Enter BriefYourMarket

Many estate agents use digital advertising to promote their business, and Google ads can form a major part of your agency marketing strategy.  

However, understanding how the platform works is key to your success. With that in mind we look at how estate agents can use Google ads.  

How do Google Ads work?

Google offers several advertising campaign types  

  • Search – text ads which show on Google search results 
  • Display – These ads are images which show across different websites 
  • Video – video ads which are displayed on YouTube 
  • Shopping – Products with images which show across Google search results 
  • App promotion – promoting an app across a range of mediums 

For estate agents, the most useful of the campaign types are often search ads. Search ads on Google work by bidding on specific keywords to that your advert appears at the top of search results.  

When you bid on a keyword you are entered into an auction against other advertisers who are bidding on the same keyword for the space to display your ad at the top of search results. If someone then clicks your ad – you pay for that click – which is why Google ads are often referred to as pay per click.  

Display ads may also be useful to help you to stay “front of mind” for your audience. For display ads, you are bidding for ads space online. You can choose a wide range of audiences to show your ads to – from those who have been recently searching for what you offer, to retargeting those who have already visited parts of your website.  

 

Understanding keywords

If you choose to create search ads for your estate agency – firstly be very clear on what you are looking to achieve. This will help you with your keyword research.  

For example, if you are looking to attract more vendors – then your keywords will focus on sales related searches such as “sell my home in (location)” or even “estate agency near me”. Whereas if you are looking to grow the number of managed properties, you may instead consider keywords such as “property management services in (location)”.  

It’s wise to be very specific with keywords, choosing those which have a “high intent” – meaning that the wording gives the impression that someone is ready to take action. As you pay for every click, you want to ensure that every one of them is worth it.  

 

Knowing the competition 

The cost per click of a keyword is, to some degree, set by market forces. Before choosing to embark on a Google ads campaign for your agency, take a look at the competition for the keywords you are looking to bid on in your area.  

While your “bricks and mortar” competition may be other agents, when it comes to Google ads, you may find that your competitors for ad space are a little different. For example, if you bid on the search term “sell my home quickly” you could discover that you are up against house buying or property investment companies.  Or if you bid on terms such as estate agent near me that your competitors include the big property portals. So be sure to ascertain who your competition is, and if you have the budget to compete with them.  

 

Whether you choose to drive enquiries from Google Ads or another source, making sure that you delight your customers once they come to you is key, so consider your marketing funnel carefully to gain maximum success from your ads campaigns.  

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