Driving traffic to your real estate website isn’t just important—it’s essential. But when your competition includes giants like Zillow, Realtor.com, and Homes.com, it can feel overwhelming.
But here’s the thing: You can win.
With the right mix of strategy, patience, and a few insider tips, brokerages like yours can organically attract not just traffic, but the right kind of traffic—the kind that converts.
That’s why we teamed up with Augurian, a digital marketing agency known for getting results in organic search, paid media, and content marketing.
In this post, Jessica Meyer, a senior analyst at Augurian, is going to share the tools and strategies you can implement today to improve your brokerage’s SEO.
Because when you have the right map, getting to your destination isn’t just possible—it’s inevitable.
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If your brokerage struggles to stand out online, you're not alone. Many real estate companies face the same challenge. In the competitive world of real estate, having a robust online presence is crucial to growing your client base and standing out amongst the competition.
This article will cover the importance of real estate keywords, list the best ones to target, explain how to use them effectively and recommend tracking tools. Whether you’re an experienced brokerage owner or a new real estate agent, this guide will help you get started by targeting the right keywords to improve your digital marketing strategy.
What Are SEO Real Estate Keywords and Why Do They Matter?
Real estate keywords are specific terms and phrases that potential real estate clients use when searching for properties, agent opportunities, or real estate services online. When they type a specific phrase into a search engine, like Google, that is considered a user query or keyword.
Keywords are a necessary part of your search engine optimization (SEO) because they help search engines understand the content of your website and match it to relevant searches. As the world continues to lean more digital, this is becoming more important than ever to reach your audience.
By incorporating the right keywords into your content, you can improve your website’s visibility in search engine result pages (SERPs). The higher your visibility, the better your chances are for driving more traffic to your website and, ultimately, converting more leads into clients.
What Keywords Should You Target as a Brokerage or Real Estate Agent?
Real estate keywords are one of the most critical parts of your digital marketing strategy, making it very important to select the right ones. However, knowing where to begin can be challenging. To determine which keywords to focus on, you should understand four key factors:
- Keyword intent - also known as search intent, is the purpose behind a user's search query. It represents what the user is trying to achieve with their search, such as finding information, making a purchase, navigating to a specific site, or conducting research.
- Keyword relevancy - refers to how closely a keyword or phrase matches the content on your website and users' search intent. This ensures that your website appears in relevant search results for your target audience.
- Keyword search volume - the average number of times a keyword is searched for in a search engine over a selected period - typically a month. This signifies the keyword's popularity and the potential traffic it can drive to your website.
- Keyword competition - also known as keyword difficulty, is the estimated level of difficulty in ranking for a specific keyword in search engine results. It is determined by the number of other websites that target that keyword and the authority of those websites.
With those four factors in mind, you’ll want to choose a keyword that is relevant to your services, matches user intent, has a high search volume, and low competition. This ensures that you are targeting terms that potential clients are searching for while having a good chance of ranking high in search results. Examples of good keywords include “top brokerages near me,” “homes for sale in [city],” and “how to sell my home quickly.”
Best Real Estate SEO Keywords to Target to Grow Your Client Base
To attract more clients, it’s essential to target the top real estate keywords, which include a mix of broad and specific keywords. Broad keywords will have a higher search volume to help you reach a wider audience. On the other hand, specific or long-tail keywords may have a lower keyword search volume, but they attract clients closer to making a decision.
Some of the best real estate keywords to include are those for buyers, sellers, real estate agents, and recruiting. The comprehensive list below is a great place to start when looking for keywords.
Buyers Keywords Sellers Keywords Agents Keywords Agent Recruiting Keywords Property Rental Keywords Local Real Estate Keywords
Real Estate Listing & Buyers Keywords
Buyers' keywords are specifically used by individuals looking to purchase real estate. Focusing on buyers' keywords ensures that your digital marketing efforts reach an audience with intent to purchase, improving the effectiveness of your real estate business's online presence. Some keywords that potential homebuyers are likely to use when searching for properties are listed below.
You may notice that many of the keywords listed include variations of the term "homes for sale". This is because "homes for sale" terms typically have the highest monthly search volume and therefore the highest traffic potential for your brokerage's site, making it an important keyword to target.
- Houses for sale
- Homes for sale near me
- Home search
- Properties for sale
- Real estate listings
- MLS listings
- Commercial properties for sale
- Investment properties for sale
- Land for sale
- Move-in ready homes
- Waterfront homes
- Buying a condo
- Buy a lakehouse
- Homes with a garage for sale
- Cheap homes for sale
- Luxury homes for sale
- Affordable homes for sale
- Foreclosed homes for sale
- New homes for sale
- Single-family homes
- Open houses near me
- Upcoming open houses
- Home buying process
- Home buyers guide
- How to buy a house
- Mortgage rates
- Mortgage calculator
- Down payment assistance
- Home warranty
- First-time homebuyer tips
- Steps to buying a home
- Buying vs renting
- Buyer’s agent near me
Where to Use Buyer Keywords
Real Estate buyers keywords can be used in several places on your website. However, the best place to target many buyers terms is on landing pages designed to list properties, also known as property listing pages. Buyers keywords can also be targeted on blogs focused on answering buyer queries, like “how to buy a home” and “first-time home buyers tips.”
Real Estate Sellers Keywords
Sellers keywords help your content address common concerns and questions that potential sellers may have, such as how much their home is worth, how to sell quickly, staging tips, and understanding the selling process. These terms also cover sellers looking to connect with agents to help them through the process. Targeting these keywords not only improves your visibility in rankings, but also enhances the relevance of your content to the target audience, ultimately driving more qualified leads. To reach potential sellers, start by using the keywords listed below.
- Sell my home
- Sell my home quickly
- Home selling tips
- How to sell my house
- First-time home seller
- Steps to selling a house
- Home selling process
- Home selling checklist
- Tips for selling your home
- Home seller guide
- How to sell a house fast
- How long does it take to sell a house
- What not to fix when selling a house
- Selling property as is
- How much is my home worth
- Home appraisal
- Home valuation
- Best time to sell a house
- Staging a home
- Curb appeal tips
- Home staging tips
- Home selling fees
- Pricing home to sell
- Open house tips for sellers
- Real estate listing agent
- Closing day tips for sellers
- Negotiating home sale price
- Cost of selling a house
- Closing costs
- How much are closing costs for sellers
- Taxes on selling a house
Where to Use Seller Keywords
Seller keywords should most often be used to answer potential sellers’ questions by addressing them in blogs and articles. Some real estate websites also include a service landing page specifically focused on explaining the seller experience and seller services offered by the brokerage, this is another good place to target those keywords.
Keywords for Real Estate Agents
Targeting real estate agent keywords is crucial for agents aiming to connect with clients actively seeking their services. By optimizing content around keywords like "top realtors" agents can improve visibility and reach potential clients looking for help in buying or selling properties. This approach helps agents establish credibility and stand out in competitive markets, increasing their chances of attracting leads before their competitors do. To attract clients looking for real estate services, use keywords that highlight your expertise and unique offerings, like the following:
- Real estate agent near me
- Realtor near me
- Realtor companies near me
- Commercial realtors near me
- Realtor offices near me
- Find a realtor
- How to find a real estate agent
- Who pays the real estate agent
- Real estate agents
- Top real estate agent
- Best real estate agents
- Top realtors
- Best realtor near me
- Real estate agent reviews
- Commercial real estate agent
- Residential real estate agent
- Local real estate agent
- Luxury real estate agent
- Experienced real estate agent
- Real estate consultant
Where to Use Real Estate Agents Keywords
Certain long-tail real estate agent keywords, like “how to find a real estate agent,” can be targeted with tailored content through an article, blog, or FAQ landing page. Beyond that, many of these keywords, including shorter, high-value keywords like “real estate agents,” should be used on real estate agents’ profile pages on the website.
Real Estate Agent Recruiting Keywords
As many real estate professionals know, recruiting new agents is vital for expanding your brokerage. By strategically using realtor recruiting keywords in your content, you can attract qualified candidates interested in starting or advancing their careers in the real estate industry. Use keywords that appeal to individuals interested in starting or advancing their real estate careers, such as:
- Real estate careers
- Real estate license
- Realtor license requirements
- New real estate agent
- Experienced realtor positions
- Become a realtor
- How to become a real estate agent
- How long does it take to become a real estate agent
- How to get your realtor license
- Real estate career path
- Realtor career path
- Start a real estate career
- Real estate jobs
- Realtor positions
- Real estate agent recruitment
- Real estate job opportunities
- Real estate agent training
- Realtor training program
- Realtor development program
- Real estate agent education
Where to Use Realtor Recruiting Keywords
Keywords for recruiting real estate agents are typically best used on any form of careers or hiring page. Whether you have a whole section of your real estate website dedicated to this topic or just one page, these keywords are applicable. Realtor keywords can also be used in job postings on job boards beyond your website.
Property Rental Keywords
By incorporating relevant terms such as "apartments for rent" or "rental properties in [city]", rental listings become more discoverable in search results. This helps your rental listings reach individuals specifically looking for rental accommodations, increasing the chances of inquiries and property viewings. To attract clients specifically interested in rental properties, start by targeting keywords such as:
- Rental properties
- Rental homes
- Rental listings
- Apartments for rent
- Condos for rent
- Townhomes for rent
- Duplex for rent
- Houses for rent
- Property for rent
- Commercial property for rent
- Commercial space for rent near me
- Offices to rent
- Cottage rentals
- Waterfront houses for rent
- Short term rentals
- Long term rentals
- Affordable rentals
- Luxury rentals
Where to Use Rental Keywords
Like buyers' keywords, rental keywords should be used on your website’s property listing landing pages to help users find available rental properties. While many of the keywords in this list are not geared toward blogs, there is still an opportunity to create content around these keywords. For example, a blog targeting the term “luxury rentals” could showcase the features luxury rental properties commonly offer
Local Real Estate Keywords
Local real estate keywords are essential for brokerages to attract potential clients within specific geographic areas effectively. These keywords improve your visibility in local search results and help draw qualified leads actively looking for real estate services in your target locations.
Many of the keyword examples provided recommend targeting a specific city. This is because city searches are the most common way users look for a geographical area. Here are some examples of local real estate keywords:
- Real estate [city]
- Real estate listings [city]
- Homes for sale [city]
- [City] houses for sale
- Property for sale [city]
- Commercial properties for sale [city]
- Townhomes for sale [city]
- Condos for sale [city]
- Duplex for sale [city]
- Affordable homes [city]
- Luxury homes [city]
- [City] single-family homes
- Properties for rent [city]
- [City] rentals
- City] real estate agent
- [City] realtor
- Best realtor in [city]
- City] real estate office
- Real estate brokerage [state]
- [City] real estate market
- [City] market trends
- [City] real estate statistics
- [City] real estate developments
- Popular neighborhoods in [state]
Where to Use Local Keywords
Local real estate keywords are unique because there is likely an applicable local keyword for every landing page on your website. For example, “real estate [city]” is a great keyword to use on the property listing pages, and “real estate brokerage [city]” can be added to your homepage or office location pages.
How to Monitor Real Estate Keywords for Search Engine Optimization
Once you have your list of keywords, it’s important to know how to track them effectively. By correctly monitoring your keywords, you’ll see how they rank over time and gauge their effectiveness in relation to your site. That information will allow you to make data-driven decisions to optimize your real estate SEO strategy and increase your site's traffic.
The best way to monitor keywords is by using software tools designed to help. Several tools are available, both paid and free, that you can use to help monitor your keyword rankings. If you don’t know where to start, begin with the tools listed below.
Utilize Free Keyword Tracking Tools
Take advantage of these free tools to help monitor your real estate keywords.
- Google Analytics: Google Analytics (GA) provides data on website traffic and user behavior. With a page breakdown view, this helps you track how well your keywords are performing on any given area of your site.
- Google Search Console: Google Search Console (GSC) shows how your website appears in search results and the performance of your keywords, including rankings, impressions, clicks, and click-through rates.
- Moz Free: Moz offers free SEO tools that find keyword volume and difficulty, provide limited keyword suggestions, and show which keywords your site already ranks for.
Pay for Advanced Keyword Tracking Tool
Consider investing in these paid keyword-tracking tools for more in-depth analysis and advanced features.
- SEMRush: SEMRush is a comprehensive SEO tool that provides detailed keyword tracking, in-depth competitive analysis, keyword research assistance, and more.
- Moz Pro: Moz Pro includes all of the free tools, plus offers advanced keyword tracking, website audits, local keyword information, and other SEO tools to help advance your digital marketing strategy.
- Advanced Web Ranking: Advanced Keyword Ranking (AWR) is a tool that provides detailed keyword tracking, keyword market share and click share data, and ranking reports.
SEO Tips for Using Keywords in Real Estate
Effectively using real estate keywords involves more than just adding them to your landing pages. Here are some SEO tips to ensure your keywords help improve your rankings and attract more clients while avoiding common mistakes.
1. Build Content to Fit Your Keywords
Many SEOs say content is king for a reason. Creating content relevant to your target keywords will help your brokerage be more visible in search results. When creating content, choose topics that provide value to your audience and match their search intent. For example, if you’re targeting “how to sell my home,” create a comprehensive guide that walks sellers through the entire process while including your target keyword. Building content for your website that targets specific keywords can also improve your relevancy for related keywords. The more relevant, keyword-rich content you build, the stronger your website can become.
2. Avoid Keyword Stuffing
While it’s important to include keywords in your content, avoid overusing them. Search engines often recognize keyword-stuffing content as spam, which can hurt the rankings and traffic of that content or your website as a whole. Plus, keyword stuffing makes the content less readable for your audience, creating a bad user experience. To avoid this, aim for a natural inclusion of your real estate keywords that enhances the readability and value of your content.
3. Map Keywords to the Correct Pages
Keyword mapping is the SEO process of assigning specific keywords to the most relevant pages on your website. By strategically assigning relevant keywords to appropriate pages, you improve the chances of appearing in search results when potential clients look for specific services or properties in your target area. This targeted approach not only increases organic traffic but also improves the user experience by directing visitors to the most relevant information, ultimately boosting website engagement, leads, and conversions.
4. Focus on Hyperlocal Keywords
Don’t underestimate the importance of local optimization. Hyperlocal keywords, such as “homes for sale in North East Minneapolis” or “apartment rentals in the Upper East Side,” help attract clients searching for properties in very specific locations. You can target specific neighborhoods or communities using hyperlocal keywords, typically with lower keyword competition. This strategy can significantly increase your chances of ranking highly for those select terms. It also boosts local SEO, which will attract more qualified leads.
Develop a Plan for Your Real Estate SEO with an Agency
Effective real estate SEO requires a strategic approach to keyword research, content creation, and performance tracking. Incorporating the right keywords into your content can improve your online visibility, attract more clients, recruit more realtors, and ultimately grow your brokerage.
An agency like Augurian, works with several high-valued real estate websites on search engine optimization and paid media campaigns. Their team can help you develop a comprehensive SEO strategy tailored to your needs. From keyword research to content optimization, we handle it all so you can focus on what you do best—selling real estate.
Contact Augurian today to learn more about their real estate SEO services.