How to Get Real Estate Leads Online: 9 Proven Tips (2024)

Imagine growing your real estate business while you sleep, without spending a fortune on advertising. Online lead generation strategies can make this a reality, bringing you new clients at a fraction of the cost of traditional methods. The best part? You can reach high-intent real estate leads who are actively searching for a realtor, making them far more likely to engage and convert.

At OptinMonster, we’re experts in lead generation, helping small businesses like yours engage potential clients and turn them into loyal customers. In fact, OptinMonster helped real estate company Woodside Communities increase their leads by 476% and revenue by $294,435 in just 2 months!

In this guide, I’ll show you how to get real estate leads with 9 powerful, easy-to-implement strategies. These tips will help you build a pipeline of qualified leads, so you can focus on what you do best: closing deals.

• What Is Real Estate Lead Generation?
• Why Online Lead Generation Is Essential for Real Estate
• 9 Best Online Lead Generation Tips for Real Estate

What Is Real Estate Lead Generation?

Real estate lead generation is the process of attracting and nurturing potential clients, whether they’re buyers, sellers, landlords, tenants, or investors. Lead generation is the first step in the real estate marketing process. Before you can sell a property, you need to connect with homeowners interested in selling. To earn commissions as a buyer’s agent, you must first identify and engage buyers looking for a new home. Essentially, lead generation is the foundation of a successful real estate business.

Because real estate transactions can take time, lead generation is an ongoing process. Some clients may take months to make a decision, and others may decide not to proceed at all. That’s why real estate professionals must maintain a steady pipeline of potential clients and always work to attract and nurture new leads.

Why Online Lead Generation is Essential for Real Estate

Real estate is a competitive industry, even when market conditions are favorable. To get more clients and sales, you need to think about ways to get more leads online.

While traditional methods like cold calling, direct mail, and open houses still play a role, they’re often limited in reach and cost-effectiveness. Online lead generation, on the other hand, allows real estate professionals to attract leads 24/7, tap into broader audiences, and build lasting relationships with potential clients.

For example, open houses allow you to meet potential buyers. However, they have limitations, as you can only be in one place at a time. Other traditional methods, like postcards, may leave an impression, but they’re costly and often overlooked.

With online lead generation, you can reach a virtually unlimited audience, many of whom are already actively searching for real estate solutions. Unlike direct mail or local events, online strategies let you connect with high-intent leads anytime, without the need for constant, hands-on effort.

By optimizing for organic search, you can attract leads at little to no cost. With the right strategies, online lead generation becomes a scalable and cost-effective way to build a steady stream of new clients.

9 Best Online Lead Generation Tips for Real Estate

Next, I’ll share my top tips for generating more leads for your real estate business. Feel free to use these links to jump to the tip you’re most interested in:

1. Optimize Your Website for SEO
2. Start an Email Marketing List
3. Add Lead-Capturing Popups and Forms to Your Real Estate Site
4. Offer a Lead Magnet
5. Target Your Lead-Generation Campaigns Based on Geolocation
6. Run Targeted Google and Social Media Ads
7. Create Dedicated Landing Pages for Ad Campaigns
8. Feature Client Testimonials for Social Proof
9. Add a Vendor Directory to Your Site

1. Optimize Your Website for SEO

Search engine optimization (SEO) is a powerful way to attract high-quality real estate leads without the ongoing cost of ads. You can target SEO keywords like “homes for sale in [your area]” and “real estate agent in [your city].” These keywords can drive traffic from people actively looking for real estate services in your area.

Create dedicated webpages for neighborhoods or property types to showcase local expertise and improve rankings for location-specific searches. For instance, a page titled “Homes for Sale in Downtown Chicago” can attract buyers interested in that area.

Additionally, high-quality content like blog posts, neighborhood guides, and market updates can engage visitors and boost search rankings. With a well-optimized website, you’ll build a steady stream of organic traffic and attract more leads over time.

2. Start an Email Marketing List

Before you start turning your website traffic into leads, you’ll need to set up an email list. Email marketing is the marketing channel with the highest ROI, and getting started is incredibly easy.

You’ll need to sign up for an email service provider, such as Constant Contact or Brevo (formerly Sendinblue). These services let you send mass emails, segment your email list for targeted campaigns, and automate your email marketing.

You’ll also need a way for people to subscribe to your list through your website, which I’ll cover in the next step.

3. Add Lead-Capturing Popups and Forms to Your Real Estate Site

You’re driving traffic to your website, and you’re set up to start emailing your leads. Next, you need a tool to convert your website visitors into subscribers and buyers.

OptinMonster is the #1 lead generation software for growing your list of real estate leads. You can use our 700+ pre-made templates to add a variety of lead-capture campaigns to your site, such as:

• Lightbox Popups
• Floating Bars
• Fullscreen Welcome Mats
• Slide-In Scroll Boxes
• Inline Forms
• and more!

For example, you can create a popup like this one for your real estate newsletter:

With OptinMonster’s easy drag-and-drop builder, you can customize any template in minutes.

If you have a decent designer on your team, you can even create campaigns from scratch. Either way, OptinMonster makes it easy to create eye-catching popups and other lead-generation campaigns that are optimized to convert.

OptinMonster integrates with all major email marketing platforms, so your new leads will automatically be added to your email list.

You can do more than just collect email addresses for your list, however. For example, you may want to follow up with your real estate leads individually. Your OptinMonster campaign can include any kind of contact form or survey questions that you need.

Woodside Communities added this OptinMonster popup to their website:

This friendly, personal popup helped them increase their monthly new leads from 46 to 116 in just 2 months. And because they reached out to each lead individually, they increased their revenue by $294,435 in that same time span.

You might be wondering what to send to your new leads once they subscribe to your email list. Your email marketing doesn’t have to be complicated! Just share what potential buyers and sellers are most curious about:

• New listings in the area
• Recent sales in their neighborhood (including final sales prices!)
• General market conditions
• Tips for preparing their home for sale
• Checklists for moving out of or into a house
• First-time home buyer guide

4. Offer a Lead Magnet

One way to build your email list quickly is to offer a lead magnet. A lead magnet is something you give subscribers in return for their contact information. So rather than simply asking them to subscribe, you make a compelling and valuable free offer.

Some lead magnet ideas for real estate include:

• Home sale checklist
• Buyer documents checklist
• Preferred vendor directory
• An email course on staging a home for sale
• Personalized home valuation or market report by phone, email, or even in person

OptinMonster has multiple templates available for offering lead magnets, such as this one:

Lead magnet campaigns let you offer value in exchange for your visitor’s contact information, which incentivizes them to sign up. Once they’re on your email list, follow up with helpful content and clear opportunities to work with you.

5. Target Your Lead-Generation Campaigns Based on Geolocation

Like they always say in real estate: location, location, location! Geolocation marketing is a key part of any real estate lead generation strategy. After all, you need to specifically reach people who are looking to buy or sell in the areas you serve.

Thankfully, OptinMonster lets you target and personalize your onsite campaigns based on your website visitor’s location.

OptinMonster’s Geolocation Targeting rules let you show different campaigns and forms based on the visitor’s location. Even better? You can set up your Geolocation rules in just a few clicks.

You can also use OptinMonster’s Smart Tags to reference the location your lead lives in:

Personalized campaigns like this catch your visitors’ attention and encourage engagement. In fact, Expat.com grew its membership by 30,000 people a month using OptinMonster’s personalized campaigns.

Your onsite campaigns are only one way to use geotargeting. You can also use geolocation to target your online ads, which I’ll cover next.

6. Run Targeted Google and Social Media Ads

No matter how good your SEO strategy is, there’s a limit to how much organic traffic you can bring to your site. But you can also boost your real estate leads with pay-per-click (PPC) ads on Google and social media. By focusing your ads on specific demographics, locations, interests, and behaviors, you can connect with potential clients actively seeking real estate services.

Google Ads: With Google’s audience targeting options, you can reach users based on their search behavior and online activity. Just like OptinMonster, Google lets you choose which locations you want to target or exclude from your ads. You can also create remarketing campaigns to re-engage visitors who previously explored your website. This is a great way to remind people of your services as they continue their property search. Check out our guide to retargeting your Google Ads campaigns.

Social Media Ads: Platforms like Facebook and Instagram offer advanced targeting features, allowing you to define your audience by location, age, interests, and more. Retargeting ads can remind users of properties they’ve viewed or encourage them to complete a contact form. Check out this guide on optimizing Facebook ads for conversions.

Targeted ad campaigns, especially when combined with tools like OptinMonster, can skyrocket your real estate leads and help you guide those leads through your sales funnel.

7. Create Dedicated Landing Pages for Ad Campaigns

If you’re running ads to drive traffic to your site, make sure to send that traffic to dedicated landing pages instead of your homepage. A landing page is a standalone webpage on your site, created for a specific ad or campaign and focused on a singular goal.

A targeted landing page can dramatically boost your conversion rate by matching the ad’s message and focusing on a single, clear call-to-action (CTA).

For example, if you’re running an ad targeting first-time homebuyers, create a landing page specifically for them. Include a headline like “Start Your Homeownership Journey” and a call-to-action encouraging visitors to schedule a consultation or download a first-time buyer’s guide. This approach keeps the experience relevant and increases the chances of turning visitors into leads.

Need an easy way to create landing pages fast? SeedProd is the best landing page builder for WordPress, giving you everything you need to create high-converting, professional landing pages.

Its drag-and-drop editor is easy to use, and it comes with pre-made templates optimized for conversions. You can quickly add elements like testimonials and contact forms, which are ideal for capturing leads on real estate pages.

With SeedProd, you get a streamlined way to create dedicated landing pages that align perfectly with each ad campaign, helping you capture and convert more real estate leads. Get started with SeedProd.

8. Feature Client Testimonials for Social Proof

Client testimonials are essential for generating real estate leads. By sharing real stories of satisfied clients, you build trust with potential buyers and sellers and show them exactly why you’re the right choice for their real estate needs.

Testimonials are powerful examples of social proof, the psychological concept that people are influenced by the actions and opinions of others. Social proof statistics consistently show that customers are more likely to sign up or buy when they see recommendations from real people.

You can add testimonials to OptinMonster campaigns, landing pages, and throughout your website. We do exactly that on our own website:

In real estate, a positive testimonial from a homebuyer or a seller who had a smooth transaction can make a huge impact. These real stories show prospects that you’re trustworthy and capable, increasing the likelihood that they’ll reach out to you.

9. Add a Vendor Directory to Your Site

Our final real estate lead generation strategy is a variation on traditional networking: publishing a vendor directory on your website.

While some real estate companies jealously guard their favorite plumbers or interior designers, we think that sharing some of your professional network is a better idea. When you publicly recommend a vendor, they’re more likely to return the favor and refer business to you.

Plus, you may be able to capture some of their search volume. Someone searching for a local electrician could end up on your vendor directory page and find other helpful information. This makes them more likely to remember and reach out to you when they’re ready to work with a realtor.

To make the directory a better list-building strategy, you could use gated content. This means that parts of the directory are hidden until someone enters their email address. You then have the perfect opportunity to send a complete vendor list to their email along with other lead nurturing content.

OptinMonster makes it easy to create gated content with a simple content-locking campaign:

Start Generating Real Estate Leads Today

With the right online lead generation strategies, growing your real estate business can be both efficient and cost-effective. By implementing these tips, you’ll attract high-quality leads who are already interested in buying, selling, or investing in real estate. Your website and ads will do lead-generation work for you, and you can focus on closing deals.

OptinMonster is here to make lead generation easy. With our powerful tools, you can create targeted campaigns, capture leads, and nurture them through automated follow-ups, all designed to help you grow your real estate business.

What are you waiting for? Start building your list of real estate leads today with OptinMonster!

Related Resources

• 32 Best Lead Generation Software and Tools
• 11 Proven Ways to Generate Organic Leads and Increase Traffic
• 14 Lead Generation Form Examples (Convert Visitors Into Customers)