We didn't set out to specialize. It grew one management company at a time. The software we run on came out of that work, not out of a product plan. The tools we could buy kept stopping just short of what the work needed.
Two things go wrong in this category often enough to name up front. You can see both from the outside on almost any property management website.
The corporate site is built for the resident when the buyer is the owner
It is a resident portal with some marketing on top. The owner, the person who actually hires a management company, gets one paragraph and a contact form.
The listing data falls out of date
A community page that copies its listings by hand soon stops matching the management software.
The rest of this page is what we learned fixing them on client accounts.
Property management marketing, in detail
Every one, live
- Apartment community, Vancouver, WA Vancouver, WA, 1 to 3 bedrooms near I-5 and PDX
- Apartment community, Olympia Renovated studios and 1 beds on Capitol Lake, Olympia
- Apartment community, West Olympia Apartments and townhomes near Capitol Lake, West Olympia
- Apartment community, Bremerton Income-restricted one to four bedrooms in East Bremerton
- Apartment community, Lakewood Studio to 3-bedroom new build in Lakewood
- Apartment community, Hood Canal Hood Canal water views, 1 and 2 beds
- Apartment community, Bremerton Bremerton apartments and townhomes beside the golf course
- Apartment community, Port Orchard Brand-new Port Orchard rentals with Olympic Mountain views
- Apartment community, Lacey Lacey 1 to 3 bedrooms with Chehalis Trail access
- Apartment community, Puyallup Wood fireplaces and a renovated clubhouse in Puyallup
- Apartment community, Puyallup Gated Puyallup rentals, one to three bedrooms
- Apartment community, Poulsbo New Poulsbo build, 1 to 3 bedrooms
- Apartment community, West Olympia West Olympia 1 and 2 bedrooms, large dogs welcome
- Apartment community, Olympia 1 to 3 bedrooms on Lilly Rd NE
- 55+ apartment community, Olympia 55+ active adult apartments in Olympia
- Apartment community, Kent Kent apartments plus 3-bed townhomes, newly renovated
- Apartment community, Kitsap County Renovated one and two beds by St. Michael Medical Center
- Apartment community, Lakewood Lakewood studios to two beds, minutes to JBLM
- Apartment community, Olympia Northeast Olympia, one to three bedrooms, seasonal pool
- Apartment community, Fife One to three bedrooms in Fife
- Apartment community, Lacey Lacey one and two beds with a 40,000 sq ft pet play area
- Apartment community, West Olympia Studios to two bedrooms in West Olympia
- Apartment community, Lacey Lacey apartments with a sauna and a sports court
- Apartment community, Tacoma 88 homes in Tacoma's Midland, renting since 1985
- Apartment community, Parkland Built in 2023: 1 to 3 bedrooms in Parkland, near PLU
- Apartment community, Lakewood Seven floor plans from 528 sq ft in Lakewood
- Apartment community, Western Washington Olympia: 762 sq ft one bed to 1,132 sq ft three bed
- Apartment building, Seattle Belltown studios and one-beds, steps from Pike Place
- Apartment community, Poulsbo Locally owned 1 and 2 bedrooms in Poulsbo
- Apartment community, West Olympia Same floor plan, classic or renovated, in West Olympia
- Apartment community, Tumwater Two Tumwater floor plans: The Olympic and The Pacific
A management company and a community are selling to different people
A management company's website sells to owners, who hire it, while its communities sell to renters, who lease from them. Residents and vendors want something different again. Many property management websites never make this split, and working both sides of it is most of the job.
| Audience | What they want from the site | How they decide | What one lead is worth |
|---|---|---|---|
Owners | Fees, how often you report, how fast maintenance responds and how full your buildings stay | Slowly, over weeks of comparing firms | Possibly a whole building |
Renters | A floor plan, a price, a move-in date, a pet policy and a way to book a tour today | In a few minutes, on a phone, with four buildings open | One lease |
Residents | A maintenance request form and a rent payment button, not sales copy | They are already customers, back next month | A renewal |
Vendors | How to get on the approved list and how payment works | Rarely through search at all | A crew you can call when something breaks |
Few people search for a management company, but each owner lead is worth a lot. One owner lead can be a whole building, so an owner page that brings in two leads a month is doing its job. Renters are the opposite: lots of searches and very little time. If the price isn't on the page, they leave and don't come back to check. Try to serve every audience from one homepage and none of them get served.
Run both jobs off one website and you get a site that does neither well. Usually the owner loses, because renter traffic is louder and the site drifts toward it. The split runs through search, too. A community site should own its own local market rather than compete with the corporate site for the broad city search. When both pages chase the same search, you've paid twice to split one result.
Work aimed at all three audiences
On the management-company side, we run SEO and social media with targeting at three separate levels: vendors, owners and residents.
The groundwork under it
We clear out duplicate meta descriptions, the short summaries Google shows under a result. We publish blogs and build backlinks. Social posts cover property management topics, with original design work behind them.
Template sites we rebuild, by platform
- AppFolio
- RentCafe
- Yardi
- ShowMojo
Availability data changes daily, so the problem is structural
Unit availability changes daily, so a property management website that copies its listings by hand soon shows units that have already leased. A unit leases on Tuesday. The site still shows it on Friday. Prospects fill in forms for a unit that's gone. The leasing team spends the day apologizing. And the site quietly teaches Google that its pages don't match what a searcher finds on arrival.
The standard fix, and what it costs
The standard fix is the management software's own embed, a box from its system placed inside your page. It keeps availability accurate, but your buildings get no pages of their own, because the listings live inside the embed on the platform's domain. The box also keeps the platform's styling, so there's nowhere to put amenity detail, or a call to action that matches the rest of the site.
One page per managed property
This is the structural decision, and it's worth saying what it rules out. Not a link out to a portal. Not a shared listings page with a filter on it. A real web address a renter can find in search, send to a partner, and come back to. We rebuild the calls to action and lead capture forms at the same time. A big site still running a small site's path to contact is just a bigger brochure.
Listings drawn from the source
On AppFolio and WordPress, AppFolio Listings Pro, the plugin we wrote, reads your public listings on the server and draws them as your own pages, with a page for every unit. A unit that leases leaves the site on the plugin's next fetch, so the page and the software agree.
The listing copy
We improve how listings are marketed, inside the software you already run.
Many management companies start on the website template their software ships. How we rebuild those into better sites is on property management website design. The AppFolio side, with the tools we built for it, is on websites for AppFolio managers.
Run both jobs off one website and you get a site that does neither well.
Multifamily marketing at portfolio scale is a production problem
Communities in the same portfolio aren't interchangeable. Two communities in different towns compete in different rental markets. They face different comparables, at different price points. Copy that works for one reads as boilerplate on the other. The scale lives in the production system. The content doesn't get shared. Each community gets its own.
Kihan Indexer
Checks which new and updated pages Google has indexed, so none sits unnoticed across a portfolio's worth of sites.
Kihan Schema
Adds structured data to every site. Search engines can then read what the business does, which communities it runs and where they are.
Kihan SEO plugin
On-page SEO control across the whole set of pages.
Kihan Internal Linker
Places internal links across a site, consistently. Nobody does that by hand across a whole portfolio.
That's what the tools are for. They are production tools, not a product line. Once a portfolio passes a handful of sites, tools like these stop being optional. Building one community site by hand is simple. A whole portfolio is different: each site has its own market position and its own content. That only works if the repetitive parts are automated and the judgment calls aren't.
The work, broken out by account
Each part of the work has its own page, with the client account behind it. That's how to judge any agency in this field: by its accounts, not its service list.
Multifamily marketing, the community side
The hub for the community side of the work: multifamily SEO, the community websites, lease-up and the search benchmark.
Property management SEO, the owner side
Property management SEO brings owners to the management company and renters to each property's page. The account story behind one management company's community portfolio shows what changed as a community portfolio was rebuilt site by site. It also covers two accounts on the management-company side. For a property management company in Dayton, we improved the listing marketing inside AppFolio. For a Tacoma property management and real estate company, we ran four months of SEO and social media. Read it if you run a portfolio and your corporate site isn't bringing in owner leads.
The community websites, live
The Multifamily website design page lists them, each linked to its project page: communities in Olympia, Poulsbo, Parkland and Kitsap County, and the rest of the portfolio. They're live and you can click them. None of them are mockups.
Property management website design
Property management website design, as we do it, rebuilds the template site your software ships so every managed property gets a page. How we rebuild template sites has the detail. We rebuilt a Western Washington apartment management company's corporate site, now live. We also rebuilt a Seattle property manager's five-page site, which ran on AppFolio's website template, into more than 250 pages, with a page for every managed property.
AppFolio site rebuilds and Listings Pro
Websites for AppFolio managers covers the AppFolio side: a page for every property, owner pages, and AppFolio kept as the system of record. The listings reach the site through AppFolio Listings Pro, our WordPress plugin, which is available to license. The three ways to put AppFolio listings on a WordPress site are compared in our guide to showing AppFolio listings on WordPress.
The search benchmark
The figures passed around in this category rarely say how many properties they cover, or over what period. What apartment community websites actually get in search explains why those comparisons break down. Then it shows how to read your own Search Console numbers instead of trusting a percentage with no source.
Multifamily SEO, the renter side
Multifamily SEO works at the level of one community. The usual problem is a building losing searches for its own name to the listing portals it feeds. A community known mostly by name and one found through wider, colder searches are doing two different jobs. Read either one's numbers without knowing which job it does, and they tell you nothing.
The scale lives in the production system. The content doesn't get shared.
How to choose a property management marketing agency
Judge a property management marketing agency by its client accounts, not its service list. Ask to open the live sites it built. Ask whether it writes owner pages separately from renter pages, how it keeps listing data current, and whether reporting comes from your own Search Console and ad accounts rather than its dashboard.
| Ask the agency | Why it matters | What a good answer looks like |
|---|---|---|
Which live management company and community sites can I open? | Accounts show more than a service list | Named sites that load, each with a page about the work |
How do you keep owner pages apart from renter pages? | Owners hire you; renter traffic is louder | Separate owner pages on fees, reporting and maintenance |
Where will each property's page live? | A building's name is a search | A page for every managed property on your own domain |
How do you keep listings in step with our software? | Out-of-date listings cost leads and trust | Your software stays the source, with no second copy kept by hand |
Where do your figures come from? | Bare percentages can't be checked | The months covered and the source, such as your own Search Console |
Whose name are the ad accounts, profiles and analytics in? | Nothing should be lost if you change who runs your marketing | Your company's, with access given to whoever does the work |
Then hold the answers against live work. The accounts above are what we'd ask you to check on us. If you're weighing an agency against a marketer of your own, our comparison of agency vs in-house marketing sets out the trade-offs.
Questions property managers ask
What does a property management marketing agency do?
A property management marketing agency wins owners for the management company and renters for its communities. The work covers the corporate website and owner pages, a page for each managed property, search and the Google Business Profile, paid ads, social media and listing copy. Each audience, owners, renters and vendors, gets its own message.
How do you market a property management company?
Market a property management company to owners first, because owners are the ones who hire. Give owners their own page on fees, reporting and maintenance. Keep renter pages and vendor pages apart. Then add search work, blogs, backlinks and social posts. Good marketing for property management treats each group as its own audience.
How do property management companies find new clients?
Property management companies find new clients, meaning owners, mostly through slow research. An owner often spends weeks comparing firms before calling one. So the corporate site needs an owner page that answers fees, reporting and maintenance plainly. One owner lead can be a whole building, so two leads a month is a page doing its job.
How do property managers generate owner leads?
Property managers generate owner leads with pages written for owners: fees explained in plain terms, how reporting works, how fast maintenance responds and how full the buildings stay. Owners research for weeks, so those pages need to rank for owner searches in each city served. Referral partners, reviews and a current Business Profile support them.
The channels, from owner keywords to follow-up, are in our guide to property management owner leads.
Should I hire a property management marketing agency?
Hire one when the work needs time or skills your team lacks: rebuilding a template website, writing owner pages, running paid search under housing ad rules, or keeping many community sites distinct. If your site already ranks and converts, a marketing audit of your own Search Console data may show you need less than you think.
How do property management companies advertise?
Property management companies advertise to three groups: owners, renters and vendors, each with its own campaign. Renters decide within a week, so search ads catch them. Owners research for weeks, so their ads need their own budget. Vendors rarely search, so social media does that work. The detail is on our property management advertising page.
Why do property owners hire property managers?
Property owners hire a property manager so someone else fills the units, fixes what breaks and reports back. Many owners are unhappy with their current manager. Others moved away and found that running a building from far off doesn't go well. When they compare firms, they look at fees, reporting, repair speed and how full the buildings stay.
Google reviews
What clients say
Nicholas
Google review
Kiran and his team are simply fantastic! I've worked with 16 different third party marketing teams and they are by far the best. They are incredibly smart, responsive and an overall pleasure to work with. Since working with them over the last 2 months my ask of them constantly changes and their ability to quickly adapt and figure out new ways to quickly add value is incredibly impressive. I can't recommend Kiran and his team enough and will continue to work with them for the foreseeable future!
Reika
Google review
Kihan Marketing is a fantastic team to work with, friendly, professional, and highly responsive. They are highly responsive and quick to take action, ensuring projects move forward efficiently. Despite working in a fast-paced environment, they remain professional, organized, and attentive to detail. Their dedication really show in the quality of their work, and they consistently deliver results while maintaining clear communication. Highly recommended!
Real estate agency, Sint Maarten
Google review
Kihan Marketing Organization is friendly, professional, and very responsive. Kiran and his team move quickly, communicate clearly, and deliver high-quality work in both website development and social media marketing. They stay organized, pay attention to detail, and make the whole process smooth and efficient. Highly recommended for anyone looking to grow your online presence!
Watcharaponne
Real estate agency, Thailand
I highly recommend Kihan Marketing. Kiran is an incredibly talented, skilled, and thoughtful web designer. What impressed us most was that he didn't simply build a website, he took the time to truly understand our business, our vision, and the local Koh Samui real estate market. Throughout the process, Kiran provided valuable advice and creative ideas that helped shape the brand and support the growth of our business. His attention to detail and understanding of what makes a business unique resulted in a website that feels truly personal to our brand. He created the beautiful website for [a real estate agency in Thailand]. It represents the elegance, professionalism, and identity of our business beautifully. Thank you, Kiran and Kihan Marketing, for bringing our vision to life. Highly recommended!
Listya
Google review
Working together felt very collaborative and aligned. Communication flowed easily, tasks were well-organized, and we shared the same attention to detail throughout the process. It genuinely felt like working as one team.
Business client
Google review
Kihan Marketing Organization has been great to work with. The team is professional, responsive, and focused on delivering real results. I'm very satisfied with their service and would highly recommend them.
vittoria
Google review
Very fast and professional. I love working with Kihan Marketing. Definitely recommended
Wei
Real estate agent, Sint Maarten
I can't recommend Kihan Marketing highly enough. Kiran and his team truly went above and beyond in helping me with both my social media and my website, and the results speak for themselves.
Shelley
Cryotherapy studio near Seattle
I recently worked with Kihan Marketing to design my new website, and I couldn't be more thrilled with the experience. From start to finish, they were incredibly responsive, communicative, and attentive to every detail.
Talking to us
Three problems we've already worked through on client accounts.
Community sites that don't match each other
Or that match too well, and compete with each other in the same city.
Availability out of step with the website
A floor plan still showing three weeks after it leased.
A corporate site talking to owners and renters at once
A corporate site written for owners and renters at once lands with neither, and the owner usually loses to louder renter traffic.
If you're comparing property management marketing companies, the client accounts above are what we'd ask you to check.
The place to start is a marketing audit, where we read your Search Console rather than guessing at it. Rated 5.0 on Google.
Call (425) 954-3452 or email info@kihanmarketing.com.
