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Network’s new website pays off

By Zarah Torrazo
22 July 2022 | 11 minute read
Adrian Knowles reb

Harcourts reported “outstanding results” since the launch of its new website in mid-March, which was rolled out as part of the network’s technology strategy. 

The firm revealed that its new website had seen more than double unique visitors compared to the same period last year, with analytics figures showing unique visitors on the platform are up from 649,492 to 1,365,109 over the period. 

Harcourts also stated that the website has outperformed in terms of other website traffic metrics. 

Data showed that the website has received over 1,997,639 page visits, almost double the 988,381 hits recorded in the same period last year. 

The average time on site also rose from 107 seconds to 120 seconds during the same period, Harcourts said. 

One major aspect of the firm’s latest technological push was the launch of a website builder platform that allows for the complete customisation of office and agent websites within the framework of the Harcourts brand. 

According to the network, users of the feature have sounded off positive feedback, which they generally described as easy to use and state of the art. 

Mary Teys, the operations manager for Harcourts Clayfield, said that agents using the website were “stoked” about the latest updates. 

She highlighted that the “Request Appraisal” feature — which provides agents with a personalised landing page without additional fees — has been a game changer for them. 

“The leads we’ve been able to gather through this feature have been quite impressive, and the conversions to sales even more so,” she stated. 

According to Harcourts, the website’s new lead generation tool has helped generate 1,252 appraisal requests, 6,519 phone calls, 9,629 listing inquiries, and 11,573 email inquiries since its rollout in mid-March. 

Harcourts Hunter Valley’s operation manager Sarah Bekkers echoed Ms Teys’ statement, stating: “We have received positive feedback from our team and consumers.” 

Chief executive of Harcourts Australia Adrian Knowles lauded the significant milestones in the website’s performance, highlighting that all stakeholders are benefiting from the latest slew of the business’ digital marketing efforts. 

“It is a ‘rising tide floats all boats’ kind of thing,”  Mr Knowles said. 

“Agents and offices have access to unprecedented levels of analytics for the websites, and then for their vendor’s listings,” the executive continued. 

As part of the company’s search engine optimisation (SEO) strategy, 2,000 subdomains across Australia and New Zealand have also been moved to a global top-level domain to stop keyword cannibalisation, which can lower a website’s visibility on search engines.

Harcourts noted that its digital team is focused on providing a compelling website solution for the network that will empower agents under the network with tools to help them list, sell, and lease more property at an optimal level. 

Mr Knowles highlighted that their tech strategy does not end with websites, but with a suite of other proptech tools as well, sharing that the websites are developed by WebsiteBlue, owned by PropTech Group, which also owns VaultRE —  making for deeper integrations with PropTech Group products. 

Mr Knowles has also hinted that the websites are just a starting point for Harcourts’ digital revolution. “Websites make up just a small part, and are just the beginning of an exciting tech strategy,” he stated.  

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