Builder Designs | Intelligent marketing for home builders

The construction of website navigation can arguably be the most important part of any website design. It is the backbone of everything and will delegate how every part of the website will function.  The navigation should be appealing to visitors and the way it should intuitively flow, is paramount for the existence of a successful website.

First, always think of the visitor in terms of the navigation layout. The site should reflect their thoughts and interests and get them the information they’re seeking quickly. For homebuilders, a quick search component, map or sorter of communities, floorplans and inventory give that person instant access and information about where to find a home they’re interested in. Keep the target audience in mind.

Navigation space and having a clear-cut navigation system with the right amount of white space will visually enhance the look of the site indefinitely. Make sure that the focus is on content and is relevant to visitors. All of the pages should always have the same look and feel within the design template.

Just as looks are important, as the backbone of your website, the navigation should be a well constructed system. Remember that the more content, pages and links, the greater need for an effective and quick navigation is. There should be a smooth flow throughout the site. Dropdowns and breadcrumbs are useful in these instances. As a builder, you may have a homebuyer or homeowner section that needs to be well organized and designed to easily navigate in a way that isn’t confusing. The more organized, the longer the visitor will stay and will most likely return.

Lastly, remember that the fewer the clicks the better. Don’t use unnecessary links or too many that it becomes a cluster. Also, do a test and make sure that your site looks good on every browser a visitor would use, even on your mobile phone.

By now we all know that the the web has spread to mobile devices like wildfire. More people are accessing the internet from their phones than ever before and that means that if you own or are designing a website, you need to address your mobile website user experience. When considering a strategy for launching a mobile website there are some important things to think about.

What is your need for a mobile site? Are you designing a new website or redesigning an existing site that needs a mobile version? Or are you adding in a mobile version to an existing site that will not change? Beginning a mobile site project will usually stem from one of these cirmcumstances.

What are your objectives? As a business owner, you usually have a set of objectives that you need to accomplish on the web. Because the mobile site is a scaled down version of your desktop site, these need to be clear and precise. They will be the main focus of the mobile version and simplified to make it easy for users to navigate and find what they are looking for.

What are your analytics telling you? If you have a current website, hopefully you’ve been tracking your website traffic with Google Analytics. This will be extremely helpful when planning out your mobile site by studying how your users behave and how they access your site.

Is your design optimized? Because of the vast variety of different web browsers and supported technologies, you need to be sure and optimize your site for this reason. Use new and upcoming web technology such as CSS3 and HTML5 to design your site so it is scalable.

Once you have thought about these important items, you will be able to focus more on the design and layout of the mobile site. Remember to think simplicity. Using single columns and having a vertical hierarchy to organize it will make the site the most user friendly when presenting information.

Builder Designs is proud to announce the launch of Louisiana’s most profound builder DSLD Homes and their newly designed website!

Also Check Out the new contemporary website for Halminen Homes in Ontario!

Web Design teams really have their work cut out for them these days. To the smaller firms, web design itself is only the big picture. Its all the smaller nuts and bolts that have to turn and work underneath in order to have a successful product that meets the clients’ needs.

Designers have to pay attention to a lot of things and much of it falls outside the design sphere. Not only are designers designing, they are also part-time project managers, navigational architects, proofers, usability experts and even copy-writers. They need to know what browsers people use and why and be able to test different browsers out on the design and written code. The designer is the go-to person for anything on the web that is feasible.

When taking on a new project, its all the little things that really matter when designing a new website. Thinking through the details critically and analytically and coming up with the best solutions are the key to being a truly great website designer and developer. Understanding the motivation of the client and maintaining communication throughout the process is what it takes to really stand apart.

Being as successful as the design itself, starts with being able to see all the angles of a project, seeing everything is in the right place, and also caring about the collective whole to make the final project seamless.

Don’t forget to add your social media links to your website! Here’s a great blog on how to use social media, explained by Mike Lyon, expert in online marketing for home builders.

With plenty of builders jumping into social media, the question I have been getting a lot lately is, “What now?” So you have your Twitter account with 100′s of followers, your Facebook page with fans and a blog ready for posting. That’s all good, but now you have to come up with content. I have had numerous conversations and questions while presenting in seminars regarding, “What kind of content should we be posting and where do we come up with the content?”

Before we explore that – let’s just make sure we review one important aspect. Social media/networking/marketing – whatever you want to call it is a two way conversation. It is a dialogue, not a monologue. So if you are trying to take the same methods used in other marketing sources and cram them into the social media box – you might as well quit while you’re ahead. This is a whole new ballgame – the rules are completely different. This is why it is hard to find builders who are doing a good job.

Also – let’s quickly talk about what NOT to do. It’s not all about you. We know you build homes, we know you have homes for sale, we know you are the best…tell the audience something else. Give them something of value – something they might want to pass along. I will venture to say – the audience doesn’t care as much about the “home of the day” as you do. Again, if the higher ups, owners of the company look at your efforts and say, “We need to talk more about us.” they may not be cut out for social media.

Ultimately, your goal is to connect with the right people and establish yourself/company as the thought leader in a specific area. Ask yourself what those areas are – this is where your content will come from.

Real Estate – You are a builder, watching the numbers, market data, permits, sales. Post content about that. What is happening in the local real estate market that is interesting? What would realtors like to know about? Create content related to that.

Local Economy – The housing industry is heavily dependent on jobs and the local economy. Report on good news that affects your town/county. Highlight the uniqueness of your city and the development that is occurring. Give a preview of what is going to be developing next in your town.

Green building - Green is hot right now, a large majority of builders are either Energy Star certified or use a lot of Energy Star products. Heck, you might even be LEED certified. Position yourself as the authoritative figure on green building. Show people the difference and how much they can save going green. Talk about new products, get people excited to be part of this trend.

First Time Buyers – They compose a high percentage of those buying right now, and they need to be educated on the process. Show them why they need to “fire their Landlord” and start paying themselves. Keep in mind; they are also the most active on the social media platforms.

Financing - Right now financing is a HUGE issue and one of the best closing tools. Share financing data and statistics on the national and local level. Become the financing expert and break the data down so the average buyer can understand. Record low interest rates, the $8,000 tax credit, people need to know now is the time to buy!

Local Events - Share local events and happenings around the area that make your community a fun place to live. Everyone wants to be in on the fun, so share that with the world. A blog post I did recently for a builder that got the most hits and traffic was on the local Home & Garden Show.

School District – As you well know, one of the largest factors in the location and choice of a new home and community is the school district. Share info on the schools like reports, events and issues that the parents will appreciate knowing.

Feature Your Employees - This is a fantastic way to talk about your people and what they do for the company without selling. Again, through the social aspect of this new media – it gives the customer a chance to get to know you better.

Talk About You - Yes, it is actually ok to talk about yourself. But do it right. Talk about the things that are newsworthy. Awards, Community Openings, Events, Sponsorships, mentions in the news…you get the idea. Just don’t tell your audience over and over that you are a builder and they need to buy a house.

These are just a few ideas to get you started on finding the right content for these platforms. Remember, you also need to engage. Comment on other blogs, retweet good info and engage in a conversation. Ultimately, it is about connecting with others.

When building a website, there are two principle ways of structuring HTML that a Web designer uses. Building using table-based layout works just fine and has been used for years but it is difficult and hard to understand, mostly because of the number of table tags. Most designers are using CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) to format web pages because it is easier to read the textual content that is stored separately. There are many other reasons to have your website coded in CSS that will help you in the future and with its Google rankings.

• CSS is easy to download. It has fewer HTML tags which means that they are quicker to download. Table-based sites are very large and have an increased download time for visitors. This also has an effect on SEO since Google has said it uses the download speed as part of its algorithm rankings.
• Easier readability of the HTML source of pages. This is because the CSS ‘style sheet’ that formats the page is kept separate. This also helps the search engine spiders since they are reading words instead of looking inside of tables for information.
• CSS keeps important key-word phrases at the top of the page, and allows you to layout that information anywhere else on a page. For example, if you had a summary full of key words that you wanted to appear in the middle of the page and keep those words in HTML near the top, this is possible with CSS. Search engines give more credit to information that is near the top of the page.
• Friendlier printable pages. CSS makes it possible to create a style sheet for the screen and another for print, using content on the same page instead of duplicating content.
• Formatting is easy. All the pages of a website refer back to a style sheet. It requires only one small change such as text color, to modify the whole site instead of changing each page individually.
• Using CSS allow you to create different style sheets based on the browser, such as a mobile browser on a cell phone.

It is important to know how your website is built, and these are just some of the major reasons why it is important to use CSS in designing your website. Many designers that have been designing for years have failed to learn CSS, so be sure to do your research when investing your money into a new website, and go with the company that offers plenty of other options.

Have you noticed while surfing online, the meaningless jargon of a URL in your browser? It might look like this: http://www.domain.com/index.php?y2345&m=11&d=23id=49887

Ugly isn’t it? Use a URL that looks like this: http://domain.com/communities/model/model_detail.php It looks much cleaner and meaningful, especially if you have a well designed, user friendly website.

URLs don’t have to be unreadable and it makes a huge difference if they are easy to understand, for both the user and for search engines. Changing your URL will improve your relevancy in search and help you get a higher Google rating, especially if the keywords in the URL match the content on your site.

If your website is already has a nicely designed and organized layout, you want tidy URLs. It is your responsibility as a web developer to keep your company and make it easy for them to browse. The Apache server’s module named mod_rewrite allows you to create rules for rewriting requested URLs quickly. Before you start, make sure that you or your designer & programmer have a basic knowledge of PHP programming and have mod_rewrite and .htaccess files.  There are many tutorials and troubleshooting web forums on how to use the application available online such as http://forum.modrewrite.com/.

Ultimately, using clean URLs make a difference to the user and that is what really matters. Satisfying the user with quality content and a well organized interface is the best way to have them coming back and linking back to your website, the two most important things that help search engine optimization.

We all knew from a very young age that color is an important part of our lives. We associate colors in many ways that invokes emotion and interest. Remember choosing the perfect Crayola that would go with the construction paper? Choosing the right color combinations gave us a sense of self although being so young, we didn’t understand that many other people perceive color differently. We appreciate color but contrast is really what really grabs us and gives us a sense of balance. This rule applies to all design and is significantly important in web design.

8 percent of men and .5 percent of women are colorblind or have some color deficiency. That adds up to be about 28 million people world-wide. How many of those people do you think are online? As web designers, using contrast is just as important, if not more, as choosing a good color palette.

Contrast is the perceived difference in colors that are in close proximity to each other. It makes web content functional and accessible to every viewer. User friendliness and accessibility is a top priority of many in creating websites; in turn, many designers make color decisions based on contrast.

Testing design layouts in grayscale will significantly help designers use the right contrast and color. There are many tools on the web that help convert websites to grayscale such as graybit.com. There are some questions to ask when evaluating a website to make sure that the right contrast is being used. Can you read the text? Are the architectural elements prominent? What is different or doesn’t work when you see the design in grayscale?

Web designers need to make a commitment to working with contrast first, making it a priority when choosing that perfect color combination. There are many good color tools out there that help with choosing a palette like Color Scheme Designer. If a design works wonderfully in grayscale it will look just as solid in color, as long as the combination matches the same level of contrast. A good website to check your color contrast is Checkmycolors.com. This workflow can be very effective, allowing the designer to concentrate on the design and hierarchy of the page elements instead of getting too occupied in making color choices.

Less is more when it comes to Web design. Minimalist design has been a recurring trend and using the bare elements for functionality proves very successful but also can be challenging to some designers. Simple, straightforward typography, bare use of color and use of clean lines make for a design that is aesthetically pleasing but minimal.

Some examples of websites built for homebuilders used to have very decorative themes and elements that still work, such as Cedar Creek, but could be a bit distracting to users. Newer websites now being created with the minimalist feel, like Consort Homes, are much more inviting, open and easily navigated. When designing or redesigning a website, seriously consider minimalism as the basis of design.

Accessibility is key. Many designers are now building sites in this style because users find this approach to web design very easy to understand and are not thrown off by distracting elements. Every design element should take the user interaction into consideration in order to problem-solve any confusion or frustration on part of the user. How you get visitors to your website and how you keep them coming back is the bottom line.

We’ve been incredibly busy to start this year off with some really great websites from homebuilders around the country and Canada. These sites have a variety of design, color schemes and most importantly, they are user friendly.  If you’re interested in a website for your company, get in line! Our websites sell homes and our calender is filling up! Builder Designs also offers many other services and add-ons such as Mobile Sites, SEO and Blogs. Check out our latest launches:

INTEGRITY HOMES – Virginia

MAYBERRY HOMES – Michigan

GRAND VIEW BUILDERS - Houston

TOWER HOMES – Birmingham, AL

FALCON HOMES – Alberta, Canada

HHHunt Homes – Virginia, N. Carolina

HANSON BUILDERS – Minnesota