SEO for Realtors: How to Attract Buyers Organically

In a world where paid ads dominate many strategies, organic visibility still matters — especially for realtors who want leads they didn’t pay for. But SEO in 2025 isn’t just about stuffing keywords and building backlinks. Today, real estate SEO blends on-page optimization, off-page authority, and a new frontier: AI visibility (GEO / AEO). In this post, I’ll walk you through how realtors can build an SEO foundation, then step up to being cited by modern AI engines like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini.

1. On-Page SEO: Your Foundation

These are the elements you control directly on your website or listing pages.

• Keyword strategy (local focus). Start with buyer- & seller-led phrases: e.g. “homes for sale in [City neighborhood]”, “selling tips for [City] homeowners”. Target long-tail phrases (e.g. “best time to sell in [town]”) to capture niche intent with lower competition.
• Title tags & meta descriptions. Make them descriptive, location rich, and click-worthy. Use bracketed modifiers like “[City]”, “[Neighborhood]” or “2025 market update.”
• Structured data / schema markup. Use RealEstateListing schema, or real estate agent/organization schema, to help search engines and AI understand your listings.
• High quality content & user intent. Create pages that answer questions people are asking (e.g. “how much is my home worth in [City]?”, “when to list in autumn?”). Use headings (H2, H3) and add FAQ sections.
• Internal linking & site structure. Link from your main pages (neighborhood pages, service pages) to blog posts or featured listings. This helps signals flow and improves user navigation.
• Optimize images & media. Add alt text, descriptive filenames, captions. Use fast, compressed images. Visuals are more important than ever for search and AI tools.

These on-page basics give you the chance to rank in search and be understood by AI systems.

2. Off-Page & Authority Signals

These are signals coming from external sources that help your site look trustworthy, credible, and relevant.

• Backlinks from relevant, local sources. Guest post on your city newspaper, local blogs, partner with community sites, sponsor events and get mentions.
• Citations & local directories. Ensure your name, address, and phone (NAP) are consistent across business directories, local associations, real estate boards.
• Brand mentions & social proof. Being mentioned (even without a link) in news articles, community features, podcasts, etc., helps AI/LLMs see you as an authority.
• Reviews & testimonials. Google Business Profile reviews, third-party site reviews. They send trust signals to both search engines and AI systems.
• Social engagement & signals. Shares, mentions, social posts connecting to your site content help build signals around your brand as an active participant.

These off-page elements help search engines and AI platforms decide who to show, not just what to show.

3. AI Visibility: GEO / AEO / Generative Search

This is the newer layer. As large language models and AI engines (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google Gemini) become sources of answers for users, you want your content cited or surfaced in those spaces.

• Understand GEO / AEO. Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) and Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) focus on making your brand and content visible inside AI answers and summaries. Having your content show up or be cited when someone asks AI about your company, goods, services, or sector is the aim of an AEO campaign.  AEO can increase discovery, trust, and conversions, since 77% of ChatGPT users in America approach it like a search engine and over 60% of shoppers utilize AI tools.
• Structured, citation-friendly content. Write content in clear, factual form, use named entities (places, neighborhoods, realtors, landmarks). AI tools often pull from authoritative sources.
• Earn mentions in AI’s training data. Appear on trusted sites, community blogs, local press. If your content is linked or cited elsewhere, AI models are more likely to surface your brand.
• Answer common questions succinctly. AI platforms love short, direct answers. Include an FAQ, “What is the best time to sell in [city]?,” “How to stage a home for resale?”
• Monitor AI citations & brand visibility. Use tools or manual searches: search queries in AI assistants (e.g. “real estate agent Vancouver”) and see if your content shows up in ChatGPT / Perplexity summaries or recommended citations.

By combining traditional SEO with AI-aware practices, you increase your chances of being discovered—even when users don’t click links but see AI answers instead.

Pro Tip: Want AI tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Gemini to mention your brand more often? Start publishing helpful, factual, and locally focused Q&A content — think “What’s the average condo price in Kitsilano this month?” or “How to prepare your Vancouver home for a fall sale.” When AI crawlers look for concise, expert answers from authoritative sources, your content becomes the trusted snippet they quote.

4. Putting It All Together: A Realtor’s SEO Roadmap

Here’s a simplified plan you can follow:

Final Thoughts

SEO for realtors isn’t just about competing on Google anymore. It’s about being visible in the places where buyers and sellers are asking questions—via search, via AI assistants like ChatGPT or Gemini, via local voice queries.

If you combine solid on-page practices, strong off-page authority, and AI visibility strategies, you not only attract organic traffic — you become the trusted voice your market relies on.

Want to deepen your Digital Marketing Strategies? Don’t miss our full guide:
Best Digital Marketing Strategies for Real Estate Agents in 2025

Last Updated on October 16, 2025 by myRealPage