Rightmove relaunch: New search pages revealed

| Charlie Stong

A sample of Rightmove consumer users will from today be able to view the portal’s new test search pages.

This link was sent out to all Rightmove’s agent customers yesterday so they could view the new pages and see what their properties look like on the new site.

The link will be available for one month during the second stage of Rightmove’s web trial – which the portal is calling the ‘beta’ phase.

And from today a random sample of users from the public will be given the option of viewing the new pages themselves.

A test page, provided to EYE by Rightmove
A test page, provided to EYE by Rightmove

Rightmove was prompted to make changes to its site by the fact that 60% of its visitors are now browse using either their mobile or tablet.

The new site will feature improved functions such as filters which allow potential buyers to select multiple criteria at one time – like choosing both detached and semi-detached properties.

The new design will also have enhanced featured property listings and featured agent adverts.

Featured agent and featured property will also, for the first time, be visible on Rightmove’s mobile site and via apps.

Alex Cubitt, Rightmove’s director of estate and lettings agencies, told EYE yesterday: “After sharing the early designs a few weeks ago we’ve now been able to give Rightmove agents an exclusive preview of the new search pages so they can see how their brands and properties look, and try out the functionality.

“The pages benefit from new cutting-edge search technology which will give home-hunters even more functions than before and a faster search experience.

“As more and more people are using mobile devices to look for property we’ve made the search experience consistent for both desktop and mobile, and the featured property and featured agent products now appear on both mobile and desktop for the first time, which gives agents who use these products double the exposure on average for their brand and properties.

“We wanted to give agents a preview of the changes before it is then tested with a small percentage of users as the first step of beta. Since revealing the early designs we’ve listened to feedback from agents and we’ll continue refining the designs over the course of the beta phase to make sure they deliver the best results for them.”

Other features include a side-bar map of the area being searched and a ‘change location and criteria’ bar which will move from the left-hand side of the page to the top.

The horizontal bar will remain in place at the top no matter how far users scroll down the page – similar to the one on the OnTheMarket page, although Rightmove insists it thought of the idea before OTM was launched.

Rightmove has not yet set a launch date for the new service.

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35 Comments

  1. Ric
    September 10, 2015 at 09:10

    Oh goody! I cannot wait for the quotes and pressure to start from RM to have your agency featured in the middle of the search results.

    I wonder which agents will get it for nothing for a while to make the next agent pay to “keep up”.

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  2. Mark Walker
    September 10, 2015 at 09:14

    The search results screen looks very, very familiar…  Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery?

    Report
  3. Gump
    September 10, 2015 at 09:15

    Not sure I’m a fan tbh, but the premium listings are more useless now than they were before, I didn’t think that was possible!

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    1. Ric
      September 10, 2015 at 09:26

      I am sure Gump, if the PL impact has been weakened as a result of the new layout, rest assured there is a Ultimate Premium Listing on the way! something that bit better to brainwash the weak.

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      1. StatementOfFact
        September 10, 2015 at 09:32

        Premium listings are a waste of money.

        Good property, with good photography, at the right price, and a motivated vendor, thats a premium listing.

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        1. Ric
          September 10, 2015 at 09:41

          Aren’t they just! Your name suits that comment perfectly!

          Report
      2. Gump
        September 10, 2015 at 13:29

        Oooh UPL’s!! I need them in my life 😛

        Report
  4. wilko
    September 10, 2015 at 09:24

    All very nice but I thought it was all about adding value to the site – for advertisers and users alike – and this doesn’t in my view………what about adding some free to use video games like “multiple open house viewing” where your video character has to fight all the other interested parties on the front lawn of an open house viewing event. If successful you get to buy the house……….Or an adventure based video game where you have to work out who the money launderers are and take them down by filling in reports to Criminal Investigation Service…..just an idea, after all property websites, whichever way you look at them, are a bit boring.

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    1. Rivero
      September 10, 2015 at 09:42

      Sign me up for the Beta testing on that one 🙂

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    2. Ric
      September 10, 2015 at 09:47

      They should have a “Guess the price game” where you can guess a property price and display it for the public to see!

      oh wait……… Z have beat them to it 😉

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  5. Chrispy
    September 10, 2015 at 10:14

    If the new ad space gets me more exposure I’ll be using it ahead of all you RM haters who seem intent on moaning about every little thing when you should spend a little more time focusing on your own business.

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    1. wilko
      September 10, 2015 at 10:47

      Do you really need to pay for more  exposure on your property listings when we are in a rising market with more buyers than sellers?

      Would your money be better spent on other campaigns outside of Rightmove to increase your brand awareness?….After all, a straightforward listing on Rightmove is all that is required to generate enquiries at present as most serious buyers have set up an alert for new listings totheir inbox.

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      1. Chrispy
        September 10, 2015 at 11:52

        Wilko, you’re missing the point completely, because of the size of it’s audience RM will always sell stock but the point of using the banners etc is to get as much company exposure as possible, as soon as you realise that you’ll see the point of giving them your cash.

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        1. wilko
          September 10, 2015 at 12:14

          I guess where we disagree is that you see value in increasing your brand awareness by paying Rm for featured property/agent etc and I don’t.

          I appreciate that your logo may be seen slightly larger than your competitors on that site but how much extra business does that really bring you in ( I appreciate it is probably too hard to quantify). It’s just since (a couple of years ago)  I dropped all the RM extras (and I had loads across our chain) and invested the large amount of money saved into other bespoke brand awareness campaigns on a local level (leaflets, own bi-monthly magazine, station,billboard, local radio etc we have increased our valuation/instruction levels much more than when we had the RM extras.

          It would be nice to have an unlimited pot to spend on all the RM extras in addition to what I’ve mentioned but unfortunately all agency budgets cant do everything on offer and diversity is definitely worth considering in my view.

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          1. Chrispy
            September 10, 2015 at 16:00

            Wilko, I take on board all your points, would be worth talking to the rolls driving rep about the new package though, we went to it and our numbers have gone crazy

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        2. Gump
          September 10, 2015 at 14:15

          Been there, done it.

          I speak with great authority when I say RM banners/Email ads are absolutely rubbish at gaining you anything

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          1. smile please
            September 10, 2015 at 15:12

            Agree, We use to pay for the full Monty, for a full 12 months. No noticeable uplift in business and no noticeable difference once we dropped it.

            Local advertising like Ric has said with leaflets primarily make the biggest difference.

            Extra £500 p.m. on leaflets and you can almost guarantee instructions!

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            1. Chrispy
              September 10, 2015 at 17:52

              We’ve been on the new optimiser for 4 months ands it’s been brilliant, not sure if it’s available to everyone yet though

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  6. the message
    September 10, 2015 at 10:15

    The one thing that makes me laugh so much (by laugh i really mean despair) is the OTM fan club/dreamers/digital marketing buffoons extolling the virtues of the OTM site and sniping at R and Z.

    Take a step back for a second. Consumers love what R and Z do, thats why they go to them in droves, its not just marketing spend (OTM will be spending more than R this year).

    Yes, properties listed is important, but its also the features that the consumer has come to expect, demand and love – those features that in their wisdom OTM has decided it is better for the consumer not to have.

    Consumers love having historic prices at their fingertips, they want to know commute times, or schools data, they want to know how long a property has been listed and if it has dropped in price. They also love having a valuation tool however flawed it is. Of course as agents we would prefer to go back to the “old days” when we have all the knowledge and hence the power, but the world has moved on. OT is trying to turn the clock back in terms of the customer experience, and it is just totally flawed.

    A new entrant needs more consumer features not less. If OTM had all of the inventory tomorrow why is a customer going to go there, when they still need to go to R or Z to get all of the information they want.

    Its the single biggest flaw, and hence when I listed out my points that OTM needed to do I pleaded for some real digital savviness on the board, a clear out of the fat cats from the savills/knight frank/strutt and parkers etc who dont have a bleedin clue what the average joe wants in terms of a website, plus also get an independent chairman who can hold the mgt team and directors to account (like normal businesses work).

    And for all of you that mock R, yes they are a nightmare for us, but the customers love them, and we arent going to beat them with an inferior product offering, nor just blithly mocking their continued customer innovation.

    OTM spending less time on building out affiliate deals with countrylife for the benefit of the chosen few, more on consumer features would be a start.

    and on that point, anyone heard a rumour otm to sponsor the evening standard…surely they cant be that aloof as to the rest of us? I cant believe they would have the gall, but never thought they would go ahead with countrylife.

     

    Anyway, the rest of you continue to blindly support, and when you do get to all of the agents and still are a fraction of rightmoves audience, then you might just stop to think for a second about what the person who visits a property website actually wants, rather than just deciding what an agent wants them to see.

     

     

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    1. Ric
      September 10, 2015 at 10:54

      The public visit RM for property and property alone, be it to buy or be nosey! The sold prices are an accidental and people would still visit RM in the same volumes with or without this information. (okay a selection of people visit RM for sold info, but most of them are industry related)

      Premium Listings do not matter to a house hunter, nor to a vendor who has had them explained properly (and by that I mean shown they don’t make a difference) as often you can point out your market leader in the area has no or very few premium listings yet outsells the other agents and why, because they just present property better and price well, whilst working like crazy in the background knowing RM is just a way to someone’s computer at home and they value the hard work of their staff more.

      Nobody or rarely has any OTM supporter knocked RM for what they get right, but products? really, you think anything you are sold by RM other than the ability to list property on RM and perhaps your logo on the right hand side (virtual for sale sign as I see it) works or more so the public expect?

      When was the last time you registered an applicant looking for a “Featured Property” or a “Premium Listing”?

      RM are excellent as a get your property in front of buyers – but I would prefer to own an equal share in the number 1 (or 2) property portal, if one could deliver similar or the same as RM.

      Z are **** – messy full up site which promotes cutting me out as an agent and has made no difference to my market share not being on, so like PropertyLive, PropertyPropertyProperty NeedAProperty and every other, they offered me nothing to want to help them topple the big two.

      OTM – Well lets not go over old ground, and who mentioned OTM? this was about RM wasn’t it? (OTM must be really disturbing people)

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  7. the message
    September 10, 2015 at 11:15

    oh sorry Ruic, didn’t know you had done acomprehensive user testing session to determine sold prices werent important – again so arrogant.

    I see the consumer becoming ore and more savvy, knowing the history of the property they are looking to buy, and other sold prices in the local area. Consumers are more and more data hungry, not less.

    “RM are excellent as a get your property in front of buyers – but I would prefer to own an equal share in the number 1 (or 2) property portal, if one could deliver similar or the same as RM”. – of course you would, wouldnt we all, but my point is OTM will never do that unless it has all of the features RM has for the consumer (and more), not boasting about having considerably less as they have done.

    As to featured properties etc, fine, that is every individual agents call as to how they think best to market a property, would have no argument with anyone who said totally worthless and didnt do, we dont do a lot, more when we can push the cost onto the seller.

    And if we all move to OTM and Z dies, we will still be paying the same money, so pretty pointless really, unless OTM gets the consumer traffic. And it wont, I assure you, until it offers what the consumer wants, and not what you Ric, or others like you think the consumer wants, or wants the consumer to want.

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    1. Ric
      September 10, 2015 at 15:56

      @the message – did you read my entire post and then remix my sentences and add a bit of something in your mind that I hadn’t written to come up with your first comment?

      I didn’t say sold prices were not important! (Not sure how I have managed for 24 years in this industry at 40 years old, but thanks for pointing out that the public are savvy!)

      I said for the record (again) people go to RM to look for property first and foremost and the extra information is a luxury! Without that luxury RM would still be AS popular today, assuming they still presented property in the way they do now and more so have what is considered to be 100% of the UK stock……. without that information (past sold prices) the public would turn to lets say Nethouseprice.com which would regain much of the traffic it has lost since the property portals linked in to LR info. They may even turn to Z as they show it, which is no doubt why RM made this info more visible.

      Please “the message” call me arrogant by all means but tell me where did I say sold prices weren’t important in the context you attached it to? Please find the exact point/place I said this using a reference to buyers don’t care about sold prices!

      Sold Info is vital in many/most/all/some cases but sold price information on the same page as your clients property listing can be damaging when that sold information does not take certain factors into consideration and does not show enough information for a buyer to see past a line of text saying the last one to sell was £20k to £30k less.

      My view is a client employs me to get the best price and advertise their house “REGARDLESS” of past prices….. I employ RM to show my clients houses and get to the people looking for that property without hinting they could be paying too much by showing past information! I would prefer they make said “buyer” look else where or dig a little deeper for the information (which could be damaging or helpful in fairness)for the good of my client.

      JUST like I don’t produce a window card saying 1 Acacia Avenue £199,950 but last month we sold one for £185,000!

      Get me yet? 

      Report
      1. the message
        September 10, 2015 at 16:09

        hahahaha, you are such a bloated buffoon .

        You may be a fantastic estate agent, but why not leave digital marketing to experts. Just as they should leave estate agency to you. Next you will be setting up a croissant making business in your stairwell because of the outrageous prices that pret charge you.

        The consumer doesnt care what you do or do want them to see, they will go and find it anyway, and no digital business succeeds by giving the consumer less than they can already get.

         

         

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        1. Robert May
          September 10, 2015 at 16:49

          Consumer, customer, customer’s customer, who pays the digital bill?

          If the consumer demands all youu claim, test the water  and let the consumer pay. The property portals are advertising service suppliers not entertainment channels.

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        2. Ric
          September 10, 2015 at 16:52

          oh the message, now you are funny….. I pictured you picking up your football and stomping off saying “it’s mine and your not playing with it oh and you smell too” ………..anyway thanks for the reply although you did not answer my question, you did that thing again! I will make mine quick…..

          Never said I was a fantastic agent – However thanks! oh go on then I am fantastic ;0) (no idea how to do a bloated buffoon smiley?)

          Bloated Buffoon – Ouch! I have a complex! My shoulders are broad! some say fat, I say broad, maybe slightly chubby but not bloated! Although it is curry night tonight! so bloated by 9pm for sure!

          Your last sentence – DOH! You are confirming what I am saying – we are agreeing, are you not seeing that! MY point is as a paying customer of the websites! I completely agree with you, savvy customers who want the info will find it one way or another, so let them! let them find it but lets NOT always have the desire to shove it in front of them.

          I get the public may want – but the public like you say will find a way, so really there would be no harm in dropping sold prices on RM & Z as fundamentally the visitors are looking for property to buy and will like you say and I AGREE find a way! so make em.

          Now then “croissants”! Well I did not get to be a bloated buffoon by eating them did I – So unless the Greasy Spoon starts charging me for my 4th Sausage the catering business is well and truly safe! and I don’t have a stair well, sounds like something in a big corp type office, or university? Is that where you are sat?

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          1. the message
            September 10, 2015 at 18:39

            Ric and Robert, it is like we are lost in sliding doors here, I feel like I have entered some unusual space time continium.

            You are genuinely pushing to make the consumers life more difficult, for websites to make it harder for the consumer to find things that they want to see.

            You advertise in places that bring consumers to them, and offer them interesting content. Its like asking newspapers to drop the feature writer everyone comes to read because you dont like the cut of their jib, or they talk about topics you disagree with.

            And where it resonates to the chances of OTM, I can see now with “advisers” like you where they are going so wrong. OTM will only WIN IF it can make people currently using Z or RMV switch. And how does it do that? by offering a site with less features and functionality? Can you give me one example anywhere, anytime on a global basis of any new market entrant that has succeeded by offering the consumer less choice and products, reducing their experience.

            It makes no logical sense whatsoever, and again what I plead for OTM to do is to bring in some proper external expertise at the highest level to challenge some of these totally reidiculous assumptions made by people benefitting from the gravy train that the poor saps running independent offices, and not undertandinding the nuances of digital marketing, are funding.

            Whilst meantime, Savills et al build a portal that can challenge in Central london, on the blood sweat and tears of the independents.

            Talking about universities, I am sure there will be a thesis written about this folly some day, I am sure you will all be heavily featured, and some of these quotes will be the central points in how never to try and run a start up!

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            1. Ric
              September 10, 2015 at 21:27

              the message.

              Perhaps one day some of us on here will meet, if we have not already done so; but due to some of the hidden I.D’s will mean we will never know how close to each other we may work and whilst sounding against each other realise our end goals/ambitions are often the same but sometimes we will have to fight against each other.

              We all I am sure want to remain in business, make a living and feel we can leave something for our kids to step into and grow further. I often chuckle thinking I wonder if I am ever arguing with my own IT support team or web designers! I would sack em tomorrow, but then they would probably say EYE does not actually represent me as an agent nor my company as I am all for tech and info, but we could I think find a common ground on this all info in one place scenario.

              I agree, a website should offer as much info as it can, but fact is, my clients would benefit by not having this info so readily available sometimes. I agree a buyer might want this info, but if MY paying client could benefit by that info not being there should I not be an advocate of that info being made slightly harder to find, not impossible to find and by harder I mean one click away even, just not on the same page where I am promoting a clients house.

              I liked RM when they had a Sold Prices tab, less so now as they stick the info to the right of a listing on the properties lead page without me being able to hide it. Basically pushing potentially negative info in a buyers face, again if a buyers wants to see a close by sold price, is it really awful for me to suggest there is a tab to say “see local sold prices” at least this way as a tech person, we could measure if people did want the info as analytics could measure the click through rate to people wanting to see more.

              Put yourself in my shoes as the one who pays RM thousands a month, I just think they could leave the property listing to show nothing but info about that property.

              OTM are not offering any less by the way! They may not be offering products ie premium listings but then the public do not visit RM for products. Sold price info after a property search perhaps! but back to my question:

              Would it be so bad for the public to have to click on a button or tab to see sold prices, so they choose what to see rather than be forced to see it and my clients are not potentially effected by data which is often not helpful?

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              1. the message
                September 10, 2015 at 23:06

                Otm aren’t offering anything less? Really? Go and check, there are a lot of features missing. Who told you there weren’t. You might love they don’t have sold prices, or a valuation tool, or flags when asking prices fall, or commute times or local area stats or schools data, but by god the customer notices.

                if you did know this and don’t care of don’t think it’s important then fine, if you genuinely didn’t know then shame on you.

                Yes i do think r and z should listen to us a lot more, and hopefully the fallout of otm is they will, but the consumer will never ever accept and settle for, in their eyes, a hugely substandard product, and there is not one example ever where they do, unless it’s something that’s significantly cheaper, and given Rightmove is free to them that isn’t an option.

                 

                i am sure you are a lovely bloke, but I do hope you don’t get involved in other early stage tech investments else you won’t have anything left to give to the kids!!! X

                 

                 

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  8. 1stTimeBuyer
    September 10, 2015 at 13:25

    It’s got a slight AM look about it, hmm…. especially the drop downs

    http://labs.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/find.html?locationIdentifier=STATION%5E5471&numberOfPropertiesPerPage=24&radius=0.5&sortType=2&index=0&propertyTypes=&viewType=LIST&mustHave=&dontShow=

    vs

    https://www.onthemarket.com/for-sale/property/london/

     

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  9. Pomdownunder
    September 10, 2015 at 14:17

    The Premium Listings on RM are a complete waste of time and thus money. Why bother having a product that can stand out but quite possibly be on page 10!!!! A **** listing with rubbish photos on page 1 will still get more views than a premium listing with flashy photography on page 10. Really the search needs to default to Premium Properties first. RM could make a fortune doing that, so for a web portal who are criticised for bleeding agents dry that’s quite a paradox that they don’t. They’d sell way more premium properties…….

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    1. Ric
      September 10, 2015 at 17:04

      RM doing this Pom would be the very type of own goal which “could” swing a fair few fence sitters in the direction of OTM – Wealthier agents may chose to list their entire stock as PL and less fortunate agents be a victim of this – Not all agents could compete and whilst I should say so what if I can I don’t care, it is the very point of AM (Agents Mutual) forget the OTM bit…… Agents looking after the industry as a hold! Lets all fight for business, but lets not have RM dictate this based on spend with them!

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      1. Pomdownunder
        September 11, 2015 at 05:26

        Not if RM or any website for that matter, reduced subscription costs at the same time as implementing the products ranking in that manner. Especially if it was targeted as vendor paid, as you as a portal would effectively be saying, Mr Agent I’m reducing your bottom line cost (aka the subscription), and focusing on vendor paid products. The intelligent agents out there will then understand that upgraded listings like this aren’t just going to get more enquiry (due to permanently being on page1 of the default search), but when vendors do their research they’ll see those agents who have used those products and it works as a branding tool for that agency as well. Bonus is they haven’t spent a penny.

        Don’t be surprised if OTM implement premium products of some description at some point. The likes of Knight Frank etc, may have good intentions at this stage, (or tell you that) but sooner or later they’ll want a return on their investment, and without driving revenue from either subscription or upgrade products, that’s not going to be possible. Really, the truth is, the agents are going up against Rightmove etc, as they want to control the flow of revenue, not stop it.

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        1. Ric
          September 11, 2015 at 18:50

          90% of votes have to favour a motion like that (ie introduce products)…….. 1 company 1 vote regardless of the number of offices you own…… so you would need a lot of KFs to agree! Products we ready for launch but were scrapped following the first member survey.

          In a way OTM favours the higher numbers of 1 to 4 office agents. Your wealth and standing in London means squat, so I cant see it any time soon, that 90% of the current AM members will vote to introduce “paying more”.

          The agents signed up get AM, whilst many still can’t see past OTM. Old argument and one I have had enough of now. What will be will be.

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  10. the message
    September 10, 2015 at 14:31

    pomdownunder – no sure that is eactly what the consumer would want though – again RM are too clever for that, a consumer would go mad if they were given search results not as per the criteria they asked for.

     

    You dont work for OTM by any chance  !!! 🙂 joke!

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    1. Pomdownunder
      September 10, 2015 at 14:42

      The vendor would. You can bet on that. And you’d be surprised what consumers get used to. Jump on http://www.realestate.com.au or http://www.domain.com.au & do a search of say Toorak, Melbourne. they’ve been doing it like that for years.

      Report
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