SEO vs Paid Ads for Estate Agents: Which Should You Invest In?

It's one of the most common questions we hear from estate agents: “Should I invest in SEO or Google Ads?” The honest answer is that both have a place in a well-rounded marketing strategy — but the right allocation depends on your business stage, budget, and goals. Getting this decision wrong means either waiting too long for results or burning money on clicks that don't convert.

Understanding SEO for Estate Agents

SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is the practice of improving your website's visibility in organic (unpaid) search results. When someone searches “estate agent in Clapham” or “best realtor in Denver,” SEO determines whether your website appears in the non-paid listings.

• Pros: Free traffic once established. Compounds over time — content published months ago continues to generate leads. Builds long-term brand authority. Also improves your visibility in AI search engines (GEO).
• Cons: Takes 3–6 months to see meaningful results. Requires consistent content creation and technical optimisation. Algorithm changes can temporarily impact rankings.

Understanding Paid Ads for Estate Agents

Paid advertising — primarily Google Ads and Facebook/Instagram Ads — puts your business in front of potential clients immediately. You pay per click (Google) or per impression (social media), and traffic starts flowing as soon as your campaign goes live.

• Pros: Immediate visibility. Precise targeting by location, demographics, and intent. Fully measurable ROI. Easy to scale up when campaigns are working.
• Cons: Costs money for every lead. Traffic stops the moment you stop paying. Increasing competition drives up costs over time. Requires ongoing management and optimisation.

The Real Comparison

The SEO vs paid ads debate misses the point because it frames them as alternatives when they're actually complementary strategies that work best together. Here's how they compare on the metrics that matter to agents:

• Cost per lead. SEO leads are free once your rankings are established, but the upfront investment in content and optimisation is significant. Google Ads leads cost £20–80 ($30–100) per lead depending on your market. Over time, SEO delivers a lower cost per lead, but paid ads deliver faster.
• Lead quality. Both channels capture high-intent leads because the user is actively searching for an agent. In our experience, SEO leads convert at slightly higher rates because the user chose to click an organic result, which carries more perceived credibility.
• Time to results. Paid ads generate leads within days. SEO typically takes 3–6 months for competitive keywords, though local long-tail terms can rank faster.
• Sustainability. SEO builds a lasting asset. A well-ranked page can generate leads for years. Paid ads stop generating leads the moment you stop spending.

The Right Approach by Business Stage

Your ideal split between SEO and paid ads depends on where you are in your business:

Just Starting Out

If you need leads now — because you're a new agency, entering a new market, or your pipeline is empty — paid ads should take the larger share of your budget. Run Google Ads targeting high-intent seller keywords in your area while simultaneously building your SEO foundations (website content, Google Business Profile, local citations).

Suggested split: 70% paid ads, 30% SEO. Transition as organic traffic grows.

Established and Growing

If your website has been live for six months or more and you're generating some organic traffic, shift more investment toward SEO and content creation. Continue running paid ads on your highest-converting keywords, but expand your content library to capture long-tail searches and build AI citation potential.

Suggested split: 50% SEO, 50% paid ads. Adjust based on performance data.

Market Leader

If you already rank well for your core keywords and have strong organic traffic, you can reduce paid spend on terms where you rank organically (you're paying for traffic you'd get anyway). Redirect that budget to new markets, new campaign types (retargeting, brand awareness), or double down on content that strengthens your AI search visibility.

Suggested split: 70% SEO/GEO, 30% paid ads. Use ads strategically for new markets and competitor defence.

The Power of Using Both

The most effective approach is to use paid ads and SEO together strategically. Use paid ads data to inform your SEO strategy — the keywords that convert best in your ad campaigns are the ones you should prioritise in your organic content. Use your organic content to improve your ad quality scores and landing page relevance, which reduces your cost per click.

Appearing in both the paid ads section and the organic results for the same search query also significantly increases total click-through rates. Studies show that having both a paid and organic presence for a keyword generates 89% more clicks than either alone.

Measuring and Adjusting

Whichever mix you choose, measurement is critical. Track your cost per lead, cost per valuation, and cost per instruction from each channel through your analytics dashboard. Review the data monthly and adjust your allocation based on what's actually delivering results, not assumptions or industry averages.

Not sure how to allocate your marketing budget? Book a free strategy call and we'll analyse your market, competition, and current performance to recommend the right mix of SEO and paid ads for your agency.