• Easy Agent PRO: Best for all-in-one lead gen
• iNCOM: Best for value
• Placester: Best for concierge service
• AgentFire: Best for affordable customization
• Agent Image: Best for high-end custom designs
• Real Geeks: Best for website templates

The Close’s Top Picks for Best Website Builder for Real Estate

Type of Software	Best for	Starting Price
	All-in-one lead gen	$229/month + $199 activation fee
Visit Easy Agent PRO
	Value	$44.95/month (billed annually) + $250 setup fee
iNCOM
	Concierge service	$59/month
Visit Placester
	Affordable customization	$149/month + $700 setup fee
Visit AgentFire
	High end custom designs	$99/month
Visit Agent Image
	Website templates	$299/month
Visit Real Geeks
Runner-up
	IDX WordPress plugin and web integration	$84.95/month
Visit Showcase IDX

Easy Agent PRO: Best for All-in-One Lead Gen

Pros

• Month-to-month and annual plans
• SEO-optimized content provided
• Integrations with outside CRMs

Cons

• Manual lead routing
• No CRM features
• Time-consuming and difficult to set up

The Close Score

4.9

Pricing

3.8

General Features

3.8

Advanced Features

5.0

Customer Service

3.5

Customer Rating

3.9

Expert Score

4.6

out
of

5

Why I Chose Easy Agent PRO

Among the best website builders for real estate agents, Easy Agent PRO (EAP) stands out because of its impressive lead generation capabilities. Even the basic plan offers essential tools to capture and manage leads effectively. 

Create a website with IDX integration, access a CRM, use direct communication tools, and benefit from a ton of apps to create a system that works for you. As a bonus, you’ll get weekly content to enhance your search engine ranking. This focus on SEO makes EAP a strong choice for the best real estate website builder.

Feature Spotlight

• Text-to-lead: Set it and forget it by composing a text response that gets sent out when a lead submits a form. A unique textable code also automatically registers users as leads to your CRM.
• Squeeze: The platform’s highly customizable landing pages, dubbed “Squeeze,” are designed to maximize your lead capture rate. These conversion-focused sites enable you to create lead capture forms, single property pages, and open house sign-ins, all with the ease of an app. For some examples and tips, check The Close’s guide to real estate landing pages.
• SEO visibility: Various apps are available to help increase your website’s search visibility. This includes blog templates, comparative market analyses, and specific neighborhood pages where you can show off your knowledge of the local market. 

Pricing & Demo/Trial Availability

• Trial or demo: Yes; 14-day free trial 
• Pro: $229 monthly + $199 activation fee
• Ultimate: $279 monthly + $199 activation fee
• Ultimate+: $399 monthly + $199 activation fee
• Premium: $899 monthly + $199 activation fee

iNCOM: Best for Value

Pros

• 30-day trial
• Integrated CRM + lead gen
• Single agent and team options

Cons

• New clients are charged a setup fee
• Additional price for premium themes
• Additional fee for full customization

The Close Score

4.7

Pricing

3.0

General Features

3.8

Advanced Features

5.0

Customer Service

4.8

Customer Rating

3.7

Expert Score

4.6

out
of

5

Why I Chose iNCOM

iNCOM has all the functionality without the steep price tag you might find with fancier platforms. If you’re a new agent, this is a great option for quickly running your real estate business. 

Take advantage of an IDX-enabled website, lead capture, plus a client relationship manager (CRM) to manage all your leads. iNCOM’s overall value makes it one of the best real estate website builders for those on a budget. But don’t take our word for it, test it out for yourself with the risk-free 30-day money-back guarantee.

Feature Spotlight

• Multiple domain syndication: If you have multiple domains or are having trouble settling on a domain name, you don’t have to choose just one. iNCOM allows you to direct an unlimited number of domains to your website.
• Website language translation: Open your website to various prospects by allowing them to translate your website into their language of choice.
• Task management: Keep track of your daily tasks and meetings with a comprehensive event calendar. 
• Lending tools: Allow your website visitors to make use of pre-programmed mortgage calculators so that they can determine whether they can afford a home based on things like a monthly mortgage payment, property taxes, insurance, and more.
• Daily real estate news updates: With a constantly updated feed of real estate news in North America, your visitors can use your website to keep up-to-date on the real estate market. 

Pricing & Demo/Trial Availability

• Trial or demo: Demo is available
• Real estate agent website: $44.95 monthly (billed annually) + $250 one-time setup fee
• Office/brokerage website: $64.95 monthly (billed annually) + $250 one-time setup fee

Placester: Best for Concierge Service

Pros

• Code-free site editor
• Easy IDX integration in every package
• Unlimited updates and maintenance with the DIFM packages

Cons

• Limited customization & CRM
• No team management features
• Long lead time to get the site up and running

The Close Score

4.6

Pricing

3.2

General Features

3.4

Advanced Features

5.0

Customer Service

3.5

Customer Rating

3.6

Expert Score

4.2

out
of

5

Why I Chose Placester

Placester offers a unique Do It For Me (DIFM) concierge service, one of its major selling points. You won’t find this feature among the other best real estate website builders for agents on this list. It’s hard to beat Placester’s high-end, lead-generating websites for the price, especially if you’re adding on the editing and maintenance service. With this platform, you have the support you need behind the scenes to focus on making connections and building relationships.

Feature Spotlight

• Code-free site editor: If you’re going the DIY route, you can build a real estate website in a few hours without learning how to code.
• Marketing Academy: Access content to help you use the best marketing practices to boost your lead gen efforts. 
• Lead capture: Tools like email send lists, live chats via a mobile app, custom landing pages, and CRM functionality can help you capture more quality leads. 

Pricing & Demo/Trial Availability

• Trial or demo: Yes, free trial is offered
• Agent Essential: $59 monthly
• Agent Plus: $79 monthly
• Agent Premier: $129 monthly
• Premier + Content: $329 monthly

AgentFire: Best for Affordable Customization

Pros

• Customizable website templates
• Integration
• Excellent customer support

Cons

• High learning curve
• Time-consuming initial setup
• Costly add-ons

The Close Score

4.0

Pricing

1.0

General Features

2.9

Advanced Features

5.0

Customer Service

2.0

Customer Rating

4.6

Expert Score

3.8

out
of

5

Why I Chose AgentFire 

AgentFire stands out by providing a powerful platform for agents who seek customization. Choose from a wide range of templates and tools to create a one-of-a-kind online presence. Plus, it looks great and has some solid SEO features, built-in lead gen tools, and seamless integration options. This makes it super easy to develop your own marketing and lead generation ecosystem.

Feature Spotlight

• Landing pages and lead magnets: No matter what plan you go for, all AgentFire sites come equipped with landing pages, lead magnets, and other tools to help you capture leads effortlessly. 
• Elegant website design: AgentFire includes dozens of website templates to choose from, and honestly, they all, whether fully custom or strictly templated, have a high-end, polished appearance with a great user experience (UX).
• Authority content: Gain credibility with your website visitors by using features that showcase client reviews, blogs to show off your expertise, listings to encourage property leads, and area guides that provide local neighborhood content and data. 
• Engagement & conversion tools: Get more quality leads and conversions with IDX that can provide advanced CTA tools to better match potential clients with content they’re most likely to be interested in, as well as a guide creator. 
• Performance dashboard & AI tools: A dashboard showing various metrics can let you know where to focus your efforts. AI tools can also provide assistance with generating marketing material to be used in emails and social media. 

Pricing & Demo/Trial Availability

• Trial or demo: No trial is offered, but a product demo is available
• Monthly fee: $149 standard
• Setup fee: $700 for Ignite, $1,800 for Semi-custom, and $3,500 for Custom

Agent Image: Best for High-end Custom Designs

Pros

• Lead generation features
• Digital marketing resources
• Low monthly maintenance costs

Cons

• Full pricing is not disclosed up front
• CRM offered separately
• High up front costs

The Close Score

4.3

Pricing

1.7

General Features

3.4

Advanced Features

4.3

Customer Service

3.5

Customer Rating

4.4

Expert Score

4.2

out
of

5

Why I Chose Agent Image

Agent Image’s home page shows off a portfolio of high-end and visually appealing websites, which includes high-profile clients like Ernie Carswell, Joyce Rey, and Williams & Williams. If you’re an agent specializing in the luxury market, Agent Image’s tools can help you stand apart from the competition when it comes to highlighting your personal brand and market presence. 

In addition to website building services, Agent Image also features digital marketing tools like search engine optimization and pay-per-click advertising, useful if you only want to pay for results and good leads. You can complete the company’s online questionnaire to determine which of its various packages and features might be best suited for you, and the company also provides a full comparison chart for its products and services. 

Feature Spotlight

• SEO optimization: To help drive more traffic to your business, Agent Image offers marketing services to increase your website’s search visibility. As part of this service, you’ll have access to reporting data to give you a clear picture of your return on investment. 
• Ad placements: Agent Image will help you get more leads by driving traffic to your website using Google Ads. You’ll also only pay for each click, which can help ensure that you only pay for results. 
• IDX features: You can choose from a variety of IDX packages to suit your needs and goals. Functionality you can get includes interactive map searches, lead generation tools, real estate CRM, widgets for your website, marketing automation, and more. 

Pricing & Demo/Trial Availability

• Trial or demo: Not mentioned
• Monthly maintenance fee: $99, but may vary
• Template setup: $2,000+, but may vary
• Semi-custom setup: $2,500+, but may vary
• Custom setup: $10,000+, but may vary 

Real Geeks: Best for Website Templates

Pros

• Lots of integrations
• Built-in lead magnets
• Nurturing tools included

Cons

• Lack of customization in templates
• Best features not included in base price
• Too rigid for tech-savvy agents

The Close Score

4.3

Pricing

1.7

General Features

3.0

Advanced Features

5.0

Customer Service

3.5

Customer Rating

4.4

Expert Score

3.8

out
of

5

Why I Chose Real Geeks 

Real Geeks has a solid entry-level plan that lets you easily set up an IDX-enabled website using their templates. The templates are beautiful and extremely functional, with high-gloss vibrancy and a modern flair. Use the CRM and access a bunch of community-sourced email and text templates for your drip campaigns, along with a complete nurturing system to help you convert leads on autopilot. 

Feature Spotlight

• EstateIQ: Property valuation and lead conversion tool designed to increase engagement and conversion. 
• Integrations: Integrate your lead manager with other lead sources. Real Geeks is an open platform designed to be infinitely expandable.
• IDX functionality: With IDX, you can integrate property alerts, market reports, provide tools to determine a home’s value, and much more. 
• Marketing: Marketing features include social media ad tools, pay-per-click advertising for Google search ads, and the ability to use an AI tool that your customers can interact with and subsequently allow you to book more appointments with interested clients. 

Pricing & Demo/Trial Availability

• Trial or demo: Demo can be requested
• Establish: $299 monthly
• Grow: $599 monthly
• Expand: $999 monthly
• Conquer: $1,599 monthly

Runner-up: Showcase IDX

Pros

• Free trial is available
• Easy setup of integrations
• Strong track record of delivering results

Cons

• No website building services offered directly
• Integrations not recommended for Wix or Squarespace websites
• High monthly cost, given no website creation services are offered

The Close Score

3.75

Pricing

3.3

General Features

3.0

Advanced Features

5.0

Customer Service

3.5

Customer Rating

4.2

Expert Score

3.3

out
of

5

Why I Chose Showcase IDX as a Runner-up

Showcase IDX does not directly offer services to create a website from scratch, which is why I didn’t select it for our list. However, its IDX plugin with WordPress and wide range of integrations make it an excellent choice to consider if you already have an existing website. 

Showcase IDX shows off its customer stats as proof of how effective its tools can be. Its clients receive 87% additional traffic from Google, with over 13 million customers using its search tools on Agent websites. Some tools you can take advantage of include a property search integration, mapping tools, CRM tools & integrations, and marketing & SEO. Showcase IDX offers a free 10-day trial. during which live MLS data is provided along with no MLS pass-through fees.

Methodology: How I Chose the Best Real Estate Website Builders

Our team of licensed real estate pros, research and data geeks, writers, and editors created a weighted rubric to evaluate each website builder platform. After hours of researching dozens of website builders for realtors, particularly those marketing themselves specifically for real estate professionals, and evaluating each, we selected our top picks based on the most impactful elements for agents and brokers. Here are the criteria we based our evaluations on.

• General Features: 25%: I evaluated each real estate website provider’s main features, including bandwidth, storage capabilities, reporting and analytics, white label capabilities, and mobile apps.
• Pricing: 20%: There is a vast array of website services with varying costs for real estate professionals. We evaluated the costs of using one of these platforms versus what agents get for the money.
• Additional Features: 20%: I also considered any advanced features the companies offered, including IDX integration, landing pages and lead capture capabilities, social media and pay-per-click (PPC) options, CRM integrations, real estate-specific templates, customization options, and any additional marketing and lead gen features. 
• Customer Service: 10%: Customer support for your real estate website is crucial, especially if you’re paying for the company to run it. So, I looked at how each company’s support works, how many hours they’re available, and how they offered support, whether by phone, email, or live chat. 
• Customer Rating: 10%: I read a lot of reviews of the website builders and considered their experience compared with my own. I take that additional feedback into account when assessing any software.
• Expert Score: 10%: As an active real estate agent, I rely on my experience and expertise to give extra credit for any standout features or additional considerations not included in the above categories.
• Ease of Use: 5%: I looked at how much technical skill is required to get your real estate website up and running. I also considered if any technical skills are needed to maintain the website once it’s live.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Is it better to build your own website or use a website builder?

What is the most popular website builder?

Your Take

When you create a website for real estate, it should reflect you and your business with the ability to attract clients and generate solid leads. Keep in mind that a website should be just one piece of your broader marketing strategy. And when considering websites for Realtors, use this list to find the one that works best for your business and your budget. 

If you’re looking for ideas, check out our picks of the 15 best real estate agent websites. Otherwise, if you’ve used any of these real estate website builders, let me know about your experiences in the comments!

The post 6 Best Real Estate Website Builders of 2025 appeared first on The Close.

The Close’s top picks for best real estate apps

Our Top Picks	Best For	Starting Price	Learn More
	Lead generation	Free with Zillow Premier Agent membership	Zillow Premier Agent ↓
	Open houses	Free	Curb Hero ↓
	Home valuations	Free for National Association of Realtors (NAR) members	RPR ↓
	Commercial real estate listings	Free	LoopNet ↓
	DIY 3D tours	Free with a $400 Pivo Pro device	Pivo Tour ↓
	DIY design and marketing templates	Free; Subscription starts at $9.99	Canva ↓
	Video messaging	$33 per month	BombBomb ↓
	Organizing files and data	Free; Subscription starts at $10	Notion ↓
	Transaction management	$31.99 per month	Dotloop ↓
	Realtor safety	$20 per month	Forewarn ↓
	Social media on-the-go	$39 per month	Agent Crate ↓
	Agent coaching and goal-setting	$39 per month for agents; $459 for teams	Agently ↓

1. Zillow Premier Agent

• Best for: Lead generation
• Cost: Free with Zillow Premier Agent membership
• Favorite feature: Built-in CRM and automated digital advertising
• Available on:

Zillow is a powerhouse in the real estate world, especially when it comes to lead generation for agents. Sure, Zestimates can be hit or miss, but there’s no denying that millions of potential buyers flock to Zillow every day.

Becoming a Zillow Premier Agent lets you tap into an enormous pool of local, targeted leads. Plus, its app has a surprisingly robust customer relationship manager (CRM), allowing you to import leads, set up tasks, and automate texts and emails.

2. Curb Hero

• Best for: Open houses
• Cost: Free
• Favorite feature: QR-code sign-in forms; integrations with 6,000+ CRMs
• Available on:

Curb Hero is one of The Close’s best open house apps. It lets you create sleek open house digital sign-in sheets customized with your branding. These sheets are perfect for capturing visitors’ information for effortless follow-ups.

But it’s more than just a sign-in app — it gives you real-time data and analytics on your open house performance. Plus, the app integrates with most CRMs, allowing you to manage your leads easily after your event.

3. RPR (Realtors Property Resource)

• Best for: Home valuations
• Cost: Free for NAR members
• Favorite feature: In-depth property reports and neighborhood demographics
• Available on:

RPR (Realtors Property Resource) is a game-changer for NAR members, especially since it’s free. It’s packed with tools, including an in-depth property report and an Automated Valuation Model (AVM) that rivals how experienced agents do comparative market analysis.

You’ll get insights on home ownership history, mortgage info, neighborhood demographics, and market trends. The app also has GPS-enabled driving directions and instant property and market data access.

4. LoopNet

• Best for: Commercial real estate
• Cost: Free
• Favorite feature: Comprehensive property insights; map-based search feature
• Available on:

LoopNet is the premier online commercial real estate marketplace. It offers many tools and resources to help you access a vast network of potential buyers, sellers, and investors. It boasts over half a million listings, including industrial and multifamily properties. 

Its tools provide insights into property values, rental rates, and market conditions in specific areas or asset types. If you’re looking to scale your business, LoopNet is a must-have app.

5. Pivo Tour

• Best for: 3D tour videos
• Cost: Free with a $400 Pivo Pro device
• Favorite feature: Unlimited captures and AI-powered motion-tracking
• Available on:

Pivo is one of the best apps for real estate agents looking to create virtual home tour videos. It combines an AI-driven motion-tracking camera with a high-quality photo editing app, making it easy to create videos for open houses and new listings. 

The system costs $400 as a one-time purchase and includes the Pivo phone holder, tripod attachment, and a remote. Compared to pricier 3D tour services like Matterport, Pivo can pay for itself with just one listing.

6. Canva

• Best for: DIY design and marketing templates
• Cost: Free; Subscription starts at $9.99 per month when billed annually
• Favorite feature: In-app mobile editor; lots of free real estate templates
• Available on:

Seriously, who hasn’t heard of Canva these days?! Canva is the most well-known and versatile design platform — a must-have for all your real estate marketing materials. Its user-friendly interface and massive template library let you quickly whip up social media posts and edit real estate videos. It even has real estate-specific icons, stock photos, and prefilled templates to streamline your workflow.

Looking for video editing software? Check out the Close’s roundup of the best real estate video editing software for some curated options.

7. BombBomb

• Best for: Video messaging
• Cost: Subscription starts at $33 per month
• Favorite feature: Unlimited recording length; custom branded videos
• Available on:

BombBomb is one of those top-rated real estate apps that makes video marketing seamless. It helps agents connect with leads in a more personal way. The app compresses your videos so they’re easy to send via text or email. 

While it’s not real estate-specific, its seamless email marketing integrations make it a favorite among agents. If you’re looking for the most powerful platform to harness the power of video marketing, BombBomb is a stellar choice.

8. Notion

• Best for: Organizing files and data
• Cost: Free; Subscription starts at $10
• Favorite feature: Unlimited file uploads; custom websites and automation
• Available on:

Notion is an incredibly versatile tool for organization and productivity that lets you customize your workspace to fit your needs. Whether you’re managing transactions or tracking leads, Notion’s system helps keep everything in one place. 

It integrates with tools like Google, Slack, Trello, and Dropbox. Agents can use databases, project boards, and task management tools to stay on top of every deal.

9. Dotloop

Manage transactions and modify real estate contracts anytime

• Best for: Transaction management
• Cost: $31.99 per month for agents
• Favorite feature: Document scanner, clause manager, and audit trail
• Available on:

Dotloop makes transaction management a breeze, keeping all your documents, e-signatures, and contracts in one easy-to-use platform. No more chasing paperwork — everything’s centralized for easy collaboration with clients and teammates. If you’re tired of the back-and-forth and want to save time, download the Dotloop app on your phone. We strongly recommend it — in fact, it’s in our list of the best real estate transaction management software.

10. Forewarn

• Best for: Realtor safety
• Cost: $20 per month
• Favorite feature: Verify identities; view criminal histories and financial risks
• Available on:

Realtor safety is non-negotiable, and Forewarn gives you instant background info on potential clients before you meet them. No more waiting days for a report — all you need is a quick search on your phone for key details like criminal history and financial risks. 

It’s a simple, no-fuss way to vet strangers and add more security to your business. If you are looking for a reliable, efficient, and easy-to-use tool to protect yourself, Forewarn is worth checking out.

Honorable Mentions

I came across some cool real estate software that works perfectly on mobile, although they don’t have a dedicated mobile app (yet!). But here’s an insider trick: you can save any website to your home screen for an app-like experience. Just visit the site, tap the share or menu icon, and select “Add to home screen.” Voila! One-click access anytime. 

Here are two of those tools you can use this way:

11. Agent Crate

• Best for: Social media on the go
• Cost: Starting at $39 per month
• Key features: Marketing templates and a design studio that’s great for mobile

Agent Crate takes your social media posting to the next level. It features a vast library of content you can customize to fit your brand colors, logo, and design and post from anywhere. As with many real estate tech trends right now, it has also incorporated AI into its platform, helping you get your posts out even faster. If keeping up with social media feels like a chore, Agent Crate does the heavy lifting.

12. Agently

Set goals and stay on track with Agently

• Best for: Agent coaching and goal-setting
• Cost: $39 for agents; $459 for teams
• Key features: Automated agent onboarding and AI-powered listing builder

Agently is like having a real estate coach in your pocket. With innovative tools to assist in onboarding, training, and productivity tracking, Agently gives brokers a leg up in keeping their agents moving forward and hitting their productivity and GCI goals while supporting their professional development. 

One standout feature? There are agent challenges and contests that turn daily tasks into fun, rewarding competitions.

Methodology: How we chose the best real estate apps

With years of experience analyzing and reviewing real estate tools, I’ve seen firsthand how the right apps can transform how agents and brokers work. For this article, our writers, editors, and real estate professionals reviewed hundreds of mobile apps for realtors. Our top picks were based on the following criteria:

• Functionality: The app must address agents’ practical challenges and streamline workflows rather than add unnecessary tasks. It should enhance efficiency and make daily operations easier.
• Pricing: The app’s cost should align with the value it provides. A strong return on investment (ROI) is key, whether through improved efficiency, lead gen, or enhanced agent productivity.
• Ease of use: The app should be intuitive and easily integrated into a busy workday. Having a minimal learning curve, user-friendly interface, and straightforward navigation are essential.
• Feedback and verified reviews: Widespread adoption and positive agent feedback indicate reliability. Growth in user adoption and positive customer reviews add credibility. 
• Stability: The best real estate apps for realtors should run smoothly with limited interruptions, crashes, or technical issues, ensuring a seamless experience.

Our team regularly reviews and edits the articles on our site to ensure we provide you with the most up-to-date information. We pride ourselves on an independent editorial review process. Read more about our methodology here.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What apps do realtors use?

What is the best real estate sales app?

Which app is better, Zillow or Realtor?

How do real estate apps determine home value?

What is the best app for finding property?

Which site is best for selling property?

Your take

What are your go-to apps for real estate agents to boost your work efficiency, connect with leads faster, and close more deals? Do you agree with my list of the best apps for real estate? Which ones did I miss? Let me know in the comments!

The post 12 Best Real Estate Apps for Agents in 2025 appeared first on The Close.

What Is Real Estate SEO?

Real estate search engine optimization (SEO) is the strategy used to get your website ranking on search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing. With a strong real estate SEO strategy, your website will show up when potential leads search for real estate-related topics. This translates into more site visitors and—as long as your website is optimized for lead generation—higher quality leads who are ready to work with you.

How Google & Other Search Engines Rank Content in 2024

Google uses advanced artificial intelligence (AI) to “crawl” websites (look at and evaluate them) and determine which pages should appear on the first page of search results. Since Google wants to deliver the best and most relevant results, they continually tweak their AI to make sure the most helpful results rise to the top.

Here are just a few factors Google uses to evaluate and rank content in 2024:

• Expertise or authority: This goes back to Google’s E-E-A-T score (experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness). 
• Relevance to the search query: One page on “Minneapolis real estate” is unlikely to rank for more specific searches like “apartments in Minneapolis.”
• Content quality: Your content should be unique, accurate, and not just written by AI.
• User experience: The site should be well-organized and easy to navigate.
• User engagement: Google considers how long users stay on the site and whether they click on additional pages or exit immediately.
• Content freshness: Up-to-date content is valued more highly than dated content.
• Meta tags and descriptions: Optimize your pages and blog posts to help Google understand the topic
• Internal links: Linking to your own website pages helps the user experience and ultimately builds your authority.

How Much Does Real Estate SEO Cost? (+Tools)

Like most great lead generation strategies, it is possible to tackle real estate SEO with minimal upfront costs and a lot of dedication. By writing great content that puts the reader first, you’ll slowly but surely build trust with your audience and with Google—and there’s very little financial investment.

However, using this strategy will realistically take six months or more before you start seeing results. If you’re serious about using SEO and getting the biggest results more quickly and efficiently, investing in even one strong tool or hiring a contractor will go a long way. Make sure you research all your options, considering how much work you want to spend time on.

Here’s a basic comparison of the potential tools and costs that go into real estate SEO:

Another option to consider is hiring SEO freelancers or companies. There is a massive variety in the type of SEO service you can hire out; it can be anything from a single page or website audit to a total revamp of your website’s SEO and content.

Good-quality SEO experts can be extremely expensive—the best may charge more than $5,000 per month! And beware of “affordable” SEO freelancers. Some use dishonest tactics that might help you rank on Google for a week or so but can also result in your site getting blacklisted from Google’s search results. 

That said, there are many simple, individual SEO tasks that you can and should outsource to freelancers on a site like Fiverr as the need arises:

• Researching keywords
• Creating and optimizing you Google Business Profile
• Editing articles
• Reducing image sizes
• Submitting your pitches to HARO
• Doing basic link-building outreach

How Long Does It Take to See Results?

How long it takes to see results from SEO for real estate is like asking, “How long will it take until I can speak French?” The answer ultimately depends on the kind of work you put in, the quality of your content, and how competitive your specific market is. The quality of your content, website, and backlink profile determines how quickly you can see results from your SEO efforts. 

Also, the competitiveness of your target keywords matters. For example, if you’re trying to rank for an extremely general keyword like “New York City real estate,” your chances of seeing significant results are very low. On the other hand, if you’re aiming for long-tail keywords for a specific audience, like “best neighborhoods in Elmira, New York,” you will see results much faster since there is significantly less competition.

Benefits of SEO for Real Estate

Do real estate agents actually need SEO? The long answer is that if you create online platforms and no one sees them, do you have an online presence? The short answer is yes! The benefits of SEO extend beyond your website to your real estate social media marketing and, ultimately, your lead generation. Here are the benefits:

• Increased online visibility: Ranking in search engines is easily the best way to generate website traffic and get the highest number of eyes on your content.
• Higher quality leads: SEO attracts a targeted audience of local buyers and sellers more likely to start a real estate transaction.
• Affordability: While there are upfront costs to optimizing your site for SEO, you can do a lot without spending thousands of dollars on ongoing content and advertising.
• Builds credibility: When users find you while searching online, they automatically view you as a real estate and marketing expert.
• Long-term results: Strong website content can continue to rank in search engines for months and years instead of publishing content multiple times per day.
• Translates to all platforms: You can promote website content on every real estate social network, as well as email and direct mail, making all of your marketing materials cohesive.

10 Steps to Perfect Real Estate SEO

Ready to start your SEO journey? Here are the beginning steps to optimizing your website front-to-back for search engines and users.

Step 1: Run an SEO Audit on Your Website

If you already have a real estate website, this will be your first step. If you don’t have a website yet, check out the best real estate website builders to get started. Start by setting your real estate website up for success with an SEO audit. This will show you any technical issues that might cause Google to rank your content lower (or ignore it entirely). It’s important to start with this step so that you don’t spend weeks creating great content that isn’t optimized.

Option 1—Hire someone to do it: The easiest way to do an SEO audit is to hire someone to do it for you. It requires highly technical expertise, so I recommend looking into freelance SEO auditors on a site like Fiverr, which should cost about $50. Choose from real estate SEO specialists based on their services, pricing, and previous reviews. An audit will include a report showing any issues that might be holding your site back from ranking on search engines.

Option 2—Do it yourself: If you want to start by doing a DIY website audit, you’ll need to use the right marketing tools. If you don’t have existing technical or SEO expertise, keep in mind that your audit will not be as thorough or easy to understand as a report from an expert in SEO for realtors. However, doing a simple audit at the beginning is better than nothing! Start with this in-depth guide from Semrush on setting up and running your audit, and consider the following tools:

Step 2: Fix Issues Found in Your SEO Audit

Now, you can start fixing any problems your audit uncovered. There might be some easy fixes, like deleting duplicate content or fixing broken links, or more complex issues, like upgrading your security protocol to HTTPS. Fix what you can and hire out for the rest. Here are a few common issues found in an SEO audit:

• Meta descriptions missing or not optimized for SEO
• Image alt text missing or not optimized for SEO
• Wrong image size and resolution
• Poor keyword usage
• Improper or missing heading structure (H1, H2, H3, etc.)
• Duplicate content
• Broken links
• Using HTTP protocol instead of HTTPS

The right SEO professional will help you understand which issues must be addressed, what they mean, and how they are fixed. If you do the audit yourself, you’ll have to dig in to learn how to fix different issues. 

Step 3: Set Up Your Google Business Profile Account

After your website is set up for technical SEO, it’s time to claim your Google Business Profile account. Whether you already have a website or are preparing to create one, this is arguably the most important step to establishing SEO for real estate sites. Your Google Business Profile is Google’s tool for indexing local businesses for searches, particularly searches in Google Maps.

When someone searches for a local service like real estate, Google automatically shows them results near their location. In 2024, Google Maps results are almost always at the top of search engine results pages (SERP), and these results only show realtors’ Google Business profiles. For example, when I search “real estate agent” from a device in New York, Google puts a map of nearby real estate brokerages at the top of the SERP.

Of course, having a Google Business Profile doesn’t guarantee you’ll appear at the top of search results. However, without it, you might not ever show up!

Step 4: Research Keywords You Want to Rank For

With your website and Google profile set up correctly, you can get into the real bread and butter of SEO for real estate agents. At this stage, you must thoroughly research the keywords your target audience is searching for. It’s important to gather this data before you start creating website content so that you can craft it to appeal to their questions and concerns directly. 

Here are a few tips for researching and choosing real estate keywords:

• Use a strong keyword research tool like Ahrefs or Semrush.
• If you don’t want to pay a monthly fee for SEO or keyword research, hire a freelancer on Fiverr to do research for you.
• Check the SERPs for your target keywords to see the current results. Are they articles or videos? How long are the articles?
• Use the “People Also Ask” section for even more content ideas. These are questions that Google’s algorithm thinks are related to the main keyword. For example, here are the “People Also Ask” results for the keyword “Condos in Miami.” Each one of these questions would make a great blog post.

Pro Tip: If you do keyword research before creating your website, try to work a few simple keywords into your real estate domain name and even social media titles. For example, if people are searching for “Windy City realtor” more than they’re searching for “Chicago realtor,” your domain name could be windycityrealtor.com or even [yourname]windycityrealtor.com.

Step 5: Create a Content Strategy with Clusters

Search engines consider your overall website when they rank individual pages. You might have the most well-optimized page on Miami real estate, but it won’t rank well if the rest of your website is bare. You have to show Google that you are a subject matter expert. There’s a reason that Google does this! 

To show Google that you are an expert and that your website deserves a spot in the SERPs, you need a variety of content and a well-organized website format. This is where content clusters come in. Content clusters are groups of articles organized from top-level subjects like “condos in Miami” that then drill down to more specific related topics like “Condos in Brickell” or “How to qualify for a condo in Miami.” 

Here’s what a cluster map might look like for an agent who sells condos in Miami:

Step 6: Craft Useful & Compelling Content

Once you’ve mapped out a cluster strategy, the next step is to create the content for your website. Some people think that SEO for real estate just means making endless blog posts, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Realtor SEO content includes website pages, real estate listings, written blog posts, images, and video content.

For example, Park City Luxury Real Estate is the only real estate website in the Google Image results to rank for the keyword “Empire Pass Deer Valley.” They beat out all other real estate competitors because they have a combination of written content and images optimized for this keyword.

Step 7: Increase Backlinks to Your Content 

Another way to show search engines that you are a valuable resource that should be ranked in searches is through backlinks. When another website links to any page of your website, that is a backlink, and it is a powerful tool for improving SEO for real estate investors, agents, and brokers.

There are a few ways to get backlinks, but our best recommendation in 2024 is to use Connectively, formerly HARO. Connectively is a forum for publications and journalists to find content creators and small businesses (like real estate agents!) to connect and collaborate. Sign up for the platform, and you’ll get access to a huge variety of online publications for those looking for input on real estate-related topics. You answer their queries with a pitch; if they use your answer, they’ll link back to your website.

Pro Tip: Link quality counts more than quantity! Getting one link from a well-respected site like the New York Times or Inman is as powerful as getting 100 links from smaller websites or blogs. Plus, links from websites related to your pillar content are more valuable than general websites. For example, if you’re writing about Miami condos, a link from the Miami Herald could be more valuable than one from the New York Post. Since you are writing about real estate, a link from Realtor Magazine or your state’s Realtor Association would be even more valuable. 

Step 8: Regularly Update Your Content

In general, search engines rank new, up-to-date content higher. This is especially true in the realm of SEO services for real estate, where the real estate market is constantly changing. Of course, your website should have a large percentage of evergreen content, but you should still update it regularly.

It may take some testing to find out how long it takes Google to rank your content and how long it is considered “fresh,” but here is a general calendar to follow: 

• Pillar pages: update once per quarter
• Subpillar and cluster pages: update once or twice per year
• Time-sensitive content: update regularly (i.e., monthly or biweekly newsletter or market update)

Step 9: Monitor Your Traffic & Analy

Analytics are a vital part of real estate SEO. If you aren’t checking the data to see if your posts are indexed, getting ranked, and driving traffic, I call that a “spray and pray” strategy—and I don’t recommend it. It’s essential to see where you are generating traffic and which pages are getting the highest rankings and clicks. This information will help you create more content and improve your lower-performing pages.

Google Analytics is the best, most reliable source of gathering website data. Most real estate website builders include reporting and analytics tools, and they are sometimes even easier to use. However, Google Analytics generally has the most accurate data, so it’s essential to understand your traffic and user behavior on this platform.

Step 10: Regularly Audit Your Website for SEO Issues 

As you publish more website content and your traffic increases, make sure you continually monitor the site for technical SEO issues. Even if your content ranks well, keeping tabs on this for the absolute best results is important. For example, articles or videos you link to might change their URLs, leaving you with dead links. Or your articles might load slowly if you install a new plugin or forget to compress images. Scheduling biyearly or quarterly SEO audits can help you find these issues before they affect your ranking. 

Best Practices of Real Estate SEO

It can be challenging to learn SEO for real estate because there are so many factors to consider, and it can be highly technical. However, it’s a challenge that can be overcome with determination and by following a few best practices. If you invest your time, energy, and finances into real estate SEO, the result can massively increase your business growth.

Here are a few basic SEO concepts and best practices to keep in mind:

• Build authority (E-E-A-T): Google will only rank websites that are topic matter experts. Build your EAT score (expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness) by creating original content, collaborating with other respected websites, and maintaining a well-organized website.
• Use the right tools: Finding the right tools (or freelancers) for keyword research, optimization, and website analytics is essential for optimizing your content for search engines.
• Write with structure: Your content should use structured data like H1, H2, and H3 headings, numbered lists, bullet points, and keywords. Using Ahrefs, Semrush, or a website builder with SEO tools like Easy Agent Pro will help you create optimized content.
• Keep your website speed fast: A slow website will be devalued in the search engine’s algorithm. Keep track of your website speed with Google’s free PageSpeed Insights tool, and follow that report to improve your site’s speed.
• Keep your website mobile-friendly: Most agents work on their website on a desktop, but more than 60% of website traffic is from mobile devices. If your site isn’t mobile-friendly, users may not have the patience to stay and become one of your leads.
• Make navigation simple: It should be easy for users to understand how to view different pages on your site. Using menus and internal links will keep visitors on your website for longer, which builds your authority—and, ultimately, your rankings—in search engines.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is SEO schema for real estate?

What are the stats for SEO in real estate?

Does SEO work for realtors?

Bringing It All Together

Real estate SEO can be complex, but it is a compelling way to grow your business. By creating a well-organized website and high-quality content optimized for the right keywords, you can attract thousands of users to your website and generate leads ready to work with you. With the tips in this guide, you’ll be able to start using SEO for real estate immediately.

The post The Ultimate Real Estate SEO Guide: 10 Steps to Better Ranking appeared first on The Close.

What’s an IDX Website?

The simplest explanation of IDX (short for Internet Data Exchange) is the backend computer connection that allows real estate agents or brokers to display active listings on their website. IDX providers take the raw listing data from your local MLS and send it to the hundreds (or thousands) of real estate websites with permission to do so. When a listing is posted or updated on the MLS, it’s updated automatically on all the IDX real estate websites through this technology. 

This update means an IDX website has listings nearly as fresh as your MLS website. The benefit of having a real estate website with IDX is huge for realtors because you can attract leads and clients to your website instead of the big real estate portals like Zillow or Realtor.com.

For a more in-depth guide on how it all works, visit What Is IDX in Real Estate? The Complete Guide for Agents.

How to Build an IDX Website Step-by-Step

Now that you understand how IDX websites work, let’s discuss creating one. There are multiple ways to build a website with IDX, like coding it yourself, using a content management system (CMS) like WordPress or Joomla, or using a real estate website builder with IDX.

• Note: WordPress is far and away the most popular CMS and has the most tutorials, support, updates, and the ability to customize your website. This tutorial will cover building a WordPress site with IDX because it’s the most popular option.

Step 1: Plan Your Website

The most critical step of building a solid real estate website is planning—it’s also the most skipped and avoided step for agents! You might think your website will be easy to plan or rely on a website template, but you’d be surprised at what you can forget until you’re halfway done.

Take some time to write out what you want from your IDX website. Research other websites you like and would like to emulate. Think about the features those websites have that you want to have on your site. 

Consider the following:

• General aesthetic: The website should communicate your real estate brand with the right colors, logos, and overall functionality
• Map search: Allow users to choose a position on the map to view current listings
• Video backgrounds: This adds a dynamic element to any website; you can show yourself in a property or videos of homes for sale
• Blogs: Having local real estate content goes a long way to build authority with viewers
• Image sliders: Show a variety of listing photos or brand photos of yourself with manual or automatic slideshows
• Lead capture: How do you plan to convert site visitors into leads? Consider what type of form you want on your website and the ideal locations for them
• Home valuation pages: This is a landing page where visitors can get an idea of how to price their home
• Pop-ups: These windows appear on your site after a certain amount of time or when they are going to exit your site
• Site navigation: Make sure it’s easy for users to browse your site with a top or bottom menu and clear labels for your pages

You may already have an idea of what you want on your IDX website, but it’s smart to look at a variety of other sites for more inspiration. Think about what you like and don’t like about other real estate websites, and get specific! Write down your thoughts about the design, photos, layout, and language of each. Start by looking at the real estate agent websites we’ve gathered below.

Example 1 Example 2 Example 3

The Jills Zeder website has a beautiful home page with an ideal menu for almost any local real estate buyer or seller. The top menu is simple, but each option offers even more landing pages for specific viewers, like those relocating to the area or those wanting particular details on the broker’s sale numbers. By having such clear menus and a variety of valuable content on their website, the Jills Zeder Group can successfully funnel their leads to the best place.

Plus, this website was built with Agent Image, one of the industry’s best real estate website builders. Learn more about how Agent Image can help you create a stunning website today.

Jills Zeder’s website and neighborhood guides (Source: Agent Image)

Jills Zeder’s website and neighborhood guides (Source: Agent Image)

The Platinum Group has a dynamic home page with a listing search bar on top. There are also four buttons in the center of the home page for each type of client they’re targeting and their lead magnets: a market report and a home valuation. Another thing we love about their website is the community page options on the home page. Their website visitors barely have to scroll before seeing the different counties in the area, which shows that The Platinum Group has an extensive library of valuable content for clients to reference.

Real estate homepage and communities (Source: Platinum Group Real Estate)

Real estate homepage and communities (Source: Platinum Group Real Estate)

Most real estate websites have a listings search or call to action at the top of the home page, which can be a great strategy. However, the Donna Kerr team stands out because they don’t have that as the center of their home page. Instead, their call to action says, “Let’s talk!” which shows how much they value relationships. Their home page is also organized into three main categories with specialized landing pages for each; “buy smart” (for buyers), “sell for more” (for sellers), and “enjoy a seamless process,” which gives more details about their unique services.

Unique real estate website home page (Source: Donna Kerr Group)

Unique real estate website home page (Source: Donna Kerr Group)

Step 2: Choose a Web Hosting Company

Now it’s time to get a little bit technical, find website hosting, and choose a domain name. Website hosting is simply the home of your website, ensuring that it loads quickly and reliably from any device.

For WordPress IDX websites, Bluehost is pretty hard to beat. Starting at less than $3 per month, it is incredibly affordable. It has a tool that lets you install WordPress with the click of a button. You also get five email addresses for you and your team, all for less than the price of a cup of coffee.

Step 3: Select a Domain Name

The domain name is the URL of your website, like corcoran.com or serhant.com. Luckily, choosing a great domain name is pretty straightforward. Just make sure it’s memorable, short enough to yell across a crowded restaurant, and matches your name or personal brand. 

Using a .com is better than the alternatives, but if you have the perfect name and it’s not available as a .com, then, by all means, go for a different top-level domain (TLD) like .net, .bix, and so on. Read more tips on choosing your domain name in our detailed guide.

Generally, your website host will allow you to purchase your domain name, but you can also buy it from a separate company if you choose. You can pay as little as $5 to $10 a year to secure your URL, but shorter domain names and more popular TLDs may cost you more. Some hosting sites include the domain for free when you buy hosting.

Pro Tip: Unless you think you’ll spend your entire career at your current brokerage, avoiding including your brokerage name in your domain name is probably best. After all, you’re an independent contractor, right? Be independent.

Step 4: Install WordPress on Your Domain

Now that you have a fresh new domain and host, the next step to building an IDX website for realtors is to install WordPress. Since WordPress is open-source, it’s free! To install WordPress on your Bluehost account, log in to your Bluehost Panel, click on the Website section, and click “Install WordPress.”

Follow the prompts to connect to WordPress.com and create an account. Congratulations! You now have your very own WordPress website ready to rock! Pretty easy, right? Now that you have your WordPress up and running with your host, let’s move on to making your website look great and adding IDX capabilities to get MLS listings on your site.

Step 5: Choose an IDX Plugin

When you build an IDX website with WordPress, using a plugin is the best way to incorporate IDX listings. A plugin is an add-on tool in WordPress that you use to change how your WordPress theme looks or behaves. 

There are many options, so your decision will come down to price, features, and compatibility. Generally, you’ll pay between $50 and $99 monthly for an IDX plugin. This price is relatively affordable compared with other real estate website builders. Plus, most IDX providers offer much more than just a simple connection between your MLS and your website, so the cost is well worth it.

Here are a few of our top choices:

Step 6: Choose & Install Your WordPress Theme

Now it’s time to pick a WordPress theme that looks amazing, provides the features you want, and can work with your chosen IDX provider. The WordPress theme you choose controls how your website looks and acts. Themes include templates from page layout and headers to fonts, colors, and backgrounds—even lead capture and other advanced features.

Unlike your IDX provider, you don’t have to pay a monthly fee for your WordPress theme. Some themes are free; others can run from $20 to $99. Plenty of themes are available in the WordPress library, but you can also look at online stores like Envato Market, Elegant Themes, and Template Monster.

Here are some tips for choosing the right website theme: 

• Use the list of features you made in the planning stage and make sure the theme you want has those capabilities
• Make sure your theme is compatible with your IDX plugin
• Check if it offers enough customization options
• Consider if you need a real estate-specific theme, or if a different theme can work (sometimes general themes can be even better!)

Pro Tip: Since this is a one-time fee, I highly recommend not skimping here to save a few bucks. An extra $20 or $30 spent on your theme can make a massive difference in your website’s quality and user experience. Generally, themes you pay a little more for perform better in the long run regarding updates, widget integration, and customer support.

Step 7: Install Your IDX Plugin

Next, head to your WordPress dashboard and click on Plugins on the left-hand side menu. Go to “Installed Plugins” to check which plugins came with your new theme. Note which plugins have already been installed, then click on Add New. You can purchase some IDX plugins through WordPress or upload the plugin you purchased separately into the dashboard.

Since thousands of plugins are available for WordPress, loading up on them can be very tempting. After all, more is better, right? Well, for WordPress, the opposite can be true. Plugins can slow your site down; some don’t play nicely with others. But don’t worry; you’ll have plenty of time to find and experiment with plugins later. 

Step 8: Customize Your WordPress Theme

At this point, you should have a good-looking website filled with dummy copy and stock imagery. The next step to building your IDX website is to customize the text, images, design, and layout. Your customization options will vary depending on your theme, but here are a few basic things you can change with any advanced WordPress theme:

• Demos: Most WordPress themes will come with multiple layouts called demos. These are fully finished design and layout variations, and each one will make your website look very different—even though it’s the same theme. If you want to install a demo to change how your site looks, go to your WordPress dashboard and click on Tools, then Import. Next, click on WordPress and navigate to the XML of the demo you want to install.
• Logo: Add your logo to your WordPress theme, and it should automatically appear on multiple website pages. Customize your favicon with your logo (the little picture in a tab at the top of visitors’ browsers).
• Site Navigation: The menus and navigation of your site are crucial to lead visitors to the right places. Ensure you think through your menus and test your site until you perfect the navigation and all pages.
• Footer: The footer area of your site will generally have social media links, contact information, and a sitemap, which is a list of all the pages available on your site. Like the navigation, your footer is universal and will appear on every page.
• Widgets: Widgets are small pieces of code that let you drag and drop site features like search bars, listings by price range, email capture, menus, recent articles, and many more elements onto any website page. Similar to plugins, more is not necessarily better here.

Step 9: Start Building Your Website Pages

We’re getting to the meat and potatoes now! At this point, you’ll start building the pages of your site, including informational pages and real estate landing pages designed to convert a specific type of visitor. This buildout can be time-consuming, so make sure you set time aside to work on your website until it’s ready.

Every real estate website is different, but here are a few highly recommended pages to include the following:

• About us (or an agent directory for teams and brokerages)
• Contact (with a lead capture form)
• Listings for sale
• Buyer’s guide
• Sell with us
• Home valuation landing page
• Neighborhood pages or guides

Keep in mind that pages and posts are two separate things that work very differently on a WordPress site. Pages are the main sections of your site that don’t change very often (like About Us, Contact Us, and Listings), and posts are generally part of a blog. 

These articles on different topics cover anything from things to do in your neighborhood to market reports to home design tips. Publishing blog content is essential to optimize your website for search engines. For more details, read our complete guide to real estate SEO.

IDX Real Estate Website Tips to Get More Leads

Congratulations! You now have a fully functional WordPress IDX website ready to build your brand, attract visitors, and generate new leads to help you close more deals. Of course, a website is pretty useless if no one ever sees it. Here are a few of the best ways to generate traffic and turn your website into a real business-growing tool:

• Promote Your IDX Website: Your website is the most powerful tool in your arsenal to attract and convert leads. However, it’s also not a magic button—you have to put your website out there to get clicks and targeted traffic. Here are a few places you should consistently share your website:

• All of your active social media profiles (including Facebook groups)
• Your business cards and email signature
• Your real estate postcards
• Your Zillow and realtor.com profile
• Your Realtor association profiles

• Offer Lead Magnets to Your Niche Audience:

The best way to turn website visitors into high-quality leads is by offering them something valuable. Start by thinking about the kind of clients and real estate niches you want to work with (i.e., buyers, sellers, expired listings, etc.). Then, create something that will benefit each of your target audiences. This can be simple, but the more specific, the better!

Here are a few ideas:

• Homebuyer’s guide
• First-time homebuyer’s guide
• Steps to buy a home in [your city or town]
• Seller’s guide
• How to maximize profits when selling your home
• How to buy and sell a home at the same time
• Reasons your home isn’t selling
• How to avoid foreclosure
• How to buy or sell a home when relocating

• Test, Test, and Keep Testing New Website Strategies:

You will have to work hard to get people to visit your site and leave their contact information or reach out and call you. The first version of your website will NOT be the most successful, even if you’re a marketing expert. It is key to look at your website’s performance and continually adjust your website to make it more effective.

For WordPress websites, the best way to gather data about your website’s performance is Google Analytics and Google Search Console. Both platforms have a significant learning curve if you don’t already have marketing experience, but you need to have patience with yourself.

On the other hand, if you want to skip all the technical parts of creating a real estate IDX website, use a website builder like Placester. It’s a code-free solution to creating a beautiful, professional, and custom website. Plus, Placester provides reports and dashboards in Google Analytics and guides to help you understand the most important data. Learn more about why Placester is a great option in our detailed Placester review.

Best IDX Real Estate Website Builders

Building your own website isn’t the hardest thing you’ll do as a real estate agent, but it takes time, dedication, and both technical and marketing expertise. You’ll need to select the best plugins, choose and purchase your template, create copy, design your pages, and make sure your site is optimized to capture leads.

If DIY-ing your IDX website matches your budget and skills, this guide was built for you! But if you’d rather spend your time on other real estate-related activities, consider one of our top real estate website builders. All of them are IDX-enabled, so they ensure your site is working as hard as you are.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is IDX on a website?

What does IDX stand for?

How much is an IDX website?

Bringing It All Together

Building an IDX website is a straightforward process that can be done in as little as one afternoon! DIY-ing your own website can be more challenging, so if you’d rather avoid the technical obstacles, then choosing one of the top real estate website builders could be a better choice. No matter what your strategy, having a real estate website with IDX capabilities will help you attract more website visitors and convert more leads.

The post How to Build a Real Estate IDX Website in an Afternoon appeared first on The Close.

Pros

• Has IDX integrations
• Includes a mobile-friendly website
• Has CRM integrations
• Has help center for assistance

Cons

• Lacks social media posting capabilities
• Lacks free plan or free trial offered
• Charges a set-up fee
• Doesn’t include white label capabilities

The Close Score

4.1

Pricing:

1.0

General features:

3.6

Advanced features:

4.3

Customer support:

2.0

Ease of use:

5.0

Customer feedback:

4.4

Expert score:

4.6

out
of

5

My Verdict on Real Geeks & Why You Should Trust It 

After rigorous research and examining the platform’s capabilities, along with taking into account the Real Geeks reviews provided by current users, I can adequately review Real Geeks unbiasedly. With my experience in reviewing real estate technology platforms, user feedback, and comparison with industry trends, I am well versed in giving a trustworthy assessment of this platform.

Real Geeks is a robust real estate platform designed to suit an agent’s needs. While it does have some learning curve and a few design limitations, it’s a powerful website creator and CRM to help any agent or broker create a more efficient business operation. The platform allows agents to serve their clients better and grow their businesses. Real Geeks strikes the right note between functionality and support for real estate technology.

Real Geeks Alternatives

While it’s a powerful marketing tool, Real Geeks won’t always be a good fit for everyone. There are a few worthy competitors that may be a better fit for some business needs or personal preferences. It’s important to explore different options to find the tool that best puts you at the top of this competitive real estate market.

Software	Why It’s a Great Alternative	Learn More	Ready to Purchase?
	Is a budget-friendly website builder without sacrificing essential features	Placester Review	Visit Placester
	Provides robust social media integrations for agents to connect their website and marketing efforts seamlessly	No review yet	Visit Luxury Presence
	Allows real estate professionals to brand the platform as their own with white-label capabilities fully	No review yet	Visit Easy Agent PRO

Key Features of Real Geeks

Real Geeks offers a feature set that helps support the different needs of many real estate professionals. From lead generation to client management, the platform binds all necessary tools into one easy-to-use system. Let’s dive into what makes this platform extremely valuable for real estate agents and brokers. Here’s a short video overview of the Real Geeks platform:

Property Valuation Tool

One of the most distinguished features of Real Geeks is its property valuation tool, arming agents with a sales weapon to procure Real Geeks leads based on instant property value estimates for prospects. Very few tools on the market can interest homeowners as much as knowing the current market value of their property. 

It invites visitors to input their property details through a user-friendly interface. In return, they receive an estimation of the value of such property based on current market trends. This estimation will help generate more leads for the agents and make them an information-rich source within their local market. 

Powerful Integrations

Real Geeks excels at offering powerful integrations that give agents more versatility and functionality from the platform. It connects very well with third-party tools and services, allowing agents to customize and extend the platform’s capabilities in many of the workflows that real estate professionals want to use. 

It integrates well with email marketing services, analytics platforms, and other real estate software to ensure all tools are within a working agent’s reach. These integrations will smooth operations by reducing the need for switching between different applications, which makes it much easier for an agent to maintain a cohesive and efficient workflow. 

Facebook & Google PPC Management

Real Geeks offers turnkey Facebook and Google Pay-Per-Click (PPC) ad management to help agents increase their visibility online and attract high-quality leads. With this add-on service, Real Geeks’ expert team will create and manage the perfect mix of strategies for lead generation across social media, search engines, and remarketing campaigns. This hands-off approach allows agents the freedom to pursue a core business while availing professional, data-driven advertising strategies that maximize ROI while consistently delivering quality leads.

Customer Relationship Manager

The real estate CRM with Real Geeks is another one of the base elements of this product to help real estate professionals manage and cultivate their leads. It offers mobile app access, so no matter where they are, every agent has at their fingertips the contacts, tasks, and important client information necessary for responding to inquiries and following up. 

The CRM also has SMS text capabilities, so agents can communicate directly with leads and clients via text messaging. This feature is especially valuable for quick, informal communication, allowing one to send appointment reminders, property updates, and follow-up messages right to a client’s phone. 

MoveTo Application

Another innovative feature set provided by Real Geeks is the MoveTo application, intended to enhance the client’s experience by making the property search process very smooth. Leveraging MoveTo, clients can access property listings and push notifications to update them on their selected listings. Additionally, MoveTo integrates well with the Real Geeks platform to ensure that all activities related to a client are logged and managed within the CRM. 

Real Geeks Pricing

Real Geeks offers a tiered pricing structure, which can be a big consideration for prospective agents. The plans are split into three tiers targeting different sizes and business needs. At $299 per month, it provides users access to the platform’s core features. Those needing further advanced tools or support will use the Grow plan at $599 monthly. An available $999 per month Expand plan and a $1599 per month Conquer plan will give the product’s most comprehensive set of features and capabilities.

It’s worth noting that the Real Geeks pricing offers no free plan or trial and no money-back guarantees. There’s also a $250 setup fee tacked on. Agents should be confident in their decision before subscribing. The pricing is steep, and it could prove to be too pricey for smaller teams or individual agents who want all of its features compared with other real estate platforms.

Methodology 

Our team of real estate-centered analysts and editors did deep research to come up with the best website builders for professionals in the real estate industry. We have observed Real Geeks regarding features like its lead generation, CRM functionality, ease of use, pricing, and how support is offered to users. We also took the time to look through Real Geeks reviews and feedback to understand if the product meets the needs and expectations of real estate professionals.

Our mission is to deliver accurate and dependable insights to agents and brokers for informed decision-making and workflow optimization within this highly competitive market. Essentially, we want to help you answer the question, “Is Real Geeks worth it?” Our fair and extensive research will equip our readers with the most correct and valuable information necessary for success in real estate.

Here’s how we came up with our Real Geeks review:

• Pricing: 1 out of 5
  • We evaluated the cost of plans and the value for your money versus competitors.
• General features: 3.63 out of 5
  • We reviewed the overall functionality and range of standard tools available on the platform.
• Advanced features: 4.25 out of 5
  • We looked at Real Geek’s more sophisticated tools and capabilities, like landing pages, lead capture forms, and IDX integrations. 
• Customer support: 2 out of 5
  • We based this on the availability of customer service along with methods for contacting support. 
• Ease of use: 5 out of 5
  • This score determined if technical capabilities were required to set up and operate the platform. 
• Customer feedback: 4.35 out of 5
  • We evaluated the reviews and user satisfaction rating of Real Geeks.
• Expert score: 4.56 out of 5
  • We based the score on industry experts’ reviews and our hands-on experience with the platform.

Read more about our methodology here.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is an IDX website, and why is it important to a real estate agent?

How will the CRM benefit my real estate business, and what features should I look for?

What are some things to consider when choosing a lead generation platform for my real estate business?

The Bottom Line: Is Real Geeks Worth Your Money? 

Real Geeks offers a comprehensive package for real estate professionals because it’s an extremely easy-to-use platform that generates leads, manages clients, and runs all marketing campaigns. It provides a solid suite of tools for enhancing productivity and allowing agents to stay closer to their clients from outside the office. 

However, the platform’s limitations in terms of design flexibility and lack of a free trial, coupled with its higher price point, should be considered for smaller teams or budget-conscious users. Real Geeks is good at what it does if you can cover its monthly pricing fee.

The post Real Geeks Review: Pricing, Features, Pros & Cons appeared first on The Close.

Pros

• User friendly
• Customizable website designs
• Built-in IDX capabilities
• Options for both DIY and “done for you” formats

Cons

• Not the most affordable pricing
• Limited customer service on DIY plan
• Limited SEO tools
• CRM is more limited than third-party tools

The Close Score

4.8

Pricing:

3.0

Advanced Features:

5.0

Ease of Use:

5.0

Support:

2.0

Customer Feedback:

3.9

Expert Score:

4.6

out
of

5

My Verdict on Placester & Why You Should Trust It 

As an experienced marketer, real estate researcher, and writer, I’ve spent many hours researching Placester websites over the past few years. I have seen the quality of its websites and offerings as it has changed its packages multiple times. I’ve read hundreds (if not thousands) of reviews about the software in my research. Amazingly, Placester reviews have been remarkably consistent in proving Placester’s ease of use and modern, professional, and well-functioning websites.

However, its pricing structure has changed significantly, and it is no longer the most affordable website builder. Regardless, Placester has always stood out from other platforms by providing inexperienced agents with a beautiful, IDX-enabled website running in less than an hour. It also makes it easy for agents to publish blog content, customize their website (without touching code), and generate leads from listings, landing pages, and blogs. These features may seem simple, but they are incredibly valuable to agents building an online brand.

While no software or real estate website builder is without challenges, Placester has been a consistently well-known platform for agents who want a tool that offers the most efficient method of creating a professional, branded, glitch-free IDX website. Ultimately, I think it’s a valuable tool with many benefits for agents.

Placester Alternatives

Although Placester is a well-known lead generation software with tons of valuable features for agents and brokers, it may not fit your exact needs. Plenty of other real estate lead generation websites have more customization options, different pricing structures, and even more organic SEO tools to help drive traffic. Here are a few of our top choices:

Products	Why It’s a Great Alternative	Learn More	Ready to Purchase?
	Real estate-specific lead generation tools Customizable neighborhood guide pages Variety of available add-ons and integrations	No review yet	Agent Fire
	Affordable monthly pricing Website options for agents, offices, and real estate companies Additional lead generation and marketing options	No review yet	Visit iNCOM
	SEO-optimized real estate website templates Built-in IDX search features Robust lead generation options	Sierra Interactive Review	Visit Sierra Interactive

Products	Why It’s a Great Alternative	Learn More	Ready to Purchase?
	Real estate-specific lead generation tools Customizable neighborhood guide pages Variety of available add-ons and integrations	No review yet	Visit Realvolve
	Affordable monthly pricing Website options for agents, offices, and real estate companies Additional lead generation and marketing options	No review yet	Visit Pipedrive
	SEO-optimized real estate website templates Built-in IDX search features Robust lead generation options	Sierra Interactive Review	Visit Wise Agent

Key Features of Placester

Let’s take a look at some of the essential features offered by Placester and why it is one of our choices for the best real estate brokerage software:

Website Templates

Placester offers over 35 beautifully designed real estate website templates, making it easy to find one that best fits your real estate brand. Every website template is customizable and codeless, which is why so many real estate agents and teams love it.

IDX Integration

Any real estate agent who uses a real estate website within their marketing strategy should ensure that the website is enabled with IDX to display property listings. All of Placester’s website templates automatically include IDX listings, so you can easily build an IDX real estate website without messing with highly technical codes or plugins.

Resources & Support

Although there have been Placester reviews in the past stating that its customer support is lacking, there is a wide variety of support and resources available on its website. The “Resources” section of its website includes the following:

• Marketing Academy: Large library of articles on real estate marketing topics and free downloadables
• Webinars: Recordings of live webinars that Placester has done on important real estate lead generation topics
• Knowledge Base: Searchable library of how-to tutorials to help answer questions about the Placester interface
• What’s New: Constant updates on new features from the platform

Website Maintenance

If you want to have one of the top real estate agent websites, you can’t just set up your website once and forget about it—it has to be regularly maintained. Placester offers two Do It For Me plans that include maintenance from experts. This additional feature option means you don’t have to spend any of your valuable time on the backend of your site. These plans also include a creative assistant to help you make strategic marketing choices.

Placester Pricing

Placester has three main pricing tiers: the DIY option is the most affordable, and two Do It For Me packages with varying levels of support. The website templates and intuitive codeless website builder come with all plans, but only the Do It For Me plans include additional services and maintenance. The Do It For Me + Content package includes publishing blog and social media content.

Methodology 

At The Close, our goal is to help real estate professionals grow their businesses with strong strategies and the right tools by their side. Our team of licensed professionals, writers, researchers, and editors have done hours of research and created a weighted rubric to accurately determine how Placester stacks up against other real estate software options.

For more details on our process, read our detailed The Close methodology. For this Placester review, our criteria included the following:

• General Features: 25%
  • We evaluated each website builder’s main features, including bandwidth, storage capabilities, reporting and analytics, white-label capabilities, and mobile apps.
• Pricing: 20%
  • Our pricing evaluation calculates monthly pricing, setup fees, subscriptions, money-back guarantees, and free trial availability.
• Advanced Features: 20%
  • We evaluated advanced features for website builders, including SEO tools, IDX integrations, landing pages, lead capture forms, and real estate-specific website designs.
• Customer Feedback: 10%
  • We scoured online boards to find all available third-party reviews about Placester. 
• Customer Support: 10%
  • The support score is determined by the customer service hours, availability of live chats, help center, and whether the team is available by phone and/or email.
• Expert Score: 10%
  • The Close evaluated the product’s overall features, value for the money, and ease of use to determine an accurate expert score.
• Ease of Use: 5%
  • We determined ease of use by the navigation features of each software and user feedback.

FAQs

What does Placester do?

Does Placester have a CRM?

Should real estate agents have a website?

Bottom Line: Is Placester Worth Your Money?

Placester is an easy-to-use website-building platform for agents who want a professional website without spending hours at their desks. Placester reviews show that it is a powerful software with features that effectively generate high-quality leads. However, the pricing is relatively high compared with alternative options, and customer support is difficult to reach on the DIY plan. Overall, I think Placester is an excellent tool for agents or teams new to marketing through a website and want the most efficient method of having a professional website.

The post Placester Review: Pricing, Features, Pros & Cons appeared first on The Close.

CINC may be as close as it gets, at least from the sales standpoint. CINC’s new offer for 2024 includes marketing and advertising, lead capture, lead follow-up, team performance tracking, and now artificial intelligence (AI)-powered response. Read my CINC review to see how I’ve ranked this lead generation platform and to help you decide if it’s worth adding to your real estate toolbox.

CINC Overview

Pros

• Hyper-local lead generation and IDX websites
• Dedicated ad and platform account manager
• Lead nurturing and seller lead capture
• Platform geared toward teams and top performers

Cons

• Takes time to get a return on investment
• Cost structure may not be a fit for newer agents
• Artificial intelligence (AI) is an additional cost

The Close Score

4.8

Pricing:

3.3

General Features:

3.5

Advanced Features:

4.5

Customer Service:

3.4

Customer Rating:

4.4

Expert Score:

4.6

out
of

5

My Verdict on CINC

My overall verdict is that CINC is a proven leader in the all-in-one website, lead generation, and lead nurture software solutions, and other CINC reviews say the same. Due to a dedicated account manager handling your ad placements, the system is much easier to use than comparable solutions. The attractive hyper-local lead generation-focused website also makes you look like the neighborhood expert overnight.   

The biggest challenge with CINC (or any other online lead generation system) for newer agents and/or single agents on tighter budgets is the high upfront cost structure, which is more oriented toward teams and top-performing single agents, who are more focused on long-term return on investment (ROI).

My favorite feature for 2024 is the AI bot, Alex. Alex can respond to leads or inquiries and keep the customers on the hook until you become available. This feature is a must for any top-producing real estate agent. The downside is it is an additional cost, which is more of an annoyance than a deal killer.

Video Walk-through

Key Features of CINC

All-in-One Lead Generation Software

Originally, all-in-one solutions were specifically designed to support top-producing agents and teams specializing mainly in online lead generation. These systems combine IDX websites, a top-of-the-line customer relationship manager (CRM), lead management, and online lead generation systems into one solution. Yet today, CINC’s all-in-one solution can manage and follow up with leads from multiple sources.

These systems can place ads on Facebook and Google, capture leads through landing pages, and nurture leads with an integrated CRM. Top-producing real estate agents have one thing in common: an all-in-one software solution to generate and convert their leads.

The most significant hurdles for real estate agents in adopting these technologies are the high upfront cost and the difficulty in managing the ever-changing ad requirements from online advertising platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Google. CINC has solved both of these hurdles, as I will share in this CINC review of new updates and offers for 2024.

IDX Website

The most essential feature of any lead capture website is a site visitors want to visit and return to often. This desire to return begins with hyper-local targeted ads on Google that drive traffic to convert on the site. 

National websites like Zillow may rank higher for general home-for-sale searches. However, they are virtually useless for homebuyers who want to know more about living near a specific golf course, city center, or lake community. 

In CINC reviews for 2024, I found that the software is a leader in real estate paid search engine marketing (SEM)-optimized websites by focusing on unique and specific features of a geographic location. Each SEM-optimized webpage is loaded with local information and geographic features that “real buyers” search for while doing their home and area research. CINC reviews and captures this information for you.

Agents can further individualize their sites by incorporating blogs and vlogs, giving users more reasons to return and keep them away from large impersonal websites like Zillow and Redfin. The attractive websites are also preloaded with a mortgage calculator and neighborhood and school data, so buyers spend more time on your site than similar sites. 

Capture ‘Real Buyers’

A great lead generation website is useless if it doesn’t capture the contact information of “real buyers” who are likely to buy in the next few months. To do this, a website must provide an easy-to-use, highly functional home search and valuable and attractive information that buyers cannot get elsewhere.

CINC real estate websites integrate IDX from your local MLS so homebuyers can easily house hunt all the available properties using standard search features and the highly visual and attractive map search function. 

Shortly into their home search, a CINC website asks buyers to register to access more information and website features and to save their favorite homes and search criteria. Once your future client registers, the real magic of CINC begins.  

Seller Lead Generation

If buyer leads are gold for real estate agents, then seller leads are platinum … Am I right? Unless you want to spend time showing buyers homes every weekend, you need to generate home seller leads. 

This CINC review has proven to me that the company has perfected seller lead generation websites and landing pages. Despite the real estate market softening, listing inventory is still frighteningly low. When you combine CINC’s home valuation tool with a postcard campaign to your neighborhood and past clients, you’ll immediately start generating seller leads. 

In addition, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), 50% of homebuyers already own at least one home. This statistic means that the many buyers coming to your CINC website will also need to sell a home before making a new home purchase. This fact makes the home value questionnaire and tool necessary for top-producing agents in 2024.

Exclusive Leads

Unlike Realtor.com, Zillow, and Redfin, the leads you generate on your CINC site are exclusive to you. You may not know that websites like Zillow, OpCity, and Realtor.com resell the same lead multiple times to several agents. These sites may resell leads five, six, or even 10 times over! 

While researching for this CINC review, I found that this is not the case with your CINC leads. Since your CINC website captures leads through your paid advertising, the leads in your CINC system are exclusive to you. This activity means you will have a greater chance of converting leads and, in turn, a higher return on your advertising investment. 

Automated Lead Nurture

When you capture a lead, CINC will instantly notify you or your team member through its app. So you can promptly introduce yourself while they are still surfing your site and you are still top of mind.

It’s well known that the best way to convert online leads is to connect with them within the first five minutes. The problem is busy agents are not always available to make a call at the drop of a hat. Additionally, many leads don’t answer on the first call or text, making your follow-up list longer and longer.

This is where the CINC customer relationship manager (CRM) and automated lead nurture take over. CINC’s professionally written and customizable follow-up text plans and email campaigns are designed to keep you and your website top of mind and the homebuyer coming back often. CINC sends call-to-action automated texts when leads are active on your website to encourage users to connect with you immediately or to reconnect even if they have been quiet.

Lead Routing Team & Management

If you have multiple team members or manage a large team, the CINC platform can route leads to team members by their availability, response times, or even their lead conversion percentages. This feature ensures that customers get a prompt response and that your marketing dollars are maximized.

You can quickly see your lead sources, new leads, appointments, and current clients from the CINC dashboard. This dashboard simplicity lets you easily see where your leads are coming from and which team members perform best—making managing a high-performing real estate business not only possible but profitable.

Alex, CINC’s AI Bot, Brings Communication to the Forefront

In simple terms, artificial intelligence (AI) is the programming of computers to think and respond as a human would. This technology has already become game-changing for the sales industry. Like with other technological advancements, the real estate industry will likely be a late adopter. 

The CINC AI bot’s name is Alex. Alex will quickly text leads for you and initiate a nonconfrontational conversation. When a lead responds, you can jump in and take over from where Alex left off, or Alex will continue to nurture the relationship until you become available.

Consistent follow-up is a full-time job, with the average conversion time for online leads being between six and 18 months. This feature makes Alex the perfect solution for any real estate professional who wants to provide a high-touch and personalized experience.

In this CINC review of the AI bot Alex, I learned that if you wish to outperform your competitors, you must adopt artificial intelligence in your real estate business today! In my opinion, AI will not be an option in the future—if you don’t incorporate it into your business, you will be left in the dust.

Higher ROI Than Other Platforms

Today, quality leads are in high demand, with many real estate lead generation companies now charging up to 40% of the hard-earned commissions at closing. CINC puts you in control. With CINC, you select your target audience, messaging, and spending. 

CINC provides a dedicated marketing team member who is an expert with Google and Facebook lead generation, IDX websites, intelligent CRM, lead nurturing automation, and more. 

Some competitors advertise on Google, Facebook, and Instagram to drive site traffic. CINC is a Google Premier Partner that uses hyper-local marketing to attract “real buyers” and motivated homesellers as exclusive leads to your website. By doing so, CINC generates leads at a substantially lower cost than other lead-generation companies and platforms, and there is a much higher return on investment (ROI) upside with CINC because of fixed platform costs and low cost per lead.  

CINC Guaranteed Sales Program

The big announcement in this CINC review for 2024 is the new Guaranteed Sales Program. This program allows you to get started with CINC with a risk-free investment. To ensure your adoption and success with the system, the Guaranteed Sales Program includes a members community, regular webinars, access to best practices from CINC’s industry-leading in-depth Success Playbook, and additional training opportunities.

CINC is so confident that you will not only love their system and generate closings, but for a limited time, CINC will guarantee that you will close deals in a set time frame if you follow the best practices of CINC’s Success Playbook. Obviously, there are restrictions and commitments, so contact CINC today to learn more.

CINC Pricing

CINC’s all-in-one lead generation platform starts at $899 per month for single agents and $1,299 per month for teams. For more details about pricing for the Guaranteed Sales Program and additional advertising promotions available for new clients, please reach out directly to a CINC sales rep.

CINC also offers many other pricing options. These options range from single agents looking to dip their toes into an all-in-one lead generation solution to multi-million-dollar expansion teams looking for a solution that can serve them in multiple markets.

All plans offer the following core and lead generation features:

• CRM
• AutoTracks
• Mobile apps
• Landing pages
• Seller Suite
• Switchboard Sarah
• Custom labels
• Mass messaging
• Database imports
• Google Buyer Leads
• Google Seller Leads
• Facebook Buyer Leads
• Facebook Seller Leads
• List Cast
• Remarketing

However, a few features differ depending on the plan:

Features	Solo	Ramp	Pro	Select
Number of Users	1	Up to 4	Up to 49	50+
Video Messaging	Basic Package	Basic Package	Advanced	Advanced
Lead Routing	Basic	Advanced	Advanced	Advanced
System Integrations	CRM Connect Google	CRM Connect Google Zapier MOJO BombBomb	CRM Connect Google Zapier MOJO BombBomb Other CINC Integrations	CRM Connect Google Zapier MOJO BombBomb Other CINC Integrations
Cash Offer
CINC AI	Starting at $200/month
Dialer	3 lines for $75/month

The Bottom Line: Is CINC Worth Your Money?

It’s the 10-plus years of experience, outstanding customer service, and guarantees like this that attract and keep top producers using CINC. If you are looking for a consistent lead generation platform that will save you time, automatically follow up with leads, and put its money where its mouth is, give CINC Pro a try. In my opinion, you can’t go wrong.

The Close Methodology 

In addition to our expert assessment of CINC, we scored the software against dozens of other lead generation companies. This score consists of our general methodology as well as CINC reviews and the following criteria:

• Pricing 25%
  • Looked at the average price per lead for buyer and seller leads, monthly ad management fees, the minimum required ad spend, onboarding fees, and pricing for mandatory tools like CRMs, IDX websites, and automated lead nurturing. 
• General Features 25%
  • We evaluated each company’s main features, like lead capture tools, lead management, integrations, and ease of use. If a company required features like a built-in CRM, IDX websites, or automated nurturing, these were included in the analysis. 
• Advanced Features 20%
  • We evaluated whether the leads generated were high-funnel or low-funnel, lead exclusivity, how leads are qualified, lead quality, and how difficult the leads are to convert.
• Customer Service 10%
  • The dashboard and user interface are essential factors to consider. If it’s challenging to use or find your way around the platform, you’ll be much less likely to use it. 
• Customer Rating 10%
  • We read CINC reviews and other software reviews and did test drives to evaluate others’ experience compared to our own.
• Expert Score 10%
  • We gave extra credit for any standout features not covered in the above categories. 

Your Take

Have you used CINC software? We’d love to hear what you think—add your thoughts to the comments below!

The post CINC Reviews: A Seasoned Real Estate Pro’s Insightful Perspective appeared first on The Close.

That’s why we decided to put together this guide with 117 real estate keywords that buyers and sellers commonly search for. Perhaps more importantly, we’ll show you tools to find more keywords and show you how to customize and use these keywords in your blog posts and YouTube videos.

What Are Real Estate Keywords?

Real estate keywords are words or short phrases that Google and other search engines use to categorize content. Generally speaking, the real estate keywords used in an article will represent the main subject of a blog post or webpage. 

Over the last few years, Google’s algorithm has gotten smarter. Much smarter. Today Google uses advanced artificial intelligence (AI) to deliver hyper-specific answers to the questions people search for. Increasingly, those answers are targeted to the searcher’s geographic location. This is why tailoring your keywords to specific local audiences is crucial. 

Before you dive in, you should understand that keywords are only one element of an effective search engine optimization (SEO) strategy. If you’re brand-new to SEO, check out our in-depth guide here:

The Best Real Estate Keywords

Here is our list of the best real estate keywords. You can use these keywords to plan which articles to write for your blog. Always remember that your main goal here is to educate your reader first and show up on Google second. In fact, if your article is spammy or overstuffed with keywords, it won’t rank on Google for long. 

We included both short-tail keywords (single words and phrases) and long-tail keywords (short sentences and questions) in this list. Generally speaking, long-tail keywords will have a smaller audience searching for them, but their specificity makes them more relevant. Most of the SEO content you create should use long-tail keywords, which are generally more critical than short-tail keywords.

Keywords for Your Farm Area

It is much easier to get your content to rank for local real estate keywords since there is much less competition. For example, tens of thousands of people might search for “closing costs,” but only a few hundred might search for “closing costs in Phoenix.” So whenever you are planning an article or video, make sure you come up with local long-tail keywords to answer questions for a specific audience in a specific location. 

For example, let’s say the keyword is “how to buy a home.” In order to tailor this to your geographic area, you might change it to “how to buy a home in Charlotte.” Or you can make it even more specific, if there’s search volume, and focus on a neighborhood.

How to Find Your Own Real Estate Keywords

As noted above, while our list of real estate keywords is a great starting point for your content, you will likely need to pinpoint more specific keywords to reach buyers and sellers in your farm area. In order to make your life easier, here are three ways to determine important keywords for your content.

1. Use SEO Tools to Find More Keywords

The best and most accurate way to find new keywords is to use dedicated SEO tools. These tools analyze millions of search engine results pages (SERP) to estimate important data like how many people search for a keyword per month (also called search volume), and crucially, how hard it is to rank for that keyword (difficulty). They also help analyze your competitors’ websites to see which keywords they’re ranking for. Here are three of our favorite SEO tools:

Ahrefs

Moz

Semrush

2. Hire a Freelance Keyword Researcher on Fiverr

3. Research SERPs for Your Keywords

How to Use Keywords to Generate Traffic & Leads

There are two basic steps to using keywords effectively to generate traffic and leads. First, you need to tailor your real estate keywords to target local buyers and sellers. After all, ranking number one for “luxury homes” won’t be as helpful for your business if you can’t target people actually buying luxury homes in your farm area.

Second, you need to write blog posts or create videos that provide the best answer to the questions local buyers and sellers are searching for on Google. Here’s a quick breakdown of this process: 

Determine Search Intent

Once you have a list of local long-tail keywords, the next step is to figure out which questions your local buyers and sellers want answered when they search Google for them. This is known as search intent and should be the driving force behind all content you create in order to rank on Google. 

Think of it like Jeopardy: If your keyword is “homebuying tips for Phoenix,” the question being asked is pretty straightforward: “What do I need to know about buying a home in Phoenix?” However, if your keyword is something like “closing costs in Phoenix,” your local buyers and sellers will likely have more than one question. 

• How much are closing costs in Phoenix? 
• Who pays closing costs in Phoenix?
• How can I save money on closing costs in Phoenix? 

Write Blog Posts or Create Videos to Answer Questions Local Buyers & Sellers Are Asking

OK, now that you have a list of local long-tail keywords and understand the search intent, it’s time to provide answers that can rank. There are three key places you want to add keywords to your blog posts. In order of importance, they are the title, the meta description, and the main headings of your article. Try to use the keywords naturally in all three places. 

Write a Snappy Title

Your title should include your keyword (ideally as close to the beginning as possible), and should be written in a natural style that will make people want to click on your article. Here are some title ideas to target “closing costs in Phoenix”:

• Closing Costs in Phoenix: Myths vs Facts
• Closing Costs in Phoenix: The Ultimate Guide
• What Every New Buyer Needs to Know About Closing Costs in Phoenix

Remember that, generally speaking, it’s a bad idea to write more than one article targeting the same keyword. 

Write an Introduction That Draws People In

Your introduction has two purposes: to make people curious about your article or video and explain what they will get by consuming it. Using real estate keywords in your introduction is crucial. Just make sure you do so in a natural way. Here is an example of an introduction for an article about closing costs in Phoenix:

copy to clipboard

One of the most common questions I get asked by new buyers is how much closing costs will add to the price they pay for a home in Phoenix. There are a lot of myths out there about closing costs. That’s why in this article, I will explain how closing costs…

Create an Outline for Your Content & Start Writing

When you have search intent figured out, writing your content is easy. All you need to do is create an outline for your article or video and use the questions people want answered as your primary headings and subheadings. If you’re making a video, use the questions as chapters.

Don’t worry about using keywords in your content. If you are focusing on answering buyers’ and sellers’ questions, they will come up naturally as you write.

copy to clipboard

How much are closing costs in Phoenix?

• Loan origination fees
• Credit report fees
• Appraisal and home inspection fees

Who pays closing costs in Phoenix?
How can I save money on closing costs in Phoenix?

Be sure to link to your new blog post from older blog posts. Tying your posts together can help you rank better as it helps Google “read” and categorize the content on your site. 

Finally, if you want to rank on Google long term, you need to update your blog posts at least once a year. Go back and change the date, add relevant new information or news, and try to make your article more readable and useful for your readers.

Create a Great ‘About Me’ Page

Since you want your articles to signal EEAT (experience, expertise, authority, and trustworthiness) to Google, you should always include references to these factors in your articles. At a minimum, your author bio or YouTube “about” page should have your credentials, including designations, and your experiences.

Use Keywords in YouTube Videos 

For YouTube videos, you can use the same basic formula when you write your video’s title, description, and tags. You can also use keywords in your video’s channel. Click on Channel and find your settings where you’ll have the option to add keywords. You can also put keywords in your chapters, but only if they are relevant to what you are talking about. Don’t forget to use these same keywords when promoting your video. 

If you need more ideas for blogs or want some expert writing tips, check out our guide to real estate blog ideas below:

Bringing It All Together

Have any additional tips or questions related to researching and using real estate keywords? Let us know in the comment section.

The post The 117 Best Real Estate Keywords (+ How to Use Them & Find More) appeared first on The Close.