Portals and your own site do different jobs
A 2022 industry guide, updated in 2023, described realestate.com.au as the clear traffic leader among Australian property portals, with Domain as number two. Treat that as a dated picture, but the point holds: most buyers search on the portals, and a listing without portal exposure struggles. That does not mean your own website has no job to do.
What portals do well
- Put each listing in front of active buyers and renters.
- Give buyers filters, alerts and a familiar way to compare homes.
- Provide an agent profile, reviews and past sales on a platform buyers already trust.
What your own site can do
- Win vendors who search for an agent or a selling guide before they ever list.
- Show suburb knowledge in a way a listing card cannot.
- Capture enquiries on your terms, without the portal sitting between you and the contact.
- Build brand recognition that works while you are not paying for a listing upgrade.
How vendors search before they pick an agent
A vendor makes several different searches over weeks. Each one calls for a different page on your site.
| What the vendor is asking | Typical search | Page that answers it |
|---|---|---|
| Who sells in my suburb? | Agent and agency names plus a suburb | Suburb page with sales activity you can substantiate and a link to your agent profiles |
| What is my home worth? | Appraisal, valuation and price questions | A page that explains how you estimate, with a simple request form |
| How should I sell? | Auction or private treaty, timing, costs | Plain-English guides written by the agents who run the campaigns |
| What will it cost? | Commission and marketing questions | An honest explanation of what affects fees and marketing spend |
| Can I trust this agent? | Reviews and agent names | Profile pages, plus a Google Business Profile that is kept up to date |
Licensing and advertising rules in the ACT
Access Canberra licenses real estate agents under the Agents Act 2003. Under the Act, an agent is someone who acts for another person in selling, buying, leasing or managing property, and carrying on that business in the ACT requires a licence. Assistant agents must be registered.
The Act also covers advertising. Section 78 treats a website as publication. Under section 79, an agent commits an offence by publishing an advertisement with a statement about their business that they know, or are reckless about whether, is false or misleading, and the offence does not apply if the statement is accurate in every material particular. Sections 80 and 88 treat a price range as an estimate, and make a dishonest representation of an estimate, including in an advertisement, an offence.
Price guides and the Australian Consumer Law
State and territory rules sit alongside the Australian Consumer Law. The ACCC has long treated under-quoting, meaning a price well below the agent's own estimate, as misleading conduct. Its 2004 statement on the subject was made under the earlier Trade Practices Act, but the principle carried forward.
The ACT has not followed New South Wales and Victoria with new underquoting laws. The Canberra Times reported in October 2026 that the Real Estate Institute of the ACT's chief executive did not expect similar legislation, and that agents describe the Canberra market as relatively transparent on price.
For SEO, the practical rule is simple. Do not publish a price guide, a median or a sales claim on a page unless you can show where the number came from.
What we do for an agency or agent
The work depends on whether you are a single agent, a boutique agency or a larger group, but the order is usually the same.
- Audit the site and profilesWe check the website, the Google Business Profile and how your agents appear in search for their suburbs.
- Decide who gets a profileGoogle lists real estate agents among individual practitioners, who can have their own profile if customers can contact them at the verified location during stated hours.
- Build suburb and district pagesWe write pages for the areas you actually sell in, based on housing types and what vendors there ask.
- Create vendor guidesGuides on auctions, private sales, preparing a home and timing answer the questions vendors ask before they ring an agent.
- Make appraisal requests easyEvery page shows the request form, WhatsApp link or phone number, and each one works properly on a phone.
- Report on enquiriesWe report on appraisal requests, calls and messages, not on traffic alone.
An evidence file for every number you publish
Suburb pages are where agencies are most exposed. Keep a simple record behind each figure, so a principal can approve it and a regulator could be shown it.
The figure
Write down exactly what the number measures, such as median sale price for houses in one suburb over a named period.
The source
Record where it came from, whether an internal sales report or a published dataset, and keep a copy.
The date
Show the period on the page. A median without a date reads as current and can mislead.
The approver
Have the principal sign off before it goes live, and note when it should be reviewed or removed.
Profiles for agents and agencies
Google's guidelines shape how a branded agency and its people should appear.
- One profile per practitioner: A practitioner should not hold several profiles to cover different specialities, according to Google's guidelines.
- Naming depends on headcount: Google says a solo public-facing practitioner at a branded organisation shares one profile, named brand then practitioner. Where several practitioners share a location, the organisation holds the location profile and each practitioner's profile uses only their own name.
- No sales-staff profiles: Sales associates and lead generation staff are not individual practitioners and are not eligible for their own profiles.
- Real address and hours: The verified location must be able to receive customers during the stated hours.
Frequently asked questions
Do real estate agents need SEO if they already pay for portal listings?
Portals bring buyers for specific listings, but vendors choose agents before listing. SEO helps you appear when a vendor looks up an agent, an appraisal or a suburb. It also builds an audience you own, which reduces how much you depend on portal fees.
What does 'real estate SEO' mean for a Canberra agent?
It means making your site and Google profile visible for the searches that lead to vendors: appraisals, selling guides, suburb results and agent names. It is not about ranking above the portals for listing searches, which is not a realistic aim for a single agency.
Can I publish suburb sales figures on my site?
Only if you can substantiate them. The Agents Act lets the commissioner for fair trading require the evidence behind a selling price estimate, and section 79 covers misleading advertisements. Keep a record of the source and date for every figure, and have your principal approve what is published.
Should each agent in my agency have a Google profile?
Possibly. Google treats real estate agents as individual practitioners who can have their own profile if customers can reach them at the verified location during stated hours. Practitioners should not hold several profiles, and sales or lead generation staff are not eligible.
How long does it take to bring in vendor enquiries?
Months, not weeks. Vendor searches are infrequent and decisions are slow. Profile fixes can move results sooner, while suburb pages and guides take longer to earn trust. We do not give ranking guarantees, and we report on actual appraisal requests.
Does the Agents Act apply to my website?
Yes. Section 78 treats a statement as published if it is electronically distributed, which includes a website. Section 79 makes it an offence to publish an advertisement about your business that you know, or are reckless about whether, is false or misleading. Keep claims accurate and dated, and have your principal check them. This is general information, not legal advice.
What is in the free SEO audit?
It is a short review of your website and Google profile, ending in a plain-English list of what matters most. Think of it as a modest first look rather than a full report. To request one, use the contact form, WhatsApp or email and we will answer inside a business day.
Sources and further reading
- Access Canberra: Licensing for business, real estate and stock and station agents: Agents Act 2003 licensing; agents act for another to sell, buy, lease or manage property; assistant agents must be registered
- ACT Legislation Register: Agents Act 2003: Sections 78, 79, 80, 88 and 89 on advertisements, estimates and price representations
- ACCC: Media release MR 046/04: ACCC view that under-quoting and over-quoting are misleading, made under the Trade Practices Act
- The Canberra Times: ACT property laws and underquoting: REIACT comments that ACT is not expected to adopt new underquoting legislation
- Online Marketplaces: Ultimate visual guide to real estate portals in Australia: REA described as traffic leader and Domain as number two (published 2022, updated 2023)
- Google Business Profile Help: Guidelines for representing your business: Individual practitioners, shared brand profiles, sales staff ineligible