If the Enterprise Network had a clarion call, the title of this article would be it. A union of independent brokerages across the nation, the Enterprise Network empowers non-franchised brokers to share ideas, collaborate and afford technologies they couldn't on their own.

The key to making this work in a non-competitive way is market exclusivity. The Enterprise Network only works with one independent brokerage per locality so that brokers aren't sharing ideas with direct competitors. They also host an annual conference, ENCON, for independents to meet, learn, and collaborate with each other in person.

Beyond collaboration with peers, the Network offers high-end websites to its members. They house full internal design and usability teams that ensure their brokers have sleek, modern websites that are on par with the big franchises. Today we're going to take a closer look at one of those sites for an example of what the Enterprise Network provides its members.

Modern Design for Independent Spirits

"We start by thinking how things look on mobile first," says Amanda Zaske, Marketing Director of the Enterprise Network. She pulls up the website for Slifer, Smith and Frampton Real Estate, a brokerage in Vail, Colorado. Like all of the Network's web designs, this site is built on a responsive layout that adapts to the device you're using.

"We offer our own suite of mobile apps, too," she says. Sure enough, Slifer's website sports a link to download the brokerage's own branded version of the apps right on their site's main page.

Zaske goes on to explain that they don't just think "mobile first," but SEO first, as well. "Everything is laid out in the beginning with SEO in mind," she says. This ensures that their members appear high up in search results.

Usability is important to the Enterprise Network's designers, too. The property search function of their websites are simple to use, but offer a wealth of options to help users narrow down their search.

"We'll map every single field we can from MLS," Zaske says. "If someone is looking for something particular and you can provide that, you beat the competition."

Available search criteria include:

• Property type
• Price
• Square feet
• Subdivision
• Beds/Baths
• Financial information
• Year built
• Neighborhood features
• Past price reductions
• Points of interest
• and more

From the search page, users are taken to a grid-based results page that puts beautiful property photos front and center. Then, the consumer can browse the results and save their favorite properties.

The Property Details page is loaded with features beyond simple property information, too. Consumers can view nearby properties, community information, mortgage info, and points of interest.

What really impressed us is the extra search features that the Enterprise Network has baked into the site. The first, a property comparison tool, lets consumers compare up to three properties side-by-side.

Another standout tool is the Driving Tour feature. With it, buyers (or their agents) can choose multiple properties to view and then generate driving directions that links all of the properties in a single route--a "tour."

Agent and Property Websites

The Enterprise Network's website platform branches beyond the main brokerage website. All of a firm's agents receive an agent website spun off their broker's site. The design and information is inherited from the main broker site, including the search functionality. Agents can personalize the site, however, and can choose what community pages from their broker's site to include or remove.

Single property websites for any of a broker's listings are generated in a similar way. These are automatically created as a subdomain of the broker's main site, but they can be set up with their own domain, if preferred. Each single property site comes stocked with property photos, neighborhood information, and lets visitors easily request a showing. Agent sites optionally have a document area to which brokers can upload files like disclosures.

Built-in CRM

Though we only got a brief peek at the website's backend during our demo, it was enough to see that the Enterprise Network is providing its members with some pretty robust technology. The built-in CRM funnels all leads from the website through based on business rules. For agents, the CRM offers email drip campaigns, a seller reports feature, and the ability to sync with Google apps.

Next Steps

Interested in learning more about what the Enterprise Network offers independent brokerages? You can visit their website for more information, or learn more about their upcoming conference, ENCON2014. Then you can:

• Explore all of your options for Website Design
• Read articles about Web Design best practices