More and more buyers are searching for potential properties online. In fact, according to the National Association of Realtors, only 18% of buyers contact an agent first. To increase the chance your listings get noticed by these home shoppers, you need to include specific real estate keywords on your website and in social media. We’ve compiled a list of the best real estate keywords and explain how to use them to help you get started.
The strategic use of specific search terms or phrases is a marketing tip known as search engine optimization (SEO). It works by helping search engines identify the contents of your website or blog, which then helps you appear in search results on platforms like Google or Bing. It can even be used to help your listings appear at the top of search results in real estate-specific platforms like Zillow.
The following are some of the most popular terms:
Most Searched General Real Estate Keywords
Keyword | Volume | Keyword Difficulty |
|---|---|---|
real estate | 449,000 | 96 |
mls | 404,000 | 84 |
commercial real estate | 90,000 | 11 |
foreclosure | 52,000 | 56 |
real estate agent | 50,000 | 53 |
realty | 28,000 | 88 |
buying a house | 27,000 | 71 |
real estate broker | 16,000 | 64 |
real estate news | 16,000 | 79 |
free real estate | 15,000 | 8 |
Most Searched Real Estate Lead Generation Keywords
Keyword | Volume | Keyword Difficulty |
|---|---|---|
houses for sale | 627,000 | 12 |
homes for sale | 482,000 | 90 |
for sale by owner | 198,000 | 61 |
house for sale | 152,000 | 83 |
fsbo | 51,000 | 48 |
homes for sale by owner | 26,000 | 14 |
forsalebyowner | 24,000 | 61 |
real estate companies | 12,000 | 85 |
hunt real estate | 9,500 | 10 |
real estate lookup | 7,100 | 41 |
Most Searched Real Estate Long Tail Keywords
Keyword | Volume | Keyword Difficulty |
|---|---|---|
what does contingent mean in real estate | 16,000 | 22 |
how to invest in real estate | 15,000 | 65 |
what does pending mean in real estate | 4,300 | 21 |
what is a real estate broker | 3,700 | 60 |
commercial real estate for lease | 3,100 | 85 |
real estate investing for beginners | 3,000 | 39 |
what does a real estate agent do | 2,500 | 37 |
what is a short sale in real estate | 2,200 | 35 |
how do real estate agents get paid | 2,100 | 26 |
real estate agent vs broker | 2,100 | 41 |
Most Searched Real Estate Education Keywords
Keyword | Volume | Keyword Difficulty |
|---|---|---|
real estate express | 58,000 | 31 |
real estate school | 24,000 | 74 |
real estate attorney | 23,000 | 3 |
texas real estate commission | 23,000 | 18 |
real estate investing | 22,000 | 71 |
georgia real estate commission | 21,000 | 35 |
nc real estate commission | 21,000 | 24 |
champions school of real estate | 16,000 | 27 |
real estate classes | 12,000 | 46 |
kaplan real estate | 9,600 | 35 |
Why You Should Target Localized Keywords
Keyword difficulty is a score calculated based on the number of competitors producing content around the same keyword. The higher the keyword difficulty score, the harder it will be to rank high in search results. Volume is the average number of times someone is searching for a term each month.
One way to improve your chance of ranking for target keywords is to add additional context around a general keyword. Instead of targeting “homes for sale,” you could target “homes for sale Brooklyn” or “homes for sale Williamsburg.” While it is true there won’t be the same volume of searches for these more localized terms, there will also be less competition. This tip will also often yield higher-quality leads as well.
This type of localized targeting works to everyone’s benefit. The potential buyer gets more relevant results as they refine their search terms, and you can more easily rank for the terms that help you be discovered and meet their needs.
For more ways to increase your page’s chances of ranking high in search results, check out our SEO guide for real estate.
How to Use Keywords
First, select a high-volume keyword, such as “houses for sale.” Then, take the general term and modify it by adding your local area to the term. For example, a real estate agent in Akron, Ohio, might choose to target “houses for sale in Akron” or “houses for sale in Akron, OH.” In this example, this simple change decreases the keyword difficulty from 79 to only 15. It also will attract more highly qualified leads.
Once you have identified the keywords you want to target, include them on your website liberally and pepper these terms throughout any article or blog post that you write. As Google is crawling your site and the content of your articles, it will recognize that the terms you are using are also terms searched by people in your area, and create a priority for your site over others.
You want to use localized keywords as a first priority, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t ever target a general keyword. Feel free to sprinkle in general keywords, especially if you find your localized keywords to be repetitive or not adding value for your readers. The search engines have grown much more capable of understanding human language and will recognize that the local and general keywords are connected.
For your website itself, combining general keywords with high-search volume (homes for sale) and localized keywords (Akron) will generally give you the best results. For example, naming your site “AkronOhioHomesForSale.com” will more than likely help you rank higher than “HomesForSale.com” or even “OhioHomesForSale.com.”
While we encourage you to learn the tools below and do your own keyword research, it does take time that you might feel is better allocated to client needs. If this is the case for you, start searching Fiverr for an SEO expert to help you. You can find experts at varying price points to show you how to increase your rankings and results.
Bottom Line
Thorough keyword research is one of the most important things you can do to get your site to rank on Google. Focusing specifically on local and hyperlocal real estate keywords can drive interest to your site and provide relevant real estate lead generation. While there is strong competition online, use these real estate keywords to develop a fully effective strategy moving forward.
