How to scale your homebuilder website

As any organization grows and expands, their website must scale with it. But for homebuilders, the need to effectively plan for the future is arguably even more important. You’ll be adding new locations, communities and lot types, increasing the need for elements like effective search and immersive content. Considering how your website will grow to support this expansion is crucial.

What is website scalability?

Website scalability encompasses a number of both technical and non-technical aspects. From a technical perspective, you need to ensure your website has the capacity to handle gradual or sudden spikes in traffic and requests. Failing to plan for increases in demand can significantly impact user experience and your reputation. A Google study found that 53% of visits to mobile sites are abandoned if it takes more than 3 seconds to load – one of many examples of how a sub-par experience can impact you. From a non-technical, strategic perspective, you need to ensure the underlying infrastructure of your homebuilder website supports your growth plans – as we’ve already mentioned, the ability to add more communities, more lot types, enhanced functionality and even additional frontends into your ecosystem. If you don’t have the foundations in place to allow for this kind of expansion, you could spend more money down the line to modify what you have.

Technical essentials

To ensure that scaling your homebuilder website is seamless, you need to consider technical architecture and setup carefully from the beginning of your website project. Investment in this upfront means you don’t risk having something which isn’t fit for purpose further down the line – meaning you can get on with growing your homebuilder and getting the most out of your website without having to worry about performance being compromised later on.

Choosing the right technology stack

Working with a development team that specializes in scalable homebuilder websites – like Dalo – enables you to assess the current demands of your website and how best to set up to allow for gradual and rapid changes in traffic and data requirements. The right tech stack includes everything from hosting solutions to content delivery methods, as well as selecting the right content management system (CMS). The CMS you’re using can impact everything from your ability to integrate with multiple listing services (MLS) to adding different lot types and elevations.

The advantages of headless architecture

If you anticipate significant increases in website traffic – whether due to new marketing campaigns, an expanding portfolio, or increased interest in your communities – consider opting for a headless architecture. In this setup, your CMS (i.e. where you manage your content) is separate from the frontend (what users see). This approach improves the performance and speed of your website as content is cached and delivered instantly rather than having to fetch from the CMS each time. Headless architecture also makes your website more scalable in the long-term. It functions similarly to microservices architecture – meaning different components of your website (like the frontend and CMS) can be scaled independently of one another. This flexibility allows for more efficient updates and expansion without affecting overall performance.

Ongoing support

A solid technical foundation is only the beginning. To keep your homebuilder website running smoothly as traffic increases and your content needs change, ongoing monitoring and support are essential. Partnering with a digital agency like Dalo helps you ensure that your site stays optimized and responsive to change. We track load and demand, keep downtime to a minimum and proactively address potential issues before they negatively impact your organization.

Non-technical essentials

Beyond the technical aspects, scaling your homebuilder website also involves having the right tools and processes in place to adapt your approach as your organization grows. This includes being able to add new types of content, enhance functionality and launch new digital experiences without disrupting your brand or user experience.

Leveraging a digital design system

A digital design system is a library of reusable components for your website or digital product/application. Think of it as a set of dynamic brand guidelines – rather than existing as a static document, your colours, fonts, button styles, and layout elements are stored in a centralized system. This allows you to quickly build out new pages and posts templates whilst maintaining a consistent design style – for example, building out a new community page or lot/elevation page and being able to seamlessly drop in key detail and media (e.g. community maps, floorplans, video, images and virtual tours). A design system also enables your digital partner to accelerate the design and development process – there’s no need to redesign page templates from or blocks from the ground up. This could be particularly useful if for example you wanted to launch a self-service portal as an extension of your website for homebuyers to be able to get updates on the construction of their home or status of their purchase. The application could be designed and developed using your existing design system – meaning it looks consistent with the rest of your online brand without additional work.

The importance of ongoing iteration

Your website and wider digital presence should evolve gradually rather than undergoing major overhauls every few years. Regular updates – whether adding new functionality or refining elements of the user experience – allow for sustainable growth and prevents the need for expensive, large-scale rebuilds down the line. By taking a strategic, iterative approach to website development, your homebuilder can continuously improve while ensuring scalability remains a seamless process.

 

Looking to create a website that evolves effortlessly alongside your homebuilder? Get in touch with us today to discuss your project and see how we can help you scale with confidence.