Real Estate Link Building 101: Your Guide to Dominate SERPs

Like most industries, real estate has now gone online because all the prospects are there. You need to appear on top search results in order to reach out to them; and backlink is one way to be there when they look for you.

Though there are many link building strategies as part of SEO, not all of them will work for realtors. You will need high-quality backlinks from credible, local sources since your potential clients mostly live around you. That means you’ve to choose local link building to build a robust backlink profile.

Here, we compiled a list of the top real estate link building tactics that can help improve your SERPs, increase organic traffic, and bring referral traffic.

What is Real Estate Link Building?

A backlink is an inbound link coming from one domain to another. If you are a realtor and a relevant, authority website in the same niche links back to your website, it’s called a real estate backlink.

Real estate link building is the process of acquiring high-value backlinks from such trusted sources. It is an integral part of real estate SEO (Search Engine Optimization), and the best types of real estate backlinks are gained from relevant blogs, forums, and websites.

Why Link Building is Important for Real Estate Companies

You need backlinks to earn organic traffic; i.e., visitors that directly come from search engines like Google and Bing.

According to Statista, about 99% of home buyers between the ages of 24 to 57 went online to search for homes in 2022.

Wait, things get even more interesting!

Google’s top 10 websites receive about 86.3% traffic of a keyword’s potential search volume.

That means if 1000 people search for your keywords, your top-ranking competitors will receive 863 potential home buyers.

If you want a cut from that percentage, you need to climb up to the first page.

But that is the hardest part because the real estate market is already overcrowded, and there are big players holding the top positions.

And you already know traditional marketing involving billboards, newspaper ads, or mailing does not work now. So, you need to try real estate SEO.

You probably know that link building is an essential part of SEO.

The more quality backlinks you have, the more your content will indicate your expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness in the industry. As a result, you will appear in top SERPs and gain organic visitors for more leads and sales.

Apart from that, link building has other benefits such as:

• Referral leads generation
• Increased brand exposure
• Boosted credibility
• Expanded local presence

What are the Link Building Challenges for Real Estate Companies?

Competition with Large Agencies

There are two types of real estate agents – local and nationwide. The large enterprise covers the whole nation with superior authority in the market.

They have so many resources, renowned agents, and, most importantly, people’s trust. That’s why they can earn organic backlinks easily.

On the other hand, as a small realtor, it will be much harder for you to compete with the big fish. Also, if your business targets a small region to gain prospects, your marketing opportunities get thinner.

Budget Constraints

Real estate link building is expensive because no property comes cheap. The bad news is the nationwide realtor has a big pocket for their marketing budget.

When they ask for backlinks, people easily recognize them and feel proud to connect with them. As a result, they can acquire more and more high-authority backlinks.

On the other hand, small businesses can’t have such high quantities with a limited budget.

Lack of Quality Sources

You can’t build your backlink profile within a day or two. Researching the market, identifying the credible websites, and building relationships with the webmasters take time and effort.

What’s more, compared to other industries like entertainment or tech, fewer people talk and write about the housing market. So, it’s tough to find link building opportunities.

Though your business has to compete with large realtors with a tight budget, there is still the possibility to stand out in SERPs if you have linkable assets and apply the most effective real estate link building strategies.

14 Best Practices to Build Real Estate Backlinks

1. Guest Posting

Among all link building strategies, posting content on other niche-related websites for backlinks works best. It is a proven method used by many SEO experts.

Sounds easy, right?

The fact is guest blogging only works when the link is coming from a relevant and authoritative website.

That means you have to search for credible realtor blogs.

Another issue is that even if you find one, you have to convince them because they receive several outreach emails daily like yours.

You know it won’t be easy if you are new in this industry. However, we have a solution for you.

Search your targeted website to find out which topic they haven’t covered yet. Write unique and helpful tips with a catchy title.

For example, the topic could be “Home buying negotiation techniques to save thousands of dollars” or “property secrets your realtor doesn’t want you to know.”

While pitching for guest posting, share a glimpse of your article and explain how their visitors will benefit.

Also, ask them if they have any content ideas for you to cover.

In fact, the best practice is to build a meaningful relationship with the website owners first and show what’s in there for them.

When they agree to your proposal, send your content with a link placed in either the author bio or article body anchored with your keyword naturally.

Pro Tip# Since this is a local business, try to find housing blogs and websites that focus on your target area.

Also, check if they have relevancy, domain authority (DA), trust, and traffic. That means you need to find related sites with a DA of at least 40 and some traffic to boast of. Otherwise, they won’t help you much with your ranking.

Usually, it’s almost impossible to obtain links from other agents because they are your competitors and nobody wants to pass link juice

Note: Link juice is an SEO term that refers to the value or authority passed from one webpage to another through hyperlinks. It can affect a page’s ranking.

Luckily, we have the perfect solution for you! How about finding non-competitive real estate professionals? For example, an estate broker or a lawyer?

You are not their direct competitor. So, if you pitch them correctly with high-quality content that is helpful to their visitors, they will most likely agree to provide you backlinks.

Here are the top non-competitive professionals you can reach:

• Brokers
• Appraisers
• Lawyers
• Accountants
• Loan officers
• Leasing coordinators
• Entrepreneurs
• Appraisers
• Surveyors
• Architects
• Civil engineering technicians
• Notaries
• General contractors
• Wholesale and manufacturing sales representatives
• Advertising sales agents
• Buying agents
• Insurance brokers
• Landlords
• Investors

2. Local Listings

Like most things today, potential home buyers start their first search on Google. They want to know the property listing, price, and, most importantly, the agent available to help them.

When people Google “the best real estate agent in [their own locations],” some of the results are directories, including Google Business Profiles.

For instance, if you search for “the best real estate agents in New York”, you will see Yelp, FastExpert, Expertise, RateMyAgent, Zillow, Realtor, Houzz, and more.

They are all renowned industry-specific directories and if you can manage their links, your ranking will improve significantly with a chance to gain referral traffic because they are already on the first page.

However, although you can make a profile on these platforms quickly, climbing to the top is not a piece of cake.

Here’s how to do it right.

Each profile contains the agent’s speciality, years of experience, recent transactions, ratings and reviews, price points, service areas, and contact info.

First, aim to get listed on as many directories as you can by following their terms and conditions. Also, make a business profile with your business information highlighting your key points.

Next, add your website URL and social media accounts. This will help the visitors know you better.

Finally, include your recent sales and pricing.

Don’t forget to verify your Google Business Profile. Also, find as many local property and general business directories, communities, and groups as possible and list your profile with the link.

Make sure your information is consistent across all the platforms.

A Secret Tip!# Directories usually rank real estate agents by their profile performance, such as the number of sales, ratings, reviews, and responsiveness.

So, add your sales history and encourage your past clients to rate and review you. Trust us, you really need those positive ratings and reviews.

Remember, if you can rank on these directories, your chance will be higher to appear on SERPs too because Google will count them as quality backlinks for real estate.

3. Forum Posting

Forums are not there for link building; they are used for discussions.

When people have some kind of problem, many tend to visit related forums because they usually find unbiased opinions, recommendations, and tips from other people.

The same goes for potential home buyers and even for investors and landlords.

Each discussion board has specific rules to follow; one of them being not to use the board for link building.

Some of them restrict clickable links in the posts and even ban you if they discover that you have violated their terms.

However, here’s how to go about it safely:

• Sign up
• Contribute to the platform and offer helpful advice
• Be active for some time
• Whenever you find a related question, answer precisely and provide a link to your website mentioning that they can learn more through visiting your site

Remember, don’t try to gain links right after creating an account, but you can add one if they have an option in the profile section.

Also, always try to answer the questions related to selling, buying, marketing, and housing to demonstrate your expertise.

Let the administrators think you are here to contribute, not for the backlinks.  Make sure your linked content will actually help the users so the admins don’t delete your links.

Here are popular forums for realtors in the USA you can use.

• BiggerPockets
• Reddit
• RealEstateForums
• City-Data
• WallStreetOasis

However, if you are living in some other country, find local forums and boards that target your area.

Note# These types of links will help boost your ranking, bring referral traffic, increase DA, and enhance your brand awareness.

4. Property Listings

Property listing websites not only showcase properties but also the profiles of the agents. These are popular options for people to compare pricing and features.

If you want backlinks with leads, this is your one-time opportunity.

There are all types of properties you can think of, including houses, condos, townhomes, multi-family residentials, mobiles, farms, and lands. They usually post pictures, descriptions, prices, and contact info.

Whether you are an agent or a landlord, you have the chance to get valuable backlinks too.

Some of the listings let you create a profile. That means you can win links from both the listing page and the account!

Realtor.com is a top listing platform for buying, selling, renting, and finding agents. They add brokerage info under each property, including a direct link to the agent. If the website is well-established and rewards you with a dofollow link, Google may improve your ranking quickly.

These types of links not only benefit you with ranking but also help generate leads.

Since the real estate sector heavily depends on referral traffic, also focus on promoting your brand.

Here are the top real estate listing websites to get started:

• Realtor.com
• MLS.com
• Zillow.com
• Redfin.com
• Trulia.com

This strategy is for the realtors in the US. How about the agent living another in the country?

Well, Google “real estate listing websites [your location or country]” and make as many profiles as possible.

Also, find out some classified sites and add your inventories. Don’t forget to include your link.

5. Outreach Campaign

Networking and collaboration are two essential factors in real estate.

You can launch an outreach campaign if you have a better relationship with other agents, renovators, movers, investors, previous clients, and home-based product suppliers.

This practice involves reaching out to your local network to gain backlinks. Here’s how it works.

Suppose you bought a home from Mr. James and sold it to Mr. Danial. You are still in touch with them.

You heard that James has a realtor blog and Danial works for a magazine that has a category related to yours.

You can mail them with your content and links. If your content is helpful, they may publish them on their websites with a link back to your site.

Sounds cool, right?

Now think about all the people in your network that are somehow related to your business. If you know 50 people, you can gain at least 20-30 links with this tactic.

Another collaboration could be with your renovation contractors. You know a couple of them, right?

Most businesses now have websites. You can connect with them and request to add your URL under “useful links” or “related business.”

If they have a blog, suggest a content edit or an idea with your link. Also, shout out to them from your website too. This will surely motivate them.

Let’s see one more example.

Did you sell a house to any celebrity?

Suppose the answer is yes; why not reach out to them? They have a large fan base. If you offer them a good deal, they will remember you.

You can email them and request politely to mention your business on their blog and social profiles.

Though connecting with famous people is difficult, if you can, this will land you a high-profile backlink with a massive brand exposure.

If you need more networking and outreaching ideas, check out the list of non-competitive professionals in the Guest Posting section above.

6. Newspapers and Magazines (HARO)

Newspapers don’t publish daily news only; they sometimes share editorial and contributor content.

Also, some of them even post User Generated Content (UGC) on various subjects. In case you didn’t know, User Generated Content here refers to  content created and shared by individuals, not the brand or organization, in the form of text, images, videos, or reviews on social media or websites.

If you can reach out to the contributor and convince them, you will earn a quality backlink from a high-authority website.

There are two ways to connect with them – one is to mail or message them directly, and another is through Help a Reporter Out (HARO).

Let us explain both methods.

A contributor is a third party who is allowed to publish content on a website, but they are not part of the staff.

Search for popular newspapers and magazines and look for your business-related contributor content.

When you find one, check whether they have personal info such as email addresses or social media links.

If they have, message them, but if they don’t, search them on social media and cross-match the names and activities – they may share the corresponding articles.

When you find the right person, pitch them with your idea.

Another way is the HARO platform. It connects 1 million users like you with 75,000+ journalists and bloggers.

After signing up as a “ Source,” you will receive daily emails from journalists asking you to share your relevant expert advice, tips, and suggestions.

If they like your content, they will publish it and add you with your links.

This is a brilliant way to win real-estate backlinks if you can provide valuable information.

Many renowned media outlets use HARO, including Reuters, Fox News, Chicago Tribune, Time, Mashable, Refinery29, The New York Times, ABC News, and WSJ.

7. Testimonials and Reviews

This is a unique and double-edge real estate backlink strategy that not only helps you earn links but also enhances your credibility and ultimately brings more clients.

Who doesn’t want that?

Before buying a property, people tend to search online to find a prominent asset with a lucrative price, preferably with the help from a good agent.

As said before, your client testimonials and reviews can also help increase your credibility.

So, encourage your past clients to share their feedback on your website, Google Business Profile, official social media accounts, and on their blogs too – if they have any.

Google may see these positive reviews as a signal of authority and trust, which can increase your online visibility.

You can also obtain links by offering testimonials to other websites, mainly within your network.

Let’s find out how.

As a realtor, you may have to work with different types of service providers, such as movers, building material suppliers, lawyers, accounting firms, and consultants.

Like you, they would also love to hear from their clients. So, you can leave your comments on their websites, including your brand name and URL.

It is a win-win strategy. Your thoughts help make them more reliable to their potential clients while you get to enrich your backlink profile.

In exchange for backlinks, how could they refuse your feedback?

8. Podcasts and Interviews

A podcast is a series of digital audio (sometimes video) content focused on a specific topic. Many podcast hosting services are available where you can record and upload yours and include your link in the description.

You can create your own or invite guests. YouTube is one of the best platforms to distribute video podcasts.

If your network has other housing business experts like brokers, appraisers, consultants, and landlords, you can interview them.

Buzzsprout is the top platform you can use. The user-friendly interface makes the process of uploading, publishing, and promoting your series super smooth.

Search for more and distribute your content to a wider audience. Each episode has a small description; this is your chance to build links!

Include your bio with the targeted backlinks. If people like your podcast, they may talk about it on their networks. If someone writes about your program, they may add your links too.

This is your opportunity to gain more exposure and links.

If you continue this process and gain some recognition, there is a chance that finance-related podcasters may invite you.

Here are some popular services you can use.

• Blubrry
• Podbean
• Libsyn
• Simplecast
• Transistor
• Spreaker
• Acast
• Streamyard

9. Competitor Analysis

Finding out your competitors’ backlinks and trying to get links from those sources is an old-school but effective link building for real estate tactic. You will get a clear idea of which links helped them dominate SERPs.

Ahrefs and Semrush are two popular tools for this purpose. Subscribe to one of them and enter top-ranking websites one by one.

Ahrefs will show all the links under metrics such as DA, PA, anchor, traffic, dofollow or nofollow, and category.

Filter them according to DA and dofollow and download them in an Excel sheet. Figure out what types of links they are, such as in-article (guest post, UGC, or resource), edu, or gov.

On the other hand, Semrush provides lost, active, attributes, and UGC links. It also shows the page ratings of the backlinks.

Like Ahrefs, filter them by active, follow, and high PR, and export them in Excel.

10. Broken Link Building

Broken link means the dead links in a page that redirect to 404 or “Not Found” pages. A web page with invalid links can hurt the site’s ranking and increase the bounce rate (a metric that measures the percentage of visitors who leave a webpage without interacting with it).

The strategy is simple – You look for invalid links on other niche-related websites and offer to fix them with your links.

As a result, they find better alternative resources and reward you with links.

However, the cleaver way is to list your competitors’ broken links and fix them. This strategy will land you more relevant backlinks.

Semrush can be your helping hand for this purpose. It displays all the broken links pointing to your competitors.

You can visit those pages and notify the admins if they are active but dead. If they agree to fix it, offer your URL as a substitute.

Launch Your Campaign with LinkBuilderPros.com

Real estate link building is a tough job because the wrong strategy can hurt your SERPs, and you may lose potential clients.

If you need professional help, we are here for you. LinkBuilderPros is a result-driven SEO agency that can launch custom real estate backlink campaigns for any realtor.

From high-quality guest posting to local citations and niche edits, our seasoned link builders can level up your ranking game and help you dominate the industry.

If you are still confused about where to start, book a call or reach us and let us craft an actionable strategy for you!

Final Thoughts

The housing industry is already fiercely competitive, and more companies are coming in every day. That’s why you need to focus on establishing your online foundation with a strong backlink profile.

Citations, business directories, network outreach, and client reviews should be your preferred strategies because real estate is a local business, and we have explained all of these real estate link building methods for SERPs.

Also, contribute to the neighboring communities, social groups, and events by offering helpful advice to boost your brand. Expand your network and build meaningful relationships to find new link building opportunities.

FAQs

Q. What are some creative ways to acquire backlinks for a real estate website?

Ans. Sponsoring a charity website may cost you a few bucks monthly, and they may reward you with a sidebar link such as “Sponsored by XYZ.” Also, hosting community events and seeking local news coverage can be your unique link opportunity.

Additionally, you can create real estate market reports, trends, investment guides, and property valuation in PDF. People, especially academicians and researchers, can use these data and link to you as a reference.

Q. Is guest posting still an effective link building strategy for real estate websites?

Ans. Yes, if the link is from a high-authority website, it can boost your organic ranking and traffic. Also, you can show your expertise and services to a wider audience, leading to referral visitors. Hire a trusted link building for real estate company like us to make the most of this link building method.

mothasim

SEO & Growth Manager

A distinguished SEO and Business Development Consultant with a proven track record of helping businesses achieve outstanding results in the digital landscape. Throughout his career, Mothasim has worked with a diverse range of businesses, from startups to Fortune 500 companies.

His strategies are characterized by his meticulous attention to detail, data-driven decision-making, and a deep understanding of search engine algorithms. In his personal life, Mothasim enjoys hiking, photography, and volunteering in his community. He believes in giving back and is actively involved in mentoring aspiring SEO professionals. LinkedIn .