How to Get Real Estate Backlinks in 2024: 12 Strategies to Score Big

Whether you're running a real estate agency, a real estate investment platform, or a moving company, you already know that getting noticed online is tough. That’s why today we’re going to guide you on how to get strong real estate backlinks.

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No matter your focus—local visibility or nationwide authority—we’ve got you covered. We’ll walk you through 12 proven strategies and provide a step-by-step guide to implement your real estate link-building campaign effectively. Let’s get started!

How to Run a Successful Real Estate Link Building Campaign?

Before we get into the main link-building strategies, let me walk you through the entire real estate link-building campaign. Let’s cover the entire process step by step so you learn where to start.

Step 1: Assess Your Site’s SEO Performance

Start by reviewing your SEO performance using tools like Google Analytics, Google Search Console, or Ahrefs. I'll walk you through the process using Ahrefs to help you do it effectively.  In this step we will considering the following metrics:

• Backlink Profile
• Organic Traffic and Top Pages on Your Website that you Rank for

Let’s start from backlinks:

1. Access Site Explorer: Log into Ahrefs and use Site Explorer to enter your website’s URL. This gives you an overview of your backlink profile.

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2. Review Key Metrics: some text

1. Total Backlinks: Shows how many links point to your site.
2. Referring Domains: The number of unique domains linking to you—more important than just the backlink count.
3. Domain Rating (DR): Measures your site’s backlink strength.
4. URL Rating (UR): Reflects the strength of individual pages’ backlink profiles.

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3. Analyze the Backlinks Report: Review all inbound links. Focus on the authority and relevance of linking domains, and check that anchor texts are natural, not overly optimized.

4. Evaluate Referring Domains: See all unique domains linking to you. Check their Domain Rating and determine whether links are “dofollow” (passing SEO value) or “nofollow.”

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5. Monitor Link Growth: Use Ahrefs' graphs to track how your backlink profile grows or declines over time. Watch for sudden spikes or drops and investigate any unusual changes.

Note: Make sure to toggle the “Dofollow” button while conducting the audit. By doing a quick audit using Ahrefs, you can get a clear picture of what your backlink profile looks like.The second part of assessing your website’s SEO performance involves conducting an audit to identify the top pages on your website and understand the kind of traffic they’re attracting. Using Ahrefs, you can easily do this by navigating to the Top Pages report in the Site Explorer tool.

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This report will show you the URLs that are driving the most organic traffic, along with their respective traffic figures, keywords, and positions.

For example, you can see how much traffic each page gets, which keywords are driving that traffic, and the page’s ranking position. This helps you focus on the pages that are performing well and can benefit the most from additional backlinks. You can also identify pages that are ranking for high-volume keywords but might need more link building to increase their performance.

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These pages are prime candidates for link building because they’re already performing well and will benefit most from additional backlinks.

Here's how to choose:

• Money Pages: These are the pages driving conversions—such as property listings, location-specific pages (e.g., "Home Rentals in Atlanta"), or service pages like property management. These pages are directly linked to your revenue, so they should be a priority for backlinks.
• Informational Pages: These pages target valuable informational keywords that can attract valuable traffic to your website - people in the learning stages of the funnel who can potentially become your  customers. These could be blog posts, guides, or resource pages offering useful information (e.g., "How to Buy a Home" or "Top Neighborhoods for Investment"). Linking to these can boost their visibility and help them rank higher.

By focusing on both money pages and informational pages, you can create a balanced approach that strengthens both your conversions and your organic traffic.

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Step 2: Prospecting & Collection

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Now that you've identified your target pages, it’s time to find websites that could link back to your content. Here's how to gather quality prospects:

1. Use Specialized Tools to Find Prospects: Tools like Linkee, Ahrefs, or Moz can help you find sites that are relevant to your real estate niche. These tools allow you to quickly discover sites that could be a good fit for link building for real estate.

2. Look for Relevance: When choosing prospects, it’s important to focus on sites that are relevant to your content. Think about local real estate blogs, home improvement sites, or property investment forums; they’re all great fits. The cool thing is, you don’t have to do this all by yourself. You can use Linkee’s vetting tool to find out which sites are the most relevant and have higher quality, making your life so much easier.

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3. Check Site Authority: Aim for sites with a Domain Rating (DR) of 40 or higher. Higher authority sites will pass more link equity to your site, improving your search rankings. However, don't ignore smaller, niche sites with high relevance; they can still be valuable.

4. Avoid Spammy Sites: Don’t target sites with low-quality content, spam scores higher than 10, or suspicious backlinks. Links from these sites can harm your SEO efforts rather than help.

5. Pick Your Approach: Focus on what works best for your goals:some text

1. For local visibility, target local blogs, city guides, and regional news outlets.
2. For nationwide authority, go after real estate industry sites and reputable guest post opportunities.

Step 3: Outreach

‍Now that you’ve done the hard work of finding prospects and vetting them, it’s time to reach out. I’ve gathered some tips that I personally use in my link-building campaigns, so you can be sure these strategies will work for you too. Let’s break it down:

‍1. Craft an Attention-Grabbing Subject Line: The subject line is your first opportunity to get noticed, so make it count! Keep it short, clear, and directly relevant to their content. Here are some ideas:

• “Quick Fix for {{brand name}}'s Broken Links”
• “Boost {{brand name}}’s Real Estate Content with This Asset”
• “A Useful Addition to {{brand name}}’s Real Estate Content”

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Tip: I recommend A/B testing subject lines. It’s a small thing, but it can really improve your open rate and help you figure out what works best for your audience.

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2. Personalize Your Introduction: Start by introducing yourself in a friendly, professional way. Personalize the email by mentioning something specific about their website or content. This shows you're not just sending a generic message and that you’ve taken the time to understand their work. Something like this would work:

“Hi [Name],
I recently came across your article on [Topic] and found it super helpful, especially the section on [specific detail]. I thought your readers might really enjoy an additional resource on [related topic].”

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3. Present the Value You’re Offering: Now it’s time to explain why you’re reaching out. Be clear about what you’re offering—don’t just ask for a link; explain how it will benefit them. If I were to do outreach for real estate, I’d write something like this:

“I’ve created a comprehensive guide on [Topic] that I think would be a perfect fit for your article. It covers [brief description of key points, such as local market trends, home-buying tips, or investment strategies], and I believe it would provide great value to your readers, helping them make more informed real estate decisions.”

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4. Follow-Up If Needed: If you don’t hear back within 5-7 days, send a gentle follow-up. Keep it friendly and professional—remind them of the value you're offering without being pushy. Here’s a good example of a follow-up email:

“Hi [Name],
Just wanted to follow up on my previous email regarding the link to my guide. I still believe it would be a great fit for your article. Let me know what you think! Thanks again for your time.”

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The easier you make it for them to say “yes,” the better your chances. I’ve used these tips countless times, and they consistently get me the results I need.

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And, finally...

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Step 4: Secure the Backlink

Once your pitch is accepted, it's time to secure the backlink. Here's how to make sure it’s done right:

1. Link Placement: Ensure the link is placed within the main content, not in footers or sidebars. Links within the body are far more valuable for SEO.
2. Anchor Text: When choosing anchor text, make sure it’s relevant to your page and includes your target keywords, but always keep it natural and fitting within the context. Don’t rely too heavily on exact match anchor text. Instead, mix it up with a variety of types, like branded anchors, partial match, long-tail keywords, and even generic terms like "click here" to keep things balanced and more organic.
3. Do-Follow vs. No-Follow: Negotiate in a way that makes sure they add a dofollow link, as it's the type of link that brings SEO value.
4. Context: The link should flow naturally within the content. It should add value to the article and make sense to the readers.

Now that you already understand the process, let’s get into the real meat of the campaign—real estate link-building strategies. And the first strategy is guest posting.

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1. Guest Posting

Guest posting is when you write articles for other websites in your niche as a guest author, with the added benefit of a backlink to your site.

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To kick off guest posting in the real estate niche, you’ll need to find websites that accept guest contributions. One helpful resource for this is Linkee.ai’s list of real estate guest posting sites. This list includes a range of sites that are open to guest articles, giving you the chance to share your insights and earn valuable real estate backlinks.

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Here are a few topic ideas designed to fit different types of real estate businesses that will help you showcase real estate know-how:

• For Real Estate Agencies & Brokerages “What’s Shaping [City]’s Real Estate Market in 2024?”

Highlight key trends, price shifts, and hot neighborhoods, offering expert insights to help clients make confident decisions.

• For Real Estate Investment Platforms - “Investing in Real Estate: What Every Beginner Should Know”

Break down how to start investing, from identifying opportunities to leveraging your platform for market insights and financing.

• For Mortgage and Financing Websites - “First-Time Homebuyers: 5 Mistakes You Can’t Afford to Make”

Help new buyers avoid costly mistakes with tips on budgeting, pre-approvals, and choosing the right financing options.

• For Real Estate Technology Platforms - “Tech That’s Changing the Real Estate Game in 2024”

Showcase how innovations like AI, virtual tours, and smart tools are transforming the buying, selling, and investing experience.

• For Moving and Storage Companies - “Stage and Store: Prep Your Home for a Fast Sale”

Offer practical tips on staging homes and using storage solutions to create space and attract buyers.‍

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Real-world example

‍Kelsey Heath’s article for FastExpert’s blog showcases how guest blogging can effectively combine education and promotion. In the post, Heath explains the concept of fractional ownership, showing how it allows multiple investors to share both the costs and benefits of high-end properties, while also earning a valuable backlink through the guest contribution.

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2. Linkable Assets

In real estate, a linkable asset is content that naturally attracts backlinks—like neighborhood guides, market reports, or property calculators. To get started, create resources like home-buying guides or investment checklists that other industry sites and blogs will want to link to. Focus on value, and the backlinks will follow.

Real-world example

The Mortgage Calculator on MortgageCalculator.org highlights how a simple yet valuable tool can drive massive engagement. By helping users easily calculate mortgage payments, it has become a go-to resource for both consumers and professionals, earning over 1,1 MILLION backlinks as a result.

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3. Unlinked Brand Mentions

Unlinked brand mentions are when your business, in this case, a real estate agency, is mentioned on another website without a backlink to your website.

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To leverage this, track mentions using tools like Google Alerts, Ahrefs, or SEMrush. Once you find a mention, simply reach out to the site owner and request that they include a link to your site. This quick strategy turns existing mentions into valuable real estate backlinks.

Real-world example

While researching how real estate agencies can leverage unlinked brand mentions, I’ve tested this strategy using Ahrefs’ Content Explorer. By searching for a popular brand name and applying the "Highlight unlinked domains" filter, we found over 400,000 pages mentioning the brand without a link. Imagine the possibilities!

Once you identify unlinked mentions, reach out to the site owner with a simple and personalized message like this:

"Hi [Name], I noticed you mentioned [Brand Name] in your article—thank you! Would you mind adding a link to [Website URL]? It’ll help your readers find us more easily. Thanks for considering it!"

The opportunities are out there—now it’s time to act!

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4. Real Estate Link Building via Resource Page

Now let’s talk about resource pages— handy sections on websites that collect valuable tools and tips for a specific audience. In real estate, these pages often include things like mortgage calculators, home-buying guides, or local market insights. Getting your agency featured on these pages can land you some seriously valuable backlinks.

You can also flip the script—create your own resource page. Just Include things like a home valuation calculator, step-by-step guides for buyers and sellers, or local market data.  This will make your site link-worthy to others in the industry.

Real-world example

Ramsey Solutions, a financial education and counseling company,  has crafted a real estate resource page that truly stands out, offering a wealth of practical tools, guides, and expert insights for buyers and agents alike. By providing valuable resources such as budgeting tips and home-buying checklists, they've built a page that naturally earns backlinks from other reputable sites.

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5. Digital PR for Link Building

Digital PR link building for real estate is about creating specific, attention-grabbing stories that secure backlinks from authoritative sources. To leverage this strategy, I’d suggest you start by identifying a concrete trend or insight, such as the growing interest in suburban living or shifts in first-time homebuyer behavior. Use tools like Google Trends or local market surveys to gather supporting data that makes your story credible and relevant.

Next, find journalists or bloggers who cover real estate and pitch them personalized stories. For instance, if your research shows a rise in eco-friendly housing demand, you could pitch a story like, “How Green Homes Are Reshaping the Real Estate Market in (your city),” offering unique data or local insights they haven’t covered yet. To improve your chances, include helpful materials like high-quality visuals or expert quotes that make the story ready to publish.

Real-world example

Take The Corcoran Group, for example. It got great exposure through media coverage of the sale of Tom Ford’s East Hampton mansion, Lasata. Famous publications, like Elle Decor, and House Beautiful published articles about the property’s sale, linking back to Corcoran’s site, which helped generate valuable backlinks.

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6. Blogger Outreach

Blogger outreach for link building involves collaborating with bloggers to create content that includes backlinks to your website. In the real estate sector, this means working with home and lifestyle bloggers to produce articles on topics like interior decor, housing trends, or moving tips.

For real estate professionals aiming to expand their reach, I’d suggest engaging with established blogs. AgentFire's compilation of the "43 Best Blogs for Real Estate Professionals in 2024" is an excellent resource for identifying influential platforms in the industry.

Real-world example

Now let’s look at a real-world example to see this strategy in action. A lifestyle blogger, Lauren Schwaiger collaborated with Vista Homes, the developer behind Plaza Row Townhomes in Charlotte, NC. Lauren featured the townhomes in her blog, highlighting their modern craftsman-style design and standout features, while linking back to Vista Homes’ site.

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7. Niche Edit/Link Insertion

Niche edits, or link insertions, are about adding your link to existing articles in a way that feels natural and adds value. It’s a quick and effective way to build real estate backlinks. Here's how you can get started:

1. Find Relevant Articles: Use tools like Google Search or Ahrefs to find blogs about real estate, housing, or investments that align with your content.
2. Fill Gaps or Update Outdated Stats: Look for places in the article where your link can naturally add value. For instance, if you come across an article on home-buying tips that’s missing a section on the latest market trends, you could suggest linking to your comprehensive guide to provide more current and valuable information for the readers.
3. Reach Out: Email the site owner with a friendly message showing how your link will enhance their article—whether by providing fresh insights, updated data, or practical value for their readers. Keep it concise and focused on the benefits.
4. Seal the Deal: Provide your link along with a brief explanation of where it fits and why it adds value. Make it as easy as possible for them to include it by suggesting the exact placement or even offering pre-written text they can use.

This method works because you’re not starting from scratch—you’re improving existing content while gaining quality backlinks.

Real-world example

A great way to apply the niche edit strategy is by updating outdated statistics on real estate blogs. For example, I did a quick Google search and came across an article, that covers the timeline of home prices up until 2022. If you have access to the 2023 and 2024 figures, you can reach out to the blog owner and suggest adding something like this: "In 2023, the average home price rose to $410,000, and in 2024, it increased further to $425,000 due to ongoing market shifts."

You can spot these opportunities using SEO tools like Ahrefs. Honestly, as you can see above, I’ve found it just as effective to simply search for the query on Google.

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8. Broken Link Building

Broken link building for real estate means finding broken links on real estate blogs or community sites and replacing them with your content. When a blog links to outdated or removed content, you can step in with a relevant replacement.

Real-world example

Now, let’s move from theory to practice. Broken link building is an especially effective strategy in real estate because of how often listings and resources are updated or removed. To show how this works, I used Ahrefs’ Broken Link Checker to research real examples. For instance, I found several websites still linking to RE/MAX’s outdated “Current Listings” page, which now leads to a 404 error.

By identifying these broken links and prioritizing sites with strong domain authority, you could reach out with updated, relevant content to suggest as a replacement.

You fix their problem; they fix your backlink profile. A simple win-win!

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9. Case Studies

Creating case studies for link building involves turning real successes into powerful marketing tools. Focus on a specific client’s challenge, how you solved it, and the measurable results—such as helping a property sell in half the expected time or achieving record offers in a competitive market. Share them with clients or partners, who are often eager to showcase their experience and link back to you.

Real-world example

Danielle Lazier’s blog is a great example of using case studies that attract backlinks. In her post about selling a fixer-upper in Russian Hill, San Francisco, she shares the challenges, strategies, and results of the sale. This kind of detailed, real-world success attracts backlinks from local blogs and industry sites looking to reference expert insights.

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10. Founder Interviews

Founder interviews are an effective way to build real estate backlinks and grow your reputation. By sharing your story—like how you built your real estate business or insights into market trends—you can get featured on real estate and finance sites. These interviews include a link to your site, establishing you as an industry expert.

Real-world example

To see this strategy in action, consider Dave Liniger, co-founder of RE/MAX, who was recently featured in Leaders Magazine. In the interview, he shared his journey and insights into leadership and the real estate market. The feature helped establish his authority in the industry while also including links back to the RE/MAX website.

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11. Local Directories

Signing up your business with local directories is a simple and effective way to boost your online presence and earn valuable backlinks. These directories are often go-to resources for people searching for local services, making it easier for potential customers to find you.

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For example, the Top Real Estate Agents in San Antonio, Texas list on the RealTrends directory highlights agents who stand out in their market, linking directly to their profiles or websites.

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Just make sure to choose reputable directories and keep your information accurate and up-to-date.

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Real-world example

If you're a real estate agent, listing your business on platforms like Zillow’s Real Estate Agent Reviews is a smart move. Zillow lets you showcase client reviews, your credentials, and active listings, helping potential clients get to know you better. Plus, your profile links back to your website. By keeping your profile updated and encouraging clients to leave reviews, you can attract more local leads.

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12. Google My Business

And finally! Using Google My Business (GMB) is a great way to boost your local visibility and indirectly support link-building efforts. By keeping your GMB profile up-to-date with accurate details, eye-catching photos, and regular updates, you improve your chances of showing up in local search results and Google’s Local Pack. This increased exposure can draw attention from local blogs, directories, and news sites, which may link to your business.

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Real-world example

Real estate agencies in New York, like The Bizzarro Agency and Manhattan Realty Group, make the most of their GMB profiles by keeping their business details current, posting engaging content, and optimizing for local SEO. This boost in visibility leads local blogs, directories, and news outlets to link back to their websites.

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What Websites Are Most Likely to Link to You

• Real Estate Portals and Marketplaces: Sites like Zillow, Realtor.com, Redfin, and Trulia consistently rank at the top because they have a wealth of listings, market data, and resources tailored to buyers, sellers, and renters. They’re seen as trusted sources with authority in real estate.
• Real Estate Blogs and Publications: Blogs like BiggerPockets (for real estate investing), Inman (for industry news), and The Real Deal are highly ranked resources for investors, agents, and industry news, due to their consistent, high-quality content and industry reputation.
• Local News and Community Sites: Many clients rely on local news outlets (like Patch or regional news sites) for information on the housing market. Community sites and newspapers are often well-ranked for local market insights, new developments, and real estate news.

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How to Find Prospects

Building a strong backlink profile is key for real estate websites to rank higher and attract the right audience. Strategies like link insertions, niche edits, and working with local blogs or real estate news sites are great ways to earn quality real estate backlinks. The focus should always be on relevance—your backlinks should come from sources that align with your niche and provide real value.

With tools like Linkee, finding tailored link opportunities becomes quick and efficient. Instead of wasting time on endless searches, you can focus on strategies that make an impact. The result? Better rankings, more targeted traffic, and the kind of online authority that keeps your competition looking over their shoulder.