.

In the example home page there is a background picture of Santa Barbara. Having this picture behind the lettering on the home page serves two purposes. Firstly, it helps create a theme for the website, one of fun, simplicity, and enjoyment. The theme of whatever pictures you use should tie into the theme you want your website to have. Secondly, this picture adds a sense of locality and community to the website. It demonstrates that its not some national real estate company but instead Its a local Santa Barbara property agency.

Available Properties Page

The available properties page is your place to exhibit to potential leasees every property in your portfolio. The importance of this page can't be understated. While the "Home" page creates the general theme of the website, the available properties page serves as the first glimpse into the actual offering of a leasing company.

One of the main features of the example available properties page is its brevity. This page is going to list your entire portfolio of available homes, and depending on the size of your company, this could be a hefty list. Due to this page's potential length, only two features with each property need to be displayed. First, a picture of the property. Potential Leasees need to be able to have a visual in mind when deciding on their home for next year. Second, a brief description of the home. This brief description entails only a few sentences describing the property as well as a small bulleted list of the 2-4 main features (Bed/ bathroom count and other main features of the property).

Individual Properties Pages

The pages about individual properties are different from the home and available properties page in that unlike them, they are meant to be very specific and detailed. Anyone viewing an individual listing page has already been sold on the main pages and the theme of the website, so now the focus should be on specific content.

With both example property 1 and 2, a number of features are added from the broad descriptions given in the available properties page. The most important addition from the available properties page is the addition of multiple photos. The adage a picture is worth 1,000 words is certainly true when it comes to property management. The best way to describe a house to a potential leaser is to simply show them the house through photos or videos.

Another detail that's included on these pages is the contact bar down at the bottom of the page. This allows a potential client to directly reach out with questions about the specific property that they are viewing. This is an easy and convenient feature for both parties and it creates a positive user experience with the website.

About Us Page

The about us page is a great opportunity to give a description on what exactly your company is and what principles its based on. It allows one to describe their company and their purpose in much greater detail than the brief description given on the home page.

One additional feature which is added to the example about us page which greatly demonstrates your creditability is the renter testimonials. The testimonials, although not necessary, are strongly advised to be included in your website. All throughout your website, your voice and opinion is the only one displayed, a testimonials page fixes that. It allows potential renters to hear from a third party about the quality of your business and their experiences with your company.

Another important feature that is added to the about page is the hours of operation, contact and location information. This is a very important feature because it informs potential renters of how and when to reach out. It is also nice to add a map visual of the office headquarters (if there is one) to display the location.