Google Ads for Real Estate: How to Create Campaigns That Win Local Leads

Google Ads can put you in front of sellers, buyers, and landlords at the exact moment they are searching. When set up the right way, it becomes a steady source of high quality local leads. This guide shows you the full process in plain language so you can build campaigns with confidence.

What you will learn

• How to structure your account for clear suburb based targeting

• The best keywords for sellers, buyers, and landlords

• How to write ads that win clicks and trust

• What a converting landing page looks like

• Budgets, bidding, and conversion tracking

• A simple four week optimisation plan

• Compliance and privacy basics for peace of mind

The goal of Google Ads for property

Your goal is simple. Show a helpful offer to the right person in your service area, then make it very easy for them to enquire. Every setting in your account should support this goal.

• Right person means seller, buyer, or landlord with active intent

• Right area means your core suburbs and nearby postcodes

• Helpful offer means something of value such as a free valuation, a suburb price guide, or a rental appraisal

• Easy enquiry means a fast page, a short form, a clear phone number, and instant follow up

Before you start checklist

• Decide your main objective

  • Seller leads for appraisals

  • Buyer leads for active stock

  • Landlord leads for new managements

• Confirm your suburbs and postcodes to target

• Prepare one focused landing page per objective

• Connect Google Ads, Google Analytics 4, and your CRM

• Add a clear privacy policy on your website

• Prepare phone numbers that can be tracked for calls

Account and campaign structure that works

Keep it simple. Split by objective first, then group by intent.

• One campaign for sellers in your area

• One campaign for landlords in your area

• One campaign for buyers in your area

• Within each campaign create ad groups by theme

  • Sellers example themes

    • Free Property Valuation

    • Sell My House

    • Real Estate Agent Near Me

  • Landlords example themes

    • Rental Appraisal

    • Property Management Fees

    • Property Manager Near Me

  • Buyers example themes

    • Houses for Sale in Suburb

    • Townhouses for Sale in Suburb

    • Open Homes this Weekend

This structure keeps your ads and pages tightly matched to what people type.

Targeting for local markets

Location

• Use Presence only in the location settings so your ads show to people in your area, not to people who are just interested in your area

• Target by suburbs and postcodes, not by a very wide radius

• Exclude any suburbs you do not service to protect your budget

Time

• Run ads when your team can answer the phone or call back quickly

• Start with 7 am to 8 pm local time for sellers and landlords

• Use call ads during business hours for faster connection

Devices

• Most searches happen on mobile

• Check your reports and adjust bids if desktop or tablet is wasting spend

Keyword strategy that fits how people search

Use a mix of exact and phrase match to control intent. Broad match can work once you have strong conversion data, but begin with tighter control.

Seller intent examples

• [exact] sell my house

• [exact] real estate agent suburb

• “property valuation suburb”

• “how much is my house worth”

Landlord intent examples

• [exact] rental appraisal suburb

• “property manager suburb”

• “property management fees suburb”

• [exact] switch property manager

Buyer intent examples

• [exact] houses for sale suburb

• “open homes suburb”

• “townhouses for sale suburb”

• [exact] new listings suburb

Negative keywords to add on day one

• jobs

• courses

• salary

• diy

• free legal

• real estate license

• map

• gumtree

• zillow

• domain careers

• realestate com careers

Keep building the negative list each week as you see waste. This protects your budget and lifts lead quality.

Writing ads that win clicks

Use Responsive Search Ads. Give Google at least 12 headlines and 4 descriptions so it can test and learn. Keep language clear and helpful.

Headline ideas

• Free Property Valuation in Suburb

• Local Agent Trusted by Sellers

• Recent Sales and Price Guide

• Book a Rental Appraisal Today

• Property Manager Suburb Experts

• View Homes for Sale in Suburb

Description ideas

• Get a same day price guide with recent sales. No pressure. Helpful local advice.

• Switch to a caring property manager. Transparent fees. Fewer headaches for you.

• See new listings first. Join the buyer list for Suburb and nearby areas.

Ad assets to boost performance

• Sitelinks

  • Recent Sales

  • Book a Valuation

  • Rental Appraisal

  • Open Homes

• Callouts

  • Local Team

  • Fast Follow Up

  • Private Appointments

  • Transparent Fees

• Structured snippets

  • Service areas: List core suburbs

  • Services: Sales, Property Management, Appraisals

• Call asset with tracking

• Lead form asset for quick contact

• Image assets that show streets and homes from your area

Tip
Mirror your suburb names in headlines and assets. Local language builds trust.

Landing pages that convert

Each ad group should point to one focused page that matches the search intent.

Must have elements

• Clear headline that repeats the keyword

  • Free Property Valuation in Suburb

• Short benefit list

  • Recent sales and price trends

  • Personal advice from a local specialist

  • No cost and no obligation

• Trust builders

  • Testimonials with names and streets

  • Awards or years of service

  • Recent sales gallery

• Simple form

  • Name

  • Phone

  • Email

  • Address or rental address

• Fast contact options

  • Click to call button

  • Live chat if available

• Speed and mobile friendly layout

• Privacy policy link and consent checkbox

Helpful offers

• Suburb price report sent in under one hour

• Rental appraisal with fee breakdown

• Buyer alert list for off market and new releases

Budgets and bidding

Starting budgets

• For a single objective across 3 to 5 suburbs start at 30 to 60 dollars per day

• For wider areas with more competition start at 60 to 120 dollars per day

• Split budgets by objective so seller and landlord goals are not fighting each other

Bidding

• Start with Maximise Conversions and set account wide conversion actions that matter

• After you have at least 20 to 30 conversions for a campaign, test Target CPA

  • Example targets

    • Seller lead 60 to 150 dollars

    • Landlord lead 50 to 120 dollars

    • Buyer lead 10 to 40 dollars

• Do not chase position. Chase cost per lead and lead quality

Conversion tracking and measurement

Track what matters, not just clicks.

• Website forms as a primary conversion

• Phone calls from ads and from your website

• Chat or SMS leads if you use them

• Offline conversions

  • Push appraisal booked and management signed from your CRM back into Google Ads

  • This teaches the system which clicks lead to real revenue

How to keep data clean

• Use UTM tags on all ads

• Pass UTM values into hidden fields on your forms

• Map those values into your CRM so you can match deals back to campaigns and keywords

Simple four week optimisation plan

Week 1 setup and launch

• Build campaigns and ad groups as shown

• Load 12 to 15 headlines and 4 descriptions per ad

• Add location, call, sitelink, callout, and structured snippet assets

• Set location to Presence only

• Add the starting negative list

• Confirm conversions and test a form and a call

• Go live

Week 2 clean and protect

• Search terms report

  • Add at least 20 new negatives

  • Keep high intent phrases and add exact match where useful

• Pause any ad assets with low click through

• Check location report and exclude any waste suburbs

Week 3 lift quality

• Create new ad variations using top phrases from search terms

• Improve landing page headlines to match search terms

• Add one new trust element such as a fresh review or a new recent sale

Week 4 scale the winners

• Shift budget to the best ad groups

• If you have 20 to 30 conversions, test Target CPA

• Increase bids and budgets on suburbs with strong cost per lead

• Expand keywords to near suburbs where market share is low

Repeat this four week cycle each month.

Quality Score made simple

Quality Score is Google’s way of measuring ad and page relevance. Higher quality can reduce your cost per click.

• Relevance

  • Match keywords to headlines and page titles

• Expected click through

  • Use clear offers and local suburb names

• Landing page experience

  • Fast load, easy form, real local proof

Common mistakes to avoid

• Sending all traffic to the home page

• Using one campaign for every objective

• Forgetting to track calls and offline results

• Targeting entire states instead of core suburbs

• Writing ads with generic claims and no local proof

• Making people fill long forms

• Turning on broad match too early

• Leaving the account untouched for weeks

Templates you can copy

Seller campaign blueprint

• Campaign name

  • Sellers Suburb Names

• Ad groups

  • Free Property Valuation

  • Sell My House

  • Real Estate Agent Near Me

• Keywords

  • [exact] sell my house

  • [exact] real estate agent suburb

  • “property valuation suburb”

• Ad headlines

  • Free Property Valuation Suburb

  • Local Agent Trusted by Owners

  • Recent Sales and Price Guide

• Landing page

  • Free valuation page with recent sales and short form

Landlord campaign blueprint

• Ad groups

  • Rental Appraisal

  • Property Manager Near Me

  • Property Management Fees

• Keywords

  • [exact] rental appraisal suburb

  • “property manager suburb”

  • “property management fees suburb”

• Offer

  • Management fee breakdown and service list

Buyer campaign blueprint

• Ad groups

  • Houses for Sale Suburb

  • Open Homes Suburb

• Offer

  • Join the buyer alert list and get new listings early

Negative keyword starter list

• jobs, career, course, training, salary, diy, zillow, gumtree, map, images, definition, meaning, rent to own, free legal

Ad copy starter for sellers

• Headline

  • Free Property Valuation in Suburb

• Description

  • Get a same day price guide with recent sales. Friendly local advice. Book online in one minute.

Ad copy starter for landlords

• Headline

  • Rental Appraisal and Fee Guide

• Description

  • Know the rent you can achieve and the fees you will pay. Switch is simple. Speak with a local specialist today.

Compliance and privacy basics

• Show your business name and contact details clearly on ads and pages

• Include a privacy policy link on every landing page

• Use a consent checkbox on forms for email and SMS

• Do not make claims that promise a sale price or a time to sell

• Keep records of opt in source for future email and SMS contact

• If you use call recording, display a short notice before the call starts

What to do next

• Pick one objective such as seller leads

• Build the simple structure in this guide

• Launch with clear offers and tight suburb targeting

• Track every form and call

• Optimise weekly using the four week plan

• Add buyer and landlord campaigns once the first campaign is steady

When you follow this plan, your ads will speak to the right people, your pages will be easy to act on, and your budget will go further. The result is more local conversations and more signed agreements.

Author – Ken Hobson