Search for a real estate website template and most results are built for estate agents: a property search, listings with prices and a valuation form. That is right for an agent. It is not right for a property developer.
A developer is not mainly selling a house to a buyer. They are asking a landowner to trust them with a site, a council to trust them with a planning consent and an investor to trust them with capital. Those audiences read a website very differently from home buyers. This guide covers what a property developer website needs to earn their trust.
This article is about website content, not financial or legal advice. If your site addresses investors, rules on financial promotions may apply in your country. Take advice before you publish anything about returns or investment opportunities.
Your audience is not home buyers
A developer's website usually serves several groups:
- Landowners and land agents, deciding whether to sell or partner on a site
- Investors, lenders and joint venture partners, deciding whether to fund a scheme
- Planning officers, councils and communities, looking at what you have built before
- Buyers and tenants, for schemes currently selling, though they often go to a separate scheme website or an agent
- Consultants and contractors, checking who you are before working with you
What the first three groups share is that they want evidence. They want to see what you have built, how you work and whether you deliver. A gallery of attractive renders will not satisfy them.
Schemes by stage
A developer's work is a pipeline. Showing it by stage helps every audience understand where you are:
- Land: sites acquired or under option
- Planning: schemes in the planning process, with status
- In construction: schemes being built, with expected completion
- Finished: schemes delivered and handed over
Showing the pipeline tells a landowner you are active, tells an investor you have work in progress and tells a council you see schemes through. Be careful about what you publish for schemes in planning or land negotiations. Confidentiality and community relations matter. Only include what you are comfortable making public.
The record, in numbers you can prove
The single most persuasive section for landowners and investors is your record. A few clear figures:
- Schemes delivered
- Homes handed over, or commercial space completed
- Square metres built
- Years building
Every figure must be accurate and something you could evidence if asked. Rounding is fine; inflating is not. If you are a newer company, show the experience of your founders and team, clearly labelled as their previous work and not the company's.
Project pages
Each finished or active scheme deserves its own page with:
- Location and type, such as residential, mixed-use or commercial
- Number of homes or units, and square metres
- Year completed or expected
- Your role: developer, joint venture partner, contractor
- Partners, such as architects, contractors and funders, with their permission
- Photographs of the finished scheme, not only renders
- A short account of what made it difficult and how it was resolved
That last point matters. Landowners and investors know development is hard. A project page that describes a planning challenge or a site constraint and how you dealt with it says more than a page of adjectives.
How you work with landowners
Landowners want to understand what working with you involves. Explain:
- What kinds of sites you look for: size, location, type and planning status
- The deal structures you offer, such as outright purchase, option, promotion or joint venture, described in general terms
- Your process, step by step, from first conversation to completion
- Who they will deal with
- How to get in touch, with a dedicated contact route
A simple four-stage process diagram helps people see the journey quickly.
How you work with capital partners
Investors and lenders want to understand your approach, your track record and who runs the business. Describe:
- The kinds of schemes you develop
- How you typically structure partnerships, in general terms
- Your team and their experience
- How to start a conversation
Be very careful here. Do not publish projected returns, yields or investment invitations without advice on the rules that apply in your country. In the UK, for example, the Financial Conduct Authority sets rules on financial promotions. A partners section that explains how to get in touch is usually safer than one that makes promises.
Setting up Kinross
Kinross is a Framer template for a property developer, built around the pipeline of what is being built and the record of what has been finished. Its page puts it directly: a developer is asking a landowner to trust them with a field and an investor to trust them with a cheque.
It opens with schemes by stage, from land through planning to finished, and puts the record on the page: schemes delivered, homes handed over, square metres built and years building. Each project has its own page on the CMS, with the homes built, the square metres and the year handed over, and there are eight sample projects. It also includes a four-stage process, a partners section for land and capital, a contact form, a setup guide and a branded 404. It is written in British English and costs $49, with one licence covering unlimited sites.
To set it up:
1. Replace the record figures with your own verified numbers.
2. Replace the eight sample projects with your schemes, adding photographs of completed work.
3. Rewrite the process stages to match how you actually work.
4. Adapt the partners section for land and capital, and have it reviewed if it addresses investors.
5. Connect the contact form and test it.
If you are an estate agent selling and letting homes, Freehold is a free template built for that. See Framer templates for property developers for more.
A developer's website is a long-term asset. The landowner who reads it today may call in three years when they are ready to sell. Make sure the record and the pipeline are there when they do.