Builder Website Features Clients Look For

Most clients start the whole new build thing online now. They jump on REA or Google and punch in a few suburbs and then end up on a builder’s website to suss out plans, prices and whether you actually build the kind of home they want.

It’s all happening way before they ever call you.

Which means your website is doing half your early sales work whether you know it or not. If it’s clear, quick to load and shows off the right plans, you’re in the mix. If it’s clunky or light on info they bounce and go check out someone else.

So what are people actually looking at when they land on a builder’s website? It’s usually the same simple things.

Clear plans they can picture themselves in: good layouts, decent sizes, not 45 tiny thumbnails they can’t make sense of.
Rough pricing or at least a starting point: people want to know if you’re in their ballpark before they bother calling.
Real photos or renders: they want to see what you actually build, not just stock images from 2014.
Fast answers to basic questions: inclusions, build areas, where you build, turnaround times. If they can’t find it quick, they’re gone.

FLOORPLANS FIRST

People go straight to the plans. They want clear layouts, easy room labels, a sense of flow, and designs that feel current not dated. If the plans are hard to read or hidden, they don’t dig around.

They just click out and look somewhere else.

AREI Tip: Put your top plans front and centre. One quick tidy or relabel can lift the whole page.

STYLE & FACADES

People want to picture what the home could look like. They scroll through facades and styles checking for fresh, modern designs.

If everything looks the same or feels a bit old they move on fast.

AREI Tip: Swap in a couple of fresh renders. One new image can make your whole style range feel updated.

EASY NAVIGATION

No one wants to dig through menus to find the good stuff. People want simple paths.
Browse plans. Styles. Inclusions. What happens next.

Clear beats clever every time.

AREI Tip: Test your site on your phone. If you can’t reach plans in two taps fix the menu.

CURRENT WEBSITE (INCLUDING CONTENT)

This is quick. People notice straight away if a website feels old. They look for fresh photos, clean layouts, updated copy, normal loading times and a mobile experience that doesn’t feel painful.

If the site looks like it hasn’t been touched in years they assume the business hasn’t moved much either.

AREI Tip: Update one thing each month. A photo, a paragraph, a plan pack. It keeps the whole site feeling alive.

CLARITY & TRANSPARENCY

People want to feel like they get you before they talk to you. They’re not expecting every price or every detail but they want the basics to make sense.

Things like: what’s included. Rough costs. What the process looks like. Timing.

Anything that helps them understand what you’re like to work with.

AREI Tip: Add a simple “how it works” section. No pricing needed. Just steps – people love steps.

Most people cruising your website aren’t tyre-kickers. They’re genuinely trying to figure out if you’re the builder they want to talk to. If your plans are easy to scroll, prices make sense and the photos feel real, they stick around. If things are hard to find or feel a bit outdated, they bail and go check out someone else. Simple as that.

And honestly you don’t need a full website overhaul to fix it. Clean up a few pages, update the plans ones people actually love (and want to live in), make your pricing clearer and get some solid images in there. Those small tweaks can lift the whole vibe of your site and get more of the right clients reaching out and builds locked in.

If you want a hand getting things ready for the new year or making your plans library work harder for you, we can help you sort it without overcomplicating anything.