Buyer guide

How to choose a real estate marketing agency

Websites, SEO, paid leads and portals. Pricing, ownership, the rules on reviews and advertising, and how to compare agencies with portals.

Published 2026-10-21. All guides · Marketing and listing portals hub

Our perspective

Pricing is the first test, and it is rarely public: 1 of the 4 agencies we profile showed a starting price on the pages we read. Listing portals that sell to agents say more, because their 10-Ks describe how agents pay. Some rules apply whoever you hire. The FTC’s rule on consumer reviews, in effect since October 21, 2024, prohibits fake reviews, buying reviews conditioned on positive or negative sentiment, and certain undisclosed insider reviews; and the Fair Housing Act prohibits housing ads that indicate a preference, limitation or discrimination based on a protected characteristic. (eCFR, 16 CFR Part 465, Rule on the Use of Consumer Reviews and Testimonials (effective Oct 21, 2024); Federal Trade Commission, final rule banning fake reviews and testimonials (Aug 14, 2024); 42 U.S.C. § 3604 (Fair Housing Act), including § 3604(c) on advertising) Disclosure: this site is operated by Siana Marketing, which sells SEO and AI-search services. Siana is not listed, scored or ranked in this guide or anywhere on the site.

Checklist

Get pricing, contract length, setup fees and cancellation terms in writing.
Confirm you will own your domain, website content, ad accounts and lead data, and can export them if you leave.
Ask how the agency gathers reviews; the FTC rule bars incentives conditioned on a particular sentiment and certain insider reviews without clear disclosure. (eCFR, 16 CFR Part 465, Rule on the Use of Consumer Reviews and Testimonials (effective Oct 21, 2024))
Paid endorsements or influencer posts should clearly disclose any material connection. (eCFR, 16 CFR Part 255, FTC Guides Concerning Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising)
Check that ad copy, images and audience choices follow fair-housing rules. (42 U.S.C. § 3604 (Fair Housing Act), including § 3604(c) on advertising; eCFR, 24 CFR 100.75, discriminatory advertisements, statements and notices (HUD))
Confirm email and text campaigns follow CAN-SPAM and FCC consent rules. (FTC, CAN-SPAM Act: A Compliance Guide for Business; FCC, Stop Unwanted Robocalls and Texts (consumer guide, reviewed Feb 27, 2026))

Questions to ask

What will I pay in the first year, all in, and what is the minimum term?
Which results will you report monthly, and which of them can I verify in my own accounts?
Who owns the website, domain, content and ad accounts if we part ways?
How do you check that ads comply with fair-housing rules?
Can I speak with two current clients in a market like mine?

Red flags worth clarifying

None of these proves a problem on its own. Each is a reason to ask for an explanation in writing before you sign.

Guaranteed rankings or lead counts with no written definition.
The agency, not you, owning your domain or ad account.
Review-collection tactics that reward only positive reviews. (eCFR, 16 CFR Part 465, Rule on the Use of Consumer Reviews and Testimonials (effective Oct 21, 2024))
Audience targeting based on protected characteristics.
Long auto-renewing contracts with no performance reporting.

What the public record can and can’t tell you

Can show

Agent-facing revenue, growth and pricing disclosures of public portals (10-K)
Disclosed legal and regulatory matters
Published starting prices where an agency shows them

Can’t show

Results for a specific agent or market
Pricing that is only shared in a sales call
Records of private agencies

How our scores work here

Firms here get a public-record score: a number out of 10 with its breakdown, built only from audited filings, regulator and court records, and rankings researched by third parties. Criteria and weights: Agent-facing revenue (20%); Growth (25%); Pricing disclosure (25%); Legal and regulatory record (30%). Today 2 of the 7 firms we profile in this section can be scored; the others show “Not yet scored”, which means the public record does not cover every criterion. It says nothing about service quality. We attach no label, tier or recommendation to a score, and a lower number is not a judgment of how a firm treats clients. Use it to see what is documented, then do the checks below.

Explore

Marketing and listing portals hub · Agent marketing · SEO agencies · Portal advertising · Zillow Premier Agent · Realtor.com · Homes.com · Luxury Presence · Agent Image · Real Estate Webmasters · Ylopo · Zillow Premier Agent vs Realtor.com · Luxury Presence vs Agent Image · Ylopo vs Real Estate Webmasters · CRM guide

Questions

Is it legal to ask clients for reviews?

Generally yes. The FTC rule targets fake reviews, incentives conditioned on positive or negative sentiment, certain undisclosed insider reviews and review suppression; it does not cover generalized requests to customers to post reviews about their experiences.

Do fair-housing rules apply to online ads?

The Fair Housing Act covers any notice, statement or advertisement about the sale or rental of a dwelling, and HUD’s regulation applies it to written notices and statements in any medium.

Why is Siana Marketing not in this guide?

Siana Marketing operates this site. To avoid a conflict of interest it is never listed, scored or ranked.

What does the marketing score measure?

For listing portals that sell to agents: agent-facing revenue, growth, pricing disclosure and the legal and regulatory record. A number out of 10, not a recommendation.

Regulatory and legal points summarize the linked primary sources as read on 2026-10-21. Rules vary by state and change over time; this guide is general information, not legal or financial advice.

Sources

eCFR, 16 CFR Part 465, Rule on the Use of Consumer Reviews and Testimonials (effective Oct 21, 2024) · accessed 2026-10-20
Federal Trade Commission, final rule banning fake reviews and testimonials (Aug 14, 2024) · accessed 2026-10-20
eCFR, 16 CFR Part 255, FTC Guides Concerning Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising · accessed 2026-10-20
42 U.S.C. § 3604 (Fair Housing Act), including § 3604(c) on advertising · accessed 2026-10-20
eCFR, 24 CFR 100.75, discriminatory advertisements, statements and notices (HUD) · accessed 2026-10-20
FTC, CAN-SPAM Act: A Compliance Guide for Business · accessed 2026-10-20
FCC, Stop Unwanted Robocalls and Texts (consumer guide, reviewed Feb 27, 2026) · accessed 2026-10-20

Last verified 2026-10-21. Figures were re-read from the linked sources that day.

View changelog

2026-10-21 Guide published.