Booking diagnostics for Q3 2026

Real Estate SEO that survives a Fair Housing review and the next algorithm update.

✓NAR Article 12 cited by SOP number on every commercial claim.
✓MLS and IDX canonical strategy that survives Google overrides.
✓Fair Housing safe harbor enforced at the URL-structure level.

NAR-COMPLIANT · FAIR HOUSING-SAFE · MLS/IDX-FLUENT

● BOOKING NEW OPERATORS

Earnest is the SEO practice of Yan Dobromyslov. We work with U.S. real estate agents, teams, and brokerages on NAR-compliant and Fair Housing-safe SEO. Past engagements have produced compounding organic growth measured in revenue, with several real-estate domains doubling traffic within the first six months.

31+

SEO engagements shipped

Regulated verticals

Years specializing

Seven service surfaces. Each grounded in the regulatory or data layer.

Realtor SEO

Service and Person entity authority for the solo licensee.

The solo agent's structural disadvantage is the same-address GBP filter and Zillow's directory tollbooth. We build Service and Person schema authority that competes regardless.

Brokerage SEO

Multi-state advertising hierarchy at scale.

Multi-state brokerages run into TREC vs DRE vs FREC vs DOS variation on team-vs-broker font hierarchy and license disclosure. We template the variation; you get one site that's compliant in every state you operate in.

MLS and IDX SEO

IDX canonical strategy and RESO Web API integration.

The structurally mandated duplicate-content problem is an engineering problem. Iframe IDX passes zero topical relevance; truly-embedded IDX with RESO Web API mapping is the only path to participate in IDX SEO.

NAR-Compliant Marketing

Article 12 SOP-by-SOP coverage.

Generalist agencies treat NAR Code as marketing fluff. We cite Article 12 SOP 12-1, 12-5, 12-9, 12-10, and 12-12 by number on every claim, and we treat SOP 12-10 (no deceptive metatags) as the SOP that directly targets SEO manipulation.

Fair Housing Safe SEO

URL-structure-level safe-harbor enforcement.

HUD FHEO treats the SEO marketing stage as the critical Fair Housing entry point. Programmatic SEO that uses demographic variables as filtering facets is a Title VIII liability surface. We design content architecture so SOP 10-2 third-party-attributed factual data is structurally enforced.

Real Estate Schema

RealEstateAgent nested under RealEstateAgency, listings mapped to RESO.

RealEstateAgent under RealEstateAgency via parentOrganization and memberOf and department. RealEstateListing with offers, businessFunction for lease vs sale, datePosted for Clear Cooperation freshness, spatialCoverage, leaseLength. Local custom fields land in additionalProperty.

Local SEO for Agents

Post-Vicinity-Update positioning for real estate.

Stuffing your business name with city names stopped working when Google shipped the Vicinity Update. Local pack visibility is proximity-weighted now, with categories and schema doing the work your business name used to. We work around the same-address agent filter with the right entity architecture.

Built different

Built for operators who treat the regulatory layer as part of the SEO surface.

We don't ship templated SEO that ignores the regulatory layer. The work is meant to survive a Fair Housing review, a TREC complaint, and the next algorithm update.

NAR SOPS CITED 12-1 to 12-12

STATE COMMISSIONS TREC / DRE / FREC / DOS

DATA LAYER RESO WEB API

[ 01 ]

Regulatory surface as a first-class engineering problem.

NAR Article 12 SOP 12-1, 12-5, 12-9, 12-10, 12-12 cited by number on every claim. State-license advertising hierarchy variation across TREC, DRE, FREC, DOS. Fair Housing safe-harbor under NAR SOP 10-2 enforced at the URL-structure level. The compliance layer is part of the build, not a checklist tacked on at QA.

[ 02 ]

Data layer fluency, not vendor parroting.

RESO Web API replaces RETS with a standardized Data Dictionary 2.0. We map Resources, Fields, and Lookups to RealEstateListing JSON-LD natively, handle iframe vs truly-embedded IDX as the load-bearing distinction it is, and run canonical strategy that survives Google overriding self-referential canonicals.

[ 03 ]

Post-Sitzer/Burnett adaptive.

The 2024 NAR settlement removed blanket buyer-side commission display and mandated upfront buyer-broker agreements. Search intent is shifting toward buyer-representation queries. We build Service and Person entity authority around the new surface, and we restructure agent content for the post-settlement buyer journey.

[ 04 ]

Diagnostic-led, retainer-natural.

Every engagement starts with a diagnostic against your actual Search Console and traffic data. Load-bearing pages identified, dead weight surfaced, commercial gaps named. Most diagnostics convert into a monthly retainer because the work the diagnostic surfaces is rarely a one-and-done.

Side by side

Earnest versus the typical SEO agency, on the criteria that govern real-estate outcomes.

Earnest

Regulatory + data-layer specialist

RECOMMENDED

Typical SEO agency

Generalist

NAR Article 12 coverage

SOP 12-1, 12-5, 12-9, 12-10, 12-12 cited by number on every commercial claim

Not addressed; ethics-rule risk left to the broker

RESO Web API integration

Resources + Fields + Lookups mapped to RealEstateListing JSON-LD

IDX treated as a third-party widget; data layer ignored

Fair Housing safe-harbor enforcement

URL-structure level; SOP 10-2 third-party-attributed factual data on neighborhood content

Prohibited-phrase scan at QA; safe-harbor pattern not enforced

State law variance

Per-jurisdiction templates across TREC, DRE, FREC, DOS

One template, multi-state liability surface

IDX canonical strategy

Truly-embedded IDX with canonical strategy that survives Google override

Iframe IDX accepted; topical relevance leaks to vendor's domain

RealEstateAgent schema nesting

Nested under RealEstateAgency via parentOrganization + memberOf

Flat Organization or LocalBusiness; entity graph unbuilt

Clear Cooperation freshness

MLS submission treated as the freshness source datePosted inherits

Freshness signal not modeled; listing recency lost

Earnest

Regulatory + data-layer specialist

RECOMMENDED

NAR Article 12 coverage: SOP 12-1, 12-5, 12-9, 12-10, 12-12 cited by number on every commercial claim
RESO Web API integration: Resources + Fields + Lookups mapped to RealEstateListing JSON-LD
Fair Housing safe-harbor enforcement: URL-structure level; SOP 10-2 third-party-attributed factual data on neighborhood content
State law variance: Per-jurisdiction templates across TREC, DRE, FREC, DOS
IDX canonical strategy: Truly-embedded IDX with canonical strategy that survives Google override
RealEstateAgent schema nesting: Nested under RealEstateAgency via parentOrganization + memberOf
Clear Cooperation freshness: MLS submission treated as the freshness source datePosted inherits

Typical SEO agency

Generalist

NAR Article 12 coverage: Not addressed; ethics-rule risk left to the broker
RESO Web API integration: IDX treated as a third-party widget; data layer ignored
Fair Housing safe-harbor enforcement: Prohibited-phrase scan at QA; safe-harbor pattern not enforced
State law variance: One template, multi-state liability surface
IDX canonical strategy: Iframe IDX accepted; topical relevance leaks to vendor's domain
RealEstateAgent schema nesting: Flat Organization or LocalBusiness; entity graph unbuilt
Clear Cooperation freshness: Freshness signal not modeled; listing recency lost

Updated 2026-05-27

How we engage

From diagnostic to retainer in four weeks. Then the work compounds.

WEEK 0

Diagnostic

We read your Search Console data, your traffic data, your IDX implementation, and your existing on-page layer. The diagnostic comes back with the load-bearing pages, the dead weight, and the commercial gaps in front of revenue.

WEEK 1

Scope and proposal

From the diagnostic we scope the engagement: which pages get consolidated, which get rebuilt around commercial queries, what the on-page layer needs to do, what schema and canonical work is required.

WEEK 2-3

Foundation pass

We rebuild the load-bearing pages first. NAR-compliant copy, Fair Housing safe-harbor patterns, RESO Web API schema integration where the data layer reaches. Internal linking tightened around the new structure.

ONGOING

Retainer cadence

Monthly cadence on the rest of the site, plus content cadence for the queries the diagnostic surfaced. Quarterly review against your traffic data and Search Console movement.

Six questions a real estate operator can ask before signing a retainer.

Generic SEO competence ports to real estate poorly because it ignores the regulatory and data-layer constraints the vertical operates under. The questions below surface whether a practice has the fluency the program actually requires.

Can you cite the NAR SOPs by number that govern title tags and footer disclosure?

The answer is SOP 12-9 on firm-name disclosure plus state-license law on broker-license-number footer placement. A practice that cannot cite the SOP either does not read it or treats it as background noise. Both fail.
How do you handle Fair Housing safe-harbor on neighborhood pages?

The answer is SOP 10-2 third-party-attributed factual data only. Census Bureau figures, standardized walkability scores, factual school district boundaries with no subjective quality ratings. A practice that talks about "compliant copywriting" without naming SOP 10-2 has not done the work.
What is your view on iframe versus truly embedded IDX?

The answer is that iframe IDX caps the listing-tier SEO ceiling structurally. Truly embedded via the RESO Web API is the configuration that lets listing content accrue topical relevance to the host. A practice that says "we can work with any IDX vendor" has missed the load-bearing distinction.
Which metrics do you report on monthly?

Commercial-query position rankings (Tier 1 head term, Tier 2 service queries), local pack visibility per GBP Performance, lead flow attributed to commercial-query landing pages, and listing-detail rich-result eligibility per Search Console. Aggregate traffic and aggregate query counts as primary metrics are a warning signal.
How do you handle RESPA Section 8 on cross-vertical link relationships?

The answer is nofollow links to lender, title, and escrow partners. No joint landing pages that present as cross-promotion. No subsidized retainers paid by lenders. A practice that builds out lender-partner backlink campaigns is creating CFPB-enforcement exposure for the brokerage.
What changed for real estate SEO after the Sitzer/Burnett verdict?

The answer is that buyer-broker agreements opened a new top-of-funnel content surface around buyer representation, fee structures, and negotiation mechanics. Practices that built their entire content surface against listing-search intent have rebuild work to do. A practice unfamiliar with the shift is operating off pre-2024 patterns.

The longer-form treatment lives at in-house vs outsourced real estate SEO →

Common questions

Things operators ask before they book a diagnostic.

[ 01 ] What does the diagnostic actually cover? +

Your Search Console export, your traffic data, the current on-page layer across the site, the IDX implementation (iframe vs truly embedded), and the schema you ship. Output is a per-page ledger of load-bearing pages, dead weight, commercial gaps, and the compliance surface across NAR Article 12 SOPs and Fair Housing safe-harbor patterns.

[ 02 ] Diagnostic only, or does it convert into something ongoing? +

Most diagnostics convert into a monthly retainer because the work the diagnostic surfaces is rarely one-and-done. Foundation pass on the load-bearing pages first, then content cadence on the queries the diagnostic surfaced, then quarterly review against your traffic data. Some engagements stay diagnostic-only and that's a clean exit.

[ 03 ] Why do you cite SOP numbers everywhere? +

Because the SOP number is the rule. NAR Article 12 SOP 12-9 requires firm-name disclosure on every advertising surface including websites and social profiles. SOP 12-10 prohibits deceptive metatags. That's the SOP that directly targets SEO manipulation. State commission rules vary by jurisdiction and the citation tells you which rule applies where. Marketing-fluff compliance ('we're Fair Housing-friendly') without the SOP number is what got the buyer burned the first time.

[ 04 ] Doesn't generalist SEO cover this for a solo agent? +

Generalist SEO doesn't carry NAR Article 12 SOP 12-9 firm-name disclosure into the title tag, doesn't structure a Person and Service entity around the agent under the brokerage's parentOrganization in schema, and doesn't navigate the same-address Google Business Profile filter that suppresses competing agent profiles at the brokerage address. Those three patterns are the realtor surface and they're outside a generalist's vocabulary.

[ 05 ] What does a solo-agent engagement actually look like month one? +

Diagnostic against your Search Console export, your IDX implementation, your Google Business Profile, and your existing on-page layer. Foundation pass on the load-bearing pages: brokerage firm name carried into title tag and footer per SOP 12-9, RealEstateAgent schema nested under the brokerage's parentOrganization, areaServed mapped to the geographic surface you're actually licensed for. Then content cadence against the queries the diagnostic surfaced.

[ 06 ] Do you respond to formal RFPs? +

Yes. The diagnostic doubles as the discovery deliverable. Scope is sized to office count, MLS count, jurisdiction count, and current IDX implementation. Pricing tiers come out in writing with the scope. Procurement gets a real document. We won't fill out vendor-comparison spreadsheets that ask us to rate ourselves against unnamed competitors on agency-aggregate metrics we'd have no basis to attest.