Would you answer web query at 7.30pm asks Romans

The Romans Group of estate agents has written a guide to what it believes a good property website should cover and how it may be seen by would-be clients.

The guide has been written by group operations director Peter Loverdos, who says his tips are based on the experience of Romans' own site, which receives almost 90,000 unique visitors every month.

His guide includes these thoughts:

First impressions - A well designed website, with the right balance of images, content and colour will encourage interested buyers and sellers to come back on a regular basis. Check the website is up to date. if an agent won't keep their website up to date with new properties and market commentary, how can you be sure they'll keep customers up to date

A picture speaks a million words - We've done the research and our findings are the same as the industry experts - between 80 and 85 per cent of people say images are the most important thing when looking for a property online, and larger photographs generate more interest he says.

Don't take their word for it - Customer testimonials are an important part in helping people decide which agent to appoint. The most transparent agents will show the good and the bad. In this day and age it is very simple to collate and post online reviews.

It's the number of web visitors that count but they're not easy to get - We put a lot of time and effort into the content on our website and how we market it to generate good quality visitors for the benefit of our sellers and landlords says Loverdos. He believes customers should ask agents what they do to attract buyers and tenants to websites and how many visit each a month.

Online v Traditional: you need both - The website should be an integral part of the agency's operations, and should be much more than a medium to advertise properties for sale and let. Loverdos says would-be clients should fill out an online form' at 7.30pm because that's when many buyers and tenants are browsing websites and contacting agents electronically. The speed and type of response they experience will be very similar to what their potential buyer or tenant will experience.