Apartment SEO: Your High Volume Keyword Is Costing You Money

At Tessera Business IQ, we hear this all the time: “We’re getting traffic—but we’re not getting conversions.”

It’s a frustrating scenario. Your site’s analytics show a steady stream of visitors, but your lead pipeline is still bone-dry. So what’s going on?

The answer often lies in one overlooked marketing trap: broad keywords.

Not All Traffic Is Created Equal

Let’s say you’re running Google Ads or optimizing for search with a broad keyword like “Boise rentals.” On paper, it sounds solid. It has volume, geographic relevance, and seems to align with what you offer.

But here’s the catch: “Boise rentals” doesn’t just mean apartments. It could mean:

• Costume rentals

• Equipment rentals

• Party supply rentals

• U-Haul truck rentals

• Tool rentals

And yes—some apartment rentals.

So while you're technically getting traffic, it's a noisy, mismatched audience. They’re clicking, costing you money, and bouncing fast when they realize you don’t offer what they were looking for. That’s low-intent traffic—people who are browsing, unclear, or outright looking for something else entirely.

Apartment SEO: apartment building clarifies its purpose with a humorous banner: "No Tool Rentals Here. (Just Apartments.)"

The Hidden Cost of Broad Keywords

Using vague, broad-match terms in your ad campaigns and apartment SEO strategy is like casting a net into a murky lake. You’ll catch a lot of things—but few of them will be worth keeping.

Take Google Ads, for instance. If “Boise rentals” is in your ad group as a broad match keyword, you're paying for clicks from people who may never have had apartments in mind. Multiply that across hundreds of impressions and you’re throwing away a chunk of your budget.

So What Does High-Intent Look Like in Apartment SEO?

High-intent leads come from searchers who know exactly what they want. These are people typing in:

• “Boise apartment rentals”

• “Pet-friendly apartment rentals in Boise”

• “2-bedroom apartment Boise near downtown”

• “Boise apartments available now”

See the difference? These searchers are closer to taking action—they’re looking for you. And if your website and campaigns are aligned with these kinds of terms, you’re much more likely to get conversions.

How to Fix It: Precision Beats Popularity

Start by tightening your keyword strategy:

• Use phrase match or exact match instead of broad match.(E.g., "Boise apartment rentals" instead of just Boise rentals)

• Build out negative keyword lists to filter out irrelevant traffic like "tool," "truck," or "costume."

• Optimize your content and ad copy to match the intent of renters—not browsers.

Yes, you’ll get less total traffic. But that traffic will be focused, relevant, and far more likely to convert into leads and leases.

The Bottom Line

When it comes to apartment marketing, volume means nothing if it doesn’t bring results. Chasing traffic with broad keywords is a costly illusion. Focus instead on search intent—speak the language of the renter who’s ready to move—and you’ll spend smarter, convert better, and fill your units faster.

At Tessera, we help multifamily teams optimize for high-intent lead generation that actually moves the needle. Want to see what smarter SEO and ad targeting can do for your property? Let’s talk.

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