Every project has a launch date and a sell-out date. The site has to outlive both.
Real estate SEO: winning searches the property portals usually own
Search for a project name or a locality and the portals fill the first page. Real estate SEO for developers, brokers and proptech is about the searches you can actually win: your own project and brand names, the micro-markets you build in, and the questions buyers ask before they ever open a portal.
Answered here
- Why do 99acres, MagicBricks and Housing.com outrank our own project pages?
- When can a new project page go live under RERA?
- What should happen to a project page once the project sells out?
- Should every project get its own microsite?
- How do we reach NRI buyers searching from abroad?
Four problems, all of them real-estate-specific
- 01
The portals own your project’s name
Within weeks of launch, portals and brokers have pages for your project, often above yours. Yours should be the most complete: approvals, updates, plans, possession dates.
- 02
Every project page has a lifecycle
At sell-out, pages get deleted or left with stale prices, throwing away their links. The URL needs a plan for every stage.
- 03
Microsites split your authority
A domain per project starts from zero and is abandoned at sell-out. The brand site keeps none of its links.
- 04
The buyer is often not in the city
NRI buyers search from the Gulf, the UK or North America. Locality content has to work for someone who has never visited.
Page one, today
Who owns page one, for your own project name
Even your own project name is crowded. It is the search you can win back.
- AdBroker ads on the project name
- AI answerA summary stitched from portal listings
- Portal99acres project page
- Your pageYour own project pageThe slot to win. Only you hold the RERA details and construction updates the others copy.
- PortalMagicBricks project page
- AggregatorHousing.com listing
- BrokerBroker landing pages for the same project
A typical layout. The order varies by project and city.
Side by side
Where generic SEO goes wrong, and what real estate needs
A project business is not a static website.
| Topic | Generic agency approach | What real estate needs |
|---|---|---|
| Project pages | A campaign page, removed at sell-out. | One permanent URL that changes status. |
| Portals | Fight portals on every locality term. | Win your own names first. |
| Compliance | Pre-launch teasers and “book now” before approvals. | Nothing before RERA registration; registration number and authority website on every page. |
| Domains | A new microsite per project. | Projects as sections of the brand site. |
| Content | Generic posts on home loans and vastu. | Micro-market pages you actually know. |
| Measurement | Leads counted at form fill. | Enquiries tracked to site visits and bookings, by project. |
The buying path
How a buyer decides, and where search decides it
Months of research come before a site visit.
- 01
Shortlist localities
“2 bhk flats near hinjewadi”
Micro-markets compared on connectivity, schools and price.
Search decides this - 02
Find projects
“new launch projects in wakad”
Portals lead. Your listings must match your own page.
Search decides this - 03
Check the developer
“developer name completed projects”
Sold-out project pages prove a delivery record. Deleted ones prove nothing.
Search decides this - 04
Verify the project
“project name rera registration”
Registration, approvals, progress. Your page should answer first.
Search decides this - 05
Visit and book
Decided offline. Tracking shows which pages led there.
The plan
The first six months, around your launch calendar
Workstreams overlap; the next launch can move them.
- Search ownership mapMonth 1
- Microsite consolidationMonths 1 to 3
- Lifecycle project templateMonths 2 to 3
- Portal listing accuracyMonths 2 to 6
- Micro-market pagesMonths 3 to 6
- Enquiry to booking trackingMonths 1 to 6
A typical plan, not a guarantee. The sequence shifts around your launches.
Where RERA shapes the work
Under the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016, a promoter cannot advertise, market, book or sell units in a project that requires registration until it is registered with the state authority. So we build no pre-launch pages for unregistered projects.
Once registered, advertisements and prospectuses must show the registration number and the authority’s website address, so both sit in every project template. Some state authorities, MahaRERA among them, add requirements such as a QR code. Brokers and channel partners selling registered projects must be registered agents.
Find out who is ranking for your projects
Portals, abandoned microsites, project pages that vanish at sell-out, or compliance gaps. Thirty minutes on your projects and markets will tell you which one is costing you enquiries.
FAQ
Questions buyers ask us first.
Can we outrank 99acres and MagicBricks?
For broad locality searches, rarely. For your own project and brand names, yes: only you have the approvals, plans and updates.
When can a new project page go live?
In India, a project that requires RERA registration cannot be advertised or marketed until it is registered with the state authority. The page goes live with the registration, showing the number and the authority’s website.
Should each project have its own website?
Generally no. A section on the brand site lets each launch build on the last.
What do we do with project pages after sell-out?
Keep them; never delete them. Mark the project completed and link to current projects. Buyers checking your track record search for these pages.
Does SEO help with NRI buyers?
It can. NRI buyers rely on online research. Pages on buying as a non-resident, locality context and verifiable progress serve them well.
Is SEO worth it for a broker or channel partner?
Yes, if you focus on specific micro-markets, with local content, a strong Business Profile and consistent reviews.
How long does real estate SEO take?
Project page fixes can show within a few months; locality authority takes longer. We plan around your next launch, not a promised timeline.
What happens next
- Answer a few quick questions about your business. About two minutes.
- Pick a time that suits you for a free 30-minute call with a founder.
- We study your site before the call, so you leave with a plan, not a pitch.
Free, no obligation. Your answers save as you go, so you can stop and pick up where you left off.