No matter what they’re looking for, more people than not turn to the internet to find it. When that search includes industrial real estate properties, useful hits can become a little tricky. That’s because commercial real estate lacks the recognized and central multiple listing service that is available for residential real estate. Here’s how to make your commercial property stand out online.
Listing Commercial Properties Online
There is no standard “go-to” website for commercial real estate, but rather a jumble of expensive membership-based sites that offer what amounts to the same thing. In a nutshell, commercial real estate agencies buy rights to post property listings for other agencies and the public at large in an attempt to put the properties they represent in front of potential tenants and buyers. If this is surprising and somewhat worrisome, it should be. If you’re thinking that there’s a very distinct possibility that your particular property might be completely overlooked by a potential user because it’s listed on some real estate websites but not others, you’re absolutely right. And, if you’re wondering whether your agency is paying for only a basic membership to these websites, meaning your property only appears at the bottom of a (very) long list of viable locations, if at all, you’re right to be concerned. These are detrimental scenarios for getting your property in front of potential tenants and buyers. So, what should you do?
There are a few specific factors that greatly increase your chances for success, and they need to be carefully considered when it’s time to list your commercial real estate. You’ll want to ask how many online services an agency belongs to, as well as what membership level. Basic? Standard? Premium? Membership-based sites are a good start, but the most critical question is what an agency’s own website does to get properties in front of prospects. This is something over which an agency has direct control, and it can have a material and significant impact on locating the right buyer or tenant.
There is a long list of online features that impact the overall performance of a website, and with it, the chance for successfully getting your property on the radar of potential tenants and buyers. These features will maximize your chances for success:
Effective and current SEO – Property search engine optimization and management keeps a website’s visibility in online search high, putting your property in front of prospects searching for it. After all, it doesn’t matter how great a website is if nobody can find it.
How long a site has been around – A domain that has been in use for a long time likely has pages with deep roots, meaning they rank well for specific search terms. The best site is the one that shows up for appropriate search terms
High level of site activity – A site that has fresh and updated content will be regularly crawled by search engines, leading to increased visibility in searches. In particular, a regularly updated blog (like the one you are reading) keeps prospects and clients engaged with relevant, new information.
Internal listings rather than outsourced – Instead of offering visitors incentive to browse dozens of other similar properties, a well-designed page featuring your property listing will engage visitors, answer preliminary questions, and provide reason for them to take the next step.
Calls to action and offers – Incentives engage site visitors, sharing valuable information that is fast and free in exchange for specific contact information. This is the beginning of a relationship between the visitor and the agency. The more relationships an agency has with its visitors, the larger a pool it has with which to share new or ongoing information – like your property.
In today’s competitive industrial real estate environment, clients need every advantage their real estate agency can provide. At Miller Industrial Properties, we get phone calls and emails daily from businesses who found our website when searching online for a property. If you’re considering listing your industrial property and want to get it in front of the right people, contact Beki Dobson for more information on why Miller Industrial Properties comes out on top when it comes to a national presence online.
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