Why That Mega-Site Isn’t Always Your Friend
Coming out of multifamily conference season, one theme kept coming up again and again: consolidation.
One session at AIM in particular made the case that rolling all your properties into one big corporate or regional site is the way forward. The argument? That a single mega-site with 170,000 visits is more powerful than dozens of individual sites each bringing in 1,700 visits.
And at first glance, it makes sense. But when you take a closer look, especially through the lens of search behavior, local intent, and what actually drives conversions, that approach starts to fall apart.
Here’s what they didn’t mention: those giant sites can’t compete when it comes to neighborhood-specific content or hyperlocal SEO (even the session speakers admitted it offstage).
What we’ve seen — and what our Swifty users are proving — is that you can absolutely utrank high-traffic mega-sites like Apartments.com when you optimize at the property level.
High Traffic Doesn’t Guarantee High-Quality Leads
It’s true: a consolidated site might attract higher total traffic. But traffic alone isn’t the metric that moves occupancy.
Let’s say your corporate site does get 170,000 visits. That number may look great in a report, but it doesn’t mean every property benefits equally — or meaningfully.
Why? Because today’s renters don’t search for “XYZ Apartment Group.” They search for:
- “Pet-friendly 1-bedroom apartments near Zilker Park”
- “Gated apartments in East Fort Worth under $1,500”
- “Downtown Mesa apartments with a pool”
These are location- and intent-specific searches. And mega-sites — no matter how sleek — can’t compete locally with hyper-targeted property websites in search results and map packs.
And the data backs it up:
📊 46% of all Google searches have local intent
📱 78% of local mobile searches lead to action within 24 hours (Google)
📍 Listings with hyperlocal content are 2x more likely to appear in Google’s local pack (Moz)
Without property-level SEO, your traffic may rise — but your conversions might stall.
One Site = One Funnel (That May Not Fit Every Renter)
A big site means one user journey, one conversion structure, and one messaging framework. That’s efficient — but it’s also limiting.
Let’s say a renter searches for “Apartments near Sloan’s Lake with covered parking” and lands on a corporate site with 40 listings in Denver. They now have to dig, filter, and hope they find what they’re looking for — if they decide to stay on the site at all.
Compare that to a direct search result for a property website matching what they searched and immediately shows floor plans, photos, and amenities tailored to their preferences.
One experience is unfocused. The other is frictionless.
With Swifty clients who are using our new Hyper-Effective Local Pages (H.E.L.P.), we’ve seen property-specific pages rank on page one for local searches in less than three weeks — driving faster leasing results with fewer distractions.
Even the Pros Admit the Challenge
In that same AIM session, one of the speakers acknowledged it:
“We struggle to create neighborhood-specific content.”
And it’s no surprise. Large-scale platforms are built for reach and consistency, not for authentic, location-based storytelling.
They’re not designed to speak to:
- The coffee shop across the street
- The off-leash dog trail one block away
- The real, local feel of living at that specific property
But renters care about those things — and Google’s algorithm knows it. Especially with the recent core algorithm update back in March that focused on rewarding helpful content that answers searchers questions quickly.
Individual property websites deliver what portals and consolidated platforms can’t: true local relevance.
How Swifty Fits In
Swifty gives your properties the SEO lift of a big agency — with none of the complexity. Our platform helps owners and operators launch fast, high-performing websites tailored to each individual asset.
We combine:
- Hyper-local landing pages designed to rank for search terms renters are actually using
- AI-generated content written for the property’s exact location and audience
- Built-in Google Business Profile management to boost visibility in map results
- Clean, mobile-first design that keeps renters engaged and converting
The best part? It’s all centralized — so your marketing team can manage everything in one place while each property maintains its own competitive edge.
The Takeaway
It’s tempting to chase big traffic numbers. But traffic without relevance leads to missed opportunities.
A portfolio-wide site may offer convenience — but it’s often the individual property websites that deliver higher lead quality, better local rankings, and faster conversions.
If you’re rethinking your web strategy, don’t just go big — go targeted.
