Estate agents accept certain fixed costs as part of doing business. Property portals are one of them. Whether large or small, agencies pay to be present because visibility matters and cutting corners is not an option.
Websites, however, are often treated differently. Too often they are judged on appearance and price alone, rather than on the role they play in winning instructions. That mindset is now changing.
For over 25 years, Starberry, a Nurtur company, has designed, developed and marketed websites for estate agencies operating at every level of the market.
What has become increasingly clear is that websites are no longer just digital brochures. They are becoming the single most important owned asset in an agent’s marketing stack.
COMPOUNDING ASSET
Portals will always matter, but websites are becoming the asset that compounds. As AI search grows, agents who invest in a strong single source of truth will increasingly outperform those who don’t.
In a market where attention is harder to win and trust is harder to earn, websites built with intent are no longer optional. They are becoming one of the smartest long-term investments an estate agency can make.
BUILT TO GENERATE INSTRUCTIONS
The most effective estate agency websites share one defining characteristic. They are built to win more seller and landlord instructions.
That requires far more than strong visuals. It requires a deep understanding of how people behave when they are making one of the biggest financial decisions of their lives.
Sellers and landlords are cautious, comparison-driven and increasingly informed before they ever pick up the phone.
High-performing websites reflect this by focusing on:
- Clear content architecture that answers real questions, not marketing slogans
- Strong User Experience and User Interface that remove friction and build confidence quickly
- Messaging and tone of voice that balance brand personality with credibility
- Fast performance and intuitive journeys across all devices, especially mobile
These elements directly influence conversion rates. When they are overlooked, marketing spend is often forced to work harder just to stand still.
AI-DRIVEN SEARCH WORLD
Every estate agent understands the value of portals because they aggregate demand. What is changing is how people search outside of those portals.
More homeowners are now using AI-driven tools to research agents, understand local markets and shortlist who to contact.
In these environments, users are often directed to one authoritative source rather than 10 similar options. That shifts the role of the website. It becomes the single source of truth for an agency’s expertise, stock, advice and credibility.
Websites built with clear structure, strong content, sound SEO and AI optimisation are far more likely to be surfaced accurately in these searches. Those built purely for visual appeal often struggle to be interpreted at all.
PERFORMANCE MEASURED, NOT ASSUMED
One of the biggest differences between high-performing websites and underperforming ones is testing which needs to be treated as a core discipline.
- Cross-device and responsive testing
- Speed and performance optimisation
- Form and journey testing to prevent lead leakage
- CRO analysis to improve enquiry rates
- Advanced analytics to understand what drives instructions, not just traffic
Thorough testing allows for continuous improvement rather than guesswork.
Where the enquiry goes next still matters – generating more leads only has value if those leads are handled properly
Starberry websites are designed to integrate into the wider Nurtur ecosystem, allowing agencies to connect websites with lead management, automated nurture journeys, omni-channel chat and voice AI.
The result is faster response times, more consistent follow-up and higher conversion from enquiry to instruction.
EVOLVED WEBSITE ECOSYSTEM
Starberry’s foundations were built in fully bespoke enterprise delivery, using modern, performance-first architecture long before it became common in the sector.
Over time, those learnings were distilled into an ecosystem designed to meet different needs without compromising the fundamentals that drive instructions.
Different approaches, but all built on the same principle: no shortcuts on performance, usability or lead generation.
