SEO Case Study: How a Real Estate Company Increased Property Leads by 3X
In March 2025, an Atlanta based real estate company partnered with Goforaeo because their website was getting traffic, but not enough serious property enquiries. They were relying on portals and paid leads, and the quality was inconsistent. They wanted more direct leads from Google, from people searching for homes, agents, and neighborhoods.
This SEO campaign ran from March 18, 2025 to December 20, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia. We tracked property leads through Google Analytics 4, Google Search Console, CRM stages, and call tracking so the numbers reflect real buyer and seller interest.
Client snapshot: Atlanta real estate company and market coverage
This client is a residential real estate company based in Atlanta, serving buyers and sellers across key areas. Their strongest markets included Buckhead, Midtown, Old Fourth Ward, Decatur, Sandy Springs, and nearby suburbs. The website included IDX style listings plus service pages and local area content.
Before SEO, they ranked mainly for their brand name and a few broad terms. Many visitors landed on listing pages that did not explain value, and neighborhood pages were thin. Local visibility in Google Maps was also weaker than top competitors.
What counted as a property lead in this case study:
We counted only leads that showed real intent and could be followed up by the sales team. This kept reporting honest and avoided inflating results with spam.
- Counted as property leads:
- Request a showing forms from organic
- Property enquiry forms with phone and a specific address or MLS link
- Home valuation requests from organic
- Calls from organic that lasted 60 seconds or more
- Request a showing forms from organic
- Not counted:
- Rent requests, agent recruiting, vendor offers, and spam
- Very vague forms with no property interest
- Rent requests, agent recruiting, vendor offers, and spam
Dates, timeframe, and baseline setup
We used March 1 to March 31, 2025 as the baseline month for comparison. We used December 1 to December 31, 2025 as the final comparison month. Month by month tracking was reviewed in the first week of every new month to guide priorities.
We tracked two layers of results: total property leads and qualified property leads. Qualified leads were the ones that matched target areas, budget fit, and clear buyer or seller intent in the CRM.
Starting point in March 2025: Baseline metrics and what was wrong
In March 2025, the website had many pages indexed, but Google was not confident about which pages were most important. IDX pages were creating duplicates, and neighborhood content was not detailed enough to compete. Titles and headings were also too similar across pages, which caused keyword overlap.
The company was getting some leads, but many high intent searches were going to competitors. Their Google Business Profile had minimal activity, and reviews were not being used as a growth lever.
Baseline metrics: March 1 to March 31, 2025
- Organic sessions: 9,400
- Property leads from organic: 64
- Qualified property leads: 41
- Organic lead rate: 0.68%
- Calls from organic: 22
- Top 10 ranking keywords: 38
Before vs after proof: The 3X lead growth by December 2025
By December 2025, the site was ranking more often for neighborhood and service intent terms. People searching for homes for sale in specific areas were landing on strong local pages, not random listing results. The Google Business Profile also drove more calls and direction requests that turned into enquiries.
The biggest difference was intent match. We built pages for how people actually search in Atlanta, then we made it easy to enquire without friction.
Comparison metrics: December 1 to December 31, 2025
- Organic sessions: 24,900
- Property leads from organic: 198
- Qualified property leads: 132
- Organic lead rate: 0.79%
- Calls from organic: 71
- Top 10 ranking keywords: 141
Property leads increased from 64 in March 2025 to 198 in December 2025. That is a 3.09X increase in organic property leads within the campaign period, measured with the same tracking rules each month.
Strategy overview: What we did and why it worked
Real estate SEO works best when you combine local trust, neighborhood relevance, and clean technical control. We did not try to rank every listing page. We focused on building strong entry pages that match buyer and seller intent, then guided people to enquiry actions.
Our approach had four parts: technical cleanup for IDX and indexing, local SEO for Atlanta visibility, neighborhood and service content expansion, and authority building with real local links. We also improved conversion paths so more visitors became leads.
Part 1: Technical SEO for real estate sites with IDX pages
Real estate sites often struggle because IDX creates many similar URLs. Google can waste crawl time on filters, pagination, and thin listing result pages. In the first phase, we made sure Google focused on the pages that can rank and convert.
We cleaned index bloat, fixed duplicate metadata patterns, improved internal linking, and ensured canonical signals were consistent. We also improved mobile performance because many property searches happen on phones.
Technical actions we prioritized early:
- Noindex rules for low value filtered search pages
- Canonicals for primary neighborhood and city pages
- Fixing duplicate titles and thin page templates
- Improving Core Web Vitals basics on mobile
- Cleaning broken links and redirect chains
Part 2: Local SEO for Atlanta maps visibility and trust
Local signals matter even when people browse listings online. Many searches include “near me” intent or location intent like “real estate agent Buckhead” or “sell my house Midtown Atlanta”. We improved the Google Business Profile and built consistency across key citations.
We also created location aligned service pages so Google could connect the business to Atlanta neighborhoods. Reviews were handled as a process, not a one time request, to build steady trust signals.
Local SEO actions:
- Google Business Profile updates: services, categories, photos, and weekly posts
- Review system: simple request flow after showings and closings
- Citation cleanup: consistent business details across major directories
- Location mentions used naturally on core service pages
Part 3: Content plan focused on neighborhoods and seller intent
Most real estate websites have basic “areas we serve” pages. That does not win in competitive markets like Atlanta. We built neighborhood pages that answered real questions and supported both buyers and sellers.
We also created seller intent content that attracts high value leads, like home valuation, selling timelines, and pricing prep. These pages often convert better than general blog content because the visitor already has a clear goal.
Content types that drove the most leads:
- Neighborhood pages: lifestyle, commute, schools overview, and market notes
- “Homes for sale in” pages that linked cleanly into listings
- Seller pages: valuation, selling process, and prep checklists
- Buyer guides: financing basics and how showings work in Atlanta
Part 4: Authority building that fits real estate
We avoided low quality links. Instead, we earned local mentions and links that make sense for an Atlanta real estate brand. This included partnerships, local sponsorships, community pages, and content that local sites want to reference.
We also reclaimed unlinked brand mentions and fixed old broken backlinks. This is often a quick way to increase authority without creating new risk.
Authority actions we repeated:
- Local partner outreach: builders, stagers, photographers, lenders
- Sponsorship links: community events and neighborhood organizations
- Digital PR style pitches for market updates and guides
- Unlinked mention reclamation and broken link fixes
Tools used: Reporting and execution stack
We kept tools practical so the monthly process stayed consistent. The focus was tracking leads correctly and improving ranking pages that actually generate enquiries.
Tools used:
- Google Analytics 4: organic sessions, conversions, landing page performance
- Google Search Console: queries, impressions, clicks, indexing issues
- Google Tag Manager: lead event tracking and call click tracking
- CallRail: call tracking, call sources, call quality review
- CRM reporting: lead stage filters and qualification tracking
- Ahrefs: keyword research, competitor gap, backlink checks
- Screaming Frog: site crawls, duplicate issues, internal links
- PageSpeed Insights and Lighthouse: speed checks and fixes
- BrightLocal: citations and local visibility checks
- Looker Studio: monthly dashboards
- Google Sheets: monthly sprint plan and content tracker
Month by month work and results: March to December 2025
March 2025: Audit, tracking fixes, IDX index control
We started with a full site crawl, Search Console review, and a lead tracking audit. We corrected GA4 conversion events, set up call tracking, and cleaned up the index so Google stopped focusing on thin filters. This month set the base for reliable reporting.
Monthly results:
- Organic sessions: 9,400
- Property leads: 64
- Qualified property leads: 41
- Calls from organic: 22
Key work completed:
- IDX filter pages controlled with noindex rules
- Canonicals reviewed for core location pages
- Lead tracking cleanup in GA4 and Tag Manager
April 2025: Google Business Profile and local landing pages
We optimized the Google Business Profile and fixed citation consistency. We also improved core service pages for Atlanta intent and built clean internal links from the homepage to money pages. Early local improvements helped calls even before rankings moved.
Monthly results:
- Organic sessions: 10,600
- Property leads: 72
- Qualified property leads: 48
- Calls from organic: 26
Key work completed:
- GBP posts started weekly and services expanded
- Citation cleanup and duplicate listing fixes
- Service page titles rewritten for clearer intent
May 2025: Neighborhood pages phase one
We built the first group of detailed neighborhood pages and connected them to relevant listings. Each page used simple language and answered common questions buyers ask before booking a showing. Internal links were added to guide users from neighborhoods to enquiry actions.
Monthly results:
- Organic sessions: 12,300
- Property leads: 88
- Qualified property leads: 58
- Calls from organic: 31
Key work completed:
- 6 neighborhood pages published and interlinked
- On page improvements for “Atlanta real estate agent” intent
- Stronger enquiry blocks added to neighborhood pages
June 2025: Seller intent content and valuation lead flow
This month focused on seller leads, because they are often higher value and more consistent. We improved the valuation page, added a clear form flow, and published seller focused guides tied to Atlanta timelines. We also improved FAQ sections based on Search Console queries.
Monthly results:
- Organic sessions: 14,900
- Property leads: 104
- Qualified property leads: 71
- Calls from organic: 36
Key work completed:
- “Sell my house in Atlanta” content cluster started
- Valuation page improved with clearer steps and trust points
- Internal links added from blogs to seller pages
July 2025: Speed improvements and schema updates
We improved mobile performance on listing templates and core landing pages. We also implemented structured data where it made sense for local business and FAQs. This helped click through and improved how pages appeared in search results.
Monthly results:
- Organic sessions: 16,800
- Property leads: 118
- Qualified property leads: 80
- Calls from organic: 41
Key work completed:
- Mobile speed cleanup on top landing pages
- FAQ schema added to key service and neighborhood pages
- Duplicate meta patterns reduced across templates
August 2025: Authority building with Atlanta local links
By this point, the pages were stronger, so link earning had more impact. We started outreach to local partners and community sites, and we promoted useful guides that were easy to reference. This supported neighborhood rankings and improved trust.
Monthly results:
- Organic sessions: 18,700
- Property leads: 132
- Qualified property leads: 89
- Calls from organic: 47
Key work completed:
- Partner link outreach started with a simple pitch process
- Unlinked brand mentions reclaimed
- Market guide content promoted to local sites
September 2025: Content expansion based on real search demand
We used Search Console to find terms where the site was close to page one. Those pages were improved by expanding thin sections and adding internal links from high-traffic pages. We also published additional neighborhood pages based on lead conversion data.
Monthly results:
- Organic sessions: 20,900
- Property leads: 150
- Qualified property leads: 101
- Calls from organic: 53
Key work completed:
- 8 pages improved that ranked positions 8 to 20
- Neighborhood pages phase two published
- Title and meta updates for higher clicks
October 2025: Conversion improvements and lead quality filtering
This month focused on turning more traffic into real leads. We simplified forms, made phone CTAs clearer on mobile, and improved trust sections with reviews and short proof points. We also added a few new landing pages for high intent “agent near” searches.
Monthly results:
- Organic sessions: 22,700
- Property leads: 168
- Qualified property leads: 114
- Calls from organic: 61
Key work completed:
- Form friction reduced: fewer fields, clearer next step
- Stronger call buttons and click tracking on mobile
- Review snippets placed on key conversion pages
November 2025: Refreshing winners and pushing top neighborhoods
We refreshed top performing neighborhood pages with updated market notes and better internal links. We also continued local link earning and improved the GBP with new photos and posts. Rankings were now holding stronger, which supported consistent leads.
Monthly results:
- Organic sessions: 23,600
- Property leads: 182
- Qualified property leads: 123
- Calls from organic: 66
Key work completed:
- Content refresh for top neighborhood pages
- Additional local links and mentions earned
- GBP posting and Q and A improvements continued
December 2025: Compounding results and 3X lead milestone
By December, earlier work stacked together: better index control, stronger local pages, more authority, and clearer conversion paths. We updated internal links again so the pages generating leads got the most support. The result was the strongest month for organic property leads.
Monthly results:
- Organic sessions: 24,900
- Property leads: 198
- Qualified property leads: 132
- Calls from organic: 71
Key work completed:
- Final round of internal linking improvements to top converters
- Additional outreach for local mentions and partner links
- Landing page improvements based on heatmap and scroll data
Why this campaign produced 3X property leads
The first driver was fixing how Google crawled the site. Once we controlled IDX bloat and strengthened canonical signals, rankings became more stable. That gave our neighborhood and service pages more room to perform.
The second driver was neighborhood content that matched real searches in Atlanta. Buyers and sellers do not search in generic terms, they search by area and intent. When those pages improved, traffic came in with stronger intent, and leads followed.
The third driver was conversion clarity. The site became easier to contact, easier to book showings, and easier to trust. Reviews, proof points, and simpler forms helped turn visits into property enquiries.
Final summary
From March 18, 2025 to December 20, 2025, Goforaeo helped an Atlanta real estate company build a steady SEO lead engine. Organic property leads increased from 64 in March 2025 to 198 in December 2025, which is a 3X increase backed by monthly tracking and lead qualification rules.