Rightmove’s dominance of the property portal market has been shown once again, this time in a new report which specifically looks at how agency websites perform in terms of SEO and digital marketing.
It easily tops a list of 30 property websites ranked for their digital marketing performance. Strikingly, the list includes only one online estate agent, although there are a number of familiar ‘traditional’ firms.
According to the report, Rightmove leads the charge with with 11,100,000 brand searches per month.
Zoopla is in second place with 3,350,000 and PrimeLocation in third with 301,000.
The next 11 on the list are Your Move, Home, Savills, Reeds Rains, Knight Frank, Foxtons, Countrywide, Strutt and Parker, Connells, Haart and Romans.
Yet the report says that there was an overall decrease in search volume of brands last year and, so far, a further decrease this year.
The report, by Insideonline, says that 52% of searches are made on desktops and 48% on mobiles.
The keywords used most in searches are “find a property”, followed by “estate agents”.
Interestingly, “houses for rent” and “flats to rent” come above “homes for sale”, while “estate agent” comes in at 11 and “online agents” at 17 in a list of 28 of the most used keywords.
Rightmove ranks highest for keywords – so high, that it is “off the scale” – followed by Zoopla, PrimeLocation, Nestoria and Home.
The report also ranks Rightmove’s year-on-year visibility, which it says improved 8% in the year to June.
Zoopla’s visibility dropped 19% and PrimeLocation’s by 20%, but nevertheless they were in second and third place for visibility.
The report ranks Rightmove, Zoopla and PrimeLocation as the top three for link acquisition, with estate agents’ own sites a long way behind. However, as the report observes, it is the larger brands which obtain their highest number of links per month, and were smaller brands to win a large number of links, it would raise suspicions of manipulation.
Retweets and Facebook votes are also assessed in the report’s social influence section and once again Rightmove comes top followed by Zoopla and PrimeLocation.
Engaging content is also assessed. The top shared content was a campaign by Rightmove which showed World War 1 images compared with their Streetview appearances today.
Interestingly, OnTheMarket does not feature at all in the report, and with the single exception of HouseNetwork, nor do online agents, including the likes of Purplebricks, eMoov and Tepilo – although Birmingham-based Dixons Estate Agents do.
A spokesperson for Insideonline told Eye: “When we analyse the websites within these reports we also take into consideration the size of the sites. Some sites rank for keywords because they cross multiple markets, where some operate in more niche areas.
“As OTM is newly established, the history of the site’s SEO is not yet available and therefore the Google Spiders will not recognise the site as a highly ranking domain, with the site not featuring on pages 1,2,3 of Google.
“As an example, if you run a search for ‘UK estate agent’ on Google, OTM does not feature. This will change over the next six months if the site has an effective SEO keyword strategy in place.”
We did run a Google search for ‘UK estate agent’ and found the list topped by Purplebricks, suggesting that an updated report next year could paint a different picture.
The report is here
Comments (30)
Down here Smile
Sorry we were getting a bit thin up there, Doing a Rainman again (Rummage) back in February you said “However i cannot stand the out and out lies and claims they post.” in respect of the claims made by the likes of Purplebricks.
Very possibly completely unseen by you but evidenced on Twitter is a micro fraction of what I am up to being demonstrated. Until last week Purplebricks had a sponsored ad on Google claiming to be “The Best Estate Agent” clearly an un truth. This week that advert has been changed; Purplebricks have had to climb down from telling what you describe as out and out lies and have been reduced to claiming they are a top rated Estate Agent 😳
Going back a little over 12 months you and I didn’t get off to a good start on Eye and you got a towel whipping from me you probably didn’t deserve simply because you stepped on my corns with a post that sounded very much it was from one of those people who don’t want me to know what I know. A quit a very well paid, comfortable and high achieving position because of honesty and integrity, I gave up all I had worked for and achieved and my pension because of principle and doing the right thing. As you can imagine what to you was a fairly innocent and innocuous comment provoked a disproportionate response for which I apologise.
Try “house to rent stockport” or “flats to rent near stepping hill hospital” to see some examples.
The 2nd example could be aced by a local agent creating a page with USEFUL information about where to live if you work at Stepping Hill Hospital” including bus times, traphic information, area guilds etc (and links to the proprieties they have for sale)
Point to clarify – a google search for “UK estate agent” does not bring back PurpleBricks at the number 1 spot (for organic listing).
PB are buying google ads – that’s why they’re in the top 3 positions (the top 3 postions being paid for).
Rightmove has the top organic listing (as expected).
Sure all OTM agents could link from their websites & social platforms etc.. to OTM but that still isn’t going to get them ahead of Rightmove.
They have a very long road ahead of them if they’re to get any meaninful traction in the SERPS.
In the meantime, they’ll have to keep spending money on Adwords and make do with a lower quality of traffic.
Conversely Rightmove get their traffic for free and can use their marketing budget elsewhere…
Creating compelling / viral content that gains even more links which further cements their No.1 position perhaps!!?
I remember an article about some Australian version of OTM , I’m sure someone will remind me who it is , failing as they didn’t get their seo strategy right.In the article Sprigett said that it wouldn’t happen to them , they have been working on the google strategy for 6 months( approx, someone I’m sure will find the extact wording) . What this means is that after 1 year OTM have ****** all impact on google , by far the largest source of traffic for the major portals. ….. Cue OTM backlash telling me it’s not about the leads .. Or google … It’s about peace and love maaaan
Squiiz.
Funny thing is all of them seem to be selling property, which might mean selling property is not just about SEO and Google ranking.
OTM aren’t there to sell property, they are paid to be an aggregator of interest, an advertising source … If your now trying to argue that they don’t need to worry about their google SEO we will fall out ….
We won’t fall out Danny, I didn’t say GSEO isn’t a consideration but it is something more easily mastered by Agents Mutual than it is by Rigtmove, Zoopla or OTM.
Why is this article – again – skewed toward defending OTM? It doesn’t feature on the list because it’s terrible. Very simple really.
The great thing Eileen is how a minor tweak to OTM would result, at current membership levels to a lump of seo 2.67 and 25 noughts times bigger than Rightmove’s
I know you have got strong objections to the way OTM is at the moment but if there was a way of taking full control of GSEO through intelligent collective co-operation would you join AM?
Robert, is the way by linking out to OTM and allowing them to cannibalise your own website traffic , weirdly letting OTM climb the rankings so they appear when people search directly for me , thus allowing competition in the area a chance to be seen when someone types in my name to google? If this is the case then no thanks
You will be simply staggered at how Agent centred I can make things. I can deliver results to individual negotiators mobiles it is so agent centric.
I have discarded the idea of an aggregating portal and built a sortal that by-passes everyone else but you or your agency. it really is a level playingfield that makes SEO spend pointless.
Hi Robert, followed your sortal with interest.
I like the idea and concept, only question i have is how will the public know about it to get to use it?
Somehow, I already have users in 66 countries on all 5 continents with 49% of all users who experience R4 being return users; people like what it does. I have not yet spent a penny on advertising yet have been highlighted in Web user magazine as a best new web site.
I am biding my time and can afford to be patient, don’t worry about the public becoming aware of R4, those that matter will find us in much the same way as they find you right now.
Danny, I don’t need £25,000,000,000 to make everyone aware of Rummage 4; if I did a Willy Wonka and gave away 5 golden tickets each winning a mortgage free home it would cost me £900,000.
I am not cutting anyone out I am putting applicants in touch with agents in the most efficient way possible
Sorry Robert, Im not trying to be difficult.I genuinly dont understand the problem you are trying to solve with this. The vast,vast majority of traffic starts at google and is directed to the most used websites for the terms they enter. The fact that some of these are portals kind of shows that google knows what its doing. By cutting out aggregators and similar to show local business may be noble but its not a selling point to the consumer whos using it. It may be a novelty to show people who well optimsed but surely not a serious propostion as it doesnt solve a problem for the consumer ” I wish I could cut out all the pesky list in one place websites so I can spend hours trawling stuff individualy” is not a commonly held conversation. Your thinking about the user not the consumer
That is right I am thinking about the paying customer, my bad!
Yesterday I challenge someone to do a basic applicant search by area, it is not possible to search for a 3 bed semi detached house on Rightmove and if you try on Zoopla or primelocation you quickly exhaust any feature searching.
If you don’t understand that constantly driving traffic back to the temptation of your competitor’s properties as a bad idea you won’t understand what I am trying to do, however you were the one at 10 am who wants unique traffic to your agency.
“it is not possible to search for a 3 bed semi detached house on Rightmove”
Urm… http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/York.html?minBedrooms=3&maxBedrooms=3&displayPropertyType=houses&oldDisplayPropertyType=houses&secondaryDisplayPropertyType=semidetachedhouses
Apologies, you can “filter” the results that have been delivered by a Rightmove search.
I had never noticed them because the filter options don’t show on my screen resolution. If you hadn’t given that filter string I wouldn’t have know it was possible so I am grateful to you.
That said there’s no point getting all huffy because end users can’t find functionality on a poorly designed page.
I had a look at whatis going on- displayPropertyType=houses&oldDisplayPropertyType=houses&secondaryDisplayPropertyType=semidetachedhouses
says to get to semi detached houses a secondary search is being done. Does that mean we should divide atll the rightmove stas by 2 to get to the correct number of searches?
Robert, i was not having a pop but just wondering how the public can find this on mass and use it.
Surely rummage for property will need the public to use it? If OTM are having problems getting traffic that is not paid for rummage would have the same issue?
Not being difficult trying to understand.
I am probably wrong but Dragons Den have a recurring phrase “You have invented something that does not need inventing” – Looks good, does the job better than google but will people change from google?
Is the concept of what I do completely alien to you? I am a lacky, a servant, a service supplier to a service industry. It is not my job to worry about individual agent’s customers or web presence. I am not taking on Google or the aggregators.
Sorry Smile half the cut and past went AWOL. You alreadyhave your audience what I am doing is protecting it. The digital folk hvae an agenda Have a listen to the Bottom Line radio 4 on saturday, pay close attention to what Andrew Miller of GMG says. what I am doing is preventing that!
Pleace can we speak on the phone Smile? I can talk easier than I can write.
I guess it must be alien to me. I thought it was a sortal for the public to find exactly what they wanted. I.E. 3 BED SEMI IN Buxton.
My question was how the public would find this to use the service.
From what i read above i am now thinking we direct our clients there to search for property (which we do on our website).
I may have completely the wrong end of the stick.
We will talk in the future Robert as i think it / you have a lot to offer. Just not yet as i value my anonymity.
I dont want to fall the same way as dear old PeeBee.
Erm… ‘scuse me for asking – but where, exactly, have I “fallen”, smile please?
Sorry PeeBee wrong choice of words ‘Outed’
Ahhh… you mean THAT little chucklesome episode?
You’ve gotta feel sorry for that poor Mr Baxter bloke – haven’t you?
His site stats must have gorn through the roof for a couple of days! ;o)
I really can’t see why you think Mr May had anything other than bu99er all to do with that!
’twas just a complete numpty whose simple arithmetic is even worse than his spelling, I would suggest…
Later is good Smile but I really would like your input and feedback.
In respect your anonymity even people desperate to find out who Peebee is have not found out from me and won’t. Both suspects in Peebee’s Friday afternoon out of the wardrobe turned out not to be him.
It is hard to tell you publicly how I am confident of pulling an SEO miracle out of the hat but there is a simplicity that the G3 portals can not pull off without a complete re-invention and it comes about because I know what is important to agents and applicants and have been at this digital game a full 4 years before Rightmove existed.
The 3 bed semi in Buxton search does start starts on the internet general and ends up on your site you have got that bit right, the how its done bit won’t come out till later.
I have 4 commercial options available to me and you will probably have gathered from several AM Gold members on here which one they would prefer I take.
Very few people know about the .property extension to Rummage 4 yet there are people using it, it is compelling and addictive a bit like Flappy Bird.
Fantastic, all you need now is about £25 billion to make everyone in the UK aware and a reason that each person looking for something shouldnt use Google that gives them the answers they are looking for but instead goes to your sortal as it cuts out aggregating portals and means instead they can click on various websites 1 by 1 …..kind of feels like a bit of a step backwards. Maybe if you put the consumer first..google do that quite well
actually they don’t Danny, the veracious dual search on Rummage4 demonstrates that consumers get what Google want them to see. The dual earch results show how Duck Duck go results are more honest and un-influenced by SEO
Google always change the goal posts re SEO as they want you to spend on adwords. You can spend £1000’s on SEO, get near the top then have to pay £1000’s to get all that work removed, it’s a waste of time nowadays, just pay adwords and you are guaranteed 1st page!
I can’t post a photo on here but I have been watching 3 Googlebots go at it like choogy pigs on a log most of the weekend …Interesting to watch but creepy like a Sci Fi movie.