Drive Traffic with the Top Real Estate Keywords for Google Ads

 

Every second, over 100 real estate-related searches are performed on Google.

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!

 
 

Chapter 1: Choosing the Best Keywords for Real Estate Google Ads

real estate keywords for google ads

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

  1. homes for sale in atlanta

  2. condos for rent in austin

  3. houses in 78745

  4. phoenix real estate

  5. homes in manhattan ny

  6. san diego open houses

  7. moving to charlotte

  8. apartments in brooklyn

  9. homes for sale 32244

  10. real estate in dfw

  11. selling home in 33181

  12. houses for sale 06820

  13. condos miami beach

  14. homes san francisco bay area

  15. homes for sale in ontario

  16. rentals vancouver bc

  17. downtown seattle condos

  18. selling house in 11735

  19. houses in columbus ohio

  20. properties in washington dc

Property Type Keywords

  1. luxury single family homes

  2. lakefront condominiums

  3. duplex for sale

  4. residential income property

  5. 3 bedroom 2 bath home

  6. furnished studio apartment

  7. new construction townhomes

  8. fixer upper craftsman house

  9. historic loft condo conversion

  10. custom built mountain cabin

  11. ocean view hi-rise condo

  12. suburban mcmansion

  13. spacious 1 bedroom flat

  14. multifamily apartments

  15. charming bungalow for sale

  16. luxury penthouse condo

  17. renovated farmhouse

  18. modernist midcentury home

  19. house with guest house

  20. expansive ranch estate

Buyer/Seller Intent Keywords

  1. homes for sale near me

  2. condos for rent near downtown

  3. house hunting websites

  4. selling my home fast

  5. home valuation estimate

  6. tips for first time home buyers

  7. preapproval for mortgage

  8. rental properties for investors

  9. selling inherited house

  10. downsizing homes for retirees

  11. divorce asset home sale

  12. corporate relocation realtor

  13. undervalued properties

  14. home buying seminar

  15. preparing home for sale

  16. best cash home buyers

  17. should i sell or rent my house

  18. how to invest in real estate

  19. selling as is houses

  20. buy foreclosed homes

 
 

Chapter 2: More Real Estate Keyword Tips

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

 
 

Chapter 3: Best Practices for Using Keywords in Google Ads

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:

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. 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.

  6. 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:

  1. Brand Campaigns. Use keywords with your brand name, reviews, awards, testimonials

  2. Agent Campaigns. Target keywords for specific agent names, specialties, designations

  3. Listing Campaigns. Leverage listing keywords - address, neighborhood, property details

  4. 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.

50+%

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.

 
 

Chapter 4: Tools to Find the Best Real Estate Keywords

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.

Unlock Massive Growth and Dominate Google With Ylopo

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!

About the Author

Aaron “Kiwi” Franklin

Head of Growth