One small update for Apartments.com—one giant change for apartment marketers.
Without fanfare, the most-visited ILS quietly moved property website links to a more prominent position on listings. They're no longer buried—they're right at the top.
Here’s why that subtle change marks a turning point in the role of ILSs—and why it reinforces just how critical your apartment’s website really is:
The Old ILS Model: Awareness Without True Lead Quality
ILSs have long served as the digital storefront for apartment searches.
But over time, their model created real frustrations for apartment marketers—some even asking, “Why are we still paying for this?”
Instead of simply connecting renters to properties, ILSs—including Apartments.com—diverted traffic away from communities and attempted to control the entire leasing process within their own platform.
And that approach came with consequences:
- Communities competed side-by-side with every nearby property, making it difficult for renters to form a clear preference.
- Listing quality depended on how much a community paid, not the actual value or experience they offered renters.
- Branding, storytelling, and floorplan-specific content were limited, unless you upgraded to more expensive listing packages.
- Marketers locked into long-term contracts had to pay high rates for visibility, even if their vacancy needs changed.
Renters were left making decisions based on limited, generic listing information within platforms where there seemed to be little difference between communities.
Essentially, ILSs built awareness but failed to deliver qualified leads.
Property websites, by contrast, remain the primary driver of actual leases because they offer richer, more community-specific details that renters genuinely need to make the best informed decision.
Maybe that's why property website links were buried on ILS listings for so long—until now.
Why This Change by Apartments.com Is A Big Step Forward for ILSs, Marketers, and Renters
Take a look below at where Apartments.com is now listing property website links. It's a massive upgrade from where they once sat in the footer.
On the desktop version of this ILS listing, the property website link sits above the fold,
directly below where the community's name and street address is listed.
The mobile version of this ILS listing perhaps gives greater visibility to the property website link.
The property website link sits above the fold on both the desktop and mobile listings of Apartments.com, featured prominently below the name and address of the community.
This move signals a shift in how ILSs could—and should—function going forward.
Rather than keeping renters on-platform, Apartments.com is now willfully making it easier for them to click away.
And that change makes better sense for everyone involved: marketers, renters, and even the ILS platform itself.
The Impact on Apartment Marketers
- You can track the number of visitors who clicked on your property website's link from your Apartments.com listing.
- Renters who click on your property website link demonstrate higher lease intent, meaning you get more qualified traffic.
- You get more value for the price of your listing. It's not a tool trying to outcompete you for traffic—but one that supports your inbound marketing efforts.
The Impact on Renters
- Instead of a one-page listing with limited details that blends apartments together, renters now get a clear, highly-visible path to explore more about a community that interest them the most.
- It's easier for renters to access the information that websites display better, like a community's brand messaging, floorplan-specific pages, virtual tours, and amenity details that make them more interested and confident to convert.
The Impact on Apartments.com
- It reinforces the ILS's role as a top-of-funnel source that's more effective at generating awareness and driving qualified traffic that ignite a property's leasing funnel—not just sending more countless emails from casually interested renters.
- It shows real value to apartment marketers by delivering engaged renters to their property websites, where better lead capture and conversions actually happen.
- It reshapes the perception of the ILS model—rather than just an expensive line-item on apartment marketing budgets, it's a tool that better reflects how renters search while delivering better leasing impact.
While the update is necessary and welcome, it doesn’t just spotlight Apartments.com’s evolution—it puts even greater pressure on how well your apartment website performs.
Why This Update Reinforces the Power of Apartment Websites
Your property website is your most powerful, bottom-of-funnel leasing source—and nothing comes close.
In our recent study of 88,000-plus attributable leases, we found:
- RentVision's Community Websites accounted for 40,481 leases.
- Apartments.com generated 3,402 leases.
- Other widely-recognized ILSs, like Zillow, Apartment List, RentPath, Rent.com, and Apartment Guide combined to account for 5,029 leases.
Essentially, property websites convert leases 12x more often than ILSs.
As Apartments.com—and hopefully more ILSs—drive more interested renters to your property website, the question is, "Is it ready to convert that traffic?" If not, this update has little value for you.
What High-Converting Apartment Websites Must Have:
- Pages dedicated to each floorplan with virtual tours and amenity details—since every renter knows how many bedrooms they need before they search.
- Real-time pricing and availability that's clear and actionable.
- Calls-to-action like "Schedule a Tour" or "Apply Now" featured prominently throughout the site.
- Mobile-first design—since most apartment website traffic is mobile.
Need help with your apartment website?
RentVision's Community Websites check each of those boxes, automatically adapting your featured floorplans according to your upcoming vacancy so you lease the right units at the right time.
Apartments.com’s update is a step in the right direction. Make sure your website is ready to take the next one, too—converting traffic into signed leases. Schedule a demo with RentVision today!