Who is it for?
Doorsteps Rent is for the millennial renter. Tech savvy and
in-the-know, our millennial renter relies on the internet to find their next home.
There are countless rental sites that don't have reliable information. We wanted to create an easy-to-use,
map-focused search with trustworthy listings; making this
oft-stressful experience a little more enjoyable.
Making it local
One of our challenges is creating a sense of trustworthiness. How might we earn the trust of our users in a space that is traditionally fraught with scams and bait & switches?
We analyzed sites, such as StreetEasy and Compass, and concluded that a key factor in trust-building is making it local -- by providing relevant neighborhood information; understanding the area's colloquialisms; and knowing the local names of different neighborhoods (eg, South Congress in Austin is commonly referred to as Soco).
Building a personalized experience is a key factor in building trust.
Along with analyzing other sites, we also conducted an empathy exercise, where I went to Austin to do field research as a potential renter (aka, I pretended to be an Austin renter). Our team is NYC-based, which meant that we were unfamiliar with renting in a non-competitive market.
On my mission, I learned about apartment locators, apartment complexes, how Craigslist is (isn't) used, and people's general attitude about neighborhoods and gentrification. I came back with insights and pamphlets, providing lots of material for our team to map out an Austinite's user journey.
Providing Context
Maps contextualize a lot of diverse information; at a glance, you can see the area's accessibility to public transportation, distance from freeways, proximity to local amenities (such as dry cleaners and grocery stores), etc.
Thusly, users are reliant on maps in their rental search. From our research, we discovered that users often have two windows open when they search: the search site and Google maps.
We made the map an integral part of our site; creating a streamlined search experience for our user.
SEO Matters
After our launch, we saw slow growth with organic traffic. In such a highly competitive space, this was not surprising; however, it was frustrating. We built something great that can really help people and they should see it.
With realtor.com's SEO team, we made some strategic changes to our site:
- Added a browse neighborhoods and cities page
- Included amenities in our H1
- Every LDP has a nearby search and search by amenity
We saw immediate results: our UU's went from less than 2k/day to more than 7k/day in less than 2 weeks. It continues to grow.
Good UX goes hand in hand with good SEO.
