Drive Traffic with the Top Real Estate Keywords for Google Ads
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That's over 3 billion searches per month from motivated buyers and sellers.
Yet 9 out of 10 real estate agents fail to generate quality leads online because they don't choose the right keywords.
With the average home selling for $428,700 in the U.S., a single lost lead represents nearly half a million in potential commission down the drain. Simply put, ineffective Google Ads keywords can be the difference between a successful and a disastrous ad campaign.
To drive highly qualified traffic that converts, you need a targeted approach. The keywords and keyphrases you select must align perfectly with localized buyer and seller intent.
This ensures your ads show up for those ready to act, not tire kickers.
And we’re here to talk about how you could make that happen.
But first, here’s a rundown of all the lead generation tools you need to have in your arsenal to score leads:
In today's digital real estate marketplace, superior keyword strategy separates the thriving agencies from the rest.
Don't leave your leads and commissions on the table. Ready to learn more about leveraging the right keywords for your PPC campaigns?
Let’s dive in!
At this point, you're probably familiar with the basic PPC keyword selection process. But for the uninitiated, there’s more to choosing the best keywords than just picking the most popular or relevant ones.
You also need to consider the intent, competition, and cost of each keyword.
These factors can affect how well your ads match the needs and expectations of your potential customers, how likely you are to outrank your competitors, and most importantly, how much you pay for each click.
You can read more about all this in our comprehensive guide for real estate PPC here.
In short, you need to find the sweet spot between high-volume, low-competition, and low-cost keywords that can drive qualified leads to your website.
This requires some research, analysis, and testing to determine what works best for your real estate niche and goals.There are also other factors beyond these basic considerations, namely the category they belong to. Here are the most important ones to consider when choosing real estate keywords for Google Ads:
Use Location-Based Keywords
Location is the number one driver of intent for real estate searches. Prioritize keywords that incorporate a city, neighborhood, ZIP code or other geographic terms. For example:
"homes for sale in Phoenix, AZ"
"Portland condos for rent"
"houses in 78741"
When using location keywords, also include variations with different specificity like metro area, state, region, etc.
Target Property and Listing Type Keywords
In addition to location, searches often include the type of property or listing the user is interested in. Make sure to build these terms into your keywords:
Single family home keywords: house, single family, 3 bed 2 bath, etc.
Condo/apartment keywords: condo, apartment, flat, rental, etc.
Commercial keywords: office space, retail space, industrial, land, etc.
Listing types like "foreclosure", "new construction", "luxury" also work well for real estate keywords.
Focus on Buyer/Seller Intent Keywords
The stage of the real estate journey - buying, selling, renting - is another essential keyword element. Some examples:
Buyer keywords: homes for sale, condos for rent, house hunting
Seller keywords: selling my house, how to list house, home valuation
Investor keywords: investment properties, flip houses
You can also target more specific buyer/seller intents like first-time homebuyer, downsizing, relocating.
By combining location, property type, and intent keywords, you can create targeted phrases with high relevancy for ads. For instance "Denver luxury homes for sale" or "selling my San Antonio house fast".
Sample Keyword Lists
To help generate location, property, and intent keyword ideas, here are some sample lists with 20 keywords for each category:
Location-Based Keywords
homes for sale in atlanta
condos for rent in austin
houses in 78745
phoenix real estate
homes in manhattan ny
san diego open houses
moving to charlotte
apartments in brooklyn
homes for sale 32244
real estate in dfw
selling home in 33181
houses for sale 06820
condos miami beach
homes san francisco bay area
homes for sale in ontario
rentals vancouver bc
downtown seattle condos
selling house in 11735
houses in columbus ohio
properties in washington dc
Property Type Keywords
luxury single family homes
lakefront condominiums
duplex for sale
residential income property
3 bedroom 2 bath home
furnished studio apartment
new construction townhomes
fixer upper craftsman house
historic loft condo conversion
custom built mountain cabin
ocean view hi-rise condo
suburban mcmansion
spacious 1 bedroom flat
multifamily apartments
charming bungalow for sale
luxury penthouse condo
renovated farmhouse
modernist midcentury home
house with guest house
expansive ranch estate
Buyer/Seller Intent Keywords
homes for sale near me
condos for rent near downtown
house hunting websites
selling my home fast
home valuation estimate
tips for first time home buyers
preapproval for mortgage
rental properties for investors
selling inherited house
downsizing homes for retirees
divorce asset home sale
corporate relocation realtor
undervalued properties
home buying seminar
preparing home for sale
best cash home buyers
should i sell or rent my house
how to invest in real estate
selling as is houses
buy foreclosed homes
In addition to the core elements above, here are some other important tips for selecting profitable, low-cost real estate keywords for Google Ads:
Leverage Long-Tail Keywords
Long-tail keywords are more specific, often containing 3-5+ words in a search phrase. For example:
"classes for new real estate agents"
"recently sold homes in 08054"
These ultra targeted keywords enable you to hone in on motivated searchers. Competition and costs are lower too.
Research Trending Keywords
Look at Google Trends and other keyword tools to find terms that are rising in popularity and search volume. Being early to target up-and-coming keywords provides a huge advantage.
Optimize for Different Funnel Stages
Use keywords that align with different stages of the sales funnel:
Early stage: real estate agent, home buying tips
Middle stage: home appraisal, mortgage rates
Late stage: homes for sale near me, house showing
Include Misspellings and Variations
Searchers often misspell keywords or use different variations. Make sure to include common misspellings and variations in keyword research.
Categories and Topics Work Too
Beyond specific keywords, also consider targeting real estate related categories and topics like:
Real estate news
Mortgage rates
Home design ideas
Once you’ve selected your target real estate keywords, how you incorporate them into your Google Ads campaigns and ad elements impacts results. Follow these best practices:
Use Exact, Phrase Match Keyword Types. For high relevancy, add keywords as exact and phrase match types. Avoid broad match which can bring irrelevant traffic. Only use broad match modifiers for very general upper funnel keywords.
Include Keywords in Ad Headlines. Your ad headlines are prime real estate for driving clicks. Use your most important 1-3 keywords in the headlines, highlighting location and intent.
Sprinkle Keywords Naturally in Ad Copy. Beyond the headlines, incorporate other relevant keywords in your ad description copy. Use them in a conversational, natural way without over-stuffing.
Create Keyword-Focused Ad Groups. Group keywords with similar themes, intents, locations into tightly themed ad groups. This allows your ads to be highly targeted.
Set Up Conversion Tracking. To optimize keywords for better conversions versus just clicks, make sure you implement conversion tracking. Then you can see which keywords drive the most phone calls, form fills, site visits, etc.
Leverage Keyword Match Types. Use a mix of broad, phrase, exact match types to allow for keyword discovery while still maintaining control over relevancy.
Keyword Opportunities Across Real Estate Campaigns
Incorporating the right keywords applies to all of your real estate PPC campaigns:
Brand Campaigns. Use keywords with your brand name, reviews, awards, testimonials
Agent Campaigns. Target keywords for specific agent names, specialties, designations
Listing Campaigns. Leverage listing keywords - address, neighborhood, property details
Service Campaigns. Choose keywords related to services - property management, mortgages, moving
Regardless of campaign type, always focus on converting keywords vs broadly targeting generic terms. Each campaign presents unique options to capture qualified traffic.
Why Real Estate Keywords Matter for SEO Too
While the focus has been on PPC ads, keywords are equally as important for SEO and content marketing.
PPC ads and SEO may seem like entirely different beasts, but they share one fundamental need: the right keywords.
With over 50% of home searches starting on Google, both paid and organic results hinge on understanding user intent through keywords.
Yet a lot of agents fail to connect the dots between the two.
The distinction is crucial, however. For PPC, you bid on specific terms like "condos for sale in Scottsdale." SEO uses free keywords to rank broader content, like "tips for buying your first home."
There are exception to the rule of course, but for PPC you want to work with as specific and as targeted a set of keywords you can get, and save all the broad keywords for a future blog post.
Make sure to:
Research in Unison. Do keyword research for organic and paid together, finding high value terms that work for both campaigns.
Coordinate Keyword Targeting. Going after the same keywords in content and PPC ads reinforces relevancy in Google’s eyes.
Create Location Pages. Optimize your site with location pages that target keywords you’re also using in Google Ads.
Promote New Content. When you publish a new blog on a keyword theme, also promote it with a PPC ad campaign.
Monitor Performance. See which terms drive the most organic vs paid traffic to determine optimal keyword mix.
Keywords pave the road for organic and paid success alike. Keep them core to your approach.
Keyword research is a crucial starting point for Google Ads success. Here are some of the top tools real estate marketers use:
Google Keyword Planner. Google’s free tool provides keyword volume data and suggested related keywords. Integrates with your Google Ads account.
SEMrush. Robust paid and organic keyword research with search volume, trends, and keyword difficulty data.
Moz Keyword Explorer. Great for long tail keyword discovery and filtering keywords by competition and search volume.
UberSuggest. Finds autocomplete keyword suggestions from Google along with monthly volumes.
Keywords Everywhere. Browser extension that shows search volume in Google results pages. Helps find long tails.
Google Trends. See keyword popularity and trends over time to find rising/falling opportunities.
Make Keyword Optimization a Breeze with Ylopo's AI Tools
Keyword research and management can be tedious. Ylopo's AI-powered tools take the hassle out of optimization so you can focus on strategy.
With Ylopo, you get:
Hyperlocal keyword tracking. We track performance of keywords targeting specific neighborhoods, cities, and zones in your PPC campaigns.
Automated keyword suggestions. Our algorithms constantly identify and recommend new localized keywords based on inventory and searches.
Performance insights. Get data-driven analysis of how your keywords are performing to inform optimization.
Competitive research. Our tools research competitor keywords and help you focus on unique micro-targeting opportunities.
Quality score boosts. We assist with improving your quality score through relevant, localized keywords.
Integrations. Our keyword tools integrate with Google Ads, analytics, and other platforms.
Stop wasting time on manual keyword tasks. Our AI handles the busywork so you can focus on winning strategy. Let Ylopo optimize your Google Ads strategy!
Key Takeaways for Real Estate Keywords
Optimizing your Google Ads with the right keywords is challenging but hugely impactful. To wrap up, here are the key tips covered:
Incorporate location-based terms, property types, and buying/selling intent
Use long-tail, low competition keywords to attract motivated searchers
Write tightly themed ad groups around specific keywords
Include keywords naturally in headline and ad copy
Promote new content with coordinated keywords in PPC
Research keywords for all real estate campaign types
Use keyword tools for volume, trends, and new opportunities
Align SEO content and PPC keywords for amplification
With the in-depth advice provided above, you now have a blueprint for leveraging keywords to drive more traffic, leads, and sales from Google Ads. Partnering with Ylopo takes it a step further with AI-powered keyword tools.
What real estate keywords are you eager to target in the months ahead? With a strategic approach, the sky is the limit on connecting with high-quality website visitors and converting them into clients.
Do you want to exponentially increase your lead generation and sales through Google? The time is now to implement winning keyword strategies with an unrivaled AI partner - Ylopo.
Imagine having cutting-edge technology constantly uncover high-potential keyword opportunities personalized to your market.
No more wasting hours on manual research. Ylopo's algorithms analyze mountains of data to identify the optimal mix of keywords to attract highly qualified buyers at every stage.
But we go way beyond just suggestions. Ylopo seamlessly integrates these proven keywords into your website, PPC ads, content and more.
We handle all the optimization and management for you on an ongoing basis. You get real-time insights into performance so you know what's working.
The results for clients are game-changing. Ylopo unleashes the immense power of keywords to help you dominate Google and exponential growth.
Just imagine connecting with every motivated local buyer at exactly the right time. Picture converting that traffic at levels you never thought possible. This is the future Ylopo delivers.
Still relying on outdated manual efforts? It's time to step into an AI-driven era and achieve search engine dominance. Let's connect to unlock your potential across Google platforms.
With Ylopo as your keyword partner, success is no longer a possibility but an inevitability. Book a demo today and see what we can do for you!