--- title: "IDX and MLS listings: website display and search checks." description: "Understand how IDX puts MLS listings on your website. Check permissions, refreshes, canonical URLs, and search access before changing your site." canonical: "https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/idx-mls" --- ## Site navigation - [Scale With Search](https://scalewithsearch.com/) - Real estate - Real estate - [Real estate](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate) - Work - Start here - [Send your brief](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#send-your-brief) - [Prepare your six-question brief](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#prepare-your-six-question-brief) - Build - [Site build, content library with SEO, signal desk](https://scalewithsearch.com/work) - For your business - Trades and home services - [Auto body and collision shops](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/auto-body-and-collision-shops) - [Foundation and home repair contractors](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/foundation-and-home-repair) - [Garage door and fencing contractors](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/garage-door-and-fencing-contractors) - [HVAC contractors](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/hvac-contractors) - 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Start with the page you expect a buyer or seller to find. Open its address directly. Then inspect that address in Google Search Console. The indexed report and live test answer different questions. Neither replaces checking the listing display itself. [Google explains URL Inspection](https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/9012289?hl=en). Separate your checks into permission, current listing information, and search access. An approved display still needs technical inspection. Search Console can reveal indexing barriers, rendering problems, and Google's chosen canonical URL. Use those findings to request a defined repair. [Google's inspection guidance](https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/9012289?hl=en). ## Understand what IDX allows. Internet Data Exchange, or IDX, permits limited electronic display of other participants' listings. NAR describes it as a permission framework within participating multiple listing services, or MLSs. It does not mean every property anywhere becomes available on your website. Confirm which MLS supplies your approved display. [NAR's IDX overview](https://www.nar.realtor/about-nar/policies/internet-data-exchange-idx). Ask your vendor to trace the setup in writing. Name the MLS, brokerage approval, website address, and person responsible for maintenance. Identify who pays for the listing service and who controls its account. The [real estate website scope](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate) treats these as explicit decisions before a build. Then ask how the approved information reaches each page. Does your vendor place a hosted search inside your website? Does JavaScript load the listing text after the page opens? Does your server send complete property pages? These are questions to resolve, rather than features to assume. Google distinguishes initial HTML from rendered content in its [JavaScript guidance](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/javascript/javascript-seo-basics). - [Own your real estate website: domain, hosting, editing, and leads](/articles/own-your-site) ## Keep display rights and brokerage identity visible. Do not copy another brokerage's property details into a new marketing page without checking authority. NAR distinguishes linking to another website from copying and publishing another broker's listing. Its guidance also requires participant control of an IDX display. Brokerage identification helps show that control. [NAR's display guidance](https://www.nar.realtor/about-nar/governing-documents/code-of-ethics/code-comprehension-article-12-display-of-competitors-listings-on-social-media-websites). Check attribution on a complete property page, including its phone layout. NAR's attribution FAQ describes identifying the listing brokerage and displaying the supplied email or phone. Obtain your MLS's current wording before changing the layout. Keep required information visible beside the listing. [NAR's attribution FAQ, section three](https://www.nar.realtor/about-nar/policies/2022-mls-policy-changes-faq). Ask what may appear when a listing changes status or leaves the display. Confirm permitted photos, descriptions, and archive treatment with your MLS and vendor. Record the answer before building permanent pages from changing listing information. NAR states that IDX displays must meet state requirements and MLS rules. [NAR's display guidance](https://www.nar.realtor/about-nar/governing-documents/code-of-ethics/code-comprehension-article-12-display-of-competitors-listings-on-social-media-websites). ## Check refreshes through to the visible page. NAR's published guidance describes automatic IDX updates at least every twelve hours. Confirm the current requirement with your MLS before approving a refresh schedule. Treat that published interval as a referenced requirement, rather than a promise of instant updates. [NAR's refresh guidance](https://www.nar.realtor/about-nar/governing-documents/code-of-ethics/code-comprehension-article-12-display-of-competitors-listings-on-social-media-websites). For your acceptance check, choose an authorized listing with a documented status change. Record the source status, vendor update time, and status shown on your website. Check the property page and its search card. Request an explanation if they disagree. Put maintenance responsibility and the required evidence into your [website scope](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate). ## Inspect content that loads after the page opens. Google can execute JavaScript, but your initial HTML may lack the listing content. Rendering is another processing step. Google recommends server rendering or pre-rendering, and notes that some bots cannot run JavaScript. A working search box alone does not establish what crawlers receive. [Google's JavaScript documentation](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/javascript/javascript-seo-basics). Inspect the exact property address you want found. Compare its initial HTML with Google's rendered result. Check the heading, description, required attribution, and links. Ask your developer to explain missing content before selecting a different listing tool. Google's [JavaScript testing guidance](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/javascript/javascript-seo-basics) describes using URL Inspection. Continue with [JavaScript SEO](/articles/javascript-seo-guide). Do not diagnose every embedded search as invisible. Establish which address contains the content and which address you want indexed. Then test those pages separately. The inspection report identifies crawl access and Google's selected canonical. [Google's inspection guidance](https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/9012289?hl=en). ## Remove accidental indexing barriers. An unintended `noindex` instruction can keep your page out of Google Search. Google must crawl a page to read that instruction. Blocking it through `robots.txt` prevents Google from seeing the page's indexing instructions. Check both controls before changing either. [Google's noindex guidance](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/block-indexing). Start with your business homepage, service pages, and approved property pages. Ask whether a launch copied restrictions from a test website. Inspect page-level tags and response headers. Keep intentional exclusions documented. Apply changes to a defined URL group, then retest. These checks follow Google's [indexing controls](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/block-indexing). ## Give duplicate pages a consistent preferred address. A canonical URL is your preferred address for duplicate or very similar content. Google considers canonical signals but chooses its own representative page. Conflicting signals make your preference unclear. Google advises consistent canonical declarations, sitemap entries, and internal links. [Google's canonical guidance](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/consolidate-duplicate-urls). For a property page, inspect its normal address and any tracking or sorting versions. Ask which versions show substantially the same content. Point genuine duplicates toward the chosen property address. Keep that preference consistent in your HTML and JavaScript. Do not treat unrelated property pages as duplicates. [Google explains duplicate consolidation](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/consolidate-duplicate-urls). Do not set every property canonical to your homepage as a shortcut. Canonical handling concerns duplicate or very similar content. It does not establish which brokerage created a listing or who may display it. Resolve technical duplication through [Google's guidance](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/consolidate-duplicate-urls). Resolve display permission through [NAR's IDX framework](https://www.nar.realtor/about-nar/policies/internet-data-exchange-idx). ## Decide which search filters deserve public pages. Price, location, and property filters can generate many URL combinations. Google warns that uncontrolled filter URLs can consume crawl resources. Decide which combinations belong in search before allowing every variation to become a page. [Google's filter guidance](https://developers.google.com/crawling/docs/faceted-navigation). Keep useful searches available to visitors while defining a smaller set of public destinations. Choose those destinations from questions you can answer with current evidence. Ask your developer to document parameter handling, duplicates, and empty results. A canonical tag alone is not a complete crawl-control plan. [Google explains filter URL handling](https://developers.google.com/crawling/docs/faceted-navigation). Read the related [filter-navigation article](/articles/ecommerce-seo-faceted-navigation) for implementation detail. ## Give people a reason to find you beyond property inventory. Write pages that answer the questions you can answer from direct experience. Explain your process and use approved local material. Google asks whether content offers original information and serves an intended audience. A page assembled to attract search visits still needs a useful answer. [Google's helpful-content guidance](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/creating-helpful-content). State what each page covers in its title and main heading. Avoid repeating the same generic title across your website. Google recommends descriptive, concise titles and warns against repeated boilerplate. Apply that advice to your service and community pages. [Google's title guidance](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/title-link). Link those pages from relevant parts of your website. Use descriptive link text and ordinary links with destination addresses. Google relies on crawlable links to discover pages and understand their relationship. Do not leave important pages accessible only through a search form. [Google's link guidance](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/links-crawlable). - [Build neighborhood pages sellers can check and trust](/articles/neighborhood-pages) ## Preserve useful addresses when you replace the website. Before a rebuild, list the pages you intend to keep. Map moved pages to their closest replacements. Google recommends permanent server-side redirects when addresses change. It advises against redirecting many unrelated old pages to the homepage. Test the mapping before approving the move. [Google's migration guidance](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/site-move-with-url-changes). Continue with the [website migration checklist](/articles/site-migration-seo-checklist). ## Bring evidence to the website brief. Inspect your homepage, an important service page, and an approved property page. Save the indexing status, rendered content, and Google-selected canonical for each. The live test cannot predict Google's canonical choice. Use the indexed report for that question. [Google's URL Inspection guidance](https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/9012289?hl=en). Bring those findings alongside your MLS, listing vendor, current website, and markets served. Identify the person who approves public wording. Name the specific defect or unanswered requirement. Include the feed, ownership, inquiry path, and migration decisions that need written scope. [Start with the real estate website brief](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate). - [Check your real estate website in 30 minutes](/articles/real-estate-website-audit) ## Related: Real estate - [Own your real estate website: domain, hosting, editing, and leads](/articles/own-your-site) - [Build neighborhood pages sellers can check and trust](/articles/neighborhood-pages) - [Check your real estate website in 30 minutes](/articles/real-estate-website-audit) ---- ```text .|########||. .|########||. .|########||. |##||. .||##|. |##||. .||##|. |##||. .||##|. |#|. .|#|. |#|. .|#|. |#|. .|#|. |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#. .#| .#. .#| .#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |# ...... #| |# ...... #| |# ...... #| .# ||#########| #| .# ||#########| #| .# ||#########| #| .#. |######||######|. .#. .#. |######||######|. .#. .#. |######||######|. .#. #. .##|###|##|#|######| .# #. .##|###|##|#|######| .# #. .##|###|##|#|######| .# || |##|#||||||||||||#||#| || || |##|#||||||||||||#||#| || || |##|#||||||||||||#||#| || # |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. # |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. # |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || # .#||||||||||||||||||||||||#| # # .#||||||||||||||||||||||||#| # # .#||||||||||||||||||||||||#| # || ....|||#||||||##|#|||#|#||##||||....|. || || ....|||#||||||##|#|||#|#||##||||....|. || || ....|||#||||||##|#|||#|#||##||||....|. || #. . ....|# ....#||| ||| .#||| ....#. .# #. . ....|# ....#||| ||| .#||| ....#. .# #. . ....|# ....#||| ||| .#||| ....#. .# # . ||||#| .#####|| . .#| .#||| ||||# #. # . ||||#| .#####|| . .#| .#||| ||||# #. # . ||||#| .#####|| . .#| .#||| ||||# #. .| ||||| #. |#|||||. || #. |#||. .||||| || .| ||||| #. |#|||||. || #. |#||. .||||| || .| ||||| #. |#|||||. || #. |#||. .||||| || || |.... #. ....|#. |. ...|. ....|| || || |.... #. ....|#. |. ...|. ....|| || || |.... #. ....|#. |. ...|. ....|| || #. .||||||##||||||##||####|||||||#||||||#| .# #. .||||||##||||||##||####|||||||#||||||#| .# #. .||||||##||||||##||####|||||||#||||||#| .# # .||####|###########################|. # # .||####|###########################|. # # .||####|###########################|. # # .#||||||.#.|| # |. ..# #| #|||||#| # # .#||||||.#.|| # |. ..# #| #|||||#| # # .#||||||.#.|| # |. ..# #| #|||||#| # # .#|||||| .. |# ## |#| ...#|#|||#| # # .#|||||| .. |# ## |#| ...#|#|||#| # # .#|||||| .. |# ## |#| ...#|#|||#| # # .#|||#|# .# .#| #| ##|.#..#|||||#| # # .#|||#|# .# .#| #| ##|.#..#|||||#| # # .#|||#|# .# .#| #| ##|.#..#|||||#| # # .#||||||############|######|||||#| # # .#||||||############|######|||||#| # # .#||||||############|######|||||#| # # |...||#||||||#||||#|#||||||#|||||#||| |.| # # |...||#||||||#||||#|#||||||#|||||#||| |.| # # |...||#||||||#||||#|#||||||#|||||#||| |.| # #. .. ||||# .|||##|. |#| .|| || .|||#. #| # .# #. .. ||||# .|||##|. |#| .|| || .|||#. #| # .# #. .. ||||# .|||##|. |#| .|| || .|||#. #| # .# || | ...|| ...##| | #| .|. |. ##### .. .| || || | ...|| ...##| | #| .|. |. ##### .. .| || || | ...|| ...##| | #| .|. |. ##### .. .| || || ||||| || ||||#| . |. |. |#. ||||| |#| || || || ||||| || ||||#| . |. |. |#. ||||| |#| || || || ||||| || ||||#| . |. |. |#. ||||| |#| || || .# |.....#|....|#.||||.|||##.|#|....||.#||.#. #. .# |.....#|....|#.||||.|||##.|#|....||.#||.#. #. .# |.....#|....|#.||||.|||##.|#|....||.#||.#. #. #.|||||||#############################| ||| .# #.|||||||#############################| ||| .# #.|||||||#############################| ||| .# || ##||#||#||||||#||#||#||#||##. || || ##||#||#||||||#||#||#||#||##. || || ##||#||#||||||#||#||#||#||##. || # .#|||||||||#||#|||||||||||#| # # .#|||||||||#||#|||||||||||#| # # .#|||||||||#||#|||||||||||#| # || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || .# |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. .# |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. .# |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. || |#||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||#| || #. .######|#|#########| .# #. .######|#|#########| .# #. .######|#|#########| .# .#. |#####||||#####| .#. .#. |#####||||#####| .#. .#. |#####||||#####| .#. |# ||########|| #. |# ||########|| #. |# ||########|| #. |# ...... #| |# ...... #| |# ...... #| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#. |#. .#. |#. .#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. |##||. .||##| |##||. .||##| |##||. .||##| .||########||. .||########||. .||########||. Scale With Search 2026 [scalewithsearch.com](https://scalewithsearch.com) ```