Must-Have Sections Every Great Real Estate Syndication Website Has in Common
You need a new website but not sure where to start? See what sections your website needs to get the most high net-worth investors to sign up with your firm.
Vitaliy comes from an investor experience and product design background. He is a passive real estate investor and co-founder of Raise Ready Systems on a mission to empower alternative investment managers to raise capital online. Vitaliy enjoys spending time with his family, teaching, photography, and travel.
You need a new site.
Your current site looks terrible on mobile, your portfolio gallery still has that duplex value-add from ‘89 (nice haircut!), and your WordPress theme is a royal pain in the butt to update.
What now?
Building a new website from the ground up isn’t as straightforward as it seems.
It’s not hard, but it also isn’t easy:
- What should it look like?
- What should it say?
- What should it do?
Let me save you some time.
While continuing to study real estate syndication and teaching Design for Web at College of the Canyons, I have seen a pattern in what makes companies appear strong online—the kind of appearance that gets investors to pick you versus your competition.
Below is a list of must-have sections your real estate syndication website needs to get the most high net-worth investors to sign up with your firm.
1. The "Hero" Section (with a Clear Call-to-Action)
The hero section is also known to be “above the fold”. This “fold” is the cutoff of what you can see on your screen when the website first loads.
What are you communicating within your fold? It’s a critically important piece of real estate on the web and remains unoptimized by many syndication firms.
This hero section should have your value prop and a clear call to action. Right away when investors land on your site,
Investors need answers to the following questions:What are you about and what should I do next?
2. The "Portfolio" Section
The portfolio section is your leverage. What past experience can you lean on to build trust?
When investors engage with you, they want to get a general feel for what to expect when they do business with you—a solid portfolio helps give them the best impression.
A portfolio is a collection of case studies that paint a picture of what to expect based on your track record.
TIP: It’s a good idea to go over a sample previous project with an investor during an onboarding call.
For more of what should go into a previous project, see Must-Have Project Page Sections below.
3. The "How It Works" Section
Wouldn’t it be nice to know exactly what a collaboration looks like? What’s the first step? How often is my #mailboxmoney disbursed? What are you doing during all of this time? Well, that’s easily solved with a timeline or a numbered sequence.
On your website, make it visible on the home page what the steps are to work with you. Let investors know the journey their money will be going on from project analysis to exit strategy.
4. The "Why Work With Us" Section
Why should an investor trust you with their capital? There are so many other syndicators out there. Why should they choose you?
This is the part of your site where investors can get to know your team, your niche, and your strategy. Don’t be afraid to tell your story. What makes you different?
TIP: Invest in having your team portraits on the site. After all, people will do business with you if they like you, trust your company, and believe in your approach. This is where you flex these things. Help the right investors find their perfect investment manager—you.
5. The "Testimonials" Section
There is a world of difference between you saying you’re awesome versus someone else saying you’re awesome.
Testimonials are one of the easiest brand assets to collect, yet rarely utilized—why?
Keep a running list of praise, big or small, in your notes on your phone.
It’s better to keep it brief, so cut it down to just the bare necessities. If it’s too long, people won’t register it. Humble bragging is always better than giving someone a chore.
Testimonials can come in two shapes—text and video. Ask happy investors to make you a quick video with their cellphones, and pull praise from email in text.
Apply generously throughout the site.
6. The "How to Get Started" Section
”Shut up and take my money!” …An investor has seen everything they needed to see and are ready to take the next steps. Should they invest in your projects or your fund? If only there was an easy way to get started investing with you and your team.
A contact form is what everyone is using, and it’s boring.
Think of your beginning steps as an “investor onboarding experience”.
In order to remain compliant with the SEC, and before showing potential investors any of your sweet, sweet deals, it’s a fair ask that you get to know the investor first.
What information would you like to know about your future investors? Is your investor accredited? How much are they looking to invest? How do you contact them?
Make onboarding an engaging experience.
7. The "Important Disclosures" Section
This one’s to protect you and your team.
It’s a list of FAQs and legal stuff—you don’t offer any guarantees, future results are not based on past performance, etc. This part is important—better to have it front and center rather than not.
Luckily, there’s a good way to display this information while still keeping it visible.
You can do this, I believe in you.
The Complete Website Design with All Must-Have Sections
Want us to review your investor acquisition funnel?
I hope that this quick guide has saved you considerable time when trying to figure out exactly what to put on your website during your website (re)design process for your real estate syndication firm. If you are curious about what each deal page should have, see my guide to creating an effective real estate investment deal presentation online.
Want me to review your current website, or want to start fresh? Connect with me on LinkedIn, and I'll personally reach out to set up a time.