We all know that every commercial mortgage broker needs a website that draws people in, including potential borrowers, referral sources and commercial mortgage leads. It’s a simple fact that in the digital age we live in, a strong, vital website is critical.

Most borrowers and referral sources looking to work with a mortgage broker are going to do some online research before deciding who to do business with. This means traditional advertising is no longer enough. In order to impress potential borrowers, your website needs to be professional, easy to navigate and informative.

Whether a borrower or referral source finds your business through an internet search, or is simply visiting your website after a phone conversation, the site needs to communicate that you are an expert and that you can help them find the funding they require.

A mortgage broker’s website is a crucial marketing tool for attracting leads. It needs to be promoted everywhere. All of your marketing materials should direct borrowers to your site so that they can learn more about how you can help them reach their goals through commercial financing. It’s important to invest plenty of time and effort in creating the best possible website for your company and for your potential clients.

Launch your website

If you don’t already have a website, creating one is the first step you need to take. Many companies benefit from hiring a professional to design their websites. There also are web applications that make it possible for anyone to develop a company website, often at little to no cost.

If you’re planning on tracking any information you collect through your site, however, or would like to track your site’s analytics, consider hiring a professional who specializes in SEO, or search engine optimization. SEO is the process of maximizing the number of visitors to a particular website by ensuring that the site appears high on the list of results returned by a search engine. SEO experts can help you to develop content that will drive potential borrowers and sources who can benefit from your services to your website.

When creating your site, be sure that it looks professional and that it’s user-friendly. You want the website to be easy to navigate, so clean, simple designs are a good choice. Make sure to use clear language so that borrowers and referral sources can quickly find the information they’re looking for.

Develop helpful content

Your website should be a mix of general, informative content about the commercial mortgage industry and information about your company. You’ll want to provide potential borrowers and referral sources with useful information to help them better understand commercial mortgages or any other financial-service products you offer.

It’s also important to sell your company and the benefits that borrowers and sources can expect when working with you. You should include pages about the products you offer, the documents you require to review a loan scenario and general information about your company.

Additionally, a blog focused on the commercial lending process and commercial mortgage news is a great way to show potential borrowers and sources that you are an expert in your field and can help them to obtain the financing they need for their commercial properties.

Another great way to provide content for your borrowers and sources is to post videos to your site. These add visual interest to the website while supplying more information about your company, loans you’ve recently closed, or general facts about the commercial mortgage industry or lending process.

Utilize calls to action

A call to action, or CTA, is a phrase designed to encourage an immediate response to a piece of marketing. Using CTAs on your website is a great way to collect more information about commercial mortgage leads.

Many companies use online forms so that borrowers can input their property information directly from their website. This allows borrowers to rapidly learn whether a broker can help them obtain a loan and it helps brokers weed through unqualified leads.

You also can encourage borrowers to call you with questions by including your company’s number on each page and instructing them to give you a call if they need more information. Additionally, you should use CTAs to direct borrowers to your website through e-mail and social-media marketing.

Update and promote

In order to stay competitive, it’s crucial to keep your website content looking fresh and relevant. The best way to ensure your site doesn’t look outdated is to stick with fairly simple designs, since a clean, professional site always looks modern.

You should routinely review your site and discuss with your team whether there are ways to make the website easier to use. User-friendliness should always be a major concern. If your site isn’t easy to navigate, most people won’t stay long. Posting new blogs and videos will always keep your content fresh, but it’s also important to review the static content, such as your “About Us” page and your program offerings, and make sure that nothing needs to be updated.

In addition, make sure you are directing potential borrowers and referral sources to your website so that they can learn more about how your brokerage services would help them or their clients. You should provide a link to your website in all of your e-mail marketing and include the URL in all of your print advertising.

You also should include a link to your website in your e-mail signatures and on your business cards. If you’re publishing a blog or video, it’s important to promote it via e-mail and through social media channels like LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. It’s also important to connect all of your marketing materials, including your website, to give all of your visitors the best possible experience and information.

A mortgage broker’s website is a crucial tool when they’re looking to draw more commercial mortgage leads. It’s not enough to make calls, attend trade shows and advertise in print publications. Your company needs a digital presence in order to convince borrowers and referral sources of your legitimacy and proficiency in the commercial mortgage industry.

Your site is an opportunity to prove yourself as a professional and an expert in your field. Borrowers and sources want to work with brokers who understand the lending process, and your website is a great way to let them know that you’re an experienced broker who can help them to obtain their funding goals.

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