Website vs Instagram for Marbella Real Estate: What Actually Works

"Instagram is enough for us. That's where all our clients come from."

We hear this constantly from Marbella real estate agents. And they're not entirely wrong — Instagram does generate leads in this market. But they're missing the bigger picture.

Let's break down what actually happens when a potential buyer finds your agency.

The Buyer Journey in Marbella Real Estate

A typical high-value property buyer doesn't wake up one day and DM a random Instagram account. Here's what actually happens:

Stage 1: Research They Google "buy property Marbella" or "real estate agent Golden Mile" or "apartments Puerto Banus." If you don't have a website, you don't exist at this stage.

Stage 2: Discovery They find agencies through search results, referrals, or portal listings. They want to learn about the agency before reaching out.

Stage 3: Validation They check your website (if you have one), your portfolio, your team, your reviews. They're deciding if you're legitimate and professional.

Stage 4: Contact Only after stages 1-3 do they reach out. By then, they've already formed an opinion about your agency.

Instagram captures people at stage 4, but only if they've already heard of you another way. It misses everyone at stages 1-3.

The Numbers That Matter

Let's look at real data from Marbella property searches:

Monthly search volume (Google, Spain):

• "comprar casa marbella" — 1,900 searches
• "inmobiliaria marbella" — 1,600 searches
• "apartamento puerto banus" — 720 searches
• "villa marbella" — 590 searches
• "real estate marbella" — 480 searches

That's 5,000+ people per month actively searching for property in your area. On Google. Not on Instagram.

If you don't have a website ranking for these terms, you're invisible to them.

What Instagram Does Well

Let's be fair. Instagram works for:

Brand Building Beautiful property photos, lifestyle content, behind-the-scenes. This builds awareness over time.

Social Proof Stories of happy buyers, sold properties, market updates. Shows you're active and successful.

Retargeting Once someone knows you, Instagram keeps you top of mind through regular content.

Direct Communication Quick responses via DM. Some buyers prefer this casual approach.

What Instagram Does Poorly

Search Discovery Zero. Instagram posts don't rank in Google. Someone searching "luxury villa Marbella" won't find your Instagram reel.

Property Presentation Instagram limits how you can present listings. No search, no filters, no detailed specs. Just scroll and hope they find what they want.

Professional Credibility Try sending an Instagram profile to a €3 million buyer's lawyer. Or a German bank doing due diligence. It doesn't work.

Lead Information When someone DMs you, you get... a DM. No contact details, no property preferences, no budget range. You're starting from zero.

International Reach Many serious buyers come from Germany, UK, Scandinavia, Middle East. Not all of them use Instagram. Most use Google.

The Real Estate Website Essentials

If you're going to build a website (you should), here's what matters for Marbella:

Property Search

Buyers want to filter by:

• Location (Puerto Banus, Golden Mile, Nueva Andalucia, etc.)
• Property type (apartment, villa, townhouse)
• Price range
• Bedrooms/bathrooms
• Features (pool, sea view, golf course)

Multilingual Support

At minimum: English and Spanish. For luxury market: German, Russian, French. Each language should have native-quality translation, not Google Translate.

Lead Capture Forms

Smart forms that capture:

• Contact information
• Budget range
• Property preferences
• Timeline
• How they found you

This information goes straight to your CRM before you even speak to them.

Area Guides

Content about Marbella neighborhoods. This ranks in Google AND demonstrates local expertise.

Team Pages

Buyers want to know who they'll work with. Photos, bios, languages spoken, specializations.

Performance

Site must load fast. Buyers are often on mobile, searching from airports, hotels, beaches. Slow sites lose them.

The Winning Strategy

The answer isn't "website OR Instagram." It's both, working together:

Website:

• Captures search traffic (Google)
• Presents full portfolio properly
• Builds professional credibility
• Captures qualified leads
• Ranks for local keywords

Instagram:

• Builds brand awareness
• Shows personality and lifestyle
• Keeps you top of mind
• Engages existing audience
• Provides social proof

The website is your foundation. Instagram is your amplifier.

Real Results from Costa del Sol

We built a website for a real estate agency near Estepona. They had a decent Instagram following but relied on portals and referrals for leads.

After launching the website:

Month 1-3:

• Site indexed in Google
• Started ranking for long-tail keywords
• 40% more inquiries than portal-only period

Month 4-6:

• Ranking page 1 for several local searches
• International inquiries increased (Germany, UK)
• Lead quality improved (more qualified buyers)

Month 6-12:

• Organic traffic became primary lead source
• Reduced portal spending
• Closed several deals directly from website leads

The website paid for itself within the first year, multiple times over.

What It Costs

Website for a Marbella real estate agency:

Basic Property Site €6,000 - €8,000

• Property listings with search
• Contact forms
• 2-3 languages
• Mobile responsive

Full-Featured Portal €10,000 - €15,000

• Advanced search/filters
• CRM integration
• 4+ languages
• Area guides
• Market reports

Custom Platform €15,000+

• Client portals
• Document management
• Viewing scheduler
• Portal syndication

Compare this to what you pay portals annually. A website is a one-time investment that you own forever.

The Bottom Line

Instagram is not enough for serious real estate agencies. It's a supplement, not a substitute.

If you're competing for high-value properties in Marbella:

• You need Google visibility
• You need professional credibility
• You need proper lead capture
• You need multilingual support

A website delivers all of this. Instagram delivers one of them.

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QPC^8 builds websites for real estate agencies across the Costa del Sol. Based in Marbella, we understand the local market. Learn more or get in touch.