1. Introduction – Realtor website design Marbella guide

Welcome to the ultimate guide to web design for realtors in Marbella, Costa del Sol. In this comprehensive guide, we will explore the importance of web design for realtors, the key elements of a successful realtor website, and strategies to enhance lead generation and user experience. Whether you are a realtor in Marbella or any other location, this guide will provide valuable insights to help you create an effective online presence.

2. Understanding the Importance of Web Design for Realtors

What is Web Design?

Web design encompasses the visual and functional aspects of a website, including its layout, colors, typography, navigation, and overall user experience. It is a crucial element in creating a professional and engaging online presence for realtors.

The Role of Web Design in Lead Generation

A well-designed website can significantly impact lead generation for realtors. By creating an attractive and user-friendly website, you can capture the attention of potential clients and encourage them to explore your services. A visually appealing website with intuitive navigation can also increase the chances of converting visitors into leads.

The Impact of Web Design on User Experience

User experience (UX) plays a vital role in web design. A website that provides a seamless and enjoyable browsing experience will keep visitors engaged and encourage them to spend more time exploring your listings and services. A positive user experience can lead to higher conversion rates and increased client satisfaction.

3. Choosing the Right Platform, Domain Name, and Hosting

Selecting the Ideal Website Platform

When designing a realtor website, it is essential to choose a platform that offers flexibility, customization options, and ease of use. WordPress is a popular choice among realtors due to its user-friendly interface, extensive theme options, and robust plugin ecosystem. Consider hiring a web design company or developer to set up your website’s foundation and core elements.

Choosing a Domain Name

Selecting the right domain name is crucial for establishing a strong online presence. Your domain name should be memorable, relevant to your real estate business, and ideally include keywords related to your services or location. Consider using your own name or a variation of it to create a personal brand.

Selecting Web Hosting Services

Web hosting is an essential aspect of website management. Choose a reliable hosting provider that offers fast loading speeds, excellent uptime, and reliable customer support. Consider factors such as storage space, bandwidth, and security features when selecting a hosting plan.

4. Selecting the Perfect User Experience WordPress Theme

Importance of User Experience in Web Design

User experience plays a crucial role in web design. A well-designed realtor website should prioritize ease of use, intuitive navigation, and quick access to important information. Users should be able to find listings, contact information, and other relevant details with minimal effort.

Top User Experience WordPress Themes for Realtors

When choosing a WordPress theme for your realtor website, consider themes that prioritize user experience. Some popular options include:

• WP Residence
• Astra
• Houzes
• Real Estate Lite
• CitiLights
• Divi RealEstate
• Real Spaces
• WP Pro Real Estate 7
• Homeland
• HomePress

Choose a theme that aligns with your branding, offers customization options, and is optimized for mobile devices.

5. Designing a Website for Realtors in Marbella

Creating a User-Friendly Layout and Navigation

When designing your realtor website, prioritize a user-friendly layout and navigation. Ensure that important pages, such as listings, contact information, and services, are easily accessible. Use clear headings, subheadings, and menus to guide visitors through your website.

Incorporating a Responsive Design

In today’s mobile-dominated world, it is crucial to have a responsive website design. A responsive design ensures that your website adapts seamlessly to different screen sizes and devices, providing an optimal browsing experience for both desktop and mobile users.

Implementing a Clean and Professional Design

A clean and professional design can make a significant impact on the perception of your real estate business. Use high-quality images, consistent branding elements, and a visually appealing color scheme. Avoid clutter and ensure that your website is easy to read and navigate.

6. Enhancing Lead Generation through Effective Web Design

Creating Compelling Call-to-Actions

A well-designed realtor website should include compelling call-to-action (CTA) elements. These can be in the form of buttons, contact forms, or prominent text prompts that encourage visitors to take action, such as contacting you for more information or scheduling a consultation.

Optimizing Lead Capture Forms

Lead capture forms are essential for capturing visitor information and generating leads. Optimize your forms by keeping them simple, requesting only necessary information, and ensuring that they are easy to fill out. Consider using plugins or tools that integrate with your CRM system for efficient lead management.

Offering Valuable Lead Magnets

Lead magnets are incentives that you offer in exchange for visitors’ contact information. These can include free e-books, market reports, or exclusive access to property listings. Design visually appealing lead magnets that provide value to potential clients and encourage them to provide their contact details.

7. Implementing SEO Strategies for Realtor Websites

Understanding the Basics of SEO

Search engine optimization (SEO) is crucial for improving the visibility of your realtor website in search engine results. Understand the basics of SEO, including keyword research, on-page optimization, and creating high-quality content that appeals to both search engines and human readers.

Conducting Keyword Research for Realtors in Marbella

Keyword research is essential for identifying the phrases and terms potential clients are searching for when looking for real estate services in Marbella. Use keyword research tools to find relevant keywords with high search volume and low competition. Incorporate these keywords strategically into your website content and meta tags.

Optimizing On-Page Elements for Search Engines

Optimize your realtor website’s on-page elements to improve its visibility in search engine results. This includes optimizing page titles, meta descriptions, heading tags, and image alt tags. Use relevant keywords strategically but avoid keyword stuffing, which can negatively impact your website’s ranking.

WordPress SEO by Yoast: This is an essential plugin for real estate websites because it allows you to customize almost every element of each page without having to know HTML or CSS coding.

All in One SEO Pack: This is another great real estate WordPress plugin for optimizing all of your web pages, where you can easily change the page titles, descriptions, and more without knowing HTML/CSS. It even helps with canonicalization across sub-domains to ensure search engines know which pages are related on multiple domains within the same real estate website.

8. Incorporating Listings and Resales Online

Showcasing Properties and Listings

One of the primary purposes of a realtor website is to showcase properties and listings. Create visually appealing property listings with high-quality images, detailed descriptions, and key features. Include search filters and sorting options to help visitors find properties that match their criteria.

Providing Interactive Search Tools

Enhance user experience by incorporating interactive search tools on your realtor website. These tools can include advanced search filters, map-based property search, and saved search functionalities. Make it easy for visitors to find relevant properties and explore your listings in a user-friendly manner.

Integrating Online Resales Platforms

Consider integrating online resales platform into your realtor website to provide additional value to potential clients. These platforms allow users to browse resale properties directly from your website, streamlining the buying process and enhancing the user experience. It also offers a module for all new developments for sale on the Costa del Sol.

9. Utilizing Plugins and Tools to Improve Web Design

Essential WordPress Plugins for Realtor Websites

WordPress offers a wide range of plugins to enhance the functionality and design of your realtor website. Some essential plugins for realtors include:

• Estatik
• Easy Property Listings
• IMPress
• WP-Property
• Realtyna WPL Real Estate
• Essential Real Estate
• WP Amortization Calculator
• WP Real Estate
• WPCCasa
• Home Value WordPress Plugin

Choose plugins that align with your specific requirements and integrate seamlessly with your realtor website.

Implementing Tools for Enhanced Functionality

In addition to plugins, consider implementing additional tools to enhance the functionality of your realtor website. These can include live chat tools for real-time customer support, CRM integration for efficient lead management, and analytics tools to track website performance and visitor behavior.

More from our online marketing blog

• The 8 Digital Marketing Trends That Will Define 2026: A Complete Strategy Guide
• Top 5 Pain Points for Costa del Sol Real Estate Agencies in Online Marketing
• Unlock the Secrets to Selling Real Estate Like Crazy on the Costa del Sol
• How to Choose the Best Digital Marketing Agencies for Your Business
• Real Estate Lead Generation: Proven Techniques for Success

10. The Role of Content Marketing in Web Design

Creating Engaging and Valuable Content

Content marketing plays a crucial role in web design for realtors. Create engaging and valuable content that appeals to your target audience. This can include blog posts, articles, market reports, and informative guides related to real estate in Marbella. Focus on providing information that is relevant, informative, and helpful to potential clients.

Establishing a Content Marketing Strategy

Develop a content marketing strategy to guide your website’s design and ongoing content creation efforts. Identify your target audience, their needs, and the topics they are interested in. Plan your content calendar, including the frequency of blog posts and other content types, and allocate resources for content creation and promotion.

Leveraging Content for Lead Generation

Utilize your content to drive lead generation for your real estate business. Incorporate lead capture forms, calls-to-action, and lead magnets within your content to encourage visitors to provide their contact information. Create landing pages for specific offers and optimize them for conversion.

11. Regular Maintenance and Tracking of Realtor Websites

Ensuring Website Security and Updates

Regular website maintenance is crucial for ensuring optimal performance and security. Keep your website’s themes, plugins, and core files up to date to prevent vulnerabilities. Regularly backup your website to protect against data loss.

Tracking Key Metrics for Performance Evaluation

Monitor key metrics to evaluate the performance of your realtor website. Track metrics such as website traffic, bounce rate, time on site, and conversion rates. Use tools like Google Analytics to gain insights into user behavior and make data-driven decisions to improve your website’s performance.

Conducting Regular Website Maintenance

Perform regular website maintenance tasks, such as checking for broken links, fixing coding issues, and updating content. Regularly review and update your website’s design elements to ensure a fresh and modern appearance. Continuously optimize your website for search engines and user experience.

12. Conclusion: Realtor website design Marbella – The ultimate guide

In conclusion, web design plays a crucial role in creating a successful online presence for realtors in Marbella. By choosing the right platform, domain name, and hosting, selecting a user-friendly WordPress theme, and incorporating effective lead generation and SEO strategies, you can create an engaging and high-performing realtor website. Regular maintenance and tracking will ensure that your website continues to attract potential clients and generate leads. With the right web design, your real estate business in Marbella can thrive in the digital landscape.

FML Marketing are realtor website design experts. We operate from Estepona, near Marbella on the Costa del Sol. Thank you for reading: Realtor website design Marbella: The ultimate guide.

The post Realtor website design Marbella: The Ultimate Guide appeared first on FML Marketing.

Times are changing

Before 2005, most websites were created manually. By this, we mean that the source code is written by hand. A web designer has to know various programming languages such as HTML, CSS, javascript, and PHP, for example, in order to be able to deliver a professional website that meets the client’s requirements. Nowadays there are many more website software possibilities for creating a website. Even without knowledge of programming languages and source codes, you can have a professional website made. There are various software packages that write this programming language for you, as it were.

3 possibilities in terms of website software

Roughly speaking, the possibilities for creating a new website can be reduced to 3 main categories:

• Manually coded websites
• SaaS solutions
• CMS systems

This enumeration is somewhat simplified. There are solutions that fall between the above categories, so-called niche products. Because these niche products do not necessarily add anything to this article and we would like to keep it clear, these have been left out here.

1. Manually encoded website

Manually coded websites are tailored to the exact needs of the client. They can be as simple or as complex as you like. Design and functionalities can be put together completely according to your wishes. You really start with a white sheet and everything is built completely ‘from the ground up’. Commonly used software for creating manually coded websites is Adobe Dreamweaver, Google Web Designer, WebStorm, KompoZer and for example Coda.

Advantages of this website software

Because it is completely custom made, a manually coded website can fully meet your requirements. It has been developed specifically according to your wishes and situation. Another advantage of a ‘hand-coded’ website is that it is almost always safer than a CMS system, provided it is well developed of course. By ‘good’ we mean according to industry standards with an extra layer of security if necessary. Hacking a ‘standard’ CMS system is generally more attractive than hacking handmade software because with the popular software a hacker can abuse many websites at the same time.

Disadvantages of this website software

A handmade solution will cost you more time and money, as opposed to using a standard system. The starting rate for a complete custom solution is quickly about € 5000,- to € 10.000. If you have a more extensive website with specific functionalities, this can be as much as € 25.000,-. For an extensive website with advanced functionalities, the amounts can be as much as € 100.000,- or a multiple of this.

2. SaaS solution / Website builder

In addition to a hand-encoded website, you can also opt for website software in the form of a SaaS solution. SaaS (Software as a service) is a service in which a software application is offered via the internet instead of being installed on a computer or server. With a SaaS solution, your website is hosted on the server of the provider. You pay for the use of the software and receive a license that allows you to use the platform. You do not own the software, but by purchasing licenses you have the right to use the software. Examples of SaaS solutions such as website builders are Jimdo, Wix, and Weebly.

With ‘website builders’ you can build a website without design skills and knowledge of programming language. Website builders offer various themes (designs) and built-in functionality. You choose a theme and can start filling the content, i.e. placing text, images, and videos. With most website builders you can also make a number of standard changes to the design of the theme by moving certain blocks with the so-called ‘drag and drop’ function.

Advantages of this website software

The biggest advantage of website builders is, of course, the ease of use. Without technical knowledge, anyone can make a professional website.

Disadvantages of this website software

The main disadvantage of such solutions is their lack of flexibility. The adjustment options will be largely limited to choosing colors and shifting ‘movable’ blocks. So you can’t add custom functions or styles that aren’t included in the website builder. Although website builders like Wix or Jimdo seem attractive because of their simplicity, they lack a dynamic power compared to a CMS system.

3. CMS platforms

Content Management Systems are systems that allow you to create a professional website without any technical knowledge. CMS systems differ from website builders because they contain basic functionality that can be expanded with various ‘add-ons’.

A CMS is a piece of software that has already been built by a company or an individual and is now offered for mass use. Some of these CMS systems are commercial, so you have to pay a license or usage fee for them. Other CMS systems are ‘open source’ and therefore free to use. Open source means that the source code is completely open and freely available to absolutely everyone. You can download the code for free, after which you can get started yourself or together with a development team.

The CMS market is very diverse. The solutions differ per form, functionality, and cost. In general, CMS systems can be divided into 2 categories:

• Open-source CMS platforms (WordPress, Joomla, Drupal)
• Enterprise CMS systems (Adobe, Microsoft Sharepoint, Oracle WebCenter).

3a. Open Source CMS systems

Open source is software whose source code (sources) has been published and is freely available to everyone. Anyone can and may copy, modify, supplement, and distribute this software without any cost in terms of copyrights and/or surcharges.

An open-source CMS system can be used for free and can be modified as often as you like. A lot of work is done with add-ons, parts or functions that you can add to your website. Some parts (themes and plugins) can also be paid for or work with for example license fees. Even with paid parts, you are free to change them to your own wishes.

Because of the diversity, knowledge of the CMS is a prerequisite for a professional result. You have to think carefully in advance about which functions you want to implement and make a choice in the various add-ons (called plugins) that meet this need. In most cases, these plug-ins have to be configured manually.

For setting up a website based on a CMS platform, technical knowledge is an advantage. Basically it is possible to use such a CMS platform without technical knowledge to create a website. If you are not demanding and have the time to get to know such CMS systems, then this is certainly possible. If you really want to provide a professional website with various functionalities, then you still need to hire a specialist who can help you with the technical realization of your website.

TOP 3 CMS platforms

The top 3 CMS platforms are:

WordPress (58.9% market share)
Drupal (7% market share)
Joomla (4.7% market share)
WordPress is by far the most popular platform with a market share of almost 60%. open-source CMS is a perfect solution for small and medium-sized companies with an average budget. You can develop fairly quickly, are flexible and have a scalable website that can grow with your business. When it comes to webshops (e-commerce), Magento is the most popular CMS platform.

Advantages of this website software

Compared to website builders, CMS systems offer much more flexibility. You have thousands of themes (designs) to choose from that can still be adapted to your own wishes, provided you have the technical knowledge (HTML, CSS, PHP, javascript). In addition, you can add all kinds of functionalities with the help of plugins. These functionalities can also be adapted to your own wishes if you have the technical knowledge. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel, but start from a base developed by another company or individual and adapt it to your own wishes.

Disadvantages of this website software

A disadvantage of an open-source CMS system is that it is more vulnerable than a manually encoded website or an enterprise CMS system that we will discuss in the next chapter. This is mainly because it is more interesting for hackers to attack a popular open-source system than a custom-made website because with the popular systems a hacker can ‘abuse’ many websites at the same time. Technical knowledge and understanding of the CMS system is very important in this respect. You have to know the do’s and don’ts to be able to adequately secure your website. Open-source CMS systems are not necessarily unsafe, but you need to use them properly, secure them and keep the software up-to-date.

3b. Enterprise CMS systems

Enterprise CMS systems are complex proprietary systems designed for large organizations. According to research, organizations go for an enterprise solution in the following situations:

• Complex websites in terms of cross-channel, contextual and interactive customer experiences for robust websites
• Integrations with other systems
• System must support multiple websites with many languages
• Have a substantial budget
• In other words, these systems are made for large companies with complex user interactions and complex operations. Therefore, enterprise CMS systems are also robust and feature-rich to meet these needs.

Advantages of this website software

Enterprise CMS systems are highly advanced and rich in functionality. Because these are commercial products, there is often good support. This applies to both system updates and technical support.

Disadvantages of this website software

The main disadvantage of such solutions is the price. An enterprise CMS solution can easily have a price of six digits. Another disadvantage is the limited flexibility compared to a manually coded website. The capabilities of such systems are very extensive but at the same time the limiting factor.

Conclusion

Manually encoded website software

Manually encoded websites offer a great deal of flexibility. They are built from the ground up and can be developed entirely according to your own wishes. Yet, the development time is quite long and the costs are high. Manually coded websites quickly exceed € 10.000,- and can cost up to 6 digits depending on your wishes and the size of the website. Manually coded websites are in a good solution for large companies with a large budget and very specific needs.

SaaS solution

Website builders or SaaS solutions (such as Jimdo and Wix) are the easiest to use and the fastest development time. Nevertheless, you have to be satisfied with the functionality and styles they offer, because you can’t change much and the flexibility is nil. Prices for using a website builder are quite favorable compared to the other options and are about € 15,- per month depending on your needs. A SaaS solution is an excellent option for a hobbyist who wants to make his own website.

Open-source CMS platform

Open-source CMS platforms (such as WordPress and Drupal) offer more room for customization, but you do need to have some technical knowledge or hire a platform expert. Possibilities are almost endless, you are flexible and your website is highly scalable so it can grow with your company. The development time is short and you should be able to launch your website pretty quickly. Security is a point of attention, especially when processing personal data. It is important that you call in a platform expert who can take precautions regarding the security of your website. Prices for a website based on an open-source CMS are between € 500,- and € 10.000,- depending on your wishes and the size of your website.

Enterprise CMS platform

As far as enterprise-level systems (such as Adobe Experience Manager) are concerned, most of them offer advanced functionality for managing multiple websites, channels, and complex organizational processes. Enterprise CMS platforms are very expensive and quite flexible. An enterprise CMS is a good option for a large company with a large budget without very specific requirements in terms of functionalities.

About FML Marketing 

We thank you for reading our blog What website software? Choose the best website software! FML Marketing is a digital marketing agency located in Estepona. Our team specializes in web design, search engine optimization, social media solutions, and graphic design.

More website and web design related articles

The clear and present danger of not owning your website 

Latest articles

The 8 Digital Marketing Trends That Will Define 2026: A Complete Strategy Guide

The digital marketing landscape is evolving at breakneck speed, and if you’re still relying on [Read more]

15
Dec

Top 5 Pain Points for Costa del Sol Real Estate Agencies in Online Marketing

1. Extreme Competition & Market Saturation Implication: For many agencies on the Costa del Sol, the [Read more]

04
Dec

Unlock the Secrets to Selling Real Estate Like Crazy on the Costa del Sol

Are you a real estate professional struggling to stand out in the competitive Costa del [Read more]

23
Oct

How to Choose the Best Digital Marketing Agencies for Your Business

02/11/2024

Companies working with digital marketing agencies see 34% higher revenue growth compared to those handling marketing in-house. [Read more]

Real Estate Lead Generation: Proven Techniques for Success

02/11/2024

Lead generation powers the success of real estate agents and brokers in today’s competitive market. [Read more]

The Ultimate Guide to Google Ads Agency: Expert PPC Management to Boost Your Business

30/07/2024

In today’s digital landscape, businesses are constantly searching for effective ways to boost their online [Read more]

The post What website software? Choose the best website software! appeared first on FML Marketing.

Compare it to decorating your house. Every once in a while you add new stuff to your house. A side table, or perhaps a new color paint for the wall. The same story repeats itself in the world of web design. You must take a long-term approach to the design and maintenance of your website. Let’s take a look at why this is really important

The clear and present danger of not ‘owning’ your website

• My uncle made my website and he is the only one with the access
• My web designer is the only one that has access to my website
• This web designer left me with a homegrown CMS (Content Management System)

This is just a short list of common errors. I hear them allllll the time. Very unlucky if you suffer from this problem too! Because if you have zero control over your website, you are in for bad times…

Web Design…why long-term is winning

So what are the dangers of not owning your website? Let’s take a look at several scenarios that we encountered the last couple of years.

• Emails are not reaching you. People that require your service or product are neglected. This costs money and hurts your reputation.
• People think your website is shit. Another variant to the point above. Your website looks so terrible that people refuse to contact you, or make purchases.
• Your website content is outdated. But your uncle, or BUSY web designer, never respond to you. Do you leave your money on the table too when you leave a restaurant?
• I have a new phone number. But your website is featuring your old one. Now you need to change it, but how!? Your uncle, or BUSY web designer, are both still BUSY!
• The website is not protected.
• Your website is not SEO optimized.

Why is this happening!?

• My Web Design Agency charges me a fortune!

We have a client that was once charged with €495 to update 12 plugins in WordPress. That is stealing in the finest form. Updating plugins in WordPress take about minutes and often, DOES NOT REQUIRE manual work! So be aware of dodgy web design agencies that are trying to bleed you dry!

• My website sucks! But eh…it is family

Ok, this is about the saddest thing I have ever heard. Let’s break this down. One of your family members is an expert in web design (made two lame websites ever) and now he is in charge of your new business website. So this inexperienced person is in charge of your digital brand. YOUR BRAND!

I mean, that is just outrageous. About the saddest thing, I have EVER heard. Your business is hurt. You are losing money. But YOUR FAMILY could not care any less. But I guess the fun and jokes on the regular birthday parties make up for all that…

• My website is built with a NONO CMS

Writing is code is probably not your core, or am I wrong? Allow me to spill the beans. YOU DON’T NEED CODING EXPERIENCE TO MAKE SMALL EDITS TO YOUR WEBSITE! But here is the catch. Provided that your website is built with WordPress, and features a modern WordPress theme! With a few hours of CMS training, you will be able to make minor updates to your own website. Such as changing your mobile number, email address, or some pictures perhaps of your latest project.

Get your act together, take the professional road

Don’t comprise on bad quality. Don’t be overcharged. Send your uncle on a holiday and hold possession of your website credentials. Your access details. Get back behind the driver seat. And you will retake control over one of the most vital parts of your business, your website! Your lead generator. The 24/7 salesman. Your online powerhouse that never gets tired of educating your audience (FUTURE CLIENTS!). Thank you for reading our blog. FML Marketing is a Dutch Web Design agency in the Marbella area.

For more Web Design Tips, please check our blog regularly!

Why Free Websites often don’t deliver any value

What is Web Hosting?

4 key features of your new website

Questions? Contact FML Marketing!

The post The clear and present danger of not ‘owning’ your website appeared first on FML Marketing.

FML Marketing is a professional website design agency based in Marbella, Costa del Sol. Fully responsive and mobile friendly WordPress websites. SEO-Optimized. Extra in this blog: 11 reasons why your website don’t get any traffic from Google.

We regularly speak with prospects who want to build a new WordPress website or WooCommerce webshop. We have learned to ask a large number of questions in order to collect as much information as possible about the customer and the new website or webshop to be built. The rule is that you can never have too much information beforehand. After all, getting stuck during the development process because the information is not clear is in nobody’s favour.

Few people ask questions

What strikes me is that actually few concrete questions are asked during a first meeting. If you are going to buy a new car, do you also want to know everything about that car and if you are offered a new job, do you continue to ask yourself if this is for you? I am happy when potential customers ask us questions as this indicates that they have thought carefully about what they want to achieve with their new marketing machine.

You and your web design agency

To help you with a conversation with a random web design agency, we have written down a number of questions that you could ask.

1.Experience with SEO – Search Engine Optimization?

If you ask what SEO experience a web designer has, I hope that the answer will be more extensive than: “I know how to get a green ball in Yoast.”

Unfortunately, it turns out in practice that SEO companies promise golden mountains, but that you end up with literally nothing.

Simply ask for results. A good web design agency will measure the positions in Google to show that after going live a redesign or a completely new website there is a measurable difference in the positions in the search engines.

Is it a bad sign if you are told that this is not being done? No. Simple answer. Unless it is sold as if it were to be done. It is only a sign to you that you have to look further for an agency or consultant for search engine optimization. 

2. What is the experience with plugins?

WordPress uses a theme with various plugins for more functionality. I wrote several times about different plugins and the influence of plugins on the speed of your website.

Do we know a standard plugin as a solution to every problem? No. We also regularly look for a suitable plug-in for a new website. But in the meantime, we have built up a reasonable arsenal of reliable plugins that we can use.

Do you want a multilingual website or webshop? Then it’s really not useful if your web designer does not have any experience with WPML or another plugin that makes multilingualism possible.

Do you want a registration form on your website that links you to your accounting program, your newsletter system and that automatically sends a PDF invoice, including registration confirmation to your customers? Then it is nice if your web designer has experience with this and can advise you on the best solution for your specific issue.

When you go to work with a webshop, I would certainly ask your web designer if he/she has experience with, for example, WP All Import. With this, you can quickly update your shop via an Excel sheet if you have many products. This saves you after the construction of your webshop hours in terms of filling your webshop. And your time is also worth money right?

Is a web designer a bad web designer if he does not know the above plugins or does not know the operation? Not necessarily. If the person in question does not know them, you could easily question the knowledge and experience. But of course, these plugins have good documentation and support since they are paid premium plugins.

3. Ask for a Portfolio

Before you approach a company you can of course already view the portfolio and see if this appeals to you. Here, however, you can be mistaken as not everything has to be online. 

From an online portfolio, you can often already pick out the style of a company. Do they mainly make business websites with a business look, focused on conversion? Or do they make beautiful designs where your search starts with the menu that you can not find? Also check here what fits your company.

Of course, it is good to ask for recent projects. There is a big chance that more projects have been completed at every company than there are online in the portfolio.

4. Do you have experience with WooCommerce?

If you do not plan to start a webshop then you may think that you do not need WooCommerce and that a web designer does not have to have any experience with it either. I’m going to nuance this a little bit.

Imagine you give workshops or training courses and have them pay at the moment by means of an invoice sent from your accounting program. It is possible that you do not currently need to adjust this. A missed opportunity if you do not know what the automation options are. It could be of course that you will need this later if your company grows. And then it’s nice if your web designer already has experience with this.

5. What do you do after delivery?

And then the moment: your new WordPress website is ready! Of course I do not want to spoil your party, but actually, it only starts now. From now on you will have to monitor the positions of your website, where are you found, where do visitors turn and what happens in the market of your industry, do you have to grow in this or make adjustments to your website?

So ask yourself what happens when your website is delivered. Who will manage the website, who will make minor adjustments, what if you consider that you want to make an action and need a landing page? A recent example of a customer who had a WordPress website built: the costs of developing a simple landing page came to 1300 euros! Given the website and the requested page, this amount was not really in proportion.

Who will monitor the positions of your website?

A new website is fun, but the intention is of course that you will also be found better. In any case, your positions in the search engines should not deteriorate. Believe me, I regularly get customers who have no idea what their positions are and what their website scores well on. In order to be able to make a good business strategy, this is in my view essential information. If you have no idea of this, make sure that you get this clear first, chances are you will throw money over the bar.

6. Who will do the maintenance of the website?

In addition to the points mentioned in point 6, it is also important that the updates of WordPress, theme and plugins are implemented regularly. Why? With this, you largely ensure that your website remains safe as leaks are plugged into new versions. But plugins or themes can also implement performance improvements that are important for the speed of your website. An important part of your SEO strategy.

Roughly, you have two choices: you are going to take care of maintenance on the website yourself or you completely outsource the maintenance of your website. If you want to outsource it, ask how often updates are implemented. I regularly come across websites that are updated once a month. In our view, this is really too little. Recently, with the introduction of the new AVG, for example, we saw almost daily plugins that were updated to comply with the new legislation.

If you choose to carry out the maintenance yourself, make sure that this is guaranteed within your organization. If you are alone, set a number of fixed moments in your agenda for a year ahead. Or appoint someone within your company who is responsible and plan moments together. This prevents the updates from being forgotten in your organization.

Even if you outsource the maintenance of your website, make sure you have an administrator account of the website. In case of calamities, you can at least log in and change things where necessary. Discuss this in advance so that you will not be surprised afterwards.

About FML Marketing – Website Design Agency Marbella

FML Marketing is a young, digital marketing agency located in Estepona and Marbella on the Costa del Sol. We provide the following services:

• Website design services Marbella
• Website rebranding and restyling
• SEO consultancy
• SEO SEM Adwords management
• Keyword Research
• SEO-optimized content marketing
• Social Media Management
• Video Marketing

Visit our online marketing service page to learn more about how we work and the components of our marketing services.

EXTRA – 11 reasons your new website lacks traffic

You recently developed or commissioned a website. You are proud of the result and keep track of your statistics to know how many visits you make daily or weekly. Unfortunately, the result is disappointing and you hoped for hundreds of visitors, but it is only limited to a few per day. Do you recognize this situation and wonder why people do not visit your website? Perhaps one or more of these 11 options are the cause.

A possible cause could be that search engine Google cannot index your website. Check your settings to make sure your site is searchable by search engines.

It starts at the base

Other causes may be that the structure, the basis of your website, is not well structured or information is bad. Check whether your menu (the navigation of your site) is well structured and is tailored to the demand of your target group.

Content as a cause?

In addition to causes in the structure and structure, the problem can also be the content on your website. By regularly publishing relevant and interesting content for your target audience, your website will be included more quickly in Google’s search results. Check what your target audience finds interesting and find out which keywords they use in Google to find a solution to their problem or question.

Do you want to know all 11 possible causes and improve your website? Then scroll down to view the infographic.

The post Website design services Marbella and the questions you must ask appeared first on FML Marketing.

Web design agency Marbella – 4 features of a killer website

Not only in the IT-sector, but also for small and medium-sized businesses, a good, optimally functioning website is very important. After all, it is the online business card for the company, and for many potential customers the portal to the use of your product or service. But how should such a website look like and where should it comply? Especially when it is not your core business, building and maintaining a website can be a difficult task.

Web design agency Marbella – 4 important website features

In this blog, we share the 4 most important functions and features of a website for small and medium-sized businesses. 

1. Clarity

Make sure that the website is not too “busy”. When trying to put as much information as possible on one page, things quickly become chaotic. People don’t like that, and this results in a high bounce rate on your new website. Keep it clear: choose a clear, unambiguous layout and show only the necessary information. Less is more we say!

Check out this infographic by Hubspot on how to reduce your websites bounce rate effectively.

2. Usability

A good website is easy to navigate. Make sure that you can easily jump through the different pages. Not too many buttons, not too many pages. Make sure that the visitor knows from the landing page how to get to a specific page. this page could be a service or product, but make sure that the ‘path’ is clear and easy to navigate.

3.Safety

Offer your visitors (and not unimportant: yourself) a secure website. Ensure that entered (personal) details cannot be provided to third parties. This can be achieved quite simply by using an SSL-certified connection. This can be recognized by the letters https and the presence of a padlock in the address bar.

4. Contact

Make sure that the contact with the visitors is made as optimal and easy as possible. Mention e-mail addresses and telephone numbers on a contact page that is easy to find and possibly refer to your own social media channels. This may all sound very logical, but remarkably, many websites lack contact details, or they are extremely difficult to find. You can also make it easy for prospective customers by setting up an online contact form.

Web design agency Marbella

Naturally, a good website contains more important features and plugins. In this post we have shares the 4 basic for example:

• Schema markup
• SEO
• Analytics and monitoring service
• Page speed optimization
• high-quality content
• Mobile features
• etc.

FML Marketing specializes in delivering high-quality WordPress Web Design and Brand Identities for companies in Estepona, Marbella and San Pedro de Alcántara on the Costa del Sol. If you have a question about web design, or if you are looking for a new website, please don’t hesitate to contact us. You can find our contact details easily on this page in the header and footer, or simply fill on the contact form below.

Thank you for reading our Costa del Sol marketing blog!

The post Web design agency Marbella: 4 key website features appeared first on FML Marketing.

Small businesses, freelancers, artists, bloggers, webshops…we all need functional and beautiful websites. But for real estate businesses its increasingly important. Take for example the real estate sector on the Costa del Sol. The market is thriving! New developments are ‘showing up’ everywhere. Mostly in and around Estepona, or located on the so-called New Golden Mile. 

Web Design ideas for your Marbella real estate business

In this post, we have gathered some material purely for inspirational purposes. If you would like more information about the possibilities of WordPress, or the SEO capabilities of modern web design, please contact us at the bottom of the blog.

Real Estate web design ideas

Did you know The New York Times, The Huffington Post, BBC America, and Sony Music all use WordPress for their websites? This CMS (Content Management system) is best practice today. Mostly thanks to its flexibility, ease of use and the numerous amount of useful plugins. The examples of real estate websites that we re about to unveil are all developed with WordPress.

The search starts online

Nowadays, most of the real estate customers begin the search for a home online. Of course, the sales are still made in and around the office, but the sales journey start online. 80% of real estate buyers, both private as corporate, consult Google or other search engines before they make their first contact to real estate agents.

So your online presence i.e. your website is the first real impression they have about your company. Needless to say, make it count! Your possibilities are endless. View all example websites on our Pinterest page and get inspired! Use the button to access. 

View real estate examples

Thank you for your time reading our web design blog. If you would like more info, please use the contact form here below. And…don’t forget to like, share and inspire!

CONTACT

Learn more about modern web design and the SEO benefits of working with FML Marketing.

about us

read more

The post Web Design ideas for your Marbella real estate business appeared first on FML Marketing.

Website marketing Costa del Sol

If your answer is ‘no’, then here in this article I have 5 valuable website marketing tips that can help you get on the road of internet marketing and improve your website. The result: an internet marketing website that helps your company to generate customers via the internet and generate leads!

Website Marketing tips – 1. It is actually not about you

Your website (if you do it right) is not about your company, but about the problems and wishes of your visitor and what you, therefore, have to offer him. That is a world of difference. The best way to put your visitor first is to appeal to him and pay attention to his needs/ problems/dilemmas and ultimately your solution!

Website Marketing tips – 2. Be punctual and clear.

Visitors (just like you) quickly search via Google for a service/product. As soon as they arrive on a website, they want to immediately feel/know where they are. Can I find what I am looking for here? Where am I? What do they have to offer me? In short: a hard first impression is needed to give the searching customer something to hold on to. The more unique / more different the better.

Most SME websites do not convince! Inform them. You get laps of text about a working method, a process or a long description of how something works. But visitors find that only partly interesting. What they find interesting is ‘What does it deliver?’, The result of what you have to offer on the highest form. Convincing means selling holes, not drilling!

Website marketing tip – 3. Create conversion paths!

An internet marketing website leads its visitors to the desired target pages. What do you want your visitors to do? Dial? Fill in a contact form? Purchase a small service? Download an article? Request information? Sign up for the newsletter? Determining and integrating these conversion paths in your website encourages visitors to take action, this is conversion optimization!

Website marketing tips – 4. Lower the threshold

For everything you tell or what you want your visitors to do, low threshold is the magic word. If you want them to fill out a contact form, make this form as short as possible. If you want them to fill out a form at all, indicate that it is non-committal. The more accessible your website is, the easier visitors will take action! Research what the prominent addition of a phone number does!

Website marketing tips – 5. Make your internet marketing website findable

A bonus tip that is more about attracting visitors. It is important to know which keywords you want to be found. How much volume is there? How much competition is there? Creating separate ‘landing pages’ for these keywords ensures a qualitative visit. Also read: Qualitative visit through conversion-oriented SEO landing pages. This article is meant to give you an impression of what is possible to transform your internet marketing website into an online marketing machine. You will not be the first to recruit more than 70% of its customers via its website. Check our Search Engine Optimization page for more details!

Thank you for reading FML’s marketing blog

Do you also want to attract more leads, requests and customers via your website? We would like to help you with this. Contact us for more information.

The post 5 website marketing tips for Costa del Sol companies appeared first on FML Marketing.

Website Design: What is an SSL certificate?

An SSL connection is an encrypted connection between the visitor of your website and the server. You can easily identify an SSL connection with the URL in the address bar of your browser (https://www.domain.com), the lock before or after the URL or a green bar.

Why an SSL certificate?

An SSL certificate gives a visitor the confidence that their personal data is handled securely and that malicious parties can not intercept the data if they are entered on the website.

Moreover, you comply with the new legislation in this way, because you ensure that the traffic to and from your website proceeds securely. The certificate provides for the encryption of the connection and for checking the identity of your website. This prevents others from being able to read, but you also prevent information that is sent to your website or sent from the website can be modified.

Different forms of SSL certificates:

• Extended Validation (EV): this is the highest level of validation and gives the visitor 100% guarantee that the visited website is optimally secured;
• Organization Validation (OV): just as with EV, your company is controlled by the Chamber of Commerce, but if you do not use any financial or personal data on your website, you better opt for OV;
• Domain validation (DV): limited level of protection, intended for websites with few visitors or an intranet;
• Multi-domain: if you have multiple websites this is the best solution and cost-saving. There are also multi-domain certificates with EV, so extra safe;
• Wildcard: if you have multiple subdomains on one server that you want to secure, this is a cheap and easy solution.

VIDEO – How to apply an SSL certificate to your website

Contact FML Marketing is you would like to learn more about the benefits of SSL secured websites, or advice when purchasing an SSL certificate. We will gladly help you!

FML – The creative marketing agency in Marbella, Estepona and San Pedro

FML Marketing is a creative, digital marketing agency located in Estepona. You will find our office on Avenida Litoral 45 when entering Estepona from the A-7 from Marbella. We support local and International businesses with Web Design, Website Maintenance, Search Engine Optimization, and digital marketing (social media). Contact us via (+34) 6 50 80 12 43 or via info@fmlmarketing.com

The post Website Design: why an SSL certificate gives confidence appeared first on FML Marketing.

Typography Web Design

For those reasons alone, typography, the art of designing text, should be a top priority for any web designer. And, a readable website is a better website, something that every marketer likes to work with. In this blog post, we will review 7 simple rules that you remember best for your next project.

1. KEEP THE NUMBER OF FONTS MINIMUM

When using 3 different fonts you get the feeling that the website is unstructured and unprofessional. Also keep in mind that different sizes and styles will benefit your layout apart from each other. Try to limit the number of font families (two is a lot, one is often sufficient) and stay through the entire website with your choice. If you use more than one font then make sure that they complement each other on the basis of their letter width. The combination of Georgia and Verdana are made for each other while Baskerville and Impact will never know a ‘happy ending’.

2. CHOOSE STANDARD FONTS

Services such as Google Web Fonts and typekit have made it possible to use sexy and exotic fonts that can give your website that extra fresh, unexpected touch. But people are simply the habit of reading animals and texts with a familiar letter type easier and easier. If your website has a valid argument for an alternative font, such as branding or creating a compelling experience, you should stay with standard fonts such as Arial or Calibri.

3. REST LIMIT LENGTH

To promote readability it is very important to use the correct number of characters per line. Do not let design decide on the width of your texts. A pleasant average is 60 characters per line. If a line is too short, the eye must constantly move forward, which disrupts the reading rhythm of the user. If the rule is too long, the eye has difficulties to focus on the right rule and it strays quickly. For smaller screens, we recommend 30-40 characters per line. Below we see an example of 2 mobile websites. The first one uses 50-75 characters per line (which is ok for print and desktop), while the second website uses 30-40 characters.

Read more about web design 

1.What makes a web design and development agency good?

2.Website Builder: 8 characteristics of an effective website

4. CHOOSE A FONT THAT WORKS FOR ALL THE BIGS

More and more people visit your website mobile, which ensures that you have to take into account different sizes and resolutions. Many interface elements are scalable (buttons, labels, headers, etc.). It is important to choose a font that is readable in different formats. The standard format for websites is 16pt. Do not be tempted by the sexy curves of Vivaldi and avoid cursive fonts at all times. Always go for the most readable option.

5. SELECT A FONT TYPE WITH DISTINCTIVE LETTERS

Many fonts have similar characteristics for letters, especially i’s and l’s are a problem. Another problem that often occurs is between r and n. Due to a limited number of letters, it seems that both letters form an m.

6. DO NOT REDUCE THE SET DISTANCE 

A correct line spacing promotes reading. It has even been proven that a correct line spacing also benefits reading comprehension by 20%. A good line spacing is 30% larger than the font size. Some factors that play a role in the line spacing are: size, thickness, capitalization, spacing, etc.

7. CARE FOR SUFFICIENT CONTRAST

Ensure sufficient contrast between the color of your font and the background. The more contrast the text is, the faster the user can read your message. Do not forget to test on different screens. Each screen has its own specifications regarding contrast, saturation, sharpness, color temperature, etc.

The post 7 important tips for typography in web design appeared first on FML Marketing.

The purpose of a website is selling, convincing and informing. So we have to look for an agency that focuses on making the company more successful instead of creating a nice website.

Average costs for having a professional website made

How is the price for a new website established? The price of a website is generally determined by the hourly rate of the designer (and the other employees involved in the design) x the complexity of your desired website. The hourly rate of the designer is determined by his experience, knowledge and the overhead costs of the agency. A freelancer costs + -35 euros (beginner) 175 euros (very experienced) per hour A small web design agency costs 50 to 125 euros per hour And large development agencies can ask 75 to 250 euros per hour. With web design and development, in general, applies; the more costs, the more you get. Experience, knowledge, and creativity simply cost. Fortunately, the investment in a well-designed website is a long-term investment  (Return on investment/ROI).

The situation of what a website exactly costs is more complex

There are self-employed people who offer a website for 800 euros on a custom website (but technically they are never quite well). Two web design agencies that resemble at first sight, can come up with two totally different quotes for the same job. Due to the process used, the number of employees, the support, the expertise, creativity and the experience of the employees, the price can differ by a few thousand euros. And unfortunately, it is not easy for the untrained eye to see which web designer and web builder delivers quality and which does not. What a website looks like does not immediately say something about the quality of the website.

How much does web design and development cost?

Let’s start with a simplified answer.

1. With many (starting) independent web designers, you can get a nice simple website for around €800 that is reasonably structured (in terms of user-friendliness and design).

2. At web design agencies you can have a good website built for 1,500 and 5,000 euros. You pay for the extra experience, a team with specialists who will work on your website and that everything works just as well in 5 years from now. A professional, well-connected website.

3. Large complex websites, such as government websites, large web shops, well-known brands or companies with a lot of content, can even expect prices between €8,000 and €100,000 

4. If you have a limited budget as a starting self-employed person and / or a lot of time, you can of course choose to create your own website (manual), blog (manual) or webshop and buy a professional WordPress template. at Themeforest. You spend approximately €50 euros (and a fair amount of time).

Are there any costs per year or month?

Yes. With each option comes the costs of web hosting and the costs of a domain. A good professional WordPress hosting package costs around 10 euros per month. A domain name costs about 5-20 euros per year.

What makes a web design agency good?

What should you look for when choosing a web design agency? An excellent question. However, This question is difficult to answer. ‘How do we know that web design agency X is better than web design agency Y? The purpose of a website is selling, convincing and informing. So we have to look for an agency that focuses on making the company more successful (online) instead of creating a nice website.

Help to distinguish the good from not so good

• Read the text on the website. What is it about? Do they mention something about goals, sales, and conversion?
• How does their website work? Was it immediately clear what they are doing and what makes them unique? View the portfolio. Are these websites also easy to use? Is it obvious on every website in the portfolio what they do and what the visitor has to do? No? Then it is possible that they have only used their ‘skills’ with their own website.
• Are they moderately readable standard (bullshit) texts? Then chances are that they do not pay attention to marketing, usability, and conversion. Or do not value this.
• You can request a quote or information from the agencies where you have doubts and look at the professionalism of their offers.
• Do they ask before they send a quote to you about your goals? What do you want to achieve with your website? Then there is a reasonable chance that they have an understanding of things.
• Do they have a personal ‘about us’ page? Do they show their employees? Often the more personal and open they are, the more proud they are of their work (and that usually means that they also do a good job).
• Do they use a hard-to-read font? Then it may be that they do not focus enough on usability.

Web Design and Development: Price buying not recommendable

Do you want something that looks okay and costs a few hundred euros or do you want a user-friendly website with a wow factor that sells?

The post web design and development Marbella appeared first on FML Marketing.