How to Find the Best Local & Long-Tail Keywords for Real Estate SEO

If you are in the real estate business and want to attract more sellers online, keyword research is your first step. But not all keywords are created equal! Instead of ranking for broad, highly competitive terms like “Miami real estate,” you should focus on long-tail and local keywords with lower competition and higher intent.

Real Estate SEO experts will break down how to find these keywords and use them to drive more traffic to your real estate website.

1. Use the Right Keyword Research Tools

To get started, you need the right tools. These tools will help you discover what motivated sellers are searching for and how difficult it is to rank for specific keywords.

• Free Tools:
  • Google Keyword Planner – Shows search volume and competition levels for different keywords.
  • Google Trends – Helps you track keyword popularity over time.
• Paid SEO Suites:
  • Semrush, Ahrefs, Moz Keyword Explorer – Provide in-depth keyword data, including search volume, keyword difficulty, and competitor analysis.
• Local Insights:
  • Google’s Autocomplete – Start typing a search query and see what suggestions Google provides.
  • People Also Ask (PAA) Box – These are the common questions people search for related to your keyword. Answering these in your content can help you rank for voice searches and featured snippets.

These tools can show you how competitive a keyword is and whether it’s worth targeting. For example, “affordable homes in Miami for first-time buyers” will likely have less competition than “Miami real estate.” That makes it a strong long-tail keyword to focus on.

2. Focus on Long-Tail & Local Keywords

Big real estate portals dominate broad searches like “homes for sale” or “New York real estate.” Competing against them is nearly impossible. Instead, you should target long-tail keywords—these are longer and specific search phrases that are easier to rank for and better match what people seek.

Examples of Long-Tail Keywords:

• “3-bedroom condo in downtown Dallas with pool”
• “Homes for sale in Boylan Heights, Raleigh”
• “New construction homes in Phoenix under $400k”

These keywords target serious buyers who know what they want. They are more likely to convert into leads than a generic real estate term like “homes for sale.”

How to Localize Your Keywords:

Include city names, neighborhood names, and ZIP codes in your keywords to attract more local buyers and sellers.

Examples:

• Instead of “homes for sale,” use “homes for sale in Springfield.”
• Instead of “4 bedroom homes,” use “4 bedroom homes in Springfield near schools.”

Compile a list of neighbourhoods or ZIP codes you serve and use them in your keyword strategy. It ensures your website captures traffic from people searching your service area.

3. Check Search Intent Before Targeting Keywords

Not all keywords are equal—some are transactional, while others are informational or navigational. Understanding search intent helps you prioritize the right keywords.

• Transactional/Commercial Intent (Best for Lead Generation):
  • “Homes for sale in [Neighborhood]”
  • “Realtor in [City]”
• Informational Intent (Best for Blog Content):
  • “Best neighbourhoods in [City] for families”
  • “How to get a mortgage in [City]”

Target transactional keywords on your listing and service pages since these users are ready to act. Use informational keywords for blog content to educate and attract potential leads.

4. Analyze Your Competition

Once you have a list of keywords, Google them and see who ranks on the first page.

• If you see big names like Zillow, Realtor.com, or Redfin, ranking for that keyword will be tough.
• If smaller local websites appear, you have a chance to rank!
• Use SEO tools to analyze competitors and see which keywords they rank for.

If a competing website ranks well for the “Moving to [Your City] Guide,” create a more in-depth guide with better insights and multimedia (videos, images, local statistics) to outperform them.

5. Prioritize the Right Keywords

As a beginner, focus on keywords with a good search volume and competition balance. Many SEO tools provide a keyword difficulty (KD) score from 0–100—aim for KD under 50 for easier ranking.

For example:

• A broad keyword like “Raleigh homes” has thousands of searches but is very hard to rank for.
• A niche keyword like “Boylan Heights Raleigh homes for sale” may have only 40 monthly searches but very low competition (KD = 3). That means you have a strong chance of ranking high!

Real Estate SEO experts can generate significant traffic over time by focusing on many small, low-competition keywords.

6. Real-Life Example of Long-Tail Keywords in Action

Let’s say you are a real estate agent in Raleigh, NC, with listings in the Boylan Heights neighborhood.

If you try to rank for “Raleigh homes”, you will compete with Zillow, Redfin, and major directories—a tough challenge.

Instead, you target “Boylan Heights Raleigh homes for sale”, a long-tail keyword with:

• Lower competition (KD score ~3)
• Highly targeted intent (people actively looking for homes in this area)
• 40 searches per month (not huge, but very valuable because of its high conversion potential)

Real Estate SEO experts often will optimize a dedicated Boylan Heights listing page for this keyword (adding it to the title, headings, and content), and you stand a great chance of ranking on Google. If you do this for multiple neighborhoods, you will steadily grow organic traffic and leads.

Related: Real Estate SEO Case Study

Action Steps: Get Started with Keyword Research

1. Brainstorm 10–20 keywords using the tips above.
2. Mix broad and long-tail keywords (e.g., “[City] real estate agent” + “3-bedroom homes in [Neighborhood]”).
3. Use a keyword tool to check search volume, difficulty, and competition.
4. Prioritize keywords that have good volume but low difficulty.
5. Create dedicated content for your best keywords and optimize for local search.

This keyword research strategy will set your real estate website up for long-term SEO success. Instead of competing with massive real estate portals, you will rank for highly targeted searches, bringing in qualified leads ready to buy or sell.

Happy optimizing! For more technical support, visit SEO To Real Estate Investors. Real Estate SEO is complex, and you can’t learn it overnight. It takes time and experience. SEO services for real estate investors can get more manageable if you leave it to the professionals!