You’re missing out if you’re not taking advantage of the real estate marketing benefits of having a complete and optimized Google My Business Profile.
This is a free way to get your business to the top of Google search results relevant to your real estate business. It takes little time to set up and minimal effort to maintain it.
This guide will help you better understand the value of Google My Business for real estate agents. It will cover the steps to set up a business profile and how to complete and maintain it to drive organic traffic to your website and generate real estate leads for your pipeline.
What is Google My Business for Realtors?
Google My Business, also known as a Google Business Profile, is Google’s free listing of local businesses to help users find the products and services they are searching for. A user searches for a real estate service or agent in your area and your Google My Business Profile can appear.
A business owner must create or claim their listing and complete their profile. Then, it should be maintained by encouraging reviews, updating info and uploading photos.
What is a Google My Business Profile?
Remember, the Yellow Pages? Well, a Google My Business Profile is a virtual, and better, version of those Yellow Pages ads.
A Google My Business Profile is a free and easy way for real estate agents to manage their business listings and increase their Google presence. It’s a collection of your pertinent business information that Google displays to users searching for your real estate business or services in your area(s).
It’s a must for agents to include as part of their real estate lead generation strategy. It will boost your business’s visibility on search engine results pages. You can get a prime spot for popular keyword searches without paying a cent.
How to Setup a Google My Business Profile
Setting up a Google My Business Profile for real estate agents has several steps but is straightforward. You don’t need a lot of Google knowledge or tech experience to do it.
Step 1:
Visit google.com/business and click “start now”.
Step 2:
Input the official name of your business. This is the business name that appears on your website and marketing collateral.
On the same page, select the business category that relates to you. In this case, it will be “real estate agent”.
Step 3:
The next question is "Do you want to add a location customers can visit, like a store or office?". You will select either "Yes" or "No" depending on your preference. If you select "Yes", your location will appear on Google Maps and searches when users look for your business.
Step 4:
Google will then ask, "Where do you serve your customers?" This is an optional field and you can add areas where you visit for business purposes. For instance, if your office is downtown, you still might serve several suburban markets. You would enter those markets during this stage of your profile set-up.
You can change these areas or add more at any time.
Step 5:
Next, select the region where your business is based. Use the drop-down menu to find your region and click it.
Step 6:
Now, enter the contact details you want displayed to real estate leads and customers. You must include a phone number and have the option to include a website URL.
Step 7:
You're close to completing your set-up. The next step is to enter your mailing address to verify your physical location.
You must complete all the fields (region, street address, city, state and ZIP code) and then click "Next". You also have the option to verify your address later.
Step 8:
You've now reached the verification step. Here, you will select a verification method.
Your options include:
- Phone or text: You will receive a call or text message with a code, which you must enter in your profile.
- Email: You will receive an email and must follow the steps to verify your profile.
- Video recording: You can record and upload a video that proves your business details. Google will review the video, which can take up to five business days.
- Live video call: You can request a live video call to verify your business. During this live call, you must show proof of several of the following to a live support representative: your current location, business or equipment and proof of management.
- Mail: Google will send you a postcard with a unique code. You will enter this code in the "Code" field in your business profile and click submit.
TIPS FOR TOP REAL ESTATE AGENTS: If you have more than one page because you changed your business name or never finished a previous profile, you must delete the duplicate pages. It’s okay to have multiple Google My Business real estate pages if you have multiple locations.
How to Optimize My Google My Business Profile
Congrats! You’ve completed the set-up and verified your business. You’re done, right? Not exactly.
Similar to how you have to optimize your website and landing pages, you also need to optimize your Google My Business Profile. This will increase your business’s visibility in local and relevant searches and connect you to high-quality real estate leads.
Provide All Your Company Information
Google needs information to match searches with business profiles. By filling out every field in your profile, you are giving Google more opportunities to make you visible in relevant searches.
You also need to update your profile if any information changes. For example, if you move offices or change your hours of operation, ensure it's reflected in your profile.
Customer Reviews
You can attract new customers with positive reviews of your business. Customer reviews, however, can be a double-edged sword as you can’t control the nature or contents of the review. The bottom line is that most people read reviews before handing their money to a business.
You also need to respond to each review, even the negative ones. This is a great opportunity to show appreciation to customers who had a positive experience and to appease any who didn’t. When responding to negative reviews, be open to feedback, careful and honest. Never get defensive or mean.
Encourage customer reviews by providing instructions and a link in follow-up emails to clients or a card with a QR code. It’s best to ask for an honest review and not beg for a five-star one.
TIPS FOR TOP REAL ESTATE AGENTS: Google discourages businesses from trading reviews or offering rewards in exchange for a review.
Share News and Announcements
Like Facebook and Instagram, you can post messages and updates on your Google My Business Profile. You can post text, photos and videos about changes to your business, new services or promotions. Posts will appear on your profile and are proven to drive traffic to a website and achieve better local SEO results.
Upload Photos of Your Business
Photos of your business help users find you on Google Maps. Google often favors photo-rich profiles for local search rankings. This tells Google you're maintaining your profile, which can get you a gold star.
Start by uploading a cover photo, logo and some stunning interior shots of your office.
Photos increase engagement and convey trust and credibility with people discovering your business. Photos let potential new customers know that real people work at your business, and you have a professional, inviting office.
Any user can add photos to your profile, so review your profile often and continuously upload new photos to control the image being presented to users.
Google My Business for Real Estate Lead Generation
Online lead generation for real estate agents means leaving no stone unturned. A strategy that includes a Google Ads campaign, an optimized website, landing page(s) and a Google My Business Profile will generate the most leads possible and fill your pipeline.
FAQ
Do real estate agents need a Google My Business Profile?
An optimized Google My Business Profile for real estate agents will increase your presence in local, relevant searches performed by potential leads.
Do I need to add photos to my Google My Business Profile?
Uploading photos to your Google My Business Profile will make it more engaging and communicate that your business is professional. Data shows that profiles with photos get more calls and messages than those without photos.
What are the verification options for a Google My Business Profile?
There are several ways to verify your Google My Business Profile: phone or text, email, video recording, live video call or mail.
