More agents and brokerages are turning to real estate SEO services to generate consistent, long-term leads. The right SEO strategy helps your real estate website rank higher, attract local traffic, and convert visitors into clients. With so many real estate SEO companies out there, the challenge is knowing which ones actually deliver.

Real Estate SEO Is Booming

Search interest for “real estate SEO services” has quadrupled in the past two years, according to Ahrefs.

Agents are catching on—fast. SEO isn’t just some nerdy marketing tactic anymore. It’s becoming the backbone of sustainable lead generation. And the ones who start now? They’ll be the ones showing up when buyers and sellers are ready to act.

The truth is, SEO takes a little time to kick in. Google wants to see consistency, trust signals, and actual value before it rewards you with top rankings. That’s why getting your foot in the door early matters. Better to build momentum now than play catch-up later.

The problem? Most services in this space either oversimplify SEO or overcharge for fluff. IDX setup isn’t enough. Keyword stuffing won’t save you. And throwing money at the loudest agency doesn’t guarantee results.

In this guide, we break down the five most viable options for real estate SEO today. Four are popular routes with varying strengths and drawbacks. One—InboundREM—stands out for reasons that go beyond the sales pitch.

Let’s dive in.

What Makes a Real Estate SEO Service “The Best”?

Most SEO agencies can talk a good game. But real estate SEO isn’t generic. It lives and dies by hyperlocal results, IDX integration, mobile usability, and how well your site connects with intent-driven buyers and sellers.

The best real estate SEO companies do more than rank your homepage. They help you dominate specific neighborhoods, show up for long-tail searches, and build trust through content that actually answers client questions.

They also understand the full stack:
• How search engines handle listing pages
• Why Google Business Profiles drive calls
• What it takes to turn clicks into leads

The real test isn’t traffic—it’s ROI. Are you getting inbound calls from people already halfway sold? If not, something’s missing.

A top-tier real estate SEO service checks three boxes:

1. It gets demonstrable results.
   
2. It puts you on the map—literally.
   
3. It doesn’t lock you into dependency.

We’ll go deeper into what all of those mean. 

1. InboundREM — Built for the Long Game

Some SEO services give you a flashy site and a promise. InboundREM builds you a foundation.

It starts with ownership. You get a WordPress site that’s fully yours—no rent, no restrictions, no paywall to make edits. That alone puts InboundREM in a different category. You’re not buying a service. You’re building an asset.

Then there’s the content strategy. It’s not just blogs about “Tips for First-Time Buyers.” It’s layered, intent-driven, hyperlocal pages that earn rankings and stay ranked. The kind that show up when someone searches homes for sale near [neighborhood] and actually convert.

The SEO isn’t just technical. It’s tied to buyer behavior. How users move through your site. What Google expects. Where your leads come from, and how to get more of them.

Clients report real results. Here’s one:

“I’ve spent years bouncing between platforms that promised real estate SEO. Nothing moved the needle. InboundREM actually got me found on Google in competitive zip codes—and the traffic didn’t just go up, the leads started calling. This was the first time I didn’t feel like I was paying for smoke and mirrors.”
— Jason Perry via Google Reviews

The service is more hands-on than most. You don’t get passed between departments. You talk to someone who understands SEO and real estate.

It’s not super cheap, although it’s relatively quite affordable. But it’s not designed to be. In our opinion, it’s the top real estate SEO company.

Best for: Agents and teams who want long-term SEO equity, not rented leads.

2. Agent Image — Beautiful Design, Average SEO

Agent Image has been around a long time. Their websites are sleek, polished, and made to impress. If you want something that looks custom without the hassle of building it yourself, they’ve got options.

But here’s the issue: the SEO is more of an upsell than a specialty.

Most clients come for the design and leave assuming SEO is “included.” What they actually get is a mix of basic page titles, thin blog posts, and a hope that Google notices. There’s no deep local content, no strategic lead funnels, and no real competitive push.

Plenty of agents walk away with a good-looking site—and still sit on page four.

The platform isn’t built for full control either. If you want to optimize site structure, add custom schema, or run advanced tracking, expect limitations unless you pay extra or get your dev team involved.

Here’s a review that sums it up:

“The website looks great, but we had to bring in an outside SEO team to get traffic moving. Agent Image just didn’t have the strategy or expertise we needed beyond the design phase.”
— James Allen Conley via Google Reviews

Best for: Agents who prioritize design and branding—but need to pair it with a third-party SEO strategy.

3. Real Geeks — Functional, but Formulaic

Real Geeks makes tools that work. Their platform is simple, efficient, and packed with features that appeal to agents who want everything in one place—CRM, IDX, lead capture, and more.

But when it comes to SEO, the results are mixed.

You get landing pages, yes. Blog functionality, yes. The problem is how those pieces fit together. Most Real Geeks sites look and feel the same, which means you’re competing with hundreds of agents using the exact same templates and tactics.

Their SEO relies on volume, not depth. Lots of pages, little strategy.

Customizing those pages for local search takes work. If you don’t already know how to write for SEO—or hire someone who does—you’ll end up with duplicate content and thin pages Google ignores.

Here’s what one user had to say:

“The Real Geeks system is solid, but the SEO tools are basic. If you’re not putting in the time to write location pages and optimize them yourself, you won’t get much organic traffic.”
— Scot Conti via Google Reviews

You can make Real Geeks work for SEO. But you’ll need to bring your own strategy—or pay someone who has one.

Best for: Agents who want a full CRM + website system and don’t mind doing the heavy SEO lifting on their own.

4. Hibu — Local Marketing, Light on Real Estate

Hibu isn’t a real estate SEO company. It’s a general digital marketing agency that happens to offer SEO—and they’ll work with agents if you ask.

They focus on small business visibility. Think local restaurants, contractors, dentists. That background gives them a decent grip on local SEO basics like Google Business Profiles, listings management, and mobile responsiveness.

But real estate? It’s not their wheelhouse.

You won’t get IDX integration, lead funnels, or content that speaks to the way buyers search for homes. Their blog posts are often generic. Their backlink strategies are unclear. Their websites are usually built on proprietary systems, which means if you cancel, you lose it all.

Here’s a recent comment:

“I used Hibu for over a year. The reporting was vague, and while they claimed I was ‘ranking better,’ I wasn’t seeing any increase in leads. Their SEO plan felt like a checkbox, not a real strategy.”
— Review via Better Business Bureau

Best for: Businesses that just need to show up online—not agents trying to dominate a market.

5. Hiring In-House — Control Comes at a Cost

On paper, bringing SEO in-house sounds smart. You control the strategy. You own the results. You can build content, track rankings, and tweak your site whenever you want.

But good SEO isn’t cheap. And good real estate SEO? Even rarer.

Hiring an actual specialist—someone who understands Google’s algorithm, real estate search intent, and technical site structure—can cost $60K to $100K+ per year. That’s before tools, training, or content creation. And if you go cheaper, you often end up managing them anyway.

There’s also turnover. SEO takes months to see results. If your hire leaves before that? You start over from scratch.

Here’s a real take from a broker who tried it:

“We hired a full-time SEO guy thinking it’d be more efficient. He left in six months, and we were stuck with half-written blog posts and an unfinished site migration. We ended up hiring an agency anyway.”
— Broker feedback via Reddit

That’s not to say in-house can’t work. For larger teams or brokerages with strong content systems in place, it can scale well. But for most agents, it’s a high-risk, slow-return play.

Best for: Brokerages with deep pockets, a full marketing team, and long timelines.

Real Estate SEO Pricing Breakdown

SEO Option	Setup Cost	Monthly Cost	What’s Included	Ideal For
InboundREM	$3,500 – $6,500 (one-time)	$750 – $2,000 (retainer-based)	Custom WordPress site, full SEO stack, IDX, GBP optimization, content strategy	Agents who want to own their long-term lead gen system
Agent Image	$1,000 – $5,000+ (design only)	$250 – $1,000+ (SEO add-on)	Design-focused site, optional SEO add-ons	Agents who want beautiful websites and outsource SEO later
Real Geeks	$500 – $2,000 (with monthly)	$299 – $499 (base system)	IDX site, CRM, basic SEO tools	Agents who want a bundled system and can handle SEO manually
Hibu	$0 – $500 (typically bundled)	$300 – $1,200 (bundle plans)	Local SEO, listings, GBP support (non-real estate specific)	Small business owners, not real estate professionals
Hiring In-House	$0 – $10,000 (setup varies)	$5,000 – $9,000 (salary + tools)	Fully custom (but resource-heavy and depends on hire)	Brokerages with budget and in-house marketing infrastructure

Real estate SEO isn’t one-size-fits-all, and neither is the pricing.

Some agencies charge flat monthly fees. Others hit you with a hefty setup cost, then drip services over time. Hiring in-house adds a whole new layer of overhead—and risk.

Use the table below to compare the five most common options side-by-side. It breaks down setup costs, ongoing monthly pricing, what you’re actually getting, and who each one is best for.

Be honest about your budget and bandwidth. Cheap SEO usually isn’t SEO at all. And expensive doesn’t always mean effective.

Final Thoughts

SEO isn’t about quick wins. It’s about building authority and visibility that last. The right real estate SEO service doesn’t just hand you leads—it builds an engine that works while you sleep.

Most of the services we covered have strengths, but they also have limits. Agent Image shines with design but falls short on organic reach. Real Geeks is functional but needs a serious content push. Hibu can’t deliver the real estate expertise most agents need. Hiring in-house is costly and slow unless you already have a team that knows the space.

InboundREM stands apart. It gives you full ownership, deep real estate SEO experience, and a strategy that grows over time. That combination is rare. And if it’s not the right fit, at least you’ll leave the conversation knowing exactly what to do next.

FAQ Section

How much do real estate SEO services cost?
Most agencies charge between $750 and $2,500 per month, depending on the scope of work. Premium services like InboundREM may cost more upfront but often deliver better long-term ROI.

Is SEO better than buying real estate leads?
Yes, because SEO builds a pipeline you own. Paid leads stop the moment you stop spending. With SEO, you create lasting visibility and organic traffic that keeps working.

How long does it take to see SEO results?
Most real estate agents start seeing movement within 3 to 6 months, but full results often take 6 to 12 months. It depends on your market’s competition and how well your site is built.

What’s the best SEO tool for real estate agents?
There’s no single tool that does it all, but SEMrush, Ahrefs, and Google Search Console are commonly used for tracking keywords and site performance.

Can I do SEO myself as a real estate agent?
You can handle the basics—like managing your Google Business Profile and writing local content. But to compete with big players like Zillow, professional help is almost always needed.