SurrfomanceWhy generic keywords lose
Search "homes for sale Toronto" and count the results above the fold that belong to an individual agent. Portals have spent years and enormous budgets owning those terms. Bidding against them directly means paying premium prices to appear below them.
The terms that work for individual agents share three characteristics: they're specific, they're local, and they signal a transaction rather than browsing.
Campaign structures that work
Neighbourhood and building-level targeting
"Condos for sale in Mimico", "detached homes Streetsville", "[building name] units for sale". Lower volume, dramatically lower competition, and a searcher who already knows where they want to live is far closer to a transaction.
Seller intent
"How much is my house worth", "home valuation [neighbourhood]", "sell my condo Toronto". Seller leads cost more and convert more slowly, but a listing is worth substantially more than a buyer-side transaction. Pair these with a genuine valuation tool, not a contact form pretending to be one.
Life-event and situational terms
"Relocating to Mississauga", "first time home buyer Ontario programs", "downsizing condo Toronto". These searchers are early but reachable at a fraction of the cost, and they respond to guidance rather than listings.
Negative keywords are not optional
Real estate attracts an unusual volume of irrelevant traffic. At minimum, exclude:
- Employment terms: jobs, careers, hiring, salary, licence, course, exam
- Rental terms, unless you handle leases: for rent, rental, lease, apartments for rent
- Research terms: zillow, realtor.ca, housesigma, market report, statistics
- Competitor brokerage names, unless conquesting deliberately
- Commercial and investment terms if you are residential only
We review search term reports weekly on new accounts and monthly once stable. On a typical GTA agent account, negatives cut wasted spend by 20–35% in the first two months.
The website matters more than the campaign
Most agents run a brokerage template — identical to every colleague in the office, with the name swapped. There's no reason for a visitor to choose you over the agent whose ad they clicked before yours.
What changes outcomes: neighbourhood-specific pages, recent sold results with real numbers, video walkthroughs, and a clear next step that isn't "contact me". A valuation, a neighbourhood report, a new-listing alert.
Track what closes, not what enquires
Cost per lead is a vanity metric in real estate because lead quality varies enormously. A $30 lead that never answers the phone is worse than a $200 lead that lists. Push conversion data back from your CRM so bidding optimises toward appointments and listings rather than form fills.
Frequently asked questions
Is Google Ads worth it for realtors in Toronto?
Yes, but only with tight targeting. Generic terms such as broad city-wide searches are dominated by portals with far larger budgets. Neighbourhood-level and seller-intent campaigns are where individual agents can compete profitably.
What is a good cost per lead for real estate in the GTA?
Between $40 and $150 depending on whether you are targeting buyers or sellers. Seller leads cost considerably more but are worth more per transaction.
Should realtors use Google Ads or Facebook Ads?
Both, for different jobs. Google captures people already searching. Facebook and Instagram build recognition in a farm area before the search happens.