Real Estate SEO: Best Real Estate Keywords to Increase Traffic
Gina is a licensed real estate salesperson, experienced trainer, and former high school educator of 1,000+ learners. She writes for Fit Small Business with a focus on real estate content.
Aloun Khountham is a contributor to Fit Small Business. Her real estate experience stems from over five years as a New York City real estate operations executive focused on implementing processes, procedures, and new technology solutions designed to help agents succeed.
This article is part of a larger series on Real Estate Lead Generation and Marketing.
Choosing the right real estate keywords for search engine optimization (SEO) helps search engines identify the contents of your posts. This increases how often you appear in more search results—meaning more potential homebuyers will see your website, ads, and social media posts when searching for properties online. We’ve identified the top real estate keywords and shared tips on how to use them to improve your SEO and build your real estate business online.
For assistance with locating keywords specific to your business and its location, agents can enlist the services of Semrush’s SEO tools. This tool identifies the best keywords to use in website content, helping your website rank higher. The platform has one of the largest keyword databases and provides tools for competitor analysis, social media management, and overall content strategy.
Most Searched General Real Estate Keywords
General real estate words are typically generic one to three-word phrases related to the real estate industry. These keywords are some of the most searched real estate keywords with high monthly search volume and are typically hard to rank for. Although they are hard to rank for, it’s still important to know which keywords in real estate are ranking nationally, so that you can make adjustments and use them on your website.
General keywords can be used and built upon to make them more specific and hyper-local to target the right audience for your site. For example, you’ll want to take “commercial real estate” and add on your city or neighborhood to be “commercial real estate in downtown Nashville.” Then take this localized keyword and develop pages specific to those properties in the identified area.
The following are the top general SEO keywords for realtors:
Keywords | Volume (searches per month) | Difficulty (scale of 1 to 100, 100 being the most difficult to rank for) |
|---|---|---|
realtor | 2.7 million | 100 |
real estate | 368,000 | 100 |
homes for sale | 368,000 | 100 |
commercial real estate | 90,500 | 100 |
real estate listings | 5,400 | 100 |
real estate agent | 74,000 | 100 |
mls listings | 74,000 | 100 |
realty | 33,100 | 100 |
real estate broker | 27,100 | 95 |
new homes | 27,100 | 100 |
Most Searched Real Estate Lead Generation Keywords
Real estate professionals should use lead generation keywords, driving prospective clients to your website who use transactional language in addition to the top real estate search words. Transactional keywords related to real estate indicate a searcher is interested in buying, selling, or renting real estate.
In addition to using these real estate SEO keywords throughout website pages, you’ll want to curate your blog and social media content with quality information, providing your visitors with a better understanding of such transactions. This will help increase the probability of them inquiring to learn more or using your website as a reference for such information.
Since lead generation keywords indicate a searcher is looking to transact, you’ll want to use these lead generation terms on the same page alongside a listing search form. For instance, if their search keywords are “houses for sale,” agents should have an IDX website where visitors can perform their own property searches in a specified area.
Take a look at the top real estate lead generation keywords:
Keywords | Volume (searches per month) | Difficulty (scale of 1 to 100, 100 being the most difficult to rank for) |
|---|---|---|
we buy houses | 12,100 | 65 |
land for sale | 165,000 | 82 |
houses for sale | 550,000 | 100 |
condos for sale | 60,500 | 76 |
luxury homes | 9,900 | 86 |
property for sale | 22,200 | 100 |
for sale by owner | 110,000 | 100 |
apartments for rent | 1.2 million | 100 |
top real estate companies | 8,100 | 81 |
vacation rentals | 90,500 | 100 |
home buying | 8,100 | 95 |
first time home buying | 3,600 | 86 |
Most Searched Real Estate Long-tail Keywords
Long-tail keywords are a series of specific key phrases that searchers use to solve a need or answer a real estate-related question. Long-tail keywords have lower search volume because they are so specific to your business and specialized niches. However, lower search volume indicates lower competition for those keywords. This creates an opportunity for agents to capitalize on the quality of leads received through these searches versus general real estate keyword searches.
Because there is an identified intent using long-tail keyword search, those leads will convert better if your content matches the information someone is looking for. Your website will receive more qualified search traffic, which can help you rank more quickly.
For instance, if you’re looking to become a luxury real estate agent, you’ll want to use the term “luxury real estate” as part of your SEO content strategy. However, the keyword difficulty for “luxury real estate” is 100. Therefore, you’ll want to identify a long tail keyword relating to luxury real estate to have the opportunity to rank for that term. Using “how to buy luxury real estate” as a long tail keyword has a 39 keyword difficulty creating SEO opportunities to attract those searching for that phrase.
Here are some of the most searched real estate long-tail keywords:
Keywords | Volume (searches per month) | Difficulty (scale of 1 to 100, 100 being the most difficult to rank for) |
|---|---|---|
how to invest in real estate | 14,800 | 86 |
what does a real estate broker do | 1,900 | 70 |
what are realtors commissions | 70 | 80 |
how to find a realtor | 1,900 | 81 |
how to find a real estate agent | 1,900 | 72 |
how to get a house for cheap | 320 | 63 |
where to buy rental property | 320 | 60 |
steps to buying a house | 9,900 | 82 |
first time home buying guide | 720 | 75 |
step by step guide to buying a house | 140 | 73 |
What Is Real Estate SEO?
Real estate SEO is the practice of improving a search engines’ ability to understand the content presented on your website, social posts, or advertisements online. It results in the rank in which your website is displayed on the search engine results page during organic online searches.
Find the best real estate SEO keywords by identifying a few keyword metrics. The most important metrics are keyword search volume and keyword difficulty:
- Search volume: The average monthly search volume for a particular keyword
- Keyword difficulty: How competitive a keyword is and the measurement of effort needed to be able to rank on the first page of Google search results
Sample search results for keyword search on Semrush
As the keyword search volume increases, so does its keyword difficulty, which is scored based on how difficult it will be for your content to rank high on search engines for that keyword. The higher the keyword difficulty score, the harder it will be to compete with other companies trying to rank for the same keywords. Finding the right balance between keyword search volume and difficulty will help you determine if you want to spend the time and money to optimize your website for those real estate keywords.
For example, the above images show keyword analysis for “houses in boston” and “houses for sale boston.” The term “houses in boston” is a general term, therefore has a high keyword difficulty rate at 77 and a monthly search volume of 880. However, as you add on a lead generation keyword like “for sale,” it decreases the keyword difficulty by 6 and the monthly volume nearly doubles.
Given the statistics, it would be more efficient to use the term “houses for sale boston” as part of your SEO strategy because you have more opportunity to rank for the term, increase website traffic, and identify inquiries relating to the intent to purchase real estate.
Important Real Estate Keywords SEO Statistics
- According to the National Association of REALTORS (NAR), 97% of homebuyers used the internet for their home search.
- Over 93% of all searches worldwide are conducted on Google.
- According to FirstPageSage, real estate has a return on investment of 1,389%, which is higher than any other industry.
- Prospective real estate leads spend on average three (3) minutes and 52 seconds on optimized real estate websites
Capturing the attention of online homebuyer searches is beneficial to the overall success of your business and lead generation efforts. As the competitive landscape for online real estate leads increases based on consumer behaviors, the importance of having a well-rounded SEO strategy stretches beyond just putting some keywords on your website.
While SEO can help increase the amount of traffic to your site, using the appropriate keywords ensures that you are attracting the right audience—increasing the chances of converting them to clients. If your content is not relevant to visitors, they will not return to your site or interact with your calls to action.
Although agents can Google keywords for real estate, outsourcing your SEO to digital marketing companies like Hibu can help you become more visible online. Its services can increase traffic to your site and help you generate more business. The team will take care of your entire online presence and improve your search ranking both organically and through paid advertisements. Hibu optimizes both on-page SEO and off-page SEO to increase the visibility of your website throughout the web.
8 Tips to Improve Real Estate SEO
Improving your SEO does not happen overnight and also does not happen without effort. It should be an important part of your overall marketing strategy to leverage your website as a lead generation source and should be continually improved on.
Here are eight (8) tips to help you improve your real estate SEO:
1. Target Localized Keywords
Localizing keywords is including words that are specific to the market you serve with your website content. Those keywords are terms that searchers may use to identify a specific region. For example, instead of just using the term “rental property,” you should include your niche location by using “rental property in Chicago” as an alternative keyword. Targeting localized keywords will provide more relevant leads and can also help you improve your website visibility as you enter into new markets.
2. Perform Keyword Research
You want to research which keywords are attainable for your website to rank high based on the search volume and difficulty. Real estate agents should also analyze which keywords your competitors are ranking for so you can attempt to rank higher than them. Choosing the right keywords to use throughout your website content will increase your visibility and drive more traffic to your site. Use sites like Semrush or Ahrefs to help with keyword research.
3. Publish Useful Real Estate Content
Content on your website should be useful and informational while also including your selected keywords. It should provide your visitors with valuable information pertaining to real estate and be original information to differentiate your content from other sites.
Ideally, you should include long-form content on your site to show search engines you know a lot about a specific topic. Long-form content refers to content on your site with greater than 2,000 words like educational content on a blog post, neighborhood guides, and current real estate market analysis.
The content layout should have appropriate page titles and layouts along with proper headings and subheadings. Proper headings allow you to use keywords to break up information on a page for a better user experience. Check out a marketing solution like HubSpot to enhance your long-form content.
4. Improve Your Google My Business Page
Agents can use their Google My Business (GMB) profile to get in front of more prospective clients. Make sure your contact information is up-to-date, but leverage the ability to use your keywords in the description in your profile to help improve your ranking. It’ll help searchers better understand what you do and increase click-throughs to your website.
A well-managed GMB page can indirectly help your website rank and allow you to locally maximize exposure through Google’s Local 3 pack. It’s a search engine result page feature that showcases a map of the top three businesses relevant to the Google search.
5. Add Images
Image of alt text example from Restb.ai
Images contribute to your website’s overall SEO. The use of alt tags can be added to images, so there is an image description in place if the images do not load for your website visitors. These alt tag descriptions should contain your keywords. Website builders like WordPress have easy fill-in alt tags during the photo upload process.
Using appropriate photo captions can help engage readers and allow search engines to understand what the photo is and associate the image with your selected keywords to help increase website ranking. The image example above contains a property listing, and the alt tags include the specific property address that will help the webpage show up in search engine results if anyone searches for the property address directly.
6. Optimize Your Website for Mobile Users
Mobile optimization ensures visitors can access your website from their mobile devices. If they’re able to access your site along with having a positive user experience, you’ll have a higher chance of lead conversion. When your site isn’t mobile-optimized, it will negatively affect your SEO because Google will analyze mobile websites first. Website builders like Real Geeks provide fully responsive and mobile-optimized websites to ensure clients receive the best mobile experience to convert visitors into real estate clients.
7. Check for Broken Links
Broken links are links on a website that no longer work. Links can be broken due to an invalid website URL or the website no longer exists. These broken links harm your website SEO by increasing website bounce rates or decreasing time on websites. It lowers your SEO rankings because it may indicate your website might be outdated.
8. Maximize Website Speed
Website speed is a factor Google considers when ranking websites because they want to ensure its users receive quick access to their searches. 47% of online consumers expect websites to load in less than two seconds. Longer loading times increase your website’s bounce rate meaning visitors aren’t staying on your website or engaging with its content.
There are a few changes you can make to increase your website speed. Select a website hosting option that supports high-volume websites. Since many real estate websites include a lot of photos and videos, make sure you’re sizing your photos according to what your website allows. You don’t want to upload a 6,000-pixel wide image for a space that allows only 2,000 pixels. Additionally, allow page caching on your site. It enables a user to store a website’s content locally on their computer. Therefore, when they return to the website, they can retrieve that data quicker. This increases website load times and improves your SEO.
These ideas are just the tip of the iceberg on best practices for maximizing your SEO. Platforms like Artur’in help manage your website and GMB pages. Artur’in also develops curated content to include your targeted real estate SEO keywords. Its basic plan includes local content, branded photo and video content, and a personal blog to help with overall website ranking.
Bottom Line
Selecting the best keywords for real estate agents to use in your SEO strategy will help improve your website’s visibility on search engines. Including quality content tailored to your target audience will support your website’s keywords and phrases, and it will also help you rank high on search engine results. It’ll help boost your overall brand’s engagement, improve business success, increase awareness and allow the opportunity for new prospective clients to find your business.
