Got more than one office? Then someone on your team has asked whether every office should get its own website. For most brokerages the answer is no. Run one website and give each office its own page with its own listings, agents and contact details. This guide explains why, when a separate site does make sense, and how to set it up on WordPress with MLS Import.
Should a brokerage with several offices run one website or one per office?
Most brokerages should run one website. Give each office its own page on that site, with its own listings, agents, address and phone. Your reviews, links and local pages then all build one domain, and buyers can search every listing in one place. A separate site makes sense only when an office is truly a separate brand or has a different owner.
Here is why one site usually wins:
- All your work builds one site. Reviews, links and local pages all help the same domain. With five sites, that work gets split five ways. To be fair, nobody has published hard numbers on how big this effect is. Most agencies say it, but none of them measure it.
- No copies fighting each other. Offices in the same MLS pull the same listings. Five sites would show the same home five times and compete with each other on Google.
- One setup to run. You have one design, one set of board rules to follow and one place to fix things.
- Buyers don’t care about office lines. They want every home in one search.
Agents say it plainly: “If there’s 10 agents using these sites, how exactly do you think you will outrank the next guy using the same service?” Don’t make your own offices into those ten sites.
If you’re still deciding what goes on the agent side, see agent pages on your brokerage site or agents’ own websites.
What does Google say about one site per city or office?
Google warns against near-copy sites built to rank in different towns. Its spam rules call this doorway abuse: sites or pages “created to rank for specific, similar search queries.” Two of Google’s own examples fit a brokerage: “multiple domain names or pages targeted at specific regions or cities that funnel users to one page” and “multiple websites with slight variations” to the address and home page.
What this means for you:
- A real office page is fine. It needs a real address, real agents and that office’s listings.
- Thin city sites that all say the same thing and push people to one search are the risky part.
- Spinning up a domain per town “for SEO” can work against you.
Source: Google spam policies.
How should each office’s Google Business Profile be set up?
Give each staffed office its own Google Business Profile and link it to that office’s page on your main site. Google says every location in the same country must use the same business name, and you should not create more than one profile per location. Each profile should link to a page that represents that one location.
Google’s rules, in short:
| Rule | What to do |
|---|---|
| Same name for all locations | Use your brokerage name on every profile |
| One profile per location | One profile per office, no extras |
| Website should represent that location | Link to yourbrokerage.com/offices/westside/ |
| No redirecting addresses | Link straight to the office page |
| Virtual offices not allowed unless staffed | Only list offices that have people during business hours |
| Agents may have their own profile | Only public-facing agents who can be reached at that office |
The rules don’t say each office needs its own domain. An office page on your main site can do the job. Source: Google Business Profile guidelines.
When does a separate website per office make sense?
A separate site makes sense when an office is really a different business. That means a different brand name, a different owner or license, or a franchise rule that requires its own site. If the only difference is the address, use an office page instead.
| Your situation | Best setup |
|---|---|
| Same brand, same MLS, several towns | One site, one page per office |
| Same brand, offices in two or more MLSs | One site with each board connected |
| An office you bought that keeps its old name | Its own site, or point its old domain to its office page |
| Separately owned office or different license | Its own site |
| Franchise rules require a separate site | Its own site |
Not sure which row you’re in? Ask your MLS who has to sign for the feed. If a different broker has to sign, it’s likely a separate business. See who needs to hold the MLS credentials.
What MLS rules apply to every office website?
Every site that shows MLS listings has to follow your board’s IDX rules (IDX means the rules for showing other brokers’ listings online). That’s true whether you run one site or ten. Under NAR’s 2022 changes, every listing must show the listing firm and the listing broker’s email or phone in a reasonably prominent place.
Other rules to know:
- The broker controls the site. NAR’s policy expects listings to show on sites the broker controls. Ask your MLS for its exact wording.
- Picking listings is allowed. Brokers may choose which listings to show “based only on objective criteria” such as location, price or property type. That’s what makes an office page with only that office’s area or listings OK.
- Feed requests have a clock. NAR’s 2022 FAQ says MLSs must act on IDX feed requests within 5 business days. The paperwork and approval can still take longer.
- More sites, more checks. Each separate domain needs the same attribution and disclaimers. Some boards may also want a separate agreement per site. Ask your MLS before you build.
MLS Import brings in the broker, agent, attribution and disclaimer fields your MLS requires. See MLS display rules: attribution, internet flags and protected data and NAR’s summary of 2022 MLS changes.
How to show each office’s own listings on one website
Make one import task per office. An import task is a saved set of rules for which listings to pull. Each task uses that office’s MLS office code, so only that office’s listings come in. A separate market task brings in the wider area and leaves your offices out. That way one task matches each listing, and nothing shows twice.
- Find each office’s code. Import one known listing and read the office fields on it. The steps are in importing one agent’s or one office’s listings.
- Make one task per office, filtered on ListOfficeMlsId or ListOfficeKey (whichever office code your feed fills in).
- Make a market task for full home search. Put every office code in its “Exclude listings with ListOfficeMlsId” or “Exclude listings with ListOfficeKey” field.
- Turn on auto update for each task. Auto update checks the MLS once an hour. On a quiet site, set up a real server cron so it stays on time.
- Build each office page from the listings already on the site, using a listings widget or the Team Directory block. Don’t add another import task for it. See office page and agent pages without duplicate listings.
Our teams guide says one site can comfortably run two to five office or team pages with no custom work. That’s our rule of thumb, not a hard limit. Got more offices than that? Tell us your count before you build.
Run the office tasks first, then the market task. On the first run, the first task to create a listing owns it. After that, every listing already has an owner. The full rules are in avoiding overlapping import tasks.
What if our offices are in different MLSs?
You can still run one website. MLS Import can connect one WordPress site to up to seven MLS boards, depending on your plan. Each board keeps its own login, field setup and import tasks. When the same home is on two boards, your site shows it once.
How it works:
- Each board must approve your website on its own. Some boards take days, some take weeks. See MLS approval processes that take time.
- Each import task pulls from one board. Make your office tasks inside each board.
- Duplicates are matched by street address, unit and city, not by MLS number. Listings with no street address or city are never treated as duplicates.
- You set the board order. The higher board’s copy shows. The other copy is hidden, not deleted.
- This works when listings are imported into WordPress. It does not work in Live Mode.
Board rules usually allow listings from several MLSs on one site, as long as each listing shows which MLS it came from. Some boards are stricter, so check yours. The setup screens are in can I connect two MLS boards to one website.
Who gets the lead from each office’s listings?
The agent linked to the listing usually gets it. On WpResidence, Houzez, Real Homes and WpEstate, the theme’s own form sends the lead by the theme’s rules. In standalone mode, a property form goes to the linked agent’s email. If there’s none, it goes to the company email, then to the WordPress admin email.
Tips for multi-office sites:
- Set the agent on each office’s task, so leads follow the listing.
- Listings that show only the MLS feed’s own agent have no agent profile behind them. Those leads go to the company email.
- The company email field takes one address. Use a forwarding alias if several office managers need copies.
- Test each office’s form once before launch.
See where property leads are sent and sending leads to a CRM.
Can each office manager edit only their own office?
Partly. On one site, you give each branch manager a WordPress role (a set of permissions) and keep the feed settings with the head office admin. If you run separate sites, MLS Import has no master panel that pushes one change to every site, and no dashboard that checks the health of all sites at once. Each site is managed on its own.
That’s one more reason one site is easier to run. The role setup is in our teams, roles and scale guide.
Frequently asked questions about multi-office brokerage websites
Should each office use a subdomain?
No. Use a page on your main domain, like yourbrokerage.com/offices/westside/. A subdomain that is its own WordPress install with its own MLS connection counts as a separate site. It needs its own setup and its own subscription.
Can WordPress Multisite give each office its own site under one network?
Yes, but each subsite stores its own settings and holds its own MLS connection, so each one needs its own subscription. Multisite saves you hosting, not subscriptions. See using MLS Import on more than one website.
Will the same home show twice if two offices are involved?
No, as long as one task matches each listing. A listing becomes one property on your site, and later tasks only update it. On the supported themes, the first task keeps the agent. In standalone mode, the last task to run rewrites the agent, so exclude office codes from your market task.
Can one office keep its own domain after we merge?
Yes. Point its old domain to that office’s page on your main site. Or keep a small branded site that links to your main search.
Do we need MLS approval for each office?
It depends on your board. Usually the broker signs for one feed for the brokerage. Some boards may want more paperwork for each extra domain. Ask your MLS before you build.
Is a separate site per office better for local SEO?
Not usually. Google warns against near-copy sites aimed at different towns, and Google Business Profiles can link to office pages on one domain. A separate site helps only when the office is truly a separate brand.
Once your offices share one site, it can help with hiring too. See using your brokerage website to recruit agents.
How does your brokerage run its offices online today, one site or one per office? Tell us your MLS and your office count in the comments, and we’ll show you how the setup would look. Fellow brokers, share what worked for you too!
