Winkworth has launched a new website which it says breaks new ground.
It has no home page as such, but a series of four ‘landing pages’, together with a live chat function, while as well as the main site, each local Winkworth office has its own microsite which they create and manage, complete with local area guides and office blogs.
Users can also draw their own search area, and each property has a journey ‘heat map’. Virtual post-it notes allow users to keep notes on properties.
Amber Rampley, director of marketing at Winkworth, said: “Our new website was built with the end-user in mind at all times.
“The look of the website reflects our new brand strategy and the search is designed to return the results that the user actually wants.
“We’ve really focused on our local expertise too. Every Winkworth office has their own microsite, packed with local insight and information, which will be a great resource for buyers and tenants moving into an area.
“The feedback has been great so far, but the site won’t stand still. We have lots of plans for it.”
See what you think:
https://www.winkworth.co.uk
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Comments
Take a leaf out of foxtons and learn how to design a site.
The problem with this article is that they are asking someone like Amber who has no idea in the world about design or technology to comment on the website - her background is marketing/sales.
Only websites like Rightmove and Zoopla (lesser extent Primelocation - with its poor design) will get sale through the door.
Winkworth employ an interaction agency rather than just a bog standard 'Design Agency' as you always have and then maybe, just maybe that poor hit rate will go up.
#breaks new ground - pr crap
@Anonymous Coward
A bit counter productive if when you a capture a buyer's attention on your website, that they cannot peruse it but instead are re-directed away to a different one entirely. Better to appreciate that buyers too play an important role in sales and to diminish that would be foolhardy.
Why would you not consider to use your website as an advertisement of your business to ALL who view it rather than deliberately deny access for buyers and in the process, narrow your appeal and damage your brand?
I guess there's a reason 'every single estate agency website' look the way they do....
It looks lovely, BUT it makes the same fundamental mistake that every single estate agent's website makes.
Without fail, every single estate agency website I ever see focuses on buyers - it is just bizarre.
I agree that your website should have a property search facility, but why would you focus on the person that is not paying your fee?
We all pay RM and Zoopla for the pleasure - and we pay them a fortune.
Why buy a dog and bark yourself?
9 out of every 10 buyers (or tenants) will use either Rightmove or Zoopla or ANOther property portal - because it means they can see everything in their price range in one go.
That is obvious. Surely?
In fact, so will most property owners if they are thinking about which agent to call in to see who is best in their area or price range.
The whole point of an estate agent's website is to grab a property owner by the shirt collar and say "We are the best - put your property on with us".
That should be the focus of any agent's website.
Even mine doesn't do that successfully, but then I didn't have a hand in the design. :-(
Looks good but hardly "breaks new ground". Four landing pages - Really? No doubt they will link to specific pages with other advertising but the main site has something remarkably like a "Home Page"!
Do we assume each individual franchise will promote their "microsite" rather than the main brand? Why?
breaks new ground - pr crap
It looks good.