Running Google Ads for your real estate business? Chances are, you started with the obvious: terms like “homes for sale [your city]” or “[your city] real estate agent.” These are essential starting points, but relying solely on these broad keywords is often like casting a vast net hoping to catch a specific type of fish – you might get some bites, but you’ll also pull in a lot you don’t want, wasting time, effort, and crucially, your ad budget.

At Blok, we work exclusively with real estate agents, and we see this all the time. Agents come to us frustrated because their SEM campaigns generate clicks, maybe even some leads, but the quality isn’t there. They’re fielding calls from renters, tire-kickers, or people searching for completely different services. The culprit? Often, it’s a keyword strategy that hasn’t dug deep enough into search intent.

To truly make Google Ads a powerful lead generation engine, you need to go beyond the basics and master the art of identifying high-intent keywords for both buyers and sellers, while strategically filtering out irrelevant searches.

The Problem with Only Using Broad Keywords

Keywords like “homes for sale [city]” are what we call “head terms.” They have high search volume, which seems appealing, but they also come with drawbacks:

1. High Competition: Every agent and major portal is bidding on these terms, driving up the cost per click (CPC).
2. Vague Intent: Someone searching this might be ready to buy, just browsing, looking for rental market info, or even doing market research. Their intent isn’t specific.
3. Wasted Spend: You pay for every click, whether it’s from a genuinely interested buyer/seller or someone completely irrelevant to your services.

Decoding Search Intent: Buyer vs. Seller Signals

The real magic happens when you understand why someone is searching. Their chosen words reveal a lot about where they are in their journey.

• Buyer Intent Keywords: These signal someone is actively looking to purchase property. They range from early-stage research to ready-to-transact:
  • Early/Mid-Stage: “best neighborhoods in [city] for families,” “cost of living [city],” “new construction homes [area]”
  • High Intent: “3 bedroom house for sale [zip code],” “condo near [specific landmark] [city],” “open houses this weekend [neighborhood],” “buy townhouse [specific development]”
• Seller Intent Keywords: These indicate someone is considering or actively looking to sell their property:
  • Early/Mid-Stage: “how much is my home worth [city],” “real estate market trends [neighborhood],” “tips for selling a house”
  • High Intent: “sell my house fast [city],” “real estate agent valuation [zip code],” “listing agent near me,” “get cash offer for my house [city]”

Focusing budget on these higher-intent keywords means your ads are shown to people actively looking for the services you provide, dramatically increasing the likelihood of generating a qualified lead.

The Power of Long-Tail Keywords

Many high-intent keywords fall into the category of “long-tail keywords.” These are longer, more specific search phrases (usually 3+ words). While they have lower individual search volume compared to head terms, they offer significant advantages:

• Lower Competition: Fewer agents are bidding on highly specific phrases.
• Higher Specificity: Someone searching “waterfront property for sale on [lake name]” has a much clearer need than someone searching “houses for sale.”
• Better Conversion Rates: Because the intent is clearer, clicks on ads targeting long-tail keywords are far more likely to convert into genuine leads.

Think about niche property types, specific features, neighborhoods, school districts, or financing options relevant to your market.

Don’t Forget Negative Keywords: Your Budget’s Best Friend

Equally important as choosing the right keywords is telling Google which searches not to show your ads for. This is done using negative keywords. For real estate agents, this is absolutely critical for avoiding wasted spend. Common examples include:

• Rentals: rent, rental, apartment, lease
• Jobs: jobs, career, hiring, employment
• Irrelevant Services: commercial, appraisal course, real estate school, fsbo (unless you specifically target FSBOs)
• Competitor Names (Optional): You might exclude searches for specific large brokerages if that’s not your target.
• Low-Intent Terms: free, information, statistics, map (unless relevant to your ad)

Regularly reviewing your search terms report in Google Ads and adding irrelevant searches as negative keywords is an ongoing process that continuously refines your campaigns and protects your budget.

Putting It All Together: A Smarter Strategy

A sophisticated SEM strategy, like the ones we build at Blok, involves:

1. Researching: Identifying a broad range of buyer and seller keywords, including head terms and long-tail variations.
2. Segmenting: Grouping keywords by intent (buyer vs. seller, stage of journey) into specific ad groups.
3. Targeting: Crafting highly relevant ad copy and landing pages that speak directly to the intent behind each keyword group.
4. Refining: Continuously adding negative keywords to eliminate waste and optimizing bids based on performance.

Moving beyond generic keywords requires effort, but the payoff is significant: higher quality leads, lower cost per lead, and a better overall return on your marketing investment. Stop casting a wide, inefficient net and start strategically targeting the buyers and sellers who are actively searching for an agent like you.

Need help implementing a keyword strategy that drives high-quality real estate leads? Blok specializes in data-driven SEM campaigns designed specifically for agents. Schedule a consultation today to learn more.