How a real estate team outranked Zillow for 27 local keywords
The keyword work we did for Expert Home Advisors, what it produced, and the parts that would be different for a lender.
The short version
Expert Home Advisors is a real estate team competing against Zillow and Realtor.com for the searches their buyers actually make. Over six months we moved them into the top three for 27 local keywords and organic leads rose +300%. Below is what we did, with the Search Console numbers and the dates they cover.
What we actually did
Four things, in this order. The order matters: citation work on a site search engines cannot crawl properly is wasted money.
1Strategic Keyword Research
We identify high-value local keywords that your competitors are missing, using advanced tools and local market analysis.
- • Local search intent analysis
- • Competitor keyword gap research
- • Long-tail keyword optimization
2Technical Optimization
We implement technical SEO improvements that help search engines understand and rank your local content effectively.
- • Local schema markup implementation
- • Page speed optimization
- • Mobile-first indexing
3Content & Citation Building
We create location-specific content and build local citations that establish your business as a local authority.
- • Location-specific landing pages
- • Local directory submissions
- • Customer review management
4Continuous Optimization
We monitor performance and continuously optimize your local SEO strategy to maintain and improve rankings.
- • Performance tracking & reporting
- • Competitor monitoring
- • Strategy refinement
Success Story: Expert Home Advisors
Rapid Results Through Strategic Local SEO
Shortly after signing up with Digital Optimus, Expert Home Advisors experienced remarkable improvements in their local search rankings through our rapid execution of a comprehensive on and off-site strategy.
On-Site Tactics
- • Local keyword optimization across all service pages
- • Location-specific content creation for Jacksonville market
- • Technical SEO improvements for better crawlability
- • Structured data implementation for local business
Off-Site Tactics
- • Local directory submissions and citations
- • Guest blogging on real estate platforms
- • Social media engagement with local community
- • Review management and reputation building
Performance Results: Jan 5 - May 17, 2025
Daily clicks climbed from roughly 5 to consistently above 110 across the period. The growth was steady rather than spiky, which is what you want to see: a spike usually means one page caught a trend, while a slope means the keyword set as a whole moved.
Results Achieved
Our focused approach on building local authority and engagement with buyers and sellers led to significant improvements in search visibility and organic traffic, positioning Expert Home Advisors as a trusted local real estate resource in Jacksonville, FL. The data shows consistent growth with impressions increasing by 76.8% and clicks by 59.1% compared to previous periods.
What would be different for a lender
The mechanics carry over, but the keyword set does not. A real estate team competes on place names, so the winnable terms are neighbourhoods and schools. A lender competes on scenarios, so the winnable terms are loan situations: self-employed underwriting, VA on new construction, DSCR credit minimums. Same method, different vocabulary — and lender terms tend to convert harder because the person searching has already decided to borrow.
The one thing that does not change: none of this works if the page loads slowly. With Future Home Loans we cut load time from 5.2s to 2.9s and the lead rate doubled inside a week, on the same traffic. Rankings bring people to the door. Speed decides whether they come in.
Want to see which local keywords you are losing?
The Blueprint lists the keywords your buyers search, who ranks in the top three for each one today, and which of those positions are realistically takeable. That is the same starting point we used here.
Prefer a written report? The Market Blueprint is a 15-page breakdown of your market, back within one business day.