How do I link MLS listings to my website?

Short answer: To link MLS listings to your website, put the consumer search your MLS already gives you behind a "Search homes" button, or paste in the free framed IDX link many MLSs let you generate yourself. Both take minutes and need no vendor. Only if you want listing pages on your own domain do you need a full IDX feed, which means your broker, a data license with the MLS, a vendor, and a site that follows the MLS's display rules.

Agents search for this as "add MLS listings to website" or "MLS feed for website", but the MLS calls it IDX (Internet Data Exchange): the system that lets brokers show each other's listings online. This article is the practical how-to. Our other piece argues that a full IDX feed usually is not worth it for a solo agent. Read both before you spend money.

The examples below come from two large Florida MLSs, Stellar MLS and BeachesMLS, as their public pages read on October 27, 2026. Your MLS's rules will be similar but not identical, so check its own IDX page.

What are the three ways to show listings on my site?

• Link out to your MLS's consumer portal. Your MLS or brokerage almost certainly gives you a client-facing search (Flexmls, Matrix and similar). A "Search homes" button that opens it needs no feed, no vendor and no new paperwork. The listings live on the portal, not on your domain.
• Use a framed search link. Some MLSs let you generate one yourself. BeachesMLS, for example, says on its IDX page that you can skip the request form and "generate a free IDX frameable link through Flexmls or Matrix." It looks like part of your site, but it is still the MLS's search running inside a frame.
• Run a real IDX feed. An IDX vendor pulls the listing data and builds search pages on your own domain. This is the only option that puts listing pages on your site, and the only one with a license, display rules and a monthly bill.

How do I link my MLS search to my website?

In the MLS system you already use (BeachesMLS names Flexmls and Matrix), create the client search you want people to see and copy its shareable or frameable link. Then either put it behind a "Search homes" button or paste it into your site builder's embed block. Saved searches work well on area pages, for example "Condos under $400k in Kendall". BeachesMLS says you can do this yourself and "skip the online request form".

Can I add MLS search to a WordPress, Wix or Squarespace site?

Yes. A link or framed search works on any site builder that lets you add a button or an embed block. A full IDX feed depends on the vendor: ask whether they supply a plugin or embed code for your builder before you sign, and ask to see the compliance features listed below.

How do I get an IDX feed?

1. Talk to your broker first. At Stellar MLS, any IDX display "must be under the actual and apparent control of a single Member Participant who has executed a MLS GRID IDX Master Data License Agreement", meaning the broker (Rule 19.06). An agent's site runs under the broker's license, not the agent's own.
2. Choose a vendor. Some MLSs publish a list of approved IDX providers; BeachesMLS links one from its IDX page. Stellar's data delivery page says to start by choosing a vendor and to ask the vendor to set you up in MLS Grid or Bridge API, the systems Stellar uses to deliver data. For that route Stellar requires "a three party agreement between the Broker, Vendor (in-house developer) and Stellar MLS."
3. Tell the MLS and sign the agreement. Stellar requires each broker to notify the MLS before establishing a website that uses its data (Rule 19.04). BeachesMLS uses a short online request form naming your provider, and says it will be in touch if an agreement is needed.
4. The vendor connects and styles the search. Ask them to show you the compliance features listed below before you go live.

How long does IDX approval take?

Neither MLS we checked publishes a timeframe, so anyone quoting you a guaranteed number of days is guessing. Most of the wait is people: your broker accepting the license request and the MLS approving it. Ask your MLS's data or compliance team for their current turnaround before you promise a launch date.

Is the IDX feed free?

Sometimes the feed is. BeachesMLS calls its feed "free". Stellar's data delivery page says "your costs may vary depending on the vendor and IDX options you choose." The vendor is where the real cost sits, every month. Our other article covers what that adds up to.

What rules does an IDX site have to follow?

These are from Stellar's IDX rules (Article 19). A good vendor builds most of them in, but you are the one who answers for them.

• Credit the listing brokerage. Every listing shows the listing brokerage name, the listing number and the status right next to the property details (Rule 19.22).
• Refresh at least every 12 hours, adding new listings and removing ones taken off the MLS (Rule 19.11).
• Never show seller details. The seller's or occupant's name, phone number and email are prohibited (Rule 19.28).
• Do not say "search the MLS". You cannot tell visitors they are searching or accessing the MLS itself (Rule 19.32). "Search homes for sale" is fine.
• Disclose any filtering. If you only show some listings, for example only condos, the site must say "Some IDX listings have been excluded from this website" (Rule 19.09).
• Show enough results. A search can't be limited to fewer than 500 listings or 50% of matches, whichever is fewer, and can show no more than 2,500 (Rule 19.26).
• Respect opt-outs. A broker can ask for their listings to be kept out of IDX entirely (Rule 19.02), so your site will never show every listing in the MLS.

Can an agent get an IDX feed without their broker?

Not under rules like Stellar's. The feed must be under the control of a broker who has signed the data license (Rule 19.06), and the broker has to notify the MLS before the site goes live (Rule 19.04). An agent's site runs under the broker's license, so start with your broker.

What happens to my IDX feed if I change brokerages?

Under rules like Stellar's, the data license belongs to your broker, so the feed does not simply move with you. Expect to redo the paperwork under your new broker, and keep your vendor contract month to month if you can. Our article on switching brokerages covers the rest of the site.

When should I skip IDX and just link out?

Link out if you are a solo agent, you are not running paid ads to listing pages, and you would rather spend your time on local content. You keep the "Search homes" button and lose the license, the display rules and the monthly bill. Pre-built saved-search links, such as "Condos under $400k in Kendall", placed on your area pages give most of the benefit.

Whichever you choose, check the rest of the site still does its job. Our free site check reads your page the way a search engine does and lists what's missing, with nothing to sign up for.

IDX is worth it when listing search on your own domain is the center of how you get leads: heavy ad spend, a team with someone answering every inquiry within minutes, or a niche the portals cover poorly.

Swift Agent Sites builds agent sites on your own domain, in English and/or Spanish, with hosting and https included, usually live the same day, for $89 a month or $890 a year with no setup fee; it does not include an IDX feed, but a link to your MLS search works on any site.

Related:

• Why adding MLS listings to your website usually isn't worth it
• Can I use listing photos on my real estate website?
• How much does a real estate agent website cost?
• What happens to my website when I switch brokerages?