Zoopla returned to profit in 2025 despite a small decline in revenue, as the UK’s second-largest property website changed its advertising strategy and placed greater emphasis on generating higher-quality leads for estate agents and developers.
The property platform reported a pre-tax profit of £13.3m for 2025, compared with a £5.2m loss a year earlier. Revenue fell 1% to £83.2m, following a 7% decline to £84.2m in 2024.
Zoopla said the latest reduction was linked to lower income from programmatic and direct advertising. The company has been reducing generic advertising in favour of promotions it considers more relevant to people involved in buying or selling property.
Chief executive Paul Whitehead said the decision could reduce short-term advertising income but would create a better experience for users and stronger commercial opportunities over time.
Zoopla does not publish the number of estate agents paying to advertise properties on its platform, but said its customer base remained broadly stable during the year.
Whitehead, who became chief executive last year, is seeking to differentiate Zoopla from market leader Rightmove by focusing less on the total number of leads and more on the likelihood that users are ready to move.
A key part of the strategy has been encouraging homeowners to monitor the value of their properties through Zoopla. By the end of 2025, 5.4 million homeowners were tracking their property values on the platform, an increase of about one third from the previous year.
That figure has risen to 6.4 million during 2026, according to the company.
Zoopla believes this growing audience can provide useful information about potential sellers before they formally begin the process of moving home. Searches for particular property types, saved listings and other activity can indicate that a homeowner may be considering a move.
Whitehead said the company’s new approach was beginning to show results, with revenue increasing by 9% in the first quarter of 2026.
The company remains significantly smaller than Rightmove in financial terms. Rightmove reported a pre-tax profit of £149.1m on revenue of £225.8m during the first six months of 2026, with revenue rising 7% year on year.
Rightmove’s average revenue per advertiser reached £1,726 a month during the period. Zoopla does not disclose its equivalent monthly charge, which is understood to be considerably lower.
Zoopla has been owned since 2018 by US private equity firm Silver Lake Partners.
Whitehead said the company would only raise prices where it could demonstrate additional value to customers. He said Zoopla’s focus would remain on the quality and intent of leads rather than simply increasing their volume.
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