Keyword selection is the heart of a successful SEO campaign, and targeting the wrong keywords can render the entire investment meaningless. This is even truer when it comes to real estate SEO: the high commitment nature of real estate transactions lead to long sales cycles, and marketing investments produce results more slowly than in other industries.
In this article, we provide a complete guide to understanding how to choose keywords for real estate SEO in three parts: (1) an explanation of real estate search intent, (2) keywords for each type of search intent, and (3) a guide to assigning the right page type for each keyword. Without further ado, let’s begin by discussing what search intent and why understanding it is a prerequisite for understanding what keywords to target.
Understanding Real Estate Search Intent
When a searcher types a keyword into Google, they do so with a specific goal in mind. Whether their goal is to learn about a specific topic, find a solution to a problem, or are actively looking to commit to a purchase, this is what we call search intent. Search intent exists on a scale of transactionality, represented below:
A well-run SEO campaign will focus most of its efforts on searchers at the transactional end of this scale, as these are the searchers that are most likely to spend money, thereby generating actual ROI.
Real Estate SEO Keywords by Search Intent
| Buy | Commit | Evaluate | Solve | Clarify | Explore | Learn |
| [location] agency | [neighborhood name] review | [location 1] vs [location 2] | how to get a home loan [location] | home buying process [location] | property prices in [location] | real estate agent |
| [location] houses for sale | what’s it like to live in [location] | is [location] a good neighborhood | how to pick the right mortgage lender | questions to ask before buying a home | first time home buyer programs [location] | what does a mortgage lender do |
| [location] real estate agent | [real estate agent] review | best neighborhood [location] | what is an escrow account | real estate associated fees | government subsidies for home-buyers | real estate 411 [location] |
| [real estate agent] contact information | [address] house appraisal | real estate firms [location] | property taxes in [location] | how much do i need to buy a home | is it a good time to buy a home | benefits of buying a home |
| real estate [agency] consultation | [neighborhood] flooding | best real estate agent [location] | how to calculate a housing budget | average mortgage payment [location] | selling houses in [location] | buying vs. renting a house |
A few notes on this table:
- Almost all real estate SEO keywords should include a location; Google will naturally geotarget local searches if the user doesn’t type in a location, but it’s still good for websites to clarify the location they’re targeting.
- We’ve verified that all the keyword examples above have at least moderate search volume in major cities, but if you’re targeting smaller locales, you should verify that your keywords have sufficient search volume to justify targeting them. You can do that by seeing if the keyword autofills in a list of 10 on Google.com, or by using SEO tools like the Google AdWords Keyword Planner or ahrefs.com to estimate search volume.
- Some of these keywords might fulfill multiple search intents (i.e. “how to pick the right mortgage lender” could be either a solve or an evaluation keyword, depending on the user). These keywords tend to be valuable, acting as bridges between the different stages of the sales funnel.
Finally, it’s critical to ensure that the page you have waiting for the searcher on the other side of their keyword search fully satisfies their intent. We’ve created a guide to that subject here.
Example Keywords For Each Type of Real Estate Business
In the table below, we give examples of valuable keywords for each of the 5 main types of real estate businesses. As a real estate-focused SEO agency, we’ve worked with companies in each of these categories and had the opportunity to evaluate keywords by their success in driving leads and sales. The keywords at the top of the chart are directly transactional, while the ones lower down are more research-oriented but still produce customers.
Real Estate SEO Keyword Examples, By Company Type
Assigning Keywords to Page Types
Each search intent type lends itself to a specific type of page based on its level of transactionality. Here they are:
Each of the page types above requires a different writing style and tone; for example, the blogs tend to be more informational in nature and less salesy whereas the more transactional pages are expressly sales-oriented. While every page should be driving potential customers towards conversion, you need to reach people where they’re at in their buyer journey, whether learning, researching, evaluating firms, or attempting to buy.
Getting Help with Your SEO
A successful real estate SEO campaign depends on not just finding the right keywords, but also consistently creating content that separates your agency from the competition. Doing so is difficult even for experienced writers, as it requires adeptness at psychology, user design, SEO, and content marketing.
Many real estate firms outsource their SEO to an experienced agency familiar with the market. Our own agency has 13+ years of experience working with some of the largest real estate firms in the U.S. We handle all the strategy, choose your keywords, and ghostwrite thought leadership content for you weekly. Feel free to contact us if you’re interested in exploring a partnership.
