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Many customers start their house hunt or search for an estate agency with a Google search. When once you would have walked along the high street and opened a door, now you scroll down the results page and click on a website.
Unsurprisingly, the agencies at the top of the high street with their big shiny window displays and inviting interiors captured the most customers. The same is true for the Google search page. The estate agent at the top of the page is most often clicked. The fastest and most reliable way to appear at the top of the page is with an advert. Not your budget breaking TV ad, or motorway banner, but a small boost that pushes your website to the top of the page for less than the price of a coffee.
By looking at how agencies are competing via these paid ads we can understand the dynamics of an area, like London. Who has highly specific campaigns focussed on their key areas or which agencies are going for broad brand awarness.
PPC, or Pay-Per-Click, is an online advertising model where advertisers pay a fee each time someone clicks on one of their ads. It’s a way to drive traffic to your website by paying for it rather than earning it organically. For estate agents, PPC is particularly effective as it allows you to target specific audiences, ensuring your ads are shown to people actively searching for property services.
Examples of PPC platforms include Google Ads, which lets you display ads on Google search results pages and across its Display Network, and Google Maps, where local property searches can bring up your agency’s listing at the top of results. Microsoft Advertising (Bing Ads) works similarly to Google Ads but targets users of Bing, giving you access to a different, often less competitive, audience.
The benefits for estate agents are significant. PPC ensures that your ads are seen by people searching for properties or estate agency services in your area, driving high-intent traffic to your website. You can set specific budgets, control ad placements, and adjust your targeting for maximum ROI. This is especially useful for promoting property listings, local brand visibility, or generating seller leads.
In collaboration with Roar, a digital marketing agency focused on data analysis and location-based strategies, we have been consistently monitoring paid search results across 4,000 locations in the UK, 1,700 of which are in London and Greater London, over the past few years. Each month, we track which businesses advertise in search queries for terms like "estate agents in Islington", "house valuation in Richmond", or "how much is my home in Bromley worth?".
This ongoing research has allowed us to build a rich dataset, giving us valuable insights into how estate agents across the UK compete for that coveted top spot, particularly in London. We can break down the data further to focus on specific boroughs and areas, such as monitoring estate agency visibility in Lambeth or Camden., or even specific postcodes.
On a national scale, Rightmove and Zoopla dominate the search landscape, primarily due to their massive digital presence and comfortable budget, which makes them visible in any location across the UK. Your Move emerges as the estate agency with the widest reach on Google, benefiting from both strong organic rankings and Google Maps visibility. Meanwhile, On The Market and Yopa also feature prominently but their reliance on paid search campaigns highlights a different focus. Nationally recognised chains with a significant branch presence, like Hamptons, continue to maintain strong search visibility, as one might expect in both paid and organic rankings.
Purplebricks stands out as the dominant player, covering 2,815 paid searches across 243 locations in London, with an average position of 2nd on the first page of Google. Their significant investment in paid search strategies has allowed them to maintain high visibility, ensuring their brand remains top of mind for potential clients.
Agency finder firm GetAgent follows closely, securing 2,343 searches across 248 locations with an equally strong average position, demonstrating their robust presence in the paid search landscape. Similarly, Yopa captures 1,898 paid searches in 243 locations, further highlighting the importance of paid search in increasing online prominence in the crucial London market for the big online players.
Agencies with a strong office footprint across London, such as Foxtons, Hamptons, Knight Frank and KFH, all have strong natural listings that they substantially enhance with effective Google ads campaigns, illustrating how strategic paid visibility can lead to increased exposure. For many agents, this is the best option as it allows you to tightly control your budget whilst bringing in the most traffic.
Please just get in touch for a personalised report specific to your agency. We'll be delighted to walk you through the data that relates to you and your local area.
Let's take a closer look at Blackheath as an example, to see how different types of agencies perform at a deeper level in one area of the city.
In Blackheath, we identified 196 paid searches within the area, indicating a fairly competitive environment for estate agents leveraging paid search strategies. These could be ads on searches such as "Houses for sale in Blackheath", for example.
Felicity J Lord leads the pack for traditional agencies, with ads covering six different searches, and Conran Estates and Robinson Jackson are just behind covering five unique searches. Other agencies, such as Foxtons and Winkworth, have a wider overall exposure through organic, map and ad listings, but it shows the importance of a well-thought-out paid search strategy to bolster online visibility in a crowded market.
We can give you a free, personalised report specific to your agency and local area. Just get in touch!
Once you've covered the essentials like keyword research, crafting engaging ad copy, and setting up well-targeted campaigns, it’s time to upscale your approach. The key is to fine-tune your strategy, focusing on search terms that align closely with your business offerings and the specific needs of your potential clients.
For example, bidding on keywords such as “estate agents in Wimbledon” can drive significant, relevant traffic if implemented correctly. Achieving this requires well-structured campaigns, optimised landing pages, and dynamic ads that resonate with property seekers in London’s competitive market.
Simultaneously, it's vital to continually monitor and optimise key PPC elements such as Quality Score, ad extensions, and budget management. Pairing this with remarketing and display ads will enhance your digital presence, signalling to Google that your ads are highly relevant and provide a top-tier user experience. This can lead to better ad placement and lower cost-per-click.
PPC campaigns should be optimised on an ongoing basis to stay competitive and responsive to changes in the marketplace. This can feel overwhelming, especially when trying to pinpoint where to start. Working closely with a digital marketing agency can help you refine your PPC strategy, especially when launching new campaigns or updating your website.
With platforms like Homeflow, which integrate seamlessly with PPC tools, your campaigns will be more targeted and better equipped to capture leads effectively. As your website evolves, so should your PPC strategy, ensuring that new content and services are reflected in your ads. If your campaigns are already up and running, making regular tweaks to improve performance and targeting is a smart and proactive approach.
AI technologies, particularly generative tools like ChatGPT, are transforming the search environment and redefining how people in London and Greater London seek out information. Increasingly, users are turning to these platforms for swift, concise answers, potentially diminishing the effectiveness of traditional search engine ranking strategies.
To stay competitive in this AI-driven landscape, it is crucial to focus on producing high-quality, context-rich content that aligns with the latest AI algorithms and natural language processing models.
For instance, when asking ChatGPT, “Who is the best estate agent in Richmond?” the response may vary with each query. This variability underscores the importance of staying updated with AI trends to maintain visibility.
Google’s AI, Gemini, is designed to advance search capabilities by offering more refined, context-sensitive responses that deeply understand user intent, providing highly tailored results. As a result, users may find exactly what they need without scrolling through multiple pages, making searches quicker and more precise.
By following these steps, you can enhance your visibility, attract more clients, and stay ahead of the competition in your area within Greater London.
