Multifamily SEO: A Complete Guide for Apartment Marketers
What is life without search engines? Being able to instantly look up apartment communities with availability in the area you are looking to move has changed the way we market towards prospective renters. 68% of everything that happens online begins with a query in a search engine. Google alone has over 5 billion searches made every day.
There are two kinds of searches to know when you begin to think about how you want to target prospects through search engine marketing: organic searches and paid searches.
- Organic searches are when a prospect enters their search and naturally finds your website and clicks on it.
- Paid search is when a prospect clicks on a paid ad (Pay-per-Click or PPC) within the search results page.
Organic visibility is driven by search engine optimization (SEO)—the process of improving your website to help it rank higher in unpaid search results. Paid search, on the other hand, allows you to bid to place higher in those results and pay when someone clicks on your ad. Understanding the difference—and how they can work together—is essential to a strong multifamily marketing strategy.
Let’s start by digging into what multifamily SEO is, how it works, and why it should be a foundational part of your apartment marketing plan.
What is Multifamily SEO?
Multifamily SEO is the process of improving your apartment community’s visibility in search engine results so more prospective renters can find your website. It’s all about showing up when someone searches for apartments in your area—or even specific amenities like “pet-friendly apartments in Indianapolis.” Instead of paying for clicks, SEO helps you earn traffic by creating helpful content and optimizing your site behind the scenes.
How Does Multifamily SEO Work?
Search engines like Google want to deliver the most relevant, helpful results to users. That means your apartment website needs to be easy to read, fast to load, and full of useful information. Multifamily SEO works by aligning your site with what both users and search engines expect. The better your SEO, the higher your site ranks in organic search results—giving you a steady stream of potential renters without paying for every click.
Main Components of SEO for Apartments
- Technical SEO: This focuses on how well your site performs behind the scenes—page speed, mobile responsiveness, security (HTTPS), and structured data all matter.
- On-Page SEO: This is about optimizing what’s on each page—headlines, image alt text, internal links, and keyword placement all count.
- Content SEO: Helpful, user-centered content (like blog posts or amenity pages) that’s aligned with best keyword practices helps answer your prospects’ questions and builds authority.
- Off-Page SEO: Backlinks from reputable sites (including local directories and review platforms) help build trust with search engines.
- Local SEO: Optimizing for “near me” and local searches is especially important for apartment communities. Think Google Business Profile, NAP (name, address, phone), and local keywords.
Keywords: The Heart of Your SEO Strategy
When someone searches online for apartments, they use specific words and phrases—like “two-bedroom apartments downtown” or “luxury apartments with a pool.” These are your keywords. The key is to identify the exact terms your audience is using and naturally include them in your website’s content, page titles, and descriptions. Smart keyword research helps you connect with the right prospects at the right time.
Why is SEO Important for My Apartment Marketing Strategy?
Most renters start their apartment search online—and many never go beyond the first few listings. If your apartment website doesn’t rank near the top of search results, you’re likely missing out on valuable traffic. Multifamily SEO helps ensure your community is visible, competitive, and discoverable. It supports long-term growth by driving consistent traffic from high-intent renters actively looking for a new home.
Can I Do SEO on My Own?
Yes and no. While you can handle some SEO basics like updating meta descriptions, writing blog content, or claiming your Google Business Profile, multifamily SEO is an ongoing process. It requires keyword research, content planning, technical audits, and performance tracking. If your team is short on time or expertise, working with a multifamily marketing partner who understands the industry can help you get faster, better results.
Ads vs SEO
Paid searches will take a lot less effort and creativity when it comes to getting your website ranked higher up on the search results page, but it doesn’t guarantee clicks. While 75% of online consumers say that PPC makes it easier for them to find what they are looking for, 53% of all website traffic is done through organic searches.
That’s why multifamily SEO is essential for long-term success. It takes more time and effort, but once your site ranks well, it can deliver steady, qualified traffic without ongoing ad spend.
PPC also gives you more control and visibility than internet listing services (ILS). Instead of relying on third-party platforms, PPC drives traffic directly to your website—helping you capture leads earlier in the renter’s journey and driving down cost-per-lease.
PERQ’s profound understanding of the industry has significantly impacted our marketing strategy, particularly in reducing our cost per lease and minimizing our reliance on Internet Listing Services (ILSs.) Their strategic insights and innovative approach have proven invaluable in optimizing our marketing.
Tracey Tyler. CMO, Makaan Investment Group
Best of Both Worlds
If you really want to get your apartment website in front of online prospects, combining SEO and PPC is your best bet. By using the keywords in your multifamily PPC ads on top of optimizing your website with SEO, you are guaranteed to see an increase in website traffic. An increase in website traffic means the possibility of more qualified leads that eventually will go to tour and sign a lease. This is why using SEO and PPC together is a crucial aspect of any apartment’s community’s digital marketing efforts.
SEO and PPC can work together in harmony to get you the most out of your digital marketing efforts. Search engine marketing is a critical component of multifamily marketing as it will help your community engage with prospects and leads online and move them down the sales funnel. Whether you want to boost your website traffic through paid searches, organic searches or both, SEO and PPC offer a foolproof method to increase website traffic and your online presence.
With the right multifamily software, your website and onsite team will be able to handle the increase of online leads that come with pushing your SEO and PPC efforts. AI Leasing Assistants are able to make your website more engaging, track how the prospect came to your website (organically or from an ILS), and collect better data so onsite teams only work on qualified leads while the Assistant sifts through the clutter.
PERQ has helped multifamily communities across the country improve their SEO and PPC performance—leading to more leases at a lower cost by combining automation with strategic marketing expertise.