Do you really need a professional to get more website leads?
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Trevor MauchPro Member
Investor · Roseburg, OR · Member since 2014 · 141 posts · 149 votes@Rod Smith Great question man!
Happy to help at no cost man!
Pop over your URL and I'm happy to shoot back a loom video with some thoughts on ways to optimize it a bit more.
But at a high level... there isn't a magic formula only the pros know... but the pros put in the work to learn how to make a website really perform well... which does take putting in the time and the work to learn it.
It's like anything, there really aren't any secrets, just people who have put in the work to learn what makes things really perform well.
That's one of the benefits w/ Carrot is we can help you cut that learning curve and make it easier and faster for you.
The first step tends to be getting your website dialed in for credibility. Lots of people focus on "SEO" to get new leads first... but really the only SEO anyone should focus on first is ranking well for your company name and brand searches (like "[your company] reviews"). The reason for this is your sellers are researching often times before making a big decision like selling their house, and they'll go to google and search for your company name and search to see if you're credible. People wouldn't believe how many deals are lost at what I call the "decision phase" where a lead from an offline marketing campaign goes to research you, and doesn't find good credibility online (which includes the website).
So that's where I'd start Rod. Dial in the credibility on your site. We did a series of youtube videos on how to dial in that credibility on your site here. Dive in there for free and we can help you nail it.
But pop over your URL and I'll dive into it and we can help get you on the right path man!
@Chris Seveney I agree everyone should focus real energy on building a stellar network. 100% agree. But I'm curious why you feel SEO isn't a good marketing channel to invest in? SEO according to data across thousands of deals we've researched with investors tends to have the highest lead to deal close ratio and highest average profit per deal, mainly because of the motivation. Yes there are pros and cons for sure and like any marketing channel, SEO takes work and investment to master, but it's among the best and most consistent lead sources for motivated sellers. I'm extremely open to changing my mind though, SEO just keeps pulling such amazing results. I do advocate for mixing SEO w/ a strong offline strategy because they work together so effectively.
;list=PLTngSzzM_XqUfClBfHQce0bjfZ3yEB2BQ
14 Replies
- Investor · VA · Member since 2015 · 21k+ posts · 19k+ votes2y
@Rod Smith
I would not spend any money on seo- best seo is bigger pockets and making contact with people and networking
7e investments53 Reviews - 2yTrevor MauchPro MemberInvestor · Roseburg, OR · Member since 2014 · 141 posts · 149 votes
@Rod Smith Great question man!
Happy to help at no cost man!
Pop over your URL and I'm happy to shoot back a loom video with some thoughts on ways to optimize it a bit more.
But at a high level... there isn't a magic formula only the pros know... but the pros put in the work to learn how to make a website really perform well... which does take putting in the time and the work to learn it.
It's like anything, there really aren't any secrets, just people who have put in the work to learn what makes things really perform well.
That's one of the benefits w/ Carrot is we can help you cut that learning curve and make it easier and faster for you.
The first step tends to be getting your website dialed in for credibility. Lots of people focus on "SEO" to get new leads first... but really the only SEO anyone should focus on first is ranking well for your company name and brand searches (like "[your company] reviews"). The reason for this is your sellers are researching often times before making a big decision like selling their house, and they'll go to google and search for your company name and search to see if you're credible. People wouldn't believe how many deals are lost at what I call the "decision phase" where a lead from an offline marketing campaign goes to research you, and doesn't find good credibility online (which includes the website).
So that's where I'd start Rod. Dial in the credibility on your site. We did a series of youtube videos on how to dial in that credibility on your site here. Dive in there for free and we can help you nail it.
But pop over your URL and I'll dive into it and we can help get you on the right path man!
@Chris Seveney I agree everyone should focus real energy on building a stellar network. 100% agree. But I'm curious why you feel SEO isn't a good marketing channel to invest in? SEO according to data across thousands of deals we've researched with investors tends to have the highest lead to deal close ratio and highest average profit per deal, mainly because of the motivation. Yes there are pros and cons for sure and like any marketing channel, SEO takes work and investment to master, but it's among the best and most consistent lead sources for motivated sellers. I'm extremely open to changing my mind though, SEO just keeps pulling such amazing results. I do advocate for mixing SEO w/ a strong offline strategy because they work together so effectively.;list=PLTngSzzM_XqUfClBfHQce0bjfZ3yEB2BQ
- Member since 2024 · 2 posts · 0 votes2y
The answer really depends on your target market. Do you have enough demand for services from prospects that comes through online search or ads? This is where you must start. (Keyword research, competitor research, surveys, speaking to prospects on how they heard)
If your research proves that there is demand, I would recommend you to either hire a good agency who has proven track record in your industry or hiring a fulltime employee with relevant seo skills who can manage this.
SEO/Paid ads with consultants or agency would be challenging as the results depends on various things such as your website, market, content, offer etc. So assuming your consultant is an expert, there are so many things that can lead to not seeing a result. However, in 2024, everyone who's selling online must have a professional website. This is like your retail office. The first digital presence your prospect will check. So having a professional site with active social media is a key as it will indirectly attribute to the conversions and your brand credibility.
In 2024, there is no bad marketing channel. It only depends on your bandwidth and expertise. As any channel can be used effectively for lead generation. (Youtube, SEO, Ads, BP etc). - 2yDon KonipolBusiness MemberInvestor · The Woodlands TX / Avon, CT · Member since 2009 · 6k+ posts · 10k+ votesI was only able to take SEO to a certain level. 2 years ago we hired outside help. Since then our leads tripled, and our business doubled in volume at a relatively small cost. BUT, everyone claims to be expert. There’s a lot of crap out there and some true professionals.
Quote from @Rod Smith:
Hi All,
i have a website that has been underperforming, but that is because I haven't put enough time and effort into learning more about SEO and done more to customize it. I have been in discussions with someone that specializes in SEO and lead generation for real estate investors, vetted him through references, and he seems to be as advertised. My question is, is there really a "magic formula" that only the Pros know, or can I optimize my website myself? If the answer is the latter, is it possible I would lose the money I think I would save by missing deals while trying to learn and upgrade my site myself?
For context, I have a Carrot site and can follow instructions, but am a total novice when it comes to websites, and no nothing about code.
Thank you in advance to anyone that took time to read my post and provide advice/feedback.
Should you do it yourself? I don’t know. Ever heard of division of labor, free trade theory, efficient market hypothesis? Do what is most important to your business and what you do best and what you enjoy doing. - Real Estate Consultant · 3610 Central Ave Suite 400 Riverside, California 92506 · Member since 2024 · 13 posts · 7 votes1y
Hi Rob, Sorry I am late to the party but here are my two cents. Traditional SEO is dying and the advent of AI is changing how you should even build a website. People are now engaging AI tools to ask questions and expect a response in a natural conversation format than go through a myriad of links. In my opinion (what I learnt from my tech partners) is to
Build multiple source of referrals to your website and make your website an information hub. Spending lots of money on your website will not give the kind of results you need. Create short videos with links to your website, post relevant content on guest and 3rd party sites and post link back to your website and also participate in forumns like bigger pockets where people can check your website as you are more engaged.
A month of consistency with these will get you more results than SEO in my experience.
I will be happy to share more and to connect.
Stay blessed
- Inland Empire, CA · Member since 2017 · 151 posts · 79 votes6mo
Hey@Rod Smith, personally I don’t like relying on hope for leads. By that I mean having a website and hoping people visit it, or posting on social and hoping someone reaches out, things like that. I feel like it gives up a lot of control.
What’s worked better for me is being proactive, either paying for traffic (PPC, Meta, etc.) or networking and reaching out to people directly.
I’ve worked with some larger consulting firms and used this approach in both a previous business and my current one. At the end of the day you usually pay with either money or time.
I also think once you can consistently convert leads through outreach, pivoting to ads can make sense, especially if time becomes the constraint. If your site or SEO starts bringing in leads too, that’s just the cherry on top.
- 6moErik EstradaBusiness MemberLender · Member since 2022 · 6k+ posts · 1k+ votes
The more I get into online led gen, what really helps boost your rankings is being very active in groups/forums that target your audience. BP certainly does an excellent job since it's so dialed in to RE investors, lenders, agents, etc.. Much better than Facebook and other online groups.
LuxePrivate Investments LLC 572 Reviews - Investor · Portland, OR · Member since 2026 · 67 posts · 35 votes6mo
Agreeing with Chris here. I spent months writing blog posts and trying to build SEO and got basically nothing from it. No leads, no traffic worth mentioning.
The deals I've actually closed came from being active in communities like this, word of mouth, and direct relationships. At our scale that's what works. SEO is a long expensive game that mostly benefits people selling courses and lead gen services, not investors trying to buy properties.
- Investor · VA · Member since 2015 · 21k+ posts · 19k+ votes6moThanks
Quote from @Ryan D.:
Agreeing with Chris here. I spent months writing blog posts and trying to build SEO and got basically nothing from it. No leads, no traffic worth mentioning.
The deals I've actually closed came from being active in communities like this, word of mouth, and direct relationships. At our scale that's what works. SEO is a long expensive game that mostly benefits people selling courses and lead gen services, not investors trying to buy properties.
Also, one more point to add, we also have to look at what you are targeting. If you are targeting finding borrowers who want to sell etc., you need to be the hunter - you need to go find them, having a website is something I believe you need but waiting for people to come to you in real estate is not how it works. You have to go out and get it.
7e investments53 Reviews - Rental Property Investor · Charlotte, NC · Member since 2013 · 75 posts · 17 votes6mo
Quote from @Ryan D.:
Agreeing with Chris here. I spent months writing blog posts and trying to build SEO and got basically nothing from it. No leads, no traffic worth mentioning.
The deals I've actually closed came from being active in communities like this, word of mouth, and direct relationships. At our scale that's what works. SEO is a long expensive game that mostly benefits people selling courses and lead gen services, not investors trying to buy properties.
Thanks...make sense!
- Rental Property Investor · Charlotte, NC · Member since 2013 · 75 posts · 17 votes6mo
Quote from @Chris Seveney:
ThanksQuote from @Ryan D.:
Agreeing with Chris here. I spent months writing blog posts and trying to build SEO and got basically nothing from it. No leads, no traffic worth mentioning.
The deals I've actually closed came from being active in communities like this, word of mouth, and direct relationships. At our scale that's what works. SEO is a long expensive game that mostly benefits people selling courses and lead gen services, not investors trying to buy properties.
Also, one more point to add, we also have to look at what you are targeting. If you are targeting finding borrowers who want to sell etc., you need to be the hunter - you need to go find them, having a website is something I believe you need but waiting for people to come to you in real estate is not how it works. You have to go out and get it.
Thanks @Chris Seveney
- Anaheim Hills, CA · Member since 2026 · 8 posts · 3 votes5mo
I know I'm a bit late to the party here, but seeing as this discussion is still fairly active I figured i'd put in my $0.02!
Anyway, Rod, great question, and this thread is a good example of why so many investors give up on SEO too early.
A few things worth clarifying here:
SEO is a long game. Anyone who tried it for a few months and got nothing isn't doing it wrong necessarily. They just stopped before it compounds. The investors saying "it didn't work" are almost always describing a timeline problem, not a strategy problem.
That said, the naysayers aren't entirely wrong either. SEO done poorly, generic blog posts with no topical focus, no local signals, no authority building, absolutely won't move the needle. That's not SEO failing. That's bad SEO.
What actually works for real estate investors specifically:
Hyperlocal content. Not "we buy houses in Charlotte" on a homepage. Actual neighborhood-level pages that answer what sellers in a specific zip code are searching for when they're considering their options.
Topical authority. Google wants to see you own a subject. A handful of disconnected blog posts won't cut it. You need a cluster of content that signals you're the expert on distressed properties or probate or whatever your niche is in your market.
Technical foundation first. A Carrot site out of the box is a decent start, but if the crawlability, schema, and internal linking aren't dialed in, content won't rank regardless.
Trevor's point about credibility is spot on and often overlooked. Ranking for your brand name and "[company] reviews" is unglamorous but closes deals that offline marketing already opened for you.
The investors getting deals from networking and word of mouth aren't proving SEO doesn't work. They're just running a different business model. Both can work. But SEO is the only channel that generates inbound motivated sellers at scale without ongoing ad spend once it's built.
The question isn't whether to do it. It's whether you have the patience and the right person helping you.
I hope that helps! I've been doing SEO for 15 years so happy to answer any follow-up questions.
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