A realtor website built around listings still needs structure to rank and convert. Without clear page silos and intentional internal links, neighborhood pages compete with each other, listings get buried, and map visibility suffers. The goal isn’t more pages—it’s clearer signals. Below is a simple, scalable way to structure and interlink a listings-focused realtor site so search engines understand location relevance and buyers and sellers can find exactly what they need.
Table of Contents
Basic site structure: three clear silos
Keep the site split into three main silos. Each silo answers a different user need.
- Homes for sale — the inventory. Listing pages and search/filter tools go here.
- Sell a home — seller services, listing process, pricing, and why work with us.
- Buy a home — buyer representation, neighborhood guides, mortgage basics.
This gives a clear path for every visitor. A seller lands on the sell silo. A buyer lands on the homes-for-sale silo. Search engines can also see the intent of each page.
Why focus on maps and local pages
Competing for broad city keywords is tough. Big sites like Zillow and Redfin dominate those listings in organic search. We can get better traction by winning map search and small, local queries.
Map search is about the local pack and your Google Business Profile. Many local agents do not optimize maps well. That leaves a real opportunity for a focused site and a strong business profile.
Hyper-local neighborhood pages
Neighborhood and community pages are the most important piece. Create a page for each neighborhood you serve. Use the neighborhood name in the URL and the page title.
On each neighborhood page, include two clear sections with H2 headings:
- Buy in [Neighborhood] — overview of market, typical home types, price ranges, and recent listings.
- Sell in [Neighborhood] — how we sell homes here, recent sold prices, seller tips, and a call to action.
One page like this can rank for both buying and selling searches that mention that neighborhood. Big portals rarely build detailed neighborhood pages for every small community, so we can win these long-tail queries.
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How to interlink pages
Good internal links tell search engines what pages matter and help users move through the site. Follow these simple rules:
- Link neighborhood pages to the related listings. Example: the Sunnyside neighborhood page links to all current Sunnyside listings.
- From each listing, link back to the neighborhood page and to a contact or seller page. This creates a circular, helpful flow.
- Use natural anchor text with location words. For example, use “homes in Sunnyside” rather than “click here.”
- Keep the main silos linked from the homepage and the top navigation so they get site-level importance.
The goal is to create clear clusters. Each neighborhood cluster should point to the buy and sell pages for that neighborhood and to the inventory for that area.
What to put on neighborhood pages
Short, focused content wins. Include:
- Quick neighborhood overview and what makes it special.
- Price ranges and market snapshot. Use recent sold data if you have it.
- Featured listings and links to full listing pages.
- Seller section with steps to list and recent seller results.
- Buyers section with tips for buying locally and mortgage or inspection notes.
- Local amenities: schools, parks, transit, and stores.
- Local photos and a simple map embed when possible.
Keep paragraphs short. Use headings to break content. This makes pages easy to scan for people and search engines.
Listing pages and IDX/MLS integration
Listings are the product. Each listing should have its own page with clear facts, images, and a CTA to schedule a tour or contact the agent. If you use IDX, make sure the listing pages are crawlable and that key neighborhood pages remain on your domain.
Avoid sending every internal link to big portal pages. Keep most traffic on your site, with links to portals only when needed.
Google Business Profile and maps
Optimize your Google Business Profile. The profile and the site work together. On the site:
- Use consistent NAP (name, address, phone) across the site and citations.
- Add service areas and the neighborhoods you serve.
- Encourage client reviews and reply to them.
- Post local content and market updates that support your neighborhood pages.
A strong local site plus an optimized business profile gives you a much better chance in map search than trying to out-rank national portals in broad organic search.
Simple sitemap example
Here is a clean URL and page layout example:
- / — homepage
- /homes-for-sale/ — search and category page
- /homes-for-sale/sunnyside/ — filtered listings for Sunnyside
- /neighborhoods/sunnyside/ — neighborhood page with buy and sell sections
- /sell-your-home/ — seller services and process
- /buyers/ — buyer services
- /listings/123-main-st/ — individual listing page
Link the Sunnyside neighborhood page to the Sunnyside listing archive and to the relevant seller and buyer pages.
Content ideas that help local SEO
Add simple pages and posts that searchers look for:
- Market reports by neighborhood
- Sold price summaries for the past 90 days
- Local moving checklists and school guides
- Client stories and testimonials tied to neighborhoods
These let us use neighborhood names naturally and give users real help when they search.
A short action plan (what to do first)
- Make the three silos: Homes for sale, Sell a home, Buy a home.
- Create neighborhood pages for your main service areas (start with 5 to 10).
- Link listings to neighborhood pages and neighborhood pages to seller/buyer pages.
- Optimize your Google Business Profile and ask for reviews.
- Publish a simple market report for each neighborhood once a month.
Common questions
How many neighborhood pages should we create?
Start with the neighborhoods where you already do business or have listings. Five to ten good pages is enough to begin. Add more over time as you get data and listings in other areas.
Can we rank against Zillow and Redfin?
For broad city keywords it is hard. Instead, focus on neighborhood-level terms and map search. That is where local agents have the best chance to appear above big portals for specific queries.
Should listing pages link to external portals?
It is okay to link to portals, but keep most of the important links internal. Use portal links only when they help the user or are required by IDX rules.
Is Google Maps more important than organic search?
For local real estate leads, maps often drive more qualified traffic than organic city keywords. Do both, but give extra attention to maps and your business profile.
What anchor text should we use for internal links?
Use natural, descriptive text that includes location when relevant. For example, “homes in Sunnyside” or “sell your Sunnyside home” are both clear and helpful.
Final thoughts
A realtor site that looks simple can win if it is organized and local. We keep content focused on neighborhoods, build clear silos for buyers and sellers, and link pages in a way that helps users and search engines. Optimizing map search and the Google Business Profile multiplies the value of that site structure. Small, local pages beat one-size-fits-all pages when it comes to ranking and getting real leads.