Want much buyers and sellers from Google without relying connected Zillow oregon Redfin?

Or much leads for listings that enactment your cold-calling and door-knocking efforts?

Then, go skilled astatine existent property SEO.

SEO is astir ranking your tract successful hunt motor results pages (SERPs). This volition pull qualified buyers and sellers to your agency.

Just look astatine Campion & Company, a tiny existent property bureau successful Boston. They outrank Zillow for high-value spot searches similar “Burrage Mansion.”

And that’s conscionable 1 keyword.

This bureau ranks for 19K antithetic hunt presumption connected Google—all driving imaginable buyers straight to their listings.

All acknowledgment to SEO.

In this guide, you’ll larn however to behaviour keyword probe for high-intent terms, make lead-generating content, and predominate the section SERPs.

But first, let’s instrumentality a person look astatine the benefits of SEO.

Why Is SEO Important for Real Estate Sites?

Real property SEO helps your listings amusement up successful hunt results erstwhile radical look for homes online.

This includes Google Maps erstwhile radical hunt for things similar “realtor” successful your area.

Why does this matter?

According to a survey by the National Association of Realtors (NAR), 100% of Americans who bought a location successful 2024 utilized the net to hunt for a home.

And more than half (52%) of caller buyers recovered the location they yet purchased online.

SEO lets you scope these buyers erstwhile they’re actively looking to buy.

But it’s besides a cost-effective mode of capturing online demand.

For example, the cost-per-click of a Google ad for the keyphrase “real property companies successful West Palm Beach Florida” is $5.67.

But SEO tin get your concern to look straight nether those ads without spending a dime.

This puts you successful nonstop power of pb generation. Which means nary much relying connected costly ads oregon third-party directory sites.

Sounds ideal, right?

Now that you’ve seen what existent property SEO tin bash for your business, let’s commencement with the astir important archetypal step:

Conducting a speedy method audit to spot if Google tin really find your website.

(Because if it can’t, different SEO strategies don’t matter.)

Step 1: Make Sure Google Can Find Your Property Listings

The champion mode to cheque if Google knows your tract exists?

The Index Coverage study successful Google Search Console.

This volition archer you which pages from your tract are successful Google’s index, which aren’t, and why.

Some reddish flags to ticker retired for:

• Your indexed pages WAY outnumber your existent pages (this usually means Google’s uncovering pages it shouldn’t)
• Google’s lone indexed a fraction of your pages (meaning imaginable clients can’t find astir of your listings and services)
• Important pages amusement up nether “Error,’” “Valid with warnings,” oregon “Excluded”

Not definite wherefore Google isn’t indexing your pages?

The “Why pages aren’t indexed” study is your person here.

It’ll archer you precisely what’s wrong—like a redirect mistake oregon improper canonical tags—and however to hole it.

If you person unindexed pages, you tin manually petition indexing.

This is ace adjuvant for caller listings you privation to look ASAP.

Step 2: Find Keywords That Drive Leads

To summation leads, you request to amusement up connected Google for the presumption homebuyers hunt for successful your area.

But it’ll instrumentality a strategical program to bushed the large existent property directory sites.

For example, here’s what the hunt results look similar for “Raleigh homes.”

Directory sites predominate the SERPs, including Zillow, Realtor.com, and Redfin.

This means the chances of ranking connected the SERP for that keyword are slim.

But there’s a mode astir this—long-tail keywords.

Research Valuable Long-Tail Keywords

Long-tail keywords are highly circumstantial presumption that get less searches per period and person little competition. These keywords besides thin to beryllium longer.

The little trouble of these presumption makes them easier to fertile for connected your spot pages than wide presumption similar “raleigh homes.”

The cardinal is uncovering long-tail keywords that person decent hunt measurement and debased difficulty.

Here’s how:

First, marque a database of each the neighborhoods wherever you person spot listings.

Then, usage a keyword instrumentality similar Semrush’s Keyword Magic to probe terms.

Enter a vicinity into the hunt barroom and click “Search.”

The instrumentality volition instrumentality a database of keywords and important metrics for each one.

This includes:

• Search volume: The mean fig of monthly searches for a circumstantial keyword successful Google
• Keyword difficulty (KD): A people from 0-100 that estimates however hard it would beryllium to fertile connected the archetypal leafage of Google for that keyword
• Search intent: The superior intent oregon extremity down a user’s hunt query—informational (learn), commercialized (compare/buy), navigational (find site), oregon transactional (take action)

While the database volition typically see immoderate long-tail keywords already, you tin adhd filters to constrictive it adjacent further.

Here’s how:

Select the “KD %” filter and benignant “0-50” successful the customized range.

Then, click the “Intent” filter and prime “Transactional” and “Commercial.”

Filtering this database for “Commercial” and “Transactional” volition bounds the database to presumption radical hunt erstwhile they’re looking to bargain a home.

Now, you person a database of long-tail keywords you tin usage to optimize your spot page.

For example, “boylan heights raleigh homes for sale” receives 40 searches a period and has a keyword trouble people of 3, meaning it should beryllium ace casual to fertile for.

It besides has transactional intent, which tells you these searchers are acceptable to buy.

Even better?

The SERP for this keyword is simply a premix of directory sites and section realtors, truthful you cognize you’ve got a changeable astatine ranking.

Now that you’ve got your people keywords, it’s clip to usage them strategically connected your spot pages.

Step 3: Optimize Your Property Pages for Conversions

Landing qualified leads starts with on-page optimization.

Your rubric tags, meta descriptions, and leafage operation archer Google and imaginable buyers precisely what they’ll find connected your site.

Getting these elements close puts you successful power of your pb generation.

Optimize Title Tags and Meta Descriptions

These on-page elements archer searchers and hunt engines what each leafage connected your tract is about.

They tin besides assistance you get much clicks from the SERPs.

A title tag is the clickable bluish substance that appears successful Google hunt results.

It should beryllium 50 to 60 characters full since agelong rubric tags whitethorn beryllium truncated oregon rewritten by Google.

And it needs to diagnostic your people keyword.

Otherwise, Google mightiness conflict to recognize what the leafage is about—and what searches to fertile it for.

Not definite however to constitute a rubric tag? Take inspiration from the large directory sites.

Many travel the nonstop aforesaid pattern—”[Place name] Real Estate & Homes For Sale”:

This format is fashionable due to the fact that it hits some variations of the emblematic hunt radical volition usage to find homes for merchantability successful an area:

• [Place name] houses for sale
• [Place name] existent estate

A meta description is simply a snippet of substance that appears nether the rubric tag successful the SERPs.

This on-page constituent tells searchers what the leafage is astir and entices them to click done to work your content.

While meta descriptions don’t straight interaction wherever a leafage ranks successful Google, it’s inactive adjuvant to see your people keyword successful them.

Doing this reinforces what the leafage is astir erstwhile readers are scanning the hunt results.

And tin thrust much clicks to your site.

Keep your meta statement nether 155 characters to forestall it from getting chopped off.

Add Page Headings

A H1 tag is the header oregon rubric of a webpage.

It should picture the page’s contents and see the main keyword.

It doesn’t person to beryllium the nonstop keyphrase—you tin usage a saltation of your people keyword successful your H1 similar We Know Boise Real Estate did.

H2s are the main subheadings that spell underneath your H1 to signifier your contented and marque it casual for readers to find what they’re looking for.

Include the determination sanction successful immoderate of your page’s H2’s arsenic well:

This makes it crystal wide to hunt engines precisely what this leafage is about, which increases your chances of ranking.

Just guarantee your leafage headings work people and debar keyword stuffing.

Include Internal Links

Internal linking connects your determination pages together, helping you fertile higher successful hunt results.

It besides keeps website visitors engaged longer arsenic they research different pages connected your site.

For example, We Know Boise’s Barber Valley leafage includes hyperlinks to each different vicinity successful East Boise:

When you click a neighborhood, it takes you to a dedicated leafage connected We Know Boise’s tract for that location.

This lets Google recognize the narration betwixt these pages connected your site.

Which volition assistance you fertile for your people keywords—and yet onshore much leads.

Create Detailed Listing Pages That Convert Browsers into Buyers

The much accusation you supply connected your spot pages, the much apt visitors are to publication a viewing.

It besides helps with pb qualification, arsenic they’ll cognize upfront if the listing is apt to beryllium a fit.

Include:

• A elaborate statement of the property
• A statement of the section amenities
• High-quality images of the full property
• A representation showing the property’s location

Look astatine the large directory sites for inspiration erstwhile creating your listings.

For example, Trulia includes high-quality images and indispensable accusation similar code and terms prominently astatine the apical of the listing.

They travel this up with a “Local Information” conception that includes a map, statement of the area, and accusation connected section restaurants, shopping, and schools.

Next, comes the “Home Highlights” astatine a glance, specified arsenic the HOA fee, terms per quadrate foot, and however agelong the spot has been listed.

Then, an expandable drop-down paper with adjacent much details similar the fig of bedrooms, bathrooms, and more:

Trulia besides showcases what locals accidental astir the country to springiness prospective buyers an wrong look into the area:

Notably, they besides see an interactive owe calculator acceptable to the home’s listed price.

Doing thing akin volition assistance you get much leads from your spot pages.

Step 4: Dominate Local Search Results with Your Google Business Profile

Search “[your location] existent property agents” successful Google.

The apical integrated effect is astir definite to beryllium a Google Local Pack—a SERP diagnostic that appears for location-specific searches—featuring 3 section realtors:

It goes without saying that you should prioritize landing successful 1 of those 3 spots done your existent property SEO strategy.

This is particularly captious for a section realtor since the remainder of the integrated results are apt to beryllium dominated by directory sites:

Here’s however to optimize your tract to look successful the Local Pack for your area:

Create a Google Business Profile

First things first: Create a Google Business Profile (if you haven’t already).

Here’s how:

1. Sign into a Google relationship (if you’re not already logged into one)
2. Head to the Google Business Profile Manager and click the “Manage now” button
3. Enter your concern name, category, location, and interaction information
4. Verify your concern by the method offered to you by Google (usually by a telephone telephone oregon a postcard sent to your business’s address)

Fill Out and Optimize Your Google Business Profile

Once your Google Business Profile is verified, capable it retired with arsenic overmuch accusation arsenic possible—including each the areas you person listings:

Add plentifulness of high-quality photos of your team, existent listings, and properties sold.

Do this regularly to amusement Google you’re a morganatic concern worthy of ranking astatine the apical of the Local Pack.

Plus, it’ll assistance merchantability your institution to imaginable clients—and agents who mightiness beryllium looking for a caller agency.

You besides person the enactment of penning a little statement of your business, which volition look nether the heading “From [your business’s name]’:

Include people keywords successful this section.

Things like:

• [Your area] existent estate
• [Your area] homes for sale
• [Your area] existent property agent
• [Your area] realtor

Encourage and Respond to Customer Reviews

It’s bully signifier to inquire each your customers to permission you a reappraisal connected Google.

After all, 35% of radical accidental a existent property agent’s estimation is the astir important origin erstwhile they’re choosing a realtor to merchantability their home, according to NAR’s study.

Plus, the much affirmative reviews you person connected Google, the much apt you are to look successful the Local Pack for applicable searches.

Your business’s wide standing and reappraisal highlights volition look connected your Google Business listing:

As a champion practice, respond to each reappraisal you person connected Google.

This includes the affirmative ones:

And the not-so-positive ones:

This volition amusement imaginable clients that you attraction what radical person to accidental astir your concern and respond to their feedback.

It’s besides different awesome to Google that you’re a well-run concern that deserves to beryllium astatine the apical of its section results.

Get arsenic Many NAP Citations arsenic You Can

NAP (name, address, and telephone number) citations are a immense woody erstwhile it comes to local SEO.

The much websites that database your company’s NAP correctly, the much assured Google is that those details are correct—and that you’re a morganatic concern worthy sending searchers to.

But manually adding and updating citations isn’t a bully usage of anyone’s time.

Instead, usage a instrumentality similar Semrush’s Listing Management, which automates the process.

By connecting your Google Business Profile, the instrumentality volition automatically administer your details to captious directories for your industry.

Search your concern to find retired however galore close NAP citations it has online:

The instrumentality volition amusement you wherever your NAP details are listed incorrectly—or not astatine each to assistance you amended and grow your presence.

Use Google Posts to Advertise Property Listings

Google Posts are updates that look astatine the bottommost of your Google Business Profile.

They’re the cleanable spot for you to advertise your latest listings.

Plus, Google is little apt to show your Business Profile astatine the apical of section hunt results if it’s inactive. Which means making a Google Post astir each of your caller listings volition assistance you fertile successful the Local Pack.

Create a Google Post by clicking “Add update” successful your dashboard:

Step 5: Start a Blog to Establish Your Agency arsenic an Industry Leader

Rank for much keywords and fortify your site’s authorization by creating a blog.

Write High-Quality Blog Content

Blog content tin thrust highly applicable postulation to your site.

The cardinal is uncovering topics homebuyers are actively searching for online.

Semrush’s Keyword Overview instrumentality is large for this purpose.

Here’s however it works:

Search for your work country successful the tool, specified arsenic “Cambridge MA.”

You’ll spot an Overview study with keyword data.

Click “View each keywords” nether the “Questions” report.

Now, you’ll spot a database of questions radical inquire Google astir this area.

Including the hunt measurement for each term, intent, and keyword difficulty.

Review the database to find questions that would marque large blog station topics.

Ensure they’re applicable and purpose for debased trouble and mean hunt volume.

For example, “What is determination to bash successful cambridge ma” gets 320 searches per period and has a debased keyword trouble people of 20.

This means it should beryllium reasonably casual to fertile for, which is particularly important if you person a caller tract oregon 1 that lacks authority.

Create Neighborhood Guides

Neighborhood guides are a tried-and-true mode to fertile successful the SERPs. (Note: these tin enactment good arsenic tract pages oregon blog content.)

For example, Trulia created a vicinity usher for each vicinity wherever they person listings.

That subfolder drives 611.2K visits to the Trulia tract each month.

And it has 11K backlinks:

These pages work.

And your contented selling strategy should revolve astir them.

But however tin you vie with Trulia, Zillow, and Redfin’s vicinity pages?

With high-quality, broad contented that highlights your section expertise.

For example, New Orleans existent property bureau Crescent City Living has a vicinity usher that outranks each the directory sites for “Seventh Ward New Orleans”:

How’d they bash it?

Well, comparison Crescent City Living’s usher to Trulia’s, and you’ll spot important differences:

Crescent Living’s leafage was intelligibly written by idiosyncratic who knows the area.

It describes Seventh Ward’s colorful Creole cottages and beloved Marching 100 band.

Trulia’s page, connected the different hand, is simply a programmatically generated database of stats.

Which tract would you spot to springiness you the champion accusation astir the neighborhood?

Step 6: Track Your Success with Key Performance Metrics

There are virtually hundreds of SEO metrics you could track.

And portion you’ll privation to support an oculus connected traffic, rankings, clip connected page, and more, inquiries and leads are what truly matter.

Use Google Analytics (GA4) to spot however galore tract visitors implicit a “Key event” connected your site.

This could beryllium filling retired a signifier oregon requesting a spot viewing.

Ready to Launch Your Real Estate SEO Strategy?

Optimizing your existent property tract tin bring successful leads year-round.

It tin besides assistance you vie with the likes of Zillow and Redfin successful the SERPs.

While knowing SEO is fractional the battle, having the close tools makes implementation faster and much effective.

Check retired our usher to the 5 Best Local SEO Tools to unafraid your spot successful Google’s Map Pack and outrank section realtors.

The station 6 Steps to Win astatine Real Estate SEO appeared archetypal connected Backlinko.