Users of www.ricsfirms.com can now see a big change in the Find a Surveyor service.

Over the last nine months the site has undergone a transformation to improve its look and usability.

Research carried out in June 2007 identified that:

• 22% of users didn’t know that there was more than one way to search for the surveyor – with most users using the quick search option
• 52% of users needed assistance with identifying the type of firm required.
• 85% of traffic comes from www.rics.org

To tackle these issues and more, the following solutions have been implemented:

• A home page which displays three easy ways to search for a surveyor
• The introduction of a popular search which lists useful and common reasons why the public might be looking for a surveyor, making a firm only a click away.
• Search engine optimisation has been improved, which will ensure that searches for surveyors carried out in search engines will drive traffic to Find a Surveyor - boosting traffic and referrals for member firms.

However these aren’t the only changes.

From the end of March 2008 the service will be an opt-out product and all member firms will be listed on the site unless they have chosen not to take part.

This means that there is a larger database of member firms for users to access.

The ‘Find your Nearest’ search will shortly be up and running – this will allow users to simply enter the desired postcode or town and then select the radius of their search to find the firm nearest to them.

The recent development of Find a Surveyor is only the first step to a more comprehensive ‘Find a’ portal which will allow for users to verify individual members and search for members with accreditations.   

Go online today and view the new and improved site at www.ricsfirms.com.