We're Not a Bank, We're Not a Real Estate Agency - So Who Will Link to Us?

Discussion in 'Search Engine Optimization' started by Laura Bankr, May 29, 2026 at 4:29 AM.

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If you were in our position, what would you focus on first?

This poll will close on Jun 10, 2026 at 4:29 AM.
  1. Link building

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  2. Content creation

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  3. Website rebuild

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  4. Technical SEO

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  5. Digital PR

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  6. Brand building

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  1. #1
    Hi guys

    I'm hoping there are some SEO and marketing professionals here who can give me some feedback.

    We run an independent home-buying advisory company "Bankr". We don't sell mortgages, real estate, or financial products. Instead, we help home buyers make informed decisions throughout the buying process.

    1. One of our biggest SEO challenges is that we're in a somewhat unique position within the industry. Banks and real estate agents are often the businesses that naturally attract links and attention, but since we're independent advisors, they're unlikely to link to us. In many cases, our interests don't fully align with theirs, which makes traditional partnership-based link building difficult.

    2. Our brand name, "Bankr", isn't something people actively search for. Most people search for topics such as home-buying advice, first-time home buyer guidance, mortgage questions, bidding strategies, or how to avoid costly mistakes when purchasing a property. We've been trying to build content and improve our SEO, but we're finding it difficult to earn relevant backlinks and increase our authority within the space.

    3. Our website is built with Divi, and the developer who originally built it is very difficult to get in contact with. The rest of the team isn't particularly experienced with Divi, so making improvements and implementing SEO recommendations can be slow. We've started discussing whether it makes sense to rebuild the site on a platform that's easier for us to manage ourselves, or even rethink parts of our website structure and content strategy altogether.

    What's your thoughts:
    How would you approach link building for an independent home-buying advisory business?
    Are there industries, websites, or partnerships we're overlooking? Would you continue investing in the existing website or consider starting fresh?
    Based on your experience, what would you focus on first if you were in our position?
    Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. At the moment, it feels like we're stuck between a difficult niche, limited backlink opportunities, and a website that isn't easy for us to manage.

    I've used AI to help me translate and structure this post in English, but the challenges and questions are genuinely ours. - I'm much better at reading it than writing it.
     
    Laura Bankr, May 29, 2026 at 4:29 AM IP
  2. sarahk

    sarahk iTamer Staff

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    #2
    Some websites just won't get many inbound links and that sucks but it's also ok, because your competitors are in the same situation.

    I'd focus on social media - it gives you inbound links and it helps get your name out there.

    A bigger concern is the competition for the word "bankr" and making sure that you're number 1 in your country/region over all the other noise.

    Your website seems to be ok, but do give someone in-house the job of learning how to make changes and understanding what the admin options are - even if you don't want to use them. Speed and having the right content is much more important than what it's actually built with.
     
    sarahk, May 29, 2026 at 3:33 PM IP
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  3. AndroidST

    AndroidST Active Member

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    #3
    The core issue is that your natural link partners (banks, brokers, agents) see you as competition. That is normal for independent advisory businesses. The way around it is to become the source other people cite rather than trying to get competitors to link to you.

    What works for this kind of niche: original research that journalists and bloggers want to reference. A yearly report on average home-buying costs by region, a first-time buyer mistakes survey, or a regional market snapshot with your own data. Local newspapers and personal finance bloggers link to original numbers because they need sources that are not banks trying to sell mortgages. One solid annual report can generate more backlinks than a year of guest posting.

    On the Divi question, I would not rebuild yet. The real bottleneck is not the CMS, it is content velocity. A site with 10 genuinely useful guides that rank will outperform a beautiful redesign with thin pages every time. Get someone internal comfortable enough with Divi to publish new content and fix page speed issues. Save the platform migration for after you have traction.
     
    AndroidST, May 31, 2026 at 1:15 AM IP
    sarahk likes this.