Local SEO for Estate Agents: Dominate Your Postcode

Property search behaviour has fundamentally shifted. Buyers and renters now expect instant, location-specific results. When someone searches "2 bed flat to rent Birmingham", they're not browsing—they're ready to book viewings.

The three key reasons local SEO dominates for estate agents:

• High intent searches — "Estate agents [location]" signals immediate need
• Maps visibility — 46% of all Google searches have local intent
• Trust signals — Reviews and ratings heavily influence agent selection
• Mobile dominance — Property seekers search on-the-go, often near listings

The agencies that understand this shift are capturing leads their competitors don't even know exist.

Your Google Business Profile is your most valuable local SEO asset. Most agents set it up once and forget it. That's a mistake.

Essential Optimisations

• Primary category — "Real estate agency" or "Estate agent" (test both)
• Secondary categories — Add "Property letting agency", "Property management company" if relevant
• Service areas — Define specific postcodes and neighbourhoods you serve
• Business description — 750 characters of keyword-rich, compelling copy
• Photos — Office exterior, team photos, recent listings (updated monthly)
• Posts — Weekly updates: new listings, market insights, sold/let announcements

The Review Engine

Reviews are the single biggest ranking factor for local pack visibility. Your goal: consistent, recent, keyword-rich reviews.

• Create a direct review link and share it at completion
• Respond to every review within 24 hours
• Never incentivise reviews (violates Google's policies)
• Follow up with satisfied clients 2-3 days post-completion

Your website needs to reinforce the local signals from your Google Business Profile. This means structured, location-specific content.

Location Pages

Create dedicated pages for each area you serve. Not thin doorway pages—substantive guides:

• "Houses for sale in [Area]" with current listings and market commentary
• "[Area] property market guide" covering prices, trends, transport links
• Neighbourhood guides with local amenities, schools, lifestyle content

Schema Markup

Implement LocalBusiness schema with:

• Name, address, phone number (NAP) matching your GBP exactly
• Opening hours
• Service area polygons for precise geographic targeting
• Aggregate rating from your reviews

Citations are mentions of your business name, address, and phone number across the web. Consistency is critical—any variation confuses Google and dilutes your authority.

Priority Citations for UK Estate Agents

• Tier 1 — Rightmove, Zoopla, OnTheMarket, PrimeLocation
• Tier 2 — Yell, Thomson Local, Yelp, Facebook
• Tier 3 — Local business directories, Chamber of Commerce, industry associations

Citation Audit Process

Before building new citations, audit existing ones. Use tools like BrightLocal or Whitespark to find and correct inconsistencies. One wrong phone number on an old directory can hurt rankings across all your local terms.

Content that wins for estate agents combines local knowledge with property expertise. This isn't generic "tips for first-time buyers"—it's area-specific authority building.

High-Value Content Types

• Monthly market reports — "[Area] Property Market: February 2026" with sold prices, days on market, stock levels
• Development coverage — New builds, regeneration projects, planning applications
• School catchment guides — Hugely searched by families relocating
• Transport and commute times — Especially around new infrastructure
• Sold case studies — "How we sold [property] for £X above asking"

Each piece of content reinforces your local expertise and creates internal linking opportunities to your area pages.

For an example of local SEO driving real results, see how we helped The Chiropractors achieve Top 3 local pack rankings for their multi-location healthcare business.

Local SEO metrics differ from traditional organic SEO. Focus on these KPIs:

• Local pack rankings — Track your position in the three-pack for key terms
• GBP insights — Views, searches, direction requests, calls
• Review velocity — Number of new reviews per month
• Valuation requests — The ultimate conversion metric for agents
• Ranking by postcode — Local rankings vary by searcher location

Most agencies see meaningful movement within 3-6 months of consistent local SEO work. The compound effect of reviews and citations makes this a long-term competitive advantage.

Our Local SEO services are built around this exact framework, designed for businesses that need predictable growth.

See how we applied this approach in our client case studies.