In order to be competitive as a real estate professional, you need an online presence that’s optimized for local search results. Use this guide to learn how to optimize your content so you can increase visibility, attract qualified leads, and grow your real estate business.
What Is Real Estate SEO?
Real estate search engine optimization is the process of creating and updating online content—including your real estate website and local listings—with the aim of ranking higher on search engine results pages (SERPs). When someone searches in Google, Bing, or another search engine, a list of potential answers are ranked on factors such as relevance, quality, user experience, and geographic location so that the searcher gets the best match to their query. As a real estate agent, you can improve your chances of ranking higher for queries related to real estate in your area by using a combination of on-page and off-page optimization strategies. The right real estate SEO strategies can help you gain visibility online and attract more clients.
Why Is SEO for Real Estate Agents & Realtors Important?
All recent homebuyers used the internet to search for properties, with nearly half of them starting the homebuying process online before contacting a real estate professional. That means, Realtors and real estate agents must have an effective online presence to capture those people and remain competitive in a saturated industry. Using SEO for real estate puts you in front of more potential homebuyers and sellers at the right time—when they’re searching for properties or real estate services in your area.
SEO Strategies for Realtors & Real Estate Agents
To perform well online when so many big-name real estate companies already dominate search results, real estate agents will need to do more than just one SEO tactic. It’s not enough to just build a website. You’ll want a comprehensive digital marketing plan that includes content, social media, local citations, link-building, and on-page website optimizations for your real estate brand. Here are all the top real estate SEO tips that we recommend doing to stand out from competitors.
Look at Your Real Estate Competitors
Know which SEO strategies other real estate agents in your area are using and if their approach is working. Before keyword optimizing your website, writing copy for your blog, choosing categories on your Google Business Profile, or posting to social media, you should research what your competitors are doing and how they’re performing online. Where are their strengths and weaknesses? Where might you provide a superior experience for potential clients? Don’t just copy them. Instead, use their strategies as a starting point to building a stronger SEO strategy for your real estate company.
Target Local Real Estate Keywords
SEO is a powerful tool for any industry, and real estate is no exception. Identifying geo-targeted keywords (also known as local keywords) that your target audience uses to search for real estate agents is crucial, as this will help you connect with potential buyers and sellers actively searching for real estate solutions in your area.
Hurrdat Marketing’s Senior SEO Strategist, Molly, explains:
“To find the right keywords, you can use third-party SEO tools to research phrases that are commonly used, as well as competitor keyword rankings. For free tools, just use Google! The related searches, people also ask questions, and autocomplete suggestions on Google are helpful inspiration when building out webpages.”
Start with long-tail keywords like “real estate agents in [neighborhood/city/state],” “Realtors near me,” “real estate agents in my area,” or “local real estate agents” to capture clients in the same zip codes as your company. Then, find top real estate keywords related to your services, whether that’s common offerings like buying and selling properties or more unique services like “commercial real estate in [city]” or “property management services near me.” All of these target keywords help Google understand your website and narrow down which results it should appear in.
Optimize Your Website
Having a visually-appealing real estate website is important for making a great first impression on visitors, but it’s only half the battle. You also need to optimize it using on-page SEO techniques to stand a chance at appearing high enough for people to click on it in Google search results. Focus on these common problem areas:
- Website structure: Ensure your website is easy to navigate by organizing with clear categories and subcategories. Implement internal links to help Google crawl and index your pages.
- User experience: Prioritize mobile responsiveness, website security, ADA compliance, intuitive design, and clear calls to action to enhance user satisfaction and engagement.
- Loading speed: Ensure your website loads quickly by optimizing images and code.
- Keyword optimization: Incorporate real estate keywords into your content, headings, title tags, and meta descriptions to help Google understand your website’s relevance to different search queries and increase your click-through rate from search results.
To uncover the issues and optimization opportunities on your site specifically, conduct a website audit—examining your site’s organization, content, user experience, and technical elements.
Generate Backlinks
Search engines only want to show people the websites that are valuable and trusted. One of the ways to signal to Google that your real estate site is trustworthy is by building a strong backlink profile. This happens when authoritative sources in the real estate niche link to your site, essentially vouching for the credibility and quality of your webpage. While you can follow a few link building strategies to get backlinks, the main driver of natural ones is quality content. Create something that people with a strong reputation in your industry want to reshare. Never buy backlinks. And remember that you’re aiming for quality more than quantity.
Update Your Local Listings
Local search optimization is a powerful tool that can help real estate agents connect with buyers and sellers in their specific market. By learning the best local SEO strategies and optimizing your listings, you can help your real estate business appear more prominently in local real estate search results for terms like “list of Realtors near me” or “real estate company in [city].” You have to first claim your Google Business Profile (GBP) before you can potentially appear in Google Maps or the local pack.
Alexi Wilt, Hurrdat Marketing’s Local Search Director, explains:
Creating and optimizing your Google Business Profile is extremely important for real estate agents who want to be found locally. It’s important to choose categories that best represent your business (such as real estate agent and real estate agency), request reviews from buyers and sellers that you’ve worked with, and ensure that your business details—such as phone number and website URL—are accurate. The Google posts section is also great for posting real estate news and details about properties on the market.
Once you’ve optimized your GBP, prioritize building a strong and consistent online presence through a variety of local business listings, with a focus on real estate directories like Realtor.com, Zillow, Homes.com, and Trulia.
Create High-Quality Real Estate Content
According to Kennedy Martinez, the Content Director at Hurrdat Marketing,
“High-quality content helps real estate agents stand out in a competitive market. By focusing on relevant keywords, crafting compelling property listings, and publishing insightful blog posts on homebuying tips and market updates, Realtors and real estate agents can make their services more easily found by potential clients. Content should be aimed at bringing organic traffic to your website and converting leads into loyal customers.”
When creating blog posts for your business, as well as other content, address the unique needs and questions of buyers and sellers in your area. Focus on local market trends, answer questions common from buyers and sellers, and demonstrate your expertise for Google E-E-A-T. Content ideas that can position you as a local real estate expert might include topics such as “How to Increase Your Property’s Market Value” or “How to Budget for a New Home.” To be more engaging and optimized for search, all content should include relevant real estate SEO keywords and incorporate captivating visuals, infographics, or videos.
Use Social Media
While social media isn’t a direct ranking factor, maintaining active profiles on social media can support your real estate SEO strategy and help you connect with potential homebuyers and sellers near you. In fact, around 38% of new real estate clients come from Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and other social media platforms. Figure out which you should be posting on, and then create valuable real estate content for social media—like local market insights, property showcases, and helpful homeownership tips—to position yourself as a trusted real estate expert. By actively managing your profiles, sharing valuable content, and using social media metrics to hone your strategy, you can build authority, expand your reach, and drive more traffic to your website.
Leverage Positive Reviews
Positive online reviews are powerful endorsements that could potentially influence future homebuyers. Frequent, favorable feedback not only helps solidify your online reputation, but it’s also a ranking factor, signaling to Google that your business is helpful and relevant. You can generate more reviews by giving clear instructions on how to do so to clients via your website, emails, and even physical handouts during open houses, home welcome packet, or other points throughout their homebuying journey.
While some people may leave negative reviews, this is a chance for you to provide excellent customer service and prove to potential clients you’re committed to resolving issues. By responding to negative reviews and publishing positive testimonials from satisfied clients on your website, you can build trust with online customers, maintain your reputation, and attract others who are seeking high-quality real estate services.
How to Track Your SEO Success
One of the most important parts of a successful real estate SEO strategy is regularly tracking and evaluating your performance so you can make adjustments as needed. Define and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) for your business to see what’s working well and discover how you could improve. Some common KPIs for real estate SEO include:
- Conversion rates
- Keyword rankings
- Lead generation
- Organic search traffic
- Website traffic
You can use heatmaps or SEO tracking tools like Ahrefs, Google Analytics, Moz Pro, and Semrush to track these KPIs and evaluate your SEO strategy as a whole. Tracking the right site metrics will help you understand how users interact with your content, which is important if you want to make informed decisions about your long-term real estate SEO strategy and business growth.
Cost of SEO for Realtors & Real Estate Agents
For real estate agents, the cost of SEO and the price of local SEO can vary based on whether you want to follow a DIY approach or hire a freelancer or digital marketing agency. Real estate SEO costs are also determined in part by the geographical market, as a bigger city with more competition typically sees higher prices. If you’re using automated tools to keep your local SEO efforts in-house, the cost will likely fall around $80 to $1,000 per year or $50 to $600 per month. On the other hand, if you decide to hire professionals, here’s the average pricing you can expect from freelancers and agencies specializing in SEO:
Freelance SEO Expert:
- General SEO: $20 to $150 per hour, $100 to $750 per month, or $500 to $3,000 per project
- Local SEO: $100 to $250 per project or $50 to $150 per hour
Real Estate SEO Company:
- General SEO: $75 to $250 per hour, $500 to $2,000 per month, or $2,000 to $5,000 per project
- Local SEO: $300 to $5,000 per project or $300 to $2,000 per month
Need help optimizing your real estate website, local citations, or online presence? Hurrdat offers expert SEO services and local SEO services tailored to your needs. Contact us today to learn more!
