Published Oct 20, 2026 · Data Collected August 2026
Market Intelligence
Key Findings
About 2 in 3 high-producing real estate team leaders in El Paso and Dallas–Fort Worth have a significant gap in their online presence. In August 2026, Belight Marketing audited 53 top-producing teams across Zillow, Google and their own websites. 35 of the 53 (66%) scored as having a real gap.
Real, Sellable Gap
35 of 53 teams scored 45 or higher on our 100-point gap scale, leaving hundreds of thousands in pipeline on the table.
Lack Working Website
15 of 53 teams have no website of their own at all. 18 more have a site that is broken, unfinished or years out of date.
Severe Gap
21 of 53 teams scored 70 or higher on our gap scale, effectively invisible to online home buyers and sellers.
Missing / Abandoned Zillow
15 of 53 teams had no Zillow profile we could find, or one that was thin, unbranded, and inactive.
Well Covered
Just 8 of 53 teams had a strong, active digital presence across all three channels: website, Google and Zillow.
Google Business Profiles
Only 7 Google Business Profiles could be confirmed, showing most teams rely solely on their brokerage's listing.
The pattern held in both markets: in El Paso, 18 of 25 audited teams had a real gap; in DFW, 17 of 28. These are teams closing tens of millions of dollars a year, and many send their reviews and referrals to a website that doesn't exist or doesn't work.
Data Breakdown
By the Numbers
The most common gap was a website that exists but no longer works for the business: 18 of 53 teams.
| Finding (audited teams) | El Paso (25) | DFW (28) | Total (53) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Real, sellable gap (score 45+) | 18 | 17 | 35 (66%) |
| Severe gap (score 70+) | 10 | 11 | 21 (40%) |
| Website broken, unfinished or years stale | 10 | 8 | 18 (34%) |
| No website of their own (brokerage page only) | 1 | 7 | 8 (15%) |
| No website at all | 5 | 2 | 7 (13%) |
| No Zillow profile found | 4 | 5 | 9 (17%) |
| Zillow profile thin or abandoned | 3 | 3 | 6 (11%) |
| Well covered on all channels (score under 20) | 3 | 5 | 8 (15%) |
| Google Business Profile confirmed | 3 | 4 | 7 (13%) |
Market Trend Insight: DFW teams were more likely to lean on a brokerage page instead of their own site. El Paso teams were more likely to have no site at all, or one that had gone stale.
Real Field Examples
What We Saw
The biggest gaps weren't at struggling teams. They were at some of the most successful teams in Texas. A few real examples, with identifying details removed:
A huge reputation with nowhere to send it
One team has hundreds of five-star Zillow and Google reviews and no website at all.
Reviews pointing at a dead link
Another team with hundreds of Zillow reviews lists a website domain that no longer loads. Two teams had domains still showing up in Google that wouldn't open.
Nationally ranked, with no site of their own
A team ranked among the top in the country runs its entire online presence through a brokerage profile page, with no property search, no way to capture a lead and no reviews.
A blog frozen for years
A team ranked #1 in Texas hasn't updated its blog since 2019.
Reviews with no way to convert them
A team with hundreds of Google reviews has no home search on its website, so visitors have nothing to do next.
A good system left behind
One team built a site with real property search and lead tools, then stopped updating it. The footer still says 2020.
Template text left live
One team's website shows an unfilled placeholder in its main navigation menu.
Branding that didn't move with the agent
Two leaders changed brokerages, but their reviews or their whole website are still branded with the old company.
Strong production, almost invisible online
A team with a strong year of closings had no website, minimal reviews and very little else for a client to find.
Business Impact
What This Means for Your Business
Your past clients, referrals and online leads all check you out before they call. Increasingly, so do AI assistants like ChatGPT and Google's AI Overviews, which recommend agents based on what they can find and verify. If what they find is a broken link or a generic brokerage page, the reputation you earned does less work for you.
A Five-Minute Self-Check
💡 If you checked fewer than five, you likely have a gap like the teams in this study.
Methodology & Standards
How We Did the Study
We identified 78 high-producing team leaders (32 in El Paso, 46 in DFW) and fully audited 53 of them in August 2026.
1. Who Was Included
Teams were drawn from public industry rankings and directories, including RealTrends Verified team profiles, the NAHREP Top 100, Fort Worth Magazine's 2025 top-team list and public top-producer pages. The list covers the high end of each market. It is not every team in either city.
2. What We Checked
For each team we reviewed three things:
• Zillow: whether a profile exists and how many reviews it has.
• Google: whether a Business Profile could be confirmed and how many reviews it has.
• Website: whether the team has its own site, whether it loads, whether it has home search and a way to capture leads, and how recently it was updated.
3. How We Scored It
Each team got a gap score from 0 to 100, where higher means a bigger gap. The website counted most (up to 45 points), then Zillow (30) and Google (25). A score of 45 or higher marks a real gap; 70 or higher is severe.
Study Limitations
- Website findings are the most reliable: Every site was opened and reviewed directly.
- Google Business Profiles were hardest to verify: A profile was counted only when a public review source confirmed it, so Google figures undercount.
- 25 of the 78 teams could not be fully audited and are not included in the percentages.
- Online presence changes: Findings reflect what was publicly visible in August 2026.
Questions & Answers
Frequently Asked Questions
Do top-producing realtors still need their own website?
Yes. In our study, 62% of high producing team leaders in El Paso and DFW lacked a working, current website of their own. That leaves their reviews and referrals with nowhere to land, and no way to capture new leads.
Isn't a brokerage profile page enough?
Usually not. Brokerage pages rarely include your own home search, lead capture or reviews, and they don't move with you if you change brokerages. 8 of the 53 teams we audited relied on one as their entire web presence.
Should realtors rely on Zillow for leads?
A free Zillow profile is still worth keeping current, because buyers check reviews there. 28% of the teams we audited had no profile or an abandoned one. Paying Zillow for leads is a different matter: you pay for each lead or share your commission, and the relationship stays on Zillow's platform. In our experience, leads from ads you run yourself fit better, because you control the targeting and keep every contact.
Are Meta ads better than buying Zillow leads?
They work differently. With Meta ads and a lead magnet, like a home value report or a buyer's guide, you choose who sees your ads, the lead comes straight to you, and the contact stays yours for future follow-up. Paired with fast follow-up in a CRM, that builds a pipeline you own instead of one you rent.
Why does a Google Business Profile matter for realtors?
It's what appears when someone searches your name or "realtor near me," and it's one of the main sources AI assistants use to recommend local businesses. We could confirm a profile for only 7 of the 53 teams we audited.
How can AI tools like ChatGPT recommend my team?
AI assistants name agents they can find and verify across several sources: your own website, Google, Zillow and other review sites. Consistent, current profiles on each give them something to cite.
Where can I get my online presence and lead sources checked?
Belight Marketing offers a free strategy call and audit for individual agents, teams and brokerages in Texas, using the same method as this study.
Ready to Close Your Digital Gap?
Work with Belight Marketing
Belight Marketing is an El Paso–based agency, run by a practicing Realtor, that helps individual agents, teams and brokerages across Texas build a lead pipeline they own instead of renting one.
Most teams in this study had strong production but leaned on platforms they don't control. When you buy leads from Zillow, you pay for each one or give up part of your commission, and the lead isn't yours. We build a system that is:
Reach buyers and sellers in your market, with your name on them.
Responds to every lead fast and helps book appointments on your calendar.
Close the website gaps found in this study with a professional, current site of your own.
Filmed home tours and weekly posts, so leads recognize you before they call.
Whether you're a solo agent, leading a team or running a brokerage, it's one system built around your market.
Belight Marketing, 2026 Texas Realtor Online Presence Study. Data collected August 2026.
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