Not all real estate investor keywords are worth going after. Some keywords rank better than others to attract motivated sellers to your real estate investor websites. Some keywords attract tire kickers and leads who waste your time getting full retail prices. They are looking to get the most cash for their property and aren’t going to listen to your offers.
In this post, we will show you how to find the right keywords to go after to rank your website. Lets being.
The different types of real estate investor keywords
If you are familiar with SEO you know that not all keywords are created the same. Some keywords are harder to rank for and will bring more traffic to your website.
Some keywords are easier to rank for but don’t bring as much traffic. But that isn’t to say they aren’t worth going after.
For example, one of my Carrot seller sites, housebuyerdeals.com goes after a smaller market. So phrases like “sell my house fast Roseburg” are easier to rank for but I don’t see a ton of clicks from it.
As with anything in life we are looking for quality of keywords, not quantity.
The biggest thing you should look for when selecting is the intent.
Targeted Motivated Seller Keywords
A targeted keyword is one that is going after a motivated seller in a very specific situation. You know that if they search for that particular keyword the chances of them being motivated to sell their house is higher.
Here are some examples…
- “Sell my inherited house fast”
- “How to stop foreclosure“
- “Sell my house from divorce“
Generally speaking, these keywords are harder to rank for because they have a lot of competition from other investors.
The best way to rank for these keywords is to have 1 page on your website that is optimized for the keyword and then build backlinks to the page.
General Motivated Seller Keywords
There are keywords that are broad and generalized to leads who might be looking to sell their house the non-traditional way (with the help of an investor). You must be careful to not target keywords that retail house buyers would be searching.
Here is an example
Good general motivated seller keyword: “Sell my house fast Portland Oregon“
Bad general motivated seller keyword: “Sell my house Portland Oregon“
The difference between the two keywords is the word “fast”. This shows the motivation the seller has to sell their house and that they have a need outside what a traditional real estate agent can provide.
Another example of these types of keywords are
- “Sell my house fast without an agent”
- “Sell my home fast”
- “Cash for houses”
- “How do I sell my home quickly”
These keywords are similar to the targeted ones because there will be a lot of competition from other investors so it can be hard to rank for them.
Bonus Tip: when trying to rank for targeted and general keywords always include a location in your optimization strategy. Giving Google and the lead this information can help your rankings big time. For instance, instead of targeting “sell my house fast” you should target “sell my house fast Denver”.
Long Tail Real Estate Investor Keywords
The final type of keywords are long-tail keywords. This is by far one of my favorite keywords to try and rank for.
Long tail keywords just mean they are usually conversational keywords. They are what a user might actually type in when thinking of their problem.
For example: “How do I sell a house I inherited but I live out of state”.
I love long tail keywords because you can get a better sense of the issue the lead is going through when they type in exactly what they are thinking.
Generally speaking, long tail keywords are much easier to rank for. If you are in a market with less than 100,000 people you can rank on the first page in a matter of weeks to months for a long tail keyword (if your page is SEO’d properly).
The biggest drawback to long tail keywords is you won’t get as much traffic from them because it takes a certain type of lead to type in the longer keyword.
But again, remember what I said about quality, not quantity.
You might own the number one ranking for “we buy houses” and get 1,000 clicks a month from it. But if 10 people opt-in as leads you are at a 1% conversion rate.
If you have 10 people a month come from a long tail keyword and 1 turns into a lead you are at a 10% conversion rate.
So it really just comes down to the math. You have to find a long tail keyword that shows a lead has a problem and is looking for a solution. If you can provide a page that answers that for them you should be able to get Google to rank it for you. The result is of course FREE traffic.
Which “Motivated Seller” Keywords Should I Target?
I never try and rank more than 3-5 keywords at a time so I can stay focused and know that my content and link building is going towards a strategic goal. We have to remember that not all keywords are created equal.
With that being said, here is a list of motivated seller keywords and their average search volume. This list is a little different than what most digital marketing blogs relating to real estate investing will show you.
I tend to exclude the common terms like “we buy houses” because I think investors search those terms more than actual leads. I look for keywords that are intent based. I would rather rank for “how do I sell MY house” than “how to sell YOUR house”. I can see the lead using MY vs YOUR any day of the week.
How to use this list
You will want to find a couple of keywords with avg. monthly search in the 1K+ range and the competition below .70. Pick a handful and write a single page or post on your website optimized for that keyword.
The suggested bid is for paid keywords so it may or may not apply to your marketing strategy.
| Keyword | Min search volume | Max search volume | Competition | Top of page bid (low range) | Top of page bid (high range) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| how to sell my house fast | 100 | 1,000 | High | $9.03 | $70.25 |
| how to sell my house without an agent | 10 | 100 | High | $20.00 | $63.75 |
| sell my house fast | 1,000 | 10,000 | High | $19.00 | $68.82 |
| can t sell my house | 10 | 100 | High | $10.00 | $50.00 |
| sell my house fast for cash | 1,000 | 10,000 | High | $12.50 | $70.00 |
| how to sell a house fast | 1,000 | 10,000 | High | $6.88 | $54.59 |
| sell my home fast | 100 | 1,000 | High | $17.21 | $71.50 |
| need to sell my house fast | 100 | 1,000 | High | $16.38 | $64.17 |
| how to sell a house without a realtor | 100 | 1,000 | High | $4.05 | $32.67 |
| how to sell your house without a realtor | 100 | 1,000 | High | $5.00 | $37.02 |
| how to sell your house in 5 days | 100 | 1,000 | High | $8.11 | $41.25 |
| sell my house for cash | 100 | 1,000 | High | $15.08 | $71.27 |
| sell house for cash | 100 | 1,000 | High | $14.57 | $62.09 |
| sell my house quickly | 100 | 1,000 | Medium | $18.87 | $70.94 |
| sell house quickly | 100 | 1,000 | High | $10.76 | $59.75 |
| buyers or sellers market | 100 | 1,000 | Low | $1.29 | $22.28 |
| how to sell your home without a realtor | 100 | 1,000 | High | $4.61 | $35.23 |
| how to sell a house quickly | 100 | 1,000 | High | $7.52 | $50.00 |
| how to get a house ready to sell quickly | 100 | 1,000 | Medium | $5.00 | $33.80 |
| sell your house for cash | 100 | 1,000 | High | $13.37 | $62.75 |
| selling a house to a cash buyer | 100 | 1,000 | High | $12.50 | $55.00 |
| why wont my house sell | 100 | 1,000 | Medium | $7.16 | $41.70 |
| how to sell my house without a realtor | 100 | 1,000 | High | $6.90 | $49.60 |
| quickest way to sell a house | 100 | 1,000 | High | $6.39 | $47.91 |
| how to sell a house fast in a slow market | 100 | 1,000 | High | $9.92 | $44.53 |
| sell my home for cash | 100 | 1,000 | High | $14.00 | $66.01 |
| sell house fast for cash | 100 | 1,000 | High | $13.11 | $63.72 |
| house buyers near me | 100 | 1,000 | High | $3.00 | $20.00 |
| how can i sell my house fast | 100 | 1,000 | High | $10.69 | $73.00 |
| how do i sell my house without a realtor | 100 | 1,000 | High | $6.85 | $43.70 |
| cash home buyers near me | 100 | 1,000 | High | $7.00 | $50.77 |
| how to sell a house without an agent | 10 | 100 | High | $4.13 | $28.00 |
| need to sell a house fast | 100 | 1,000 | High | $8.33 | $56.20 |
| sell house cash | 10 | 100 | High | $6.27 | $58.50 |
| i need to sell my house fast | 10 | 100 | High | $24.44 | $68.04 |
| how to sell my house quickly for a good price | 10 | 100 | High | $14.33 | $70.85 |
| buyers and sellers market | 10 | 100 | Low | $1.02 | $5.66 |
| when does the seller receive money from buyer | 10 | 100 | Low | $7.82 | $32.94 |
| i want to sell my house fast | 10 | 100 | High | $25.79 | $60.37 |
| fastest way to sell a house | 10 | 100 | Medium | $6.56 | $66.84 |
| how do you sell a house without a realtor | 10 | 100 | High | $3.00 | $27.14 |
| how fast are homes selling in my area | 10 | 100 | Medium | $4.59 | $24.67 |
| sell my house fast richardson | 10 | 100 | High | $50.00 | $100.00 |
| multiple offers on a house seller | 10 | 100 | Low | $13.04 | $35.00 |
| sell my home quickly | 10 | 100 | Medium | $25.00 | $79.58 |
| how to sell home quickly | 10 | 100 | High | $10.00 | $53.75 |
| can i sell my house after only 2 years | 10 | 100 | Medium | $19.50 | $58.99 |
| sell my house today | 10 | 100 | High | $11.82 | $61.53 |
| how to sell your house quickly in this market | 10 | 100 | High | $8.75 | $37.31 |
| how to sell my home fast | 10 | 100 | High | $9.71 | $60.14 |
| how to sell my house quickly | 10 | 100 | High | $12.24 | $50.05 |
| how to sell your house without an agent | 10 | 100 | High | $13.00 | $50.00 |
| how fast are houses selling in my area | 10 | 100 | High | $6.03 | $36.16 |
| sale my house fast | 10 | 100 | High | $19.00 | $72.00 |
| i need to sell my house now | 10 | 100 | High | $5.50 | $54.90 |
| how to sell my home without a realtor | 10 | 100 | High | $6.18 | $48.45 |
| how can i sell my house quickly | 10 | 100 | High | $14.00 | $59.69 |
| fastest way to sell a home | 10 | 100 | High | $5.67 | $48.29 |
| how fast can you sell a house | 10 | 100 | High | $15.33 | $57.30 |
| i want to sell my house for cash | 10 | 100 | High | $13.71 | $73.50 |
| sell my property fast | 10 | 100 | High | $7.82 | $49.06 |
| sell quick for cash | 10 | 100 | High | $5.89 | $30.29 |
| sell my house for cash now | 10 | 100 | High | $15.22 | $93.61 |
| sell my house for cash today | 10 | 100 | High | $19.51 | $69.00 |
| how do i sell my house fast | 10 | 100 | High | $10.00 | $63.89 |
| i want to sell my property fast | 10 | 100 | High | $9.66 | $49.04 |
| best way to sell a house quickly | 10 | 100 | High | $5.18 | $40.00 |
| sell my home fast for cash | 10 | 100 | High | $15.10 | $61.87 |
| how to sell a house without a real estate agent | 10 | 100 | High | $2.65 | $21.05 |
| how to sell an old house fast | 10 | 100 | High | $3.78 | $34.78 |
| how fast will my house sell | 10 | 100 | High | $16.50 | $73.89 |
| sale your house fast | 10 | 100 | High | $5.13 | $39.95 |
| how to sell a house that needs work fast | 10 | 100 | High | $3.52 | $34.33 |
| how can i sell my house without a realtor | 10 | 100 | High | $4.68 | $48.59 |
| quick house buyers | 10 | 100 | High | $20.00 | $68.00 |
| how to get your house sold quickly | 10 | 100 | High | $3.04 | $25.29 |
| what to do when you sell your house | 10 | 100 | Medium | $8.26 | $50.00 |
| sell my ugly house | 10 | 100 | High | $9.92 | $50.00 |
| best way to sell house fast | 10 | 100 | High | $4.60 | $40.50 |
| sell property quickly | 10 | 100 | High | $5.23 | $41.70 |
| how to sell my house fast for cash | 10 | 100 | Medium | $17.35 | $84.50 |
| sale my house for cash | 10 | 100 | High | $14.78 | $71.14 |
| how do you sell your house without a realtor | 10 | 100 | Medium | $2.82 | $33.81 |
| how to sell a fixer upper house fast | 10 | 100 | High | $5.00 | $45.00 |
| how to sell a house for cash | 10 | 100 | High | $7.51 | $48.77 |
| how do i sell my home without a realtor | 10 | 100 | High | $3.81 | $35.80 |
| how fast can i sell my home | 10 | 100 | High | $8.02 | $54.86 |
| i want to sell my house quickly | 10 | 100 | Medium | $11.79 | $56.31 |
| how quickly are houses selling in my area | 10 | 100 | High | $9.10 | $36.75 |
| sell my home today | 10 | 100 | High | $24.00 | $66.81 |
| want to sell my house quickly | 10 | 100 | High | $31.07 | $64.28 |
| how quickly are homes selling in my area | 10 | 100 | Medium | $3.23 | $13.78 |
| help me sell my house fast | 10 | 100 | High | $10.17 | $46.39 |
| how to sell your house fast with a realtor | 10 | 100 | High | $12.45 | $52.23 |
| how to sell your house without an estate agent | 10 | 100 | High | ||
| how can i sell my home without a realtor | 10 | 100 | High | $11.36 | $43.63 |
| sell my property quickly | 10 | 100 | Medium | ||
| why wont my house sell 2018 | 10 | 100 | High | $16.53 | $36.00 |
| how to sell my house for cash | 10 | 100 | High | $7.14 | $57.74 |
| quickest way to sell a home | 10 | 100 | High | $3.50 | $41.50 |
| how to sell a house quickly tips | 10 | 100 | High | $2.86 | $16.19 |
| need to sell house quickly | 10 | 100 | High | $14.71 | $72.00 |
| will my house ever sell | 10 | 100 | Medium | $18.28 | $47.60 |
| sell my ugly house fast | 10 | 100 | High | $7.59 | $59.57 |
| need to sell my home fast | 10 | 100 | High | $18.94 | $56.69 |
| what to do if your house is not selling | 10 | 100 | High | $4.00 | $30.00 |
| how do i sell my house without an agent | 10 | 100 | High | $26.85 | $60.00 |
| how to sale my house fast | 10 | 100 | High | $11.50 | $50.00 |
| how to do a quick sale on your house | 10 | 100 | High | $4.06 | $43.00 |
| i want to sell my home fast | 10 | 100 | High | $17.68 | $63.00 |
| how to sell quickly | 10 | 100 | Medium | $3.89 | $30.83 |
| how to sell a townhouse quickly | 10 | 100 | High | $3.00 | $29.40 |
| how to sell a property quickly | 10 | 100 | Medium | $5.56 | $51.89 |
| sell house quick for cash | 10 | 100 | High | $7.98 | $50.00 |
| what to do when buyer pulls out of house sale | 10 | 100 | Low | ||
| want to sell my house fast | 10 | 100 | High | $6.50 | $75.00 |
| i need to sell my house quickly | 10 | 100 | High | $24.51 | $72.00 |
| how quickly will my house sell | 10 | 100 | High | $18.75 | $50.90 |
| how to sell my home quickly | 10 | 100 | High | $7.91 | $69.11 |
| how to sale your home without a realtor | 10 | 100 | High | $3.31 | $29.94 |
| how to sell your own house without a realtor | 10 | 100 | High | $2.82 | $27.08 |
| how to sell my property fast | 10 | 100 | High | $19.88 | $49.63 |
| need to sell my house quick | 10 | 100 | High | $25.09 | $77.00 |
| what to do when your house is not selling | 10 | 100 | Medium | $3.65 | $29.75 |
| fastest way to sell my house | 10 | 100 | High | $7.00 | $45.62 |
| find a buyer for my house | 10 | 100 | High | $10.75 | $50.00 |
| how does seller get paid at closing | 10 | 100 | Low | ||
| selling in a buyers market | 10 | 100 | Low | ||
| i have a realtor but i found the buyer | 10 | 100 | Low | ||
| should i have a realtor when buying a home | 10 | 100 | Low | $1.95 | $22.40 |
| ways to sell your home fast | 10 | 100 | High | $6.06 | $56.53 |
| what to do if you want to sell your house | 10 | 100 | Medium | $3.72 | $40.00 |
| sell now home buyers | 10 | 100 | High | $30.00 | $67.39 |
| how to sell a house quickly in a buyers market | 10 | 100 | High | $10.20 | $44.01 |
| how to sale your house without a realtor | 10 | 100 | High | $3.77 | $41.25 |
| how do i sell a house without a realtor | 10 | 100 | High | $2.82 | $19.70 |
| sellers market or buyers market 2018 | 10 | 100 | Low | ||
| quickest way to sell my house | 10 | 100 | Medium | ||
| sell your home fast for cash | 10 | 100 | High | $14.47 | $74.64 |
| i need to sell my home fast | 10 | 100 | High | $11.83 | $74.82 |
| cash buy houses for sale | 10 | 100 | High | $10.71 | $43.22 |
| multiple offers on house seller | 10 | 100 | Medium | ||
| how to get your house sold fast | 10 | 100 | High | $3.50 | $20.00 |
| how to make your house sell quickly | 10 | 100 | Medium | $3.60 | $43.70 |
| how fast do houses sell in my area | 10 | 100 | High | $3.38 | $34.44 |
| how do i sell my house quickly | 10 | 100 | High | $12.54 | $41.33 |
| first buyer homes for sale | 10 | 100 | High | ||
| should i have my own realtor when buying a house | 10 | 100 | Low | ||
| what to do if house is not selling | 10 | 100 | Medium | $5.37 | $26.40 |
| i need to sell my house as is | 10 | 100 | High | $11.44 | $70.89 |
| first time home buyer selling early | 10 | 100 | Low | $2.95 | $18.18 |
| im selling my house what do i need to know | 10 | 100 | High | $7.64 | $43.00 |
| best way to sell a home fast | 10 | 100 | High | $14.68 | $47.36 |
| how to sell my house without a real estate agent | 10 | 100 | High | $11.30 | $55.00 |
| is it a buyers market or a seller’s market | 10 | 100 | Low | ||
| best way to sell your home fast | 10 | 100 | High | $31.58 | $58.14 |
| house quick sell | 10 | 100 | Medium | $8.42 | $38.09 |
| quickest way to sell your home | 10 | 100 | High | $6.25 | $45.73 |
| how do i sell my house without an estate agent | 10 | 100 | High | $15.09 | $53.85 |
| buyers or sellers market now | 10 | 100 | Low | ||
| seller negotiation tactics | 10 | 100 | Medium | ||
| want to sell my house for cash | 10 | 100 | High | $11.97 | $30.00 |
| how do i sell my own home without a realtor | 10 | 100 | High | $5.04 | $36.30 |
| selling home to fha buyer | 10 | 100 | Low | $11.70 | $31.95 |
| how fast will my home sell | 10 | 100 | High | $30.00 | $60.00 |
| sell your home quickly for cash | 10 | 100 | High | $7.70 | $42.44 |
| how to sell your own home fast | 10 | 100 | Medium | ||
| how to sell in a buyers market | 10 | 100 | Low | ||
| selling home to cash buyer | 10 | 100 | High | $14.49 | $61.65 |
| sell my property for cash | 10 | 100 | Medium | $4.70 | $54.00 |
| get cash for my house | 10 | 100 | Medium | $51.60 | $92.60 |
| how to make my house sell faster | 10 | 100 | High | $2.82 | $32.60 |
| i want to sale my house fast | 10 | 100 | High | $30.00 | $72.05 |
| how to sell a house without an estate agent | 10 | 100 | High | ||
| how to sell your property fast | 10 | 100 | High | $4.89 | $51.02 |
| how can i sell my house fast without a realtor | 10 | 100 | Medium | ||
| why wont my home sell | 10 | 100 | Medium | $3.16 | $35.00 |
| who buys houses quickly | 10 | 100 | High | $6.98 | $50.00 |
| how to sell your home quickly in a slow market | 10 | 100 | High | $4.00 | $36.00 |
| how to list my house on mls without a realtor | 10 | 100 | High | $6.55 | $28.05 |
| having a house appraised before buying | 10 | 100 | Medium | $1.61 | $4.81 |
| sell your house any condition | 10 | 100 | High | ||
| should you have a realtor when buying a home | 10 | 100 | Low | ||
| how to sell my home without an agent | 10 | 100 | High | $5.71 | $40.00 |
How to perform real estate investor keyword research
Don’t take my word for it. I will show you exactly how I came about this list and teach you how to create it yourself.
There are a ton of services out there that will show you keyword predictions. But I ALWAYS start with the source of all the data (Google).
Google will force you to create a Google Ads account before you can use the tools. Don’t worry (it won’t charge you).
Step-1: Log in and visit the keyword planner tool.
Step-2: Choose “Find keywords” or “Get search volume and forecasts”
Not sure which to choose? Pick find keywords if you aren’t sure which keywords you should be targeting (this is what I use 80% of the time). Choose Get search volume in forecasts if you have a couple keywords that are closely related and you want to see which one will win.
Step-3: Type in a general keyword to start getting some data
This is what you are going to use to seed Google with some data. You are telling Google you want a list of related keywords around this topic.
Pro-tip: Don’t use a location like your city as it will narrow down the results
Step-4: Start analyzing real estate investor keywords
Now the fun begins. Scroll through this list of keywords and start picking ones that meet your criteria. You are looking for the following
- Avg. monthly searches in the 1k range
- Competition is medium to high
- Top of page bid is whatever you can afford
Save those keywords in a list somewhere and start picking the 2-3 you want to start to try and rank for.
Optional Step-5: If you have an idea around two closely related keywords
You have two options when using the Keyword Planner tool. If you choose the “Get search volume and forecasts” you can see how the two keywords stack up against each other.
Once you put in the keywords you will get a competitive analysis and it should become clear which keyword to go after.
From this example, the “sell my house fast” keyword gets more clicks and more impressions.
The Google Suggest Hack
Google gives us more data than what is in the keyword planner tool. Nearly every time you do a keyword search you can scroll to the bottom of the results and Google will tell you which keywords are closely related.
These are what I like to use for my LSI keywords. If you are struggling to rank for a keyword you can get some ideas of long tail or localized keywords at the bottom of the page.
Check out the gif below to find some Google suggests keywords.
Other Services For Keyword Research For Real Estate Investors
Like I mentioned above, there are a ton of tools that do the same thing I just showed you with Google Keyword Planner.
I will list a bunch of my favorite tools for doing some competitive keyword research.
Ubbersuggest
Ubbersuggest was purchased by Neil Patel and completely redone. It’s a much better tool then it was before. You can use negative keywords (words you want to exclude) and get the same data as Keyword Planner.
For some investors, this interface is cleaner and easier to understand.
WordStream
Just like the rest.
I wouldn’t opt into their demo or anything. Their sales team is pretty aggressive.
KeywordTool.io
This is a great tool to find closely related and local keyword search data. I like how you can look within YouTube data as well.
I could list a lot more options but I haven’t used many outside of these 4.
Wrapping It Up
Keyword research is really that simple.
The hardest part about keyword research for real estate investors is picking a keyword and staying focused on doing everything you can to optimize it. Investors (and entrepreneurs in general) get shiny object syndrome and get it in their head that there is something better out there.
What I find works for me is to do a bunch of keyword research until I feel confident in my research. To me, confidence is I have a clear strategy for how I am going to rank for that keyword and how I can beat the competition. If I am unsure, I will likely find a different keyword.
Once you have your keywords picked out it’s time to optimize your pages for them. Go here to learn everything you need to know about on-page SEO.