Fix your Google Business Profile, create hyper-local suburb content, and build quality backlinks consistently. That’s how you win more buyer enquiries and seller mandates from local search.
Real estate SEO helps agencies rank higher on Google and AI search platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini.
The primary goal is to ensure your agency is found by buyers actively searching for homes in your area.
But here’s why real estate SEO matters more than most agents think…
97% of people who bought a home in the last year used the internet to search for a property.
Think about that for a second.
Almost every single buyer used either Google or an AI search platform to find their home.
What’s more?
52% of recent buyers found the home they ultimately purchased online.
That’s a trend that’s hard to ignore.
SEO is one of the most effective ways for real estate agents to:
- Attract more qualified buyer enquiries
- Win more seller mandates and listing opportunities
The truth is that most of your competitors are going to struggle to adapt. They’ll be stuck relying on Zillow leads, paid ads, and referrals.
That’s your opportunity.
The agencies that get SEO right now will own their local market for years. The ones that don’t will be playing catch-up.
In this guide, we’re pulling back the curtain on the exact strategy to rank your real estate agency higher on Google and get recommended in AI search answers.
All you have to do is follow the steps.
Why Real Estate SEO Matters Now
Real estate SEO matters more now than ever because 97% of homebuyers use the internet to search for a property.
And that’s not going to change anytime soon with AI search growing in popularity.
SEO traffic accounts for 53% of all website traffic for real estate agencies. It's the number one traffic and lead generator.
It drives more traffic than paid ads, social media, and referrals COMBINED.
Think about that for a second…
If you’re not actively investing in SEO, you’re losing out on more than half of your potential market.
SEO is the sleeping giant of the real estate industry.
And as AI search takes over the SEO market, more and more buyers will turn to AI tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini to find their next home.
What makes this even more interesting is that long-tail keywords drive 70% of real estate search traffic.
Searches like:
- 3-bedroom 2 bathroom homes for sale in [neighbourhood]
- best family suburbs in [city] with great schools
Are a normal type of search.
And AI search encourages even longer searches that result in personalised answers.
LLMs need local agencies and content to source in their answers. The agencies that become the source will win more business.
There has never been a better time for your agency to invest in SEO than right now.
The Competitive Advantage
I’ve heard a lot of real estate agents complain that the SEO market is dominated by major platforms like Zillow, Homes.com and Redfin.
That might be true for broad searches.
But it isn’t true for hyper-local content. And it’s also not necessarily true for AI search either.
Ask yourself: When a buyer is looking for a home, do they want generic listings from a national platform or local insights from an agent who actually knows the neighbourhood?
That’s a competitive advantage that local real estate agencies will always have over major platforms.
You just need to know how to use it.
When you create content about:
- Neighbourhood guides
- School districts
- Local market reports
You can outrank the big players for the local searches that matter most. You’ll also get cited in AI searches because you have unique data and information.
Who doesn’t want that, right?
Step 1: Implement A Strong Local SEO Strategy
Local SEO is the foundation of every successful real estate agency’s digital strategy.
Over 60% of real estate searches now start on a mobile device.
That means buyers are actively searching for properties while driving through the neighbourhoods they want to live in.
That’s an important distinction to understand. Here’s exactly what you need to do to capture that traffic.
Optimise Your Agency Google Business Profile
Your real estate agency’s Google Business Profile (GBP) is the most important local SEO tool in your bag.
Why?
When a buyer searches for a local real estate agent in your city, they don’t see a list of websites.
Instead, they see the local map pack.
The local map pack is the top three Google Business Profiles.
These three listings get 60% of all search traffic and often rank above the Google AI Overview.
But that’s not all…
The listings that are featured in the local map pack are often the same ones cited by AI search tools like ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity.
Cool, right?
Ranking in this pack alone can be enough to drive consistent buyer AND seller leads to your agency.
You’re ranking across all three essential channels of search:
- Google Maps
- AI search
Now you can see why your Google Business Profile is the most important local SEO asset your agency has.
How do you optimise it?
If you haven’t already, you first need to claim and verify your Google Business Profile.
Search for your agency on Google and click the “Own this business?” link.
Follow the steps to claim and verify your profile.
You can do this by:
- Phone
- Postcard
- Video
Done that?
The next step is optimisation.
That means filling out every aspect of your Google Business Profile possible.
You want to give Google as much information about your agency as possible.
The more information Google has, the higher you will rank. Simple as that.
Use this real estate Google Business Profile optimisation checklist:
- Ensure Your NAP Is Correct: Your Name, Address and Phone Number must be identical across every platform your agency appears on.
- Business Description: Use the full 750 characters to describe your agency, the areas you serve, the types of properties you specialise in, and what makes your agency different.
- Choose The Right Categories: Your primary category should typically be “Real Estate Agency,” then add relevant secondary categories.
- List All Services: Under each category, list every specific service you offer.
- Add High-Quality Photos: Upload photos of your office, the outside of your building, your team, recently sold properties, and local landmarks in the areas you serve.
- Enable Messages: Make it easy for buyers and sellers to contact your agency directly from the profile with the GBP messaging tool.
- Opening Hours: Ensure that your agency’s hours are accurate.
- Create A Q&A Section: Write and answer the most common questions buyers and sellers ask your agency.
Don’t rush through this process. Spend the time getting it right.
Remember that you are essentially building the SEO asset that could make or break your entire SEO strategy.
Now there are a couple of key fields that you need to pay attention to…
Google Business Profiles allow one primary category but up to nine secondary categories.
Most agencies just select “Real Estate Agency” as the primary category and don’t bother with secondary categories.
But every secondary category you add is another type of search your agency can appear for.
That’s why it’s essential that you add all nine secondary categories as well.
Add as many as are relevant to your own agency.
Remember:
The goal is to have a complete Google Business Profile that gives Google as much information as possible.
Done that?
Under each category, add every specific service you offer.
This gives Google a detailed picture of exactly what your agency does. It makes it super easy for them to know which searches your agency should rank for.
Collect Reviews From Happy Clients
Reviews are a direct ranking factor for Google.
And they carry more weight in real estate than they do in most industries.
Buying or selling a home is one of the biggest financial decisions a person will ever make.
86% of people read reviews before contacting a real estate agency. And 84% of people trust online reviews as much or more than a personal recommendation.
The bottom line is that reviews matter.
Think about it like this…
Google and AI search tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity have no real way of understanding whether your agency offers quality services or not, except through reviews.
That’s why they lean so heavily on them when deciding what agencies to rank.
How do you collect them?
The good news is that it’s not as hard as you think.
Use a tool like BrightLocal to automate review requests via SMS and email after every settlement.
Set it up once and let it run automatically.
You’ll find that happy clients often just need to be prompted to leave a review.
It’s as simple as that.
Here’s a tactic that pros use to rank for more searches through reviews…
Ask clients to mention the specific suburb or property type in their review.
For example:
“Helped us find a lovely 3-bedroom home in [neighbourhood]”.
Why?
AI search tools and Google use reviews to get more context around your business.
If they see you getting positive reviews for specific home types or neighbourhoods, you’ll rank higher for those searches.
I guarantee that your competitors aren’t thinking like that.
Pro Tip: AI platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini often use other platforms like Zillow and Realtor.com. Use BrightLocal to collect reviews on those platforms as well. This will boost your overall search profile and help you win more recommendations in AI answers.
Step 2: Create Hyper-Local Content
Local content is the best way to stand out from major platforms like Zillow.
It’s also how you target more searches and get more citations in AI Overviews.
The problem I see most local real estate agents make is targeting any keyword that has search volume.
In most cases, you’ll just end up creating a lot of mediocre content that doesn’t bring buyers.
The best agencies focus on three types of content assets:
- Pages: A dedicated page for every suburb you operate in
- Reports: Quarterly or monthly reports that are data and insight-driven
- Posts: Niche keywords like best neighbourhoods for families in [city]
Here’s the thing:
People are interested in real estate.
It’s one of those topics that everyone talks about, regardless of whether they are actively looking for a house or not.
A good blend of content assets will ensure that you are reaching people ready to buy/sell now and also getting in front of future buyers/sellers.
The key is to be the source of real estate information in your local area.
Neighbourhood Focussed Pages
Start by listing out every major suburb that you work in. If you need some help, just ask ChatGPT.
Choose the top 10-15 suburbs.
Create a dedicated page for each suburb that includes:
- The lifestyle, demographics and type of buyer the suburb attracts
- Median prices, days on market and recent sales data
- Local schools, parks, commute times and amenities
- Who is this suburb best for and why
These pages need to be data-driven and deliver real insights. They will become the foundation of your broader SEO strategy.
The reason that suburb pages work so well is that almost every buyer will search for information about a suburb they’re thinking about living in at some point.
When you rank, you reach them right at the moment they need your help.
Quarterly Market Reports
This is your secret weapon for being featured more often in AI searches.
AI search tools and LLMs love real data. And so do humans.
Create comprehensive quarterly market reports about your city’s real estate market. The key is to combine real data with your own unique insights.
Here’s what to include:
- Median sale prices per suburb
- Average days on market
- Auction clearance rates
- Stock levels and new listings
- Your take on where the market is heading
Make sure you give your opinion.
People don’t just want numbers. They want real insights based on data.
Publish the report on your website with:
- Charts
- Graphs
- Tables
- Graphics
And more. You want the report to look good so it feels more premium and gets more shares.
These reports will quickly get picked up by AI models like Gemini, Perplexity, ChatGPT and Claude. In some cases, these reports become part of the training data that AI models learn from.
That’s exactly what you want.
Your reports will get cited more, and your agency will get recommended in answers.
Targeted Real Estate Posts
The last step in your content strategy is to create strategic posts targeting specific searches.
These could include things like:
- Best neighbourhoods for families in [city]
- Most affordable suburbs in [city]
- Where to buy investment property in [city]
- Up-and-coming suburbs in [city] to watch
Use a tool like Ahrefs or Semrush to find what buyers in your area are actually searching for.
You can also ask ChatGPT to brainstorm some topic ideas.
Even just one post per month is enough to drive real traffic and leads.
Add internal links from your posts to your neighbourhood pages when relevant. Don’t forget to add relevant data and statistics, linking to your quarterly reports as the data source.
This will link all of your page, report and post content together, giving you huge topical authority.
Do those three things consistently, and you quickly start to dominate your local market.
Consistent new leads will be a natural by-product.
Then all you need to do is build backlinks to increase authority and add fuel to your SEO fire.
Optimised Property Listings
Most real estate agencies treat property pages as digital brochures.
They add:
- A few photos
- The MLS description
- Pricing information
- A contact form
The truth is that every single property page on your website should be an SEO asset.
And with just a few small changes, those pages can rank high in Google and get cited in AI search answers.
Here are the five things to focus on:
- Listing Layout: Structure every page with photos first, key details second (beds, baths, price), description third, and a clear contact CTA last.
- Title Tags: Be descriptive and specific with a keyword-rich title tag like “3-Bedroom Family Home in Riverside | $620,000”.
- Unique Descriptions: Write original descriptions that speak to the lifestyle the property offers, not just the features.
- Schema Markup: Add property schema to every listing to help Google and AI tools understand the price, location, bedroom count and property type quickly.
- Image Alt Text: Every photo needs descriptive alt text that tells Google exactly what the image shows and helps your listings appear in Google image searches.
Don’t be like your competitors that have hundreds of listing pages on their site doing nothing for them.
Optimise your listings properly.
You’d be surprised how many of them rank, get sourced and end up driving organic leads directly.
That’s the goal at the end of the day.
Pro Tip: Don’t delete pages when the property sells. Update it with the sold price and redirect buyers to similar active listings. Sold pages build trust, proving to Google, AI search tools and humans that you deliver.
Step 3: Building SEO Authority With Backlinks
Picture this:
You have two real estate agencies competing for the same search in the same city.
They have:
- The same suburb pages
- Optimised Google Business Profiles
- Similar content
- Similar property listings
How does Google know which one to rank over the other?
One word: Backlinks.
Let me explain:
Google uses backlinks as votes of confidence in your business, content and website.
Backlinks are a fundamental part of SEO. But they’re also one of the few things you don’t have direct control over.
Every time a trusted, relevant website links to yours, it adds credibility to your site, increasing your authority to rank.
The more quality backlinks you have, the higher you will rank.
It’s as simple as that.
Think about it…
You can’t log in to someone else’s website and add a backlink to your site. You have to give them a reason to link to you.
That’s why Google and AI search tools rely on backlinks as a major factor to determine which sites get visibility.
94% of all online content has zero backlinks.
That means the vast majority of your competitors aren’t building links at all.
Every link that you build to your site today puts you one step further ahead of your competitors tomorrow. And if they finally see how you’re ranking, they can’t just copy you overnight.
The backlinks you build today will still be working for your business 12+ months from now.
They form an SEO moat around your business that gives you a competitive advantage that’s not easily taken away.
That’s why the top-ranking real estate agencies make link building a core focus for their SEO campaign.
The key is having the right link building strategies in place that allow you to consistently build quality links.
That’s what I’m going to show you now.
List Your Agency On Relevant Directories
Directory links don’t add a lot in terms of website authority.
But Google expects to see them.
They are a foundational trust signal that tells Google your agency is a legitimate business.
They’re also some of the easiest links you’ll get.
And they’re also essential for being featured in AI search answers.
Tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini rely on directories when recommending local real estate agencies. If you’re not listed, you’ll have a harder time getting mentioned.
Here are the must-have directories for real estate agencies:
- Zillow Agent Directory
- Realtor.com
- Homes.com
- Redfin
- Yelp
- Chamber of Commerce
Important: Make sure that your NAP data (Name, Address and Phone Number) is identical to your Google Business Profile on every other directory. Even small inconsistencies like “Avenue” vs “Ave” confuse Google’s ability to tie these listings back to your business. That can directly impact your rankings.
Those five directories are just a starting point.
What other ones should you be listed in?
Don’t guess. Let ChatGPT tell you exactly which ones you should target.
Use this prompt:
“What are the best real estate agencies in [city]?”
Here’s the answer:
Click on “Sources” at the bottom.
Any directory listed in those sources is one you want to be in. They are the “authorities” when it comes to AI search right now.
Getting listed in them means you’re now part of the sites that AI tools are specifically referencing in their answers.
In a lot of cases, it might even be worth paying for a featured listing if it means you get listed at the top of the lists.
Pro Tip: Don’t just stop at ChatGPT. Use the same prompt and process for all the other AI models like Gemini, Perplexity, Claude and even Grok.
Guest Post On Local Blogs
Guest posts are one of the best ways to build quality links for real estate agencies.
But you need to build them correctly.
Here’s how it works:
You write a high-quality piece of content for a relevant, authoritative website in your space. In return, you get a backlink to your agency’s website.
Simple, right?
But here’s why guest posts are particularly valuable for real estate agencies…
You get complete control over the link:
- The article topic
- Where the link is placed
- Anchor text
- How your brand is positioned
- Text around the surrounding link
Google has become much smarter at understanding backlinks. You should only build high-quality backlinks from relevant sites.
What makes a high-quality backlink?
Here’s the exact criteria we use:
• High authority sites • At least 500+ monthly organic traffic • Relevant to the real estate industry • Clear editorial standards • Genuine, real websites
Guest posts on these types of sites will have the biggest impact on your SEO and AI search rankings.
The problem that most real estate agencies come up against is finding quality sites that will accept your guest posts.
And when you finally land one, you have to negotiate the placement, write the content, and they usually ask for a “placement fee” of $150 to $300.
Most real estate agencies simply don’t have the time to build guest post links consistently.
That’s why so many agencies (and even SEO agencies) choose to outsource link building to a trusted service like LinksThatRank.
Every guest post link we build goes through a strict 23-point quality control process, so you only get links that actually improve your rankings.
Choose the links you need and tell us your target keywords. We’ll take care of the rest.
Build Digital PR Links
Digital PR links are simply backlinks earned on large media sites.
The reason these are so effective is that Google and LLMs trust major media sites more than most.
A single link from a local news outlet or industry publication will do more for your SEO than a dozen low-quality links.
How do you build these links?
Journalists and writers need people as sources when they write their articles. If you can provide information or a quote to become the source, they’ll often link back to your real estate site.
The simplest way to become a source is to join platforms where journalists actively ask questions and need sources.
Here’s how to get started…
Create profiles on:
Monitor these platforms daily.
When you see a question relevant to your real estate expertise, reply fast with a clear, data-backed answer that gives them exactly what they need.
It should take you less than 10 minutes to respond in most cases.
If the journalist uses your answer in their article, they’ll often add a link back to your site as the source.
Simple, right?
The key is consistency.
We’ve found that a good conversion rate on these platforms is about 5-10%.
That means it will take time and effort before you see results. But the links you earn are more than worth it.
Outsource To Trusted Link Building Services
The truth is that link building is hard work.
For most real estate agencies, it’s better to spend time selling houses rather than building links. And that’s why most agencies choose to outsource.
To be successful with link building, you need to build new backlinks consistently.
That’s exactly what the LinksThatRank team does for real estate agencies.
Every link we build is:
• Naturally placed on a real website Google already trusts • On a site with a minimum of 500+ monthly organic traffic • Checked against our blacklist database of 60,000+ domains • Surrounded by 1,000+ words of quality human-verified content • Passed through our strict 23-point quality control process • Delivered within 14-25 days with a full report
Every prospect site is screened against our 60,000-domain backlink blacklist before a single email goes out. We take care of the entire process end-to-end.
And that’s why our links deliver results like this:
And this:
Choose the links you need, tell us your target keywords, and we’ll take care of the rest.
Step 4: Create Video Content That Converts
Video is a powerful channel for real estate agencies.
Why?
Short answer: Because most agencies aren’t willing to do it.
It’s a great way to stand out in your local market, reach more customers and more importantly…
Improve your SEO.
Agencies that add videos to their posts and pages are 53x more likely to rank on the first page of Google. Real estate listings with video content generate 403% more enquiries than those without.
That’s a big difference.
The bottom line is that video should be part of your SEO and content marketing strategy.
Here are the four types of video every real estate agency should create:
- Property Tours: Walkthroughs of the property that give a quick 2-3 minute tour.
- Neighbourhood Walkthrough: Show buyers what it actually feels like to live in the area and add these to your neighbourhood pages.
- Market Update Videos: Turn your quarterly reports into videos that people watch.
- Client Testimonials: Let happy buyers and sellers share their stories of using your services.
Your videos don’t need to be professionally produced.
An iPhone and a basic editing app are all you need.
Buyers actually trust raw, realistic footage more than polished professional videos.
Pro Tip: Get more value out of your long-form videos. Post them on YouTube and Facebook, embed them in your posts and pages, and cut them into shorter Reels and TikToks.
Recommended Tool Stack for Real Estate SEO
You don’t need a lot of SEO tools to execute a real estate SEO campaign.
But there are a few essential free and paid tools we recommend.
Paid Tools: • Semrush - Keyword research, backlink analysis and competitor analysis • BrightLocal - Local SEO, collecting reviews and tracking local rankings Free Tools: • Google Business Profile - Essential tool for increasing local visibility and ranking in the local map pack • Google Search Console - Track website performance on Google and identify technical SEO issues • Backlink Blacklist - Ensure that every link you build is safe
Wrapping It Up
Real estate SEO doesn’t need to be complicated.
But it does require consistency.
Start by optimising your Google Business Profile and creating local content that positions you as the authority.
Then build quality backlinks quickly to gain a competitive advantage over your competitors.
Good backlinks will help you rank in Google today and position you to get more citations as AI search grows.
Need help building quality backlinks?
Let our specialist team at LinksThatRank build them for you. Every link we build is built to the highest standards and passes our strict 23-point quality control process.
That’s how we consistently build the quality links needed to rank in competitive markets.
Choose the links you need, tell us your target keywords, and our team will take care of the rest.
- Guest Posts – High-quality AI search-ready
- Link Building Packages – Discounted monthly bundles
- Link Inserts – Niche-relevant editorial placements
- Agency Program – Discounted white label services
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does real estate SEO take to show results?
Real estate SEO takes 3-6 months to see initial results. More significant SEO results usually take place within 6-12 months, depending on the market and competition. Foundational local SEO strategies, such as optimising your Google Business Profile, can deliver results within as little as 4-8 weeks.
How much should a real estate agency spend on SEO?
Most real estate agencies should expect to spend between $1,500 and $5,000 per month, depending on the size of the agency and market. It’s not uncommon for real estate agencies to invest between 3-6% of their annual gross revenue in SEO.
Can I compete with Zillow and Realtor.com for SEO?
Yes, you can compete with Zillow and Realtor.com for SEO, but not by targeting broad keywords. Successful real estate agencies target hyper-local searches that bigger platforms don’t have the information about. Focus on creating neighbourhood-specific content using your unique experience, insights and expertise.
Do backlinks matter for real estate SEO?
Yes, backlinks are essential for real estate SEO. Quality backlinks from local directories, real estate-focused publishers, and news sites signal authority to Google. They act as votes of confidence in your site and ultimately allow you to rank for more competitive search terms.
