The days when creating a condo association website involved huge costs and high-level technical skills are long gone. Nowadays, building a site is easier than ever, and it can cost as little as $30 per year. With the right tools and guidance, anyone can do it. However, without the right knowledge, developing a website can be challenging.
In this article, we will teach you how to make the most out of the solutions available. We will also go through best practices that will help you create your condo site effortlessly.
What To Include In a Condo Association Website
A condo association website should include information about the association, such as its location, size, history, and amenities. Having a condo website can increase interest from potential buyers, as they can easily find you online and learn more about your community.
A condo website is also a central location for residents to find relevant information about their association. The condo board can store governing documents in a private, password-protected portal so residents can easily access them. It is also a good place to post news, such as:
- Upcoming community events;
- Activities around the neighborhood;
- Weather and natural disasters-related updates;
- Restaurants and shops nearby;
- Condo maintenance updates.
The Advantages Of Having a Condo Association Website
In recent times, websites have become condo boards’ favorite tools for three main reasons:
- It improves communication within the community
- It helps manage the condominium efficiently
- It reduces the board’s workload
It is a common assumption that having a website will increase the workload rather than reduce it. When you’re setting it up and getting used to navigating your website, it does take some time. However, once everything is set, you’ll save time on repetitive tasks and be able to focus on what matters.
Unlike single-use online tools, websites have the advantage of centralizing many features and functionalities in one location. This means you can streamline processes and workflows. Also, promoting your property to potential buyers becomes easier. You just need to direct them to your site. This means you are promoting your property 24/7 with very little effort.
Obviously, all this is possible if you choose the right solution partner and you apply best practices. Often, board members make the mistake of choosing the cheapest option that offers no support. This can lead to the board feeling overwhelmed at the initial phase, residents not seeing any benefits, and the project being abandoned.
Choosing the right condo association website provider, who will give you support and help you to reach your goals, is the key to a smooth onboarding process.
How to Create a Condo Association Website
There are 4 steps to creating a website for your condo:
1. Find a Condo Association Website Solution Provider
There are two main ways to create a website:
- You can hire a web developer who will create your page from scratch based on your instructions. This option guarantees you a unique layout. This means you have total freedom to choose the design, colors, fonts, and more. Essentially, you don’t have limitations when it comes to the structure of your website.
This can offer significant benefits to companies or associations with large budgets that need something very specific. It is uncommon for regular condo associations to choose this option, as it is very costly and time-consuming. It can also be difficult to use when the web developer has handed over the website. Often, you need to understand how the website was created to edit it.
- Use website templates provided by condo management software companies to create an easy-to-use website.
A website template is a ready-made site that your company can use and customize. Put simply, your only task is to add text and images to the template. The structure, the features, and the design are already set. While it doesn’t offer the same level of flexibility in structure, most templates cover everything condo associations need.
Templates are so easy that anyone can quickly learn how to update or add content to the site. They are also cheap and quick to build. While creating a website from scratch may take weeks or even months, setting up a website with templates takes only a few hours.
Looking for a simple, ready-to-use solution?
Neigbrs by Vinteum offers a website designed specifically for HOAs and condos with a private residents portal. Our platform makes it easy to set up and manage your association’s online presence in compliance with the law—no technical skills required. Book a free demo below to see how it works!
2. Pick a Condo Website Template
Once you have selected a solution partner, it is time to pick the best template for your association. Usually, a provider will provide several options. These templates may have different layouts, colors, or functions. You need to choose one that best reflects your condo. For example, if your residents are mainly seniors, make sure to choose a senior-friendly template with large fonts and good contrast.
You can also think about what matters most to your website: do you want more images or more text? You can also think about what your condo is like. If it’s more traditional, you can choose a template that reflects that.
3. Choose the Domain
Your domain is the name of your website. For instance, if your community was called Sealights Condominium, it could be www.sealightscondo.com, so when someone types your condo’s name in a search bar, your page should appear. You can choose to pay to have your own domain, which makes it easier for people to find you and makes you seem more trustworthy.
If this isn’t important for you, you can choose to use a subdomain for free. So that means the provider’s name will appear in the link to your website. If we use the example of Sealights Condominium working with Neigbrs by Vinteum, your sub-domain would be www.sealights.vinteumneigbrs.com.
4. Add Content to Your Website
Once you have chosen your favorite template and domain, it is time to add text and images to your site. Here are some ideas of what you could add to your condo’s website:
- Your condo’s history;
- General information;
- Pictures of your condo;
- Key documents;
- Condo association newsletter;
- Service providers’ ads;
- Events or meetings that are coming up;
- FAQs section (Frequently Asked Questions);
- Upcoming maintenance;
- Amenities or services provided.
Check out these condo website examples for inspiration. Our solution, Neigbrs by Vinteum is trusted by hundreds off condos across North America to create their websites.
The Best Practices for Creating a Condo Website Quickly and Effortlessly
1. Assign Responsibilities or Create a Committee
To guarantee more control, transparency, and engagement, the best approach would be to create a committee to oversee the entire project. If your association doesn’t have enough volunteers to build a committee, then you should assign board members to specific tasks. If you have residents in your community who have worked with technology, that’s helpful, as they can assist you in choosing the best platform. That way, everyone has different responsibilities, and nothing gets missed. Here are two important roles:
- Website Project Manager: the main point of contact and responsible for overseeing the whole project
- Content Editor: responsible for creating, drafting, and uploading content
2. Choose a Provider That Offers Support and Onboarding
Even though launching a website using a template is easy, you will need support. Without initial help, these four steps to creating a website can become overwhelming. Luckily, some companies offer support via chat and phone.
Some even offer onboarding sessions where they explain how the tool works. In these sessions, experts share with you tips and best practices. Some also help you add content to your website. Be aware that some companies do not offer this kind of customer support. So make sure you ask before you pick a solution provider. We believe that good customer service makes all the difference.
3. Invest In a Private Portal For Your Community
Some templates integrate with an online portal accessible only to residents. They may provide a member-only part of your website or a secure online portal. Such platforms allow the board to manage different aspects of condo management, such as:
- Send emails and texts;
- Manage payments and accounting;
- Scheduling amenity reservations;
- Track work orders;
- Host virtual meetings;
Having an all-in-one solution helps the condo board manage everything efficiently in one place. This reduces the number of spreadsheets and free tools that don’t integrate with one another.
Neigbrs by Vinteum is an award-winning solution, with award-winning support. We provide you with a website, a secure portal, and training to ensure that you get the most out of your website. Book your free demo today to find out how we can be the right partner for you!
4. Update your Condo Association Website Regularly
A common mistake associations make is launching a website and never updating it again. Static web pages don’t get engagement and don’t provide value over time. It is wrong to think that websites are done once and that’s it. Adding new content and removing old or outdated information is crucial. It is also important to frequently add news about your community. This will encourage residents to check your page for information. It will ensure that your website is used and appreciated.
5. Engage Residents and Potential Buyers
Condos that have recently implemented a website often complain about the lack of engagement from their residents. It is important to regularly remind unit owners that your website exists. Otherwise, they will forget. Also, as mentioned above, if you don’t update your site regularly its traffic will automatically decrease. This is easier said than done. Many times, condo boards don’t even know what to include in it. To solve this, ask residents what they would like to see on their association website. You can also ask prospective residents if they know about it and what they think of it. Conducting a survey can help you with that. This will generate many new ideas for posts to share online.
Frequently Asked Questions on Condo Association Websites (FAQ)
1. What should a condo association website include?
It should include key information such as community details, amenities, announcements, events, and a secure area for documents, including bylaws and meeting minutes.
2. Is it expensive to create a condo association website?
No. Using templates or software platforms makes it affordable and fast to launch, often at a very low annual cost.
3. Is it better to have a private portal inside your condo website?
Yes. It is important to have a secure, password-protected area where residents can access documents, communicate, and manage community-related tasks.
4. What is the easiest way to build a condo website?
Using a template from a condo or HOA software provider.
Wrapping Up on Condo Association Websites
A condo association website is an essential tool to communicate efficiently with unit owners. The board doesn’t have to spend most of its time on repetitive tasks, such as answering the same questions over and over. It also helps to bring new owners, as they can find you. Thanks to new technologies, it is now possible to build an online presence without investing a huge amount of money. Choosing the right company and picking a good template is all you need to worry about.
