To meet Google mobile requirements its best to consider a WordPress real estate website

As a real estate professional you may have heard about Google’s “Mobilegeddon” event earlier this year. The update to their ranking algorithms took place on April 21 and leading up to that date, Google essentially told all website owners your site had better be “mobile-friendly” or you are going to lose rankings.

But the story doesn’t end there.

And this is why a WordPress real estate website is the best when it comes to “responsive” web platforms that can adapt to all sorts of configurations whether on a desktop, laptop or mobile phone.

Google is smart. They noticed that use of mobile for search is booming. They also noticed that most mobile versions of website were horrible. They were “unresponsive.” They didn’t load quickly, the scrolling was horrible and you couldn’t navigate around the pages.

So Google put the hammer down and announced their April deadline. Everybody scrambled to make sure their site was mobile ready. Google made it easy. They did not create a grading system for various degrees of responsiveness say from Highly-Mobile Friendly to Low. It was just basically a Pass/Fail.

This meant your site had to have the basics for mobile or you would drop way down in the rankings.

“Mobilegeddon” came and went for businesses including real estate agents and brokers. About 5% of sites improved. Sites either got penalized or they survived.

But that’s the key point. Who wants to be a real estate agent or brokers who just survives?

There’s a hidden message in Google’s mobile initiative. That message is, “Your site had better be great at mobile because more and more people are using their mobile devices to search the web.”

Sure, many sites might have passed the basic mobile test. But are they really functioning as well as they could be on mobile? Google has also said they are going to continue to tweak their formula for mobile rankings. Is your site ready for more crackdowns by Google?

There’s no doubt mobile is taking over. Tablets are considered mobile devices and by now, just about every American owns one.

Apple and other smartphone manufacturers are making their mobile phone screens larger. If you don’t have a tablet, then chances are you have a mobile phone with a pretty darn big screen.

Many people adjusted their sites to meet Google’s basic requirements. But the truth is, most sites still offer a horrible mobile experience. Pages don’t adjust correctly. Pop ups block the screen. Half an element shows up. You can’t scroll properly.

Elements and content move all over the screen like jackrabbits.

Consumers are saying their still find mobile sites annoying. You think Google is listening? You bet they are.

A WordPress real estate website can take care of many of these problems because this web design software is one of the most responsive platforms out there. That’s why most businesses use it.

And here’s why you should consider switching NOW to a WordPress real estate website. The numbers tell the real story.

– 80% of consumers use their mobile phone for search. They are going to search for real estate on their phone. Is your site 100% ready? You don’t want to be 50% ready when someone is searching for a $500,000 house. If they have difficulty, they will leave and go to a competitor.

– 25% of Americans only use a mobile device. They had a desktop once, don’t need it any more. Can you afford to miss 25% of a market?

– 80% of smart phone users say they want sites to be mobile-optimized. If they are not, then good bye.

–  50% of all searches occur on a mobile device. Can you afford to have 50% of potential customers suffer through a bad/poor experience on the mobile version of your website? Can you afford to have low rankings because your site is not responsive?

Here’s a truism you know is true. Most people use a PC during the day, but a tablet at night.

If a woman is looking for a home and she is busy at work all day, she is going to be looking at real estate web sites at night. On her tablet. Is  your website 100% tablet-friendly for this night-time consumer?

Choose a “responsive” WordPress real estate website

That’s the true message of “Mobilegeddon.”

You need to shine on a mobile device. There are companies such as Home Junction that design websites for real estate companies. They know the best platform to use for mobile (and basically the Internet in general) is WordPress. That’s the only platform they use.

Because getting mobile friendly is a very, very complicated endeavor.

You might look at your site on your mobile phone and think, “Looks good to me.”

But think about your customers and the enormous number of options out there. They are on all sorts of mobile devices – it could be an Apple 6 Plus, an HTC EVO, a Samsung, a mini-tablet, a large tablet.

There is no real standard in sizes for these devices. Your site must work well on ALL OF THEM or you could be missing out on that customer who is looking for that $500,000 home.

A WordPress real estate website is the simple solution. That is why Word Press is the most popular web platform in the world.

The world has gone mobile. You need to be there with them. Not barely. But in a huge way. Stop looking at your site on your laptop, start looking at it on a mobile device. Or a friend’s mobile device.

That’s where your customers are looking and that’s where your sales are going to come from.

Attract sellers as well. With a WordPress real estate website, you can show sellers how your site is responsive while some of your competitors’ sites are not (they will be doing that to you).

Google just changed their logo. Google  just changed their corporate structure. Google is a gazillion dollar company. It would be smart to follow their lead when it comes to mobile.

The simple solution is to switch to a WordPress real estate website. Worth with a company experienced in making sure your WordPress site is using all the mobile capabilities it was designed to use.

For more information on Home Junction’s WordPress real estate website service, click here.