Listing data
IDX (Internet Data Exchange)
Also called: Internet Data Exchange
IDX, or Internet Data Exchange, is the arrangement that lets a real estate agent display other brokerages' active MLS listings on their own website. Participation requires an agreement with the local board or association and follows its display rules. IDX covers active listings; sold and historical data is normally governed by a separate agreement.
Rules vary by board and cover attribution, how often data must refresh, and what may be shown. Because the rules are set locally, what a colleague in another province does is not a guide to what is permitted in a given market.
For search, IDX pages carry a structural weakness: every participating site displays the same listings from the same feed, so the pages are near-duplicates of thousands of others, and they disappear when the listing sells. This is why IDX pages rarely rank well and rarely earn citations.
The reasonable expectation is that IDX keeps visitors on an agent's site instead of sending them to a portal, and that the original pages, neighbourhood knowledge, process explanations, and the agent's own record, do the ranking work.
Why it matters
IDX is a good reason for a visitor to stay on an agent's site and a poor foundation for ranking, because everyone displays the same listings.
Related terms
Related reading
Last reviewed 2026-09-04. All Saige glossary terms.