PRODUCT TOOLKIT
Builder Dashboard:
Content Completion
The Content Completion feature measures the completeness of Promoted Communities listing feed content, focusing on three categories: community information, plans and specs.
When you spend time enhancing your Promoted Communities listings to stand out to home shoppers, it’s difficult to know what to prioritize. What matters most to potential buyers in that zero moment of truth? What special features in your listings not only help capture their attention but also prompt them to contact the builder?
To be a true partner in your success with Promoted Communities, Zillow is sharing insights to help you know precisely how to measure a listing’s completeness. This feature is called Content Completion, and it’s available in your Builder Dashboard.
The Content Completion report is built on an algorithm that examines users’ home-search behaviors on Zillow. It offers insights into high-impact fields where you can improve your listing content to help you attract more high-intent buyers.
The bottom line: Taking steps to improve your Content Completion will help improve the engagement and discoverability of your listings on Zillow.
How does it work?
Just like it sounds, the report takes into consideration how complete Promoted Communities listing feed content is, focusing on three categories: community information, plans and specs. It’s a cross-platform tool that lives in the New Home Feed and in your Builder Dashboard. Marketers can dive deep into subcategories or get even more granular with a data details report in Builder Dashboard to understand where there are gaps in listing content — and then improve their Promoted Communities listing feed.
By analyzing back-end data, we know which commonly used listing fields, search filters and other features do the most to help prospective buyers discover your properties and engage with your Promoted Communities listing. While content quality is still very important, content completion is low-hanging fruit that can lead to more successful interactions with prospective buyers.
This Customer-centric tool empowers you to optimize your listing content effectively. Below is a breakdown by section of what contributes towards your overall content completion score. A full comprehensive breakdown is available in your builder dashboard at builders.zillowgroup.com once you’re live on Zillow.
Community
Community Info
- Community geocodes
- Sales office info
- Description
- Builder website
- HOA fees
Contact Info
- Phone
- Office Hours
Rich Visuals
- Video (virtual tour)
- 10+ photos
- Inline Community Preview map (Ask rep for more details)
Depth / Breadth
- Presence of 2 or more plans
- Presence of 2 or more specs (Listing Connect does not go towards this)
Plans
Home Data
- Price
- Custom Description
- Heating and cooling info
Home Visuals
- 10+ photos across elevations (Additional points for 20+)
- 10+ photos across interiors (Additional points for 20+)
- Virtual tour
- Plan Viewer (Link to floor plan on website)
Specs
(Listing Connect Homes do not contribute towards CCS scoring)
Home Data
- Price
- Custom Description
- Heating and cooling info
- Parking (garage)
- Parking Type
- Stories
- Spec move-in date
Home Visuals
- 10+ photos across elevations (Additional points for 20+)
- 10+ photos across interiors (Additional points for 20+)
- Virtual tour
Location
- Unique geocodes
- Address with house #
With the introduction of Listing connect and its effect on CCS, we encourage our builders to focus heavily on community and floor plan scoring if all of your specs are in the MLS. At the moment, listing connect specs do not contribute towards the spec or overall score. Below are some quick hits that can really help contribute towards builder success and your CCS score.
Can photos alone really help sell my home?
Yes! Avoid posting listing photos that are undersized, time-stamped, watermarked, blurry or unidentifiable. You want buyers to look at the snapshots and say, “I want to see more!” instead of asking, “What IS that?”
You’ll get more buyers viewing your listings when you start with an eye-catching image and include 20–25 thoughtful and professionally taken photos that highlight each home’s best features. Take multiple angles to give home shoppers the best perspective. Kitchens alone should have 10 photos dedicated to them.
Stunning vistas? Lush walking trails? Family and pet-friendly spaces? Show them off. Real HQ photos at an average of 20+ per floor plan and listings see 2X higher page views. Community counts too — builders who showcase amenities and their community in their listings see 28% more leads and 20% more click-throughs.
Are descriptions that important?
Yes, buyers come for the photos, but they stay for the details. Use a minimum of 250 words in your listings and make each word count. Be consistent in your language and style across all listings.
Flaunt it if you’ve got it: quartz countertops, hardwood floors, solar panels — buyers crave details. Don’t forget to include ground-breaking and grand opening dates, open house events, special offers and promotions.
Plan descriptions: 200+ characters receive 7% higher conversion rate than plans with <200 characters. Spec descriptions: 350+ characters receive 9% higher conversion rate than specs with <350 characters.
Do 3D tours have that much influence?
Even before the pandemic, Zillow found that 3D home tours had a notable impact on buyers. Listings with 3D tours were saved 50% more than homes without them, and sold 10% faster.*
Since 2020, these changes have only accelerated. In 2022, 3D virtual home tours were table stakes, helping new construction buyers inspect every angle of a property online for as long as they desired. 68% of buyers said these tours gave them a better feel for a home’s interior than static photos, and 43% preferred 3D tours to in person tours. The proportion of buyers who skipped private tours entirely doubled from 7% in 2021 to 14% in 2022.
If you’re using a direct feed, you can use the insights from the Content Completion Score in your Builder Dashboard to enhance your listing sources on Zillow.
Want to know your Content Completion Score? Log in to Builder Dashboard, or contact your Zillow representative for a walkthrough.
* Zillow Group Consumer Housing Trends Report 2023
