The SEO strategy for real estate companies varies greatly depending on whether they are large-scale or not. When searching for big keywords like “real estate,” various portal sites tend to dominate the results. Therefore, smaller real estate companies should avoid such big keywords and adopt different strategies. By accurately understanding user needs, you can succeed in SEO-driven marketing.

Implementing appropriate SEO strategies in real estate companies is highly effective in increasing store visits and acquiring potential customers.

Additionally, SEO strategies can be implemented at low costs, allowing companies to start regardless of their size or budget.

Reasons Why Real Estate Companies Should Implement SEO Strategies 

For real estate companies to increase property transactions, SEO (Search Engine Optimization) strategies are crucial. Through proper SEO strategies, attracting website traffic can lead to an increase in potential customers interested in viewing property information.

What is SEO?

SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, refers to a series of measures aimed at attracting search engine users to one’s own website. Specifically, it aims to achieve a high ranking for one’s own site or page in search results when specific keywords are searched on Google search engine.

SEO Strategies for Real Estate Companies

When real estate companies implement SEO strategies, there are two types of targets to be aware of.

-Owners of real estate 

-Users looking to buy or rent real estate 

The effectiveness of SEO strategies varies depending on which of the above targets is chosen. Here, we introduce effective SEO strategies for each target.

SEO Strategies for Owners

When implementing SEO strategies for owners, it is assumed that they are searching for information related to property purchase, sale, or contracts.

In particular, there are many owners who are interested in information about land in specific areas or who are considering disposing of real estate due to unmanageable maintenance.

By creating content based on the search intentions of such owners, it is possible to aim for an increase in inquiries and store visits to one’s own company.

While some real estate companies focus on introducing land or real estate transactions, effectively linking SEO strategies to customer acquisition can lead to more efficient acquisition of customers compared to competing companies.

SEO Strategies for Users

When implementing SEO strategies for users, there is a strong tendency for them to seek specific property information such as details about properties and prices.

When users search for real estate, they are often looking for information on purchasing their own home or the rental prices of properties in specific areas.

By creating content that meets the needs of these users, it is possible to anticipate acquiring individuals interested in purchasing or renting properties from your company.

Especially recently, there has been a growing trend of users gathering information about real estate online. To increase the acquisition rate of potential customers, it is important to imagine and create content that meets the users’ needs.

Characteristics of SEO Strategies for Real Estate Companies

When real estate companies implement SEO strategies, certain characteristics are commonly observed on their websites.

-Dominance of Major Portal Sites 

-Utilization of Content SEO and MEO 

-Authority 

The success of SEO strategies depends on whether these points are addressed effectively. Let us delve into each characteristic in detail.

Dominance of Major Portal Sites

When real estate companies implement SEO strategies, it’s important to keep in mind the dominance of major portal sites.

One reason for this is that major portal sites handle the latest real estate information and a large volume of data. Consequently, due to the overwhelming amount of content, these sites have strong domain authority, leading to successful rankings.

Concrete examples of major portal sites include ‘Suumo’ and ‘Homes,’ but it’s important to differentiate by providing information not available on these sites.

Focus on Content SEO and MEO

When real estate companies implement SEO strategies, it’s crucial to utilize Content SEO and MEO.

Content SEO aims to increase traffic by disseminating content that aligns with users’ search intentions.

For example, real estate companies can target keywords like ‘Can I live in a 2LDK in Saitama for ¥80,000 a month?’ to aim for top rankings for keywords such as ‘Saitama’ and ‘2LDK.’

Additionally, MEO, or Map Engine Optimization, focuses on optimizing for map searches.

By implementing MEO strategies, it is possible to achieve top rankings for your company’s website when users search for specific area real estate agencies. For instance, when users search for ‘specific area × real estate,’ displaying store information and contact details simultaneously can lead to increased store visits.

Related Article: The Differences Between SEO and MEO | Which Should You Prioritize?

Importance of Authority for YMYL Niches

When implementing SEO strategies for real estate companies, demonstrating authority becomes crucial due to its classification as a YMYL (Your Money or Your Life) niche. YMYL, an abbreviation for ‘Your Money or Your Life,’ signifies content related to crucial aspects of users’ lives, as defined in Google’s Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines. Content lacking expertise, particularly in areas requiring specialized knowledge, may fail to rank higher.

Real estate falls within the YMYL category, emphasizing the significance of accuracy and reliability of information more than other genres. While ensuring the information’s trustworthiness and accuracy is essential, effectively conveying that information in a user-friendly manner becomes a vital aspect of SEO strategy.

Related Article: What is YMYL? Target Niches and SEO Strategies

Significance of Keyword Selection

The most crucial aspect for real estate companies in SEO strategy is determining which keywords to target for higher rankings.

Failure to select keywords aligned with the target audience makes it challenging to attract the desired users, regardless of the quality of the content produced. Moreover, it’s advisable to avoid targeting keywords with high competition.

Keywords with high competition often have dominant major sites with strong domain authority occupying top positions, making it difficult for newly established sites to significantly increase their traffic. As mentioned above, keyword selection ranks as the most critical aspect of SEO strategy.

Related Article: Creating SEO-friendly Content【From Keyword Selection to Writing】

Keywords to Target for Real Estate Companies. 

Next, let us specifically introduce the keywords that real estate companies should target. When selecting keywords to target, it’s crucial to anticipate the search habits of customers segmented by demographics and create content accordingly.

For instance, users searching by location are likely interested in knowing the characteristics of each area. However, describing the specific features of each property may not necessarily cover the information these users seek.

To ensure effective content targeting each segment of users, let us delve into the details of each keyword.

Keywords Including Location Names

Keywords containing location names often indicate a high likelihood of seeking information related to that area. For example, a keyword like ‘Saitama City Apartments’ suggests an intention to search for information about rental prices and prices for apartments in Saitama City.

However, keywords containing location names can be challenging to target for higher rankings, depending on the size of the area. Factors such as the presence of many real estate companies in urban areas or densely populated cities using the same keywords inevitably increase competition beyond major portal sites.

Moreover, these keywords often attract users who are not yet considering specific contracts or agreements.

Property Information

Consider cases where users are searching for keywords related to property conditions.

Specific keywords like ‘separate bath and toilet’ or ‘◯ minutes to the station’ can be examples. By creating content that elaborates on the merits and demerits of each condition, aiming for higher rankings is possible.

Users seeking specific information such as rent or distance to the station are likely actively considering purchasing or renting the property. Connecting them to visits or inquiries could lead to contracts.

Synonyms for Property

When users search for properties, they may use synonyms for ‘property’ in addition to the word itself. For example, depending on the user’s purpose, they may use the following keywords as alternatives to ‘property’

• Apartment
• Flat
• Detached house
• Rental
• Room

Keywords Including Specific Property Names

Users searching for specific property names are likely already considering purchasing or renting that property and are evaluating conditions such as rent.

Specific keywords like ‘◯◯ Apartments’ would attract users searching for such keywords.

Regarding specific property names, although major portal sites may also appear, it’s relatively easy to achieve higher rankings for properties with limited information.

Considering that users may visit and potentially contract directly if conditions match, it’s crucial to include proactive language in the content to encourage visits and inquiries.

Searches Based on User Objectives

Users’ lifestyles vary significantly depending on their attributes. For instance, a single working woman may consider safety when searching for a property. Furthermore, they may have specific ideals or images in mind when looking for a place to live. In such cases, users may search for properties as follows.

• ‘○○ Ward Rental Family’
• ‘○○ Ward Rental Single Woman’
• ‘○○ Ward Rental Affordable’
• ‘○○ Ward Rental Pet-friendly’
• ‘○○ Ward Rental ○○LDK’

Generally, when considering relocation, users tend to search with vague keywords like ‘○○ Ward Rental.’

However, as relocation becomes more imminent, they delve deeper into their post-residency images. Only then do they begin searching for properties using more specific keywords. Consequently, the more specific the keywords, the higher the conversion rate of site visitors. Thus, creating pages with keywords that highlight property features can resonate with search users and increase the likelihood of conversion.

Keywords Related to House-Hunting

Keywords related to house hunting can also be created as content.

Specifically, keywords like ‘How to Find Used Properties’ or ‘Newly Built Used Properties’ are relevant.

While major portal sites often create content for such keywords, achieving higher rankings is not impossible with effective differentiation.

However, users searching for such keywords are typically in the early stages of house-hunting, making it challenging to immediately convert them into customers.

Keywords Related to Daily Life

Purchasing real estate is a significant life event, often searched for alongside concerns related to daily life.

Keywords related to daily life include specific examples such as ‘Home Loan Burden’ or ‘Renting vs. Owning a Home.’

While competing with content from major sites is expected for keywords related to daily life, it’s possible to improve rankings through proper content creation.

Although directly acquiring customers through the above keywords may be unlikely, it can enhance the visibility of your website.

Specific Keywords Used by Professionals

When professionals search, they use keywords like

• ‘○○ Ward Restaurant Takeover’
• ‘○○ Ward Office’

While these are just examples, they represent specialized keywords for property searches.

In the former case, it’s used by those seeking to open a restaurant using a former restaurant location. By taking over an existing setup, restaurant owners can minimize construction and equipment costs, allowing them to open quickly and efficiently.

In the latter case, it’s a search need by companies seeking new office spaces. For instance, many publishing offices cluster around Jimbocho in Tokyo. This is because many publishing-related companies are located there, and the area offers convenient transportation for business meetings and operations. Therefore, when publishing companies search for new offices, they are likely to include the keyword ‘Jimbocho’ in their search.

In this way, thoroughly understanding search users and creating property introduction pages accordingly is crucial.

The Workflow of SEO Strategies in Real Estate Agencies

When implementing SEO strategies on real estate information websites, the following steps are typically taken.

1.Set up keywords for the property listing page

2.Create articles focused on property data

3.Replace or revise articles

1.Setting Keywords for Property Introduction 

Pages Before creating article pages, keywords are determined. For instance, when creating a property introduction page, considerations are made regarding ‘who would utilize it’ based on the property’s features. Specifically, if the property is intended for rental contracts and its main feature is proximity to a station, keywords like ‘Rental ○○ Station Walk ○○ Minutes’ would be set.

2.Structuring Articles Around Property Data 

For articles introducing properties, they generally resemble objective databases conveying facts. Thus, the necessary elements for property data are determined. Essential elements for property data include

• Rent or price
• Transportation options
• Age of construction
• Address
• Floor plan and area
• Building type
• Building structure

In addition to this basic information, include the property’s distinctive features. For instance, for a rental apartment, include elements like

• Availability of appliances
• Presence of bath/toilet
• Availability of auto-lock system
• Availability of parking/bicycle parking
• Pet policy
• Internet environment
• Walking distance to convenience stores

Furthermore, showcasing the property’s exterior and interior, as well as its floor plan through image data, helps visitors to the site easily envision the property. Additionally, providing supplementary information from the agent about the property’s features in written form enhances visitors’ understanding of the property.

3.The Workflow for Replacing and Editing Articles

Even if a property featured in an article has been sold or rented out, leaving the corresponding article published can lead to confusion among site visitors. Therefore, it’s necessary to update articles in real-time according to the sales trends of the properties.

In addition to editing articles, there are frequent opportunities for replacement or setting articles as private. Therefore, it is advisable to assign a site management personnel to establish rules and operate the process appropriately.

Key Points for SEO Strategies in Real Estate Agencies

The approach differs for real estate agencies whether they deal with rentals or sales, but since the keywords are limited, the difficulty of implementing SEO strategies is often lower, even in cases where the SEO difficulty is high. Many times, it’s a manageable field.

Prior to SEO strategies, many small real estate agencies do not prioritize website operation, so conducting thorough competitor analysis can lead to dramatic changes.

When creating a website for a real estate agency, always consider the following three points

• Area Categories
• Know Queries
• Niche Needs

Establishment of Area Categories 

One of the primary search needs is the location name. Demand for areas where people want to live, convenient stations for commuting, or areas with easy access to workplaces or schools is high. In addition to location names, it’s necessary to categorize by lines and stations and actively target small words.

While it’s desirable to target relatively large keywords like ‘Setagaya Ward Rental’, building up small words is essential for this. If you want to improve search rankings for ‘Setagaya Ward Rental’, you need to cover small words including lines, stations, and area names within Setagaya Ward.

However, when creating area categories, it’s common to end up with multiple similar pages. Creating multiple pages for keywords like ‘Tokyo Station Yamanote Line’ and ‘Tokyo Station Marunouchi Line’ may lead to dispersion of evaluation or even recognition as duplicate pages, which can lower rankings. 

In such cases, consolidating all lines under ‘Tokyo Station’ can help avoid evaluation dispersion.

Being Mindful of Know Queries

Queries (the keywords users actually search for) fall into four main categories.

• Know queries (want to know)
• Do queries (want to do)
• Go queries (want to go)
• Buy queries (want to buy)

In the case of real estate agency websites, covering know queries (want to know) as much as possible can increase site visitors. For instance, if a real estate agency mainly deals with rentals, they can list topics related to finances alone, such as

• What is a security deposit?
• Difference between security deposit and key money
• Choosing a moving company
• Ways to move cheaply
• Initial costs of moving
• Difference between fire insurance and household insurance
• Which rental guarantee company is best?
• Fees payable to rental guarantee companies

In addition to these, considering what users want to know, such as moving manners and procedures, tips for selecting properties, and procedures to follow after moving, and disseminating information in the form of featured pages can not only increase visitors but also acquire links to those articles.

Capturing Niche Needs

Users’ real estate needs can be quite niche. Even when searching for rental properties near the same Shibuya Station, users may use 3-4 word queries, such as

• Shibuya Station Rental Apartment Near Station
• Shibuya Station Rental Apartment Pet-Friendly
• Shibuya Station Rental Apartment Rent

Such conditions include factors like apartment/building type, pet-friendly/non-pet-friendly, corner units, south-facing units, proximity to the station, and top floors. It becomes quite complex when dividing by residential type (apartment, house), so setting up cross-categories (meaning not confined to one category, but spanning multiple categories) is effective.

However, creating individual articles considering cross-categories can be quite challenging, so it’s recommended to involve engineers or SEO companies in the design process.

Addressing Latent Needs

In the rental real estate market, most users are likely overwhelmed by too many candidate properties and are unsure how to choose. To attract such users online, it’s necessary not only to address explicit needs but also to capture and address latent needs.

The niche needs mentioned earlier are keywords that users are likely to search for, but by disseminating information that captures the inherent needs that users cannot articulate, you can aim for high search rankings.

If targeting families (especially households with children), there may be information they desire even if singles may not care about it. For example

• Safe neighborhoods
• Livable towns
• Districts with robust child-rearing support
• Areas with few children on waiting lists

By incorporating such information into articles along with rankings or information provided by municipalities, you can highlight strengths that major real estate portal sites do not have.

If you only disseminate property information, you will be competing with others. Therefore, if your company has unique information or strengths, leveraging those points in website management can be effective for SEO strategies.

Compound Words like ‘District + Rental’ or ‘Station Name + Rental’

For instance, when searching for ‘Toshima Ward Rental’ or ‘Ikebukuro Station Rental,’ if the property listings for Toshima Ward or Ikebukuro Station appear at the top of the search results, it could lead to SEO success and potential inquiries.

However, even with compound words, achieving top rankings for the corresponding listings pages is quite challenging. This is because the real estate industry mostly deals with the same products as other companies, so the information about each property is similar, making differentiation difficult. To achieve higher rankings than competitors under such conditions, it’s essential to enrich the content of the listing’s pages.

To differentiate from competitors

• Clearly articulate unique aspects specific to that area
• Define the target audience and create content accordingly
• Consolidate duplicate content through redirection or canonicalization

By implementing these strategies to enhance content strength, you can demonstrate originality and differentiate your content.

Compound Words like ‘Property Name + Rental’

When users search with keywords like ‘Property Name + Rental,’ they already have a specific property in mind and are conducting targeted searches, resulting in a high conversion rate. Therefore, it’s crucial to deliver a wealth of detailed information. These users are not only interested in the property itself but also conducting final research on which real estate company to contract with, making them directly linked to sales. 

Create content pages 

-With targeted

-Specific language

For example:

[Before Revision] ‘5-minute walk from Ikebukuro Station, 1LDK. Introducing Ikebukuro XX Mansion. With an area of 80㎡, no key money or deposit required, top floor for excellent living comfort! Feel free to inquire!’

[Revised Content for Specificity] ‘A 5-minute walk from Ikebukuro Station through the back streets, this station-close 1LDK is perfect for urban professionals. Conveniently located near a convenience store, a hospital with nighttime medical services, and a tranquil park for relaxation. The top floor offers a beautiful night view, with an entrance and interior exuding luxury. Enjoy peaceful sleep without noise disturbance. Ikebukuro XX Mansion features superior soundproofing and vibration control, ensuring a serene living environment.

→ Narrow down the target audience to ‘business professionals’ and craft sentences that allow them to envision living in the property.

In this way, it’s crucial to add value-added information to each page’s content, appealing to users with specific details about what it’s like to live in that space from the start. Put yourself in the shoes of someone who would actually live there and gather information accordingly. Let’s convey raw, real information.

In real estate SEO, the market is fiercely competitive, and it feels like Google robots are cracking down harder than ever. Let us implement the correct SEO strategies using our unique expertise to achieve success.

Key Points for Successful Customer Acquisition 

Finally, here are some points that real estate companies should be aware of when implementing SEO strategies. Understanding these points can help create a website with even greater customer attraction capabilities and enhance the effectiveness of our SEO strategies.

Here, we introduce six specific points to focus on

• • EAT-compliant website 
  • Social Media 
  • Be wary of duplicate articles due to ‘Reins’ 
  • Static pages are best 
  • Categorization of information (Area pages and Column pages) 
  • Property display speed

Creating High-Quality Content that Meets EAT Standards

In SEO, it is crucial to create content that meets EAT standards.

EAT stands for Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness, an acronym outlined in Google’s guidelines.

Given that these are outlined in Google’s guidelines, it’s evident that they are crucial criteria for assessing the quality of a site’s content.

In SEO, it’s essential to have Google recognize your content as high-quality, so it’s vital to always be conscious of factors like EAT and guideline compliance when producing content.

Related Article: [Advanced SEO Strategies] Guidelines for Quality

Other than SEO, leveraging SNS strategies is also effective

When real estate companies implement SEO strategies, concurrently managing social media accounts can be highly effective.

By disseminating information on platforms like Twitter and Instagram, you can drive traffic to your website and increase your brand awareness.

Moreover, it’s crucial to tailor your posts on each social media platform to fit their respective characteristics.

For example, on Twitter, you can use the limited 140 characters to encourage traffic to your website and provide detailed explanations of your content. On Instagram, it’s important to convey information clearly using images.

Using social media allows you to increase opportunities for interaction with users, so if you have the bandwidth, it’s recommended to do this alongside content creation.

Avoid simply recycling property information obtained from ‘Reins.’

‘Reins’ is a system familiar to anyone working in the real estate industry, which centralizes real estate information and is accessible only to real estate companies.

When posting Reins-listed properties on your company’s real estate website or featuring properties listed on other major real estate media, instead of simply recycling the information, try to include firsthand observations about the properties in your content and create original pages.

The key is to provide information not available on other sites, such as the highlights of the featured property or the convenience of living there from a unique perspective, alongside property overviews and facility lists.

If conducting SEO in-house proves challenging, consider outsourcing to an SEO agency. By entrusting this to a marketing-focused company, you can receive proposals for specific measures needed for website creation and customer acquisition.

In SEO, specialized knowledge of the web and skills in marketing are crucial. If securing talent in-house is difficult, outsourcing is recommended.

For real estate companies, efficiently and cost-effectively attracting customers is paramount.

Therefore, SEO is one effective strategy that, if used well, holds the potential to attract more customers than major portal sites.

Tailor your SEO efforts actively to your target audience envisioned for your business.

After conducting a search, static pages are ideal.

Real estate websites often incorporate search systems to facilitate property searches, allowing users to search by route, area, or specific preferences.

When pulling up property listings through such systems, it’s beneficial for the page URLs to be static rather than dynamic. This ensures that individual pages are indexed by Google and receive higher SEO ratings.

For example

https://sample-fudosan.com/search/newest?city=1 

↑ This URL is dynamic,

https://sample-fudosan.com/search/minatoku/residence1 

↑ whereas this type of URL is preferable as a static page. ※ It’s advantageous for all pages to follow this structure consistently. Ensure that the entire site’s directory structure is properly mapped out in a sitemap.

>>Building a directory structure (site layout) strong in SEO

Categorization of Information

Organize property information by area, creating individual area overview pages.

For instance, having property overview pages for Minato Ward and Setagaya Ward, all as static pages, can be an effective SEO strategy. Additionally, apart from property pages, consider creating columns. Categorize each column page based on the type of information it provides.

For example

-Useful Information 

-Condo Features 

-Campaigns 

-Area-specific (Tokyo’s 23 wards) 

As the number of area-specific column articles grows, it may be beneficial to categorize them by each of Tokyo’s 23 wards.

This categorization feature can be achieved using custom posts in WordPress.

>>Creating Custom Posts in WordPress

It’s even better to establish internal links from column articles to area-specific property pages.

These methods and techniques might be challenging without the assistance of an SEO agency.

Property Display Speed

Many real estate websites feature a large number of listings, with some having over 10,000 indexed pages. With such extensive information, the loading speed of property listings can sometimes become significantly slow.

Users tend to leave a site quickly if the page loading speed is slow, leading to a decrease in Google’s evaluation.

Especially on mobile devices, where page loading speed can influence search result rankings, it’s essential to build a site with fast page loading speeds.

>>Improving Page Loading Speed / Page Speed Insight

Frequently Asked Questions about SEO in Real Estate Companies

We have gathered common questions regarding SEO strategies in real estate companies.

Q: What is a real estate information site? 

A: A real estate information site is a website that databases and showcases property information from real estate companies.

Real estate information sites fall under the category of portal sites. Moreover, these sites offer robust linking functionalities like site-wide search and property filtering, enabling users to conduct various searches on the site.

Q: Is SEO necessary for real estate information sites? 

A: Yes, SEO strategies are essential for real estate information sites.

Generally, implementing SEO strategies is effective for driving traffic to websites. Consumers often use search engines extensively when searching for properties. Since real estate has high societal demand and involves high-priced commodities, it’s crucial to attract as many potential customers as possible.

Q: What keywords should be targeted? 

A: Focus on area names and consider users’ lifestyles when selecting keywords.

Given the nature of real estate, everyone is concerned about location. Therefore, set keywords based on the property’s area. Additionally, consider the characteristics of the respective properties to understand what type of residents are seeking them, and tailor your page accordingly.

Summary 

SEO for real estate websites is challenging due to strong competition and stringent Google algorithms. Quick fixes will not suffice. However, by leveraging long-tail SEO and offering unique information, you can potentially attract more traffic than major portal sites. Tailor your SEO strategies to your target audience and implement them actively.

Author Profile

International Web Consultant Paveena Suphawet

A trilingual professional in English, Thai, and Japanese, she has numerous achievements in international SEO. She studied the latest IT technologies at Assumption International University, Thailand, and majored in International Business at the University of Greenwich, UK. Following her tenure at ExxonMobil’s Thai branch, she became a key member of Admano from its establishment.

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