Google My Business for real estate agents is a powerful tool to build a strong reputation in your community and generate high-quality leads. This platform is easy to create and optimize and can be instrumental in elevating your online presence and connecting with potential and current clients. I’ll go through how to create a Google Business profile for realtors, why it’s important to have one, and how to optimize it for your ideal audience.
What Is Google My Business?
Google My Business (GMB) is a profile within Google that acts as a digital storefront to showcase your real estate business. With a Google business page for realtors, you can maximize the chances of generating real estate leads from search engines. Your Google My Business profile appears when potential clients in the area search for your business name or for real estate professionals in the area.
Here are a few additional benefits of having a Google business profile for realtors:
- Increased visibility: Ninety-seven percent of homebuyers search online during their home search. Google My Business for Realtors can help you show up in searches for high-quality real estate leads.
- Boosts credibility: Showing up in search results as a Google-screened real estate agent shows viewers that you are a legitimate professional and know how to get in front of a target audience.
- Drive website traffic: Every realtor’s Google business page showcases your contact information and a link directly to your website and social media profiles. This seamlessly directs potential leads to your website, increasing traffic and maximizing conversions.
- Direct communication: When leads search on Google for realtors, the results automatically display buttons to message or call you directly. This means that leads can contact you in one click, making Google My Business for real estate agents the most direct way to reach potential leads.
- Increased engagement: Your real estate agent Google business page allows you to engage directly with clients by posting photos and videos, responding to reviews, and answering questions. By making connections on the GMB platform, you can start nurturing potential leads immediately.
- Valuable insights and analytics: Within GMB analytics, you’ll find a variety of data. This provides valuable insights into the demographics of your viewers, how users find your profile, and what actions users take. Having an accurate view of your audience and understanding their behavior will help you adjust your marketing strategies most effectively.
How to Set Up a Google Business Profile for Realtors
The Google business page setup process is simple and doesn’t take hours of time. Use the following steps to create your Google My Business real estate agent profile and be ready to generate leads.
1. Create a Google Business Profile
Start by visiting the Google My Business website at https://www.google.com/business/. Click the blue button that says “Manage Now” or “Sign In.” You’ll be prompted to sign in with your Google account. If you don’t already have one, follow the simple steps to create one.
2. Input Business Details
Once you are signed in, you’ll be prompted to add your business name. Google will automatically take you through the steps to add additional business information, including:
- Business category
- Description
- Opening date
- Contact information (phone number, website link, social profile links)
- Location and areas (Business address, service areas)
- Business hours
- Others (e.g., minority-owned, appointment requirements, and service options)
Make sure all of the information is completely accurate because this is what helps potential clients contact you and learn about your business.
Pro tip: If you’re a new real estate agent or team and haven’t decided on a business name yet, visit our list of 14 Ideas & Tips for Real Estate Team Names (+ Examples).
3. Verify Your Business
Google requires all GMB profiles to be verified to ensure that it is a legitimate business. This is one of the reasons why Google My Business for realtors helps build credibility from visitors. There are multiple ways to verify your profile for the first time. The most common way is by email, as long as you have an email address associated with your website URL. However, the other verification methods include:
- Phone or text
- Video recording
- Live video call
- Google Search Console
Once your profile is verified, you’ll be prompted to add category-specific services, choose your business hours, and choose whether or not to accept messages from customers. You’ll also be prompted to start running Google ads. For a step-by-step guide, read How to Use Google Ads for Real Estate Lead Generation.
Verifying your Google business profile as a realtor is not the same as being a Google-screened Realtor. Learn how to get Google-screened as a realtor below, or click this link to jump to the section.
4. Add Content to Optimize Your Google Profile
With your Google business real estate agent profile complete, Google will automatically redirect you to view your profile. You can view this page anytime by searching for your business name in Google. This is where you add additional content to maximize the engagement and appeal of your profile.
How to Optimize Your Realtor Google My Business Profile
In order to take full advantage of GMB as a realtor, you’ll need to do more than simply create a Google Business profile. Optimizing your profile isn’t complicated, but it will help you stand out from other professionals in your area and attract clients. Use the following strategies and examples to help you optimize your realtor Google My Business profile:
Add Photos
Studies show that people retain 65% more information from images than plain text. Plus, visual content is absolutely necessary in the real estate industry. Use this section of your real estate Google business profile to provide a glimpse into your ability to market yourself and your listings.
Add Services
Based on your chosen business category, Google provides a list of additional services to display on your profile. Listing your specific services will appeal more directly to clients who want help with a specific or specialized service. Plus, you can add custom services if your real estate niche isn’t one of the options.
Post Updates
Regularly updating your GMB profile will show potential leads that you are actively working as an agent, are open to new clients, and are accessible. Consider sharing real estate market trends, property highlights, or local events that you’ll be attending.
Pro tip: When writing your updates, incorporate relevant keywords to your ideal audience. This will help Google rank you higher for those looking for specialized assistance and make you more appealing to your ideal clients. Learn how to find and target the right keywords in our Real Estate SEO Guide + Top 82 Real Estate Keywords.
Ask for Reviews & Respond
The ability to gather verified reviews on a trusted site is a valuable advantage of Google My Business for real estate agents. In order to build credibility, use the Google-provided link to ask your previous and current customers for reviews. Plus, when you receive reviews, don’t forget to respond to them.
Become a Google-screened Realtor
The Google Screened badge is only offered to service providers in the law, financial planning, and real estate industries. It helps you stand out and adds another layer of verification and credibility for viewers. To learn how to become a Google-screened realtor, you’ll go through a license and insurance check. Once these have been verified, the badge will show up on your profile along with your license number.
Integrate GMB Profile With Additional Marketing Strategies
Having a Google business profile for realtors is an incredibly powerful way to get in front of new leads and build a real estate brand. However, it is even more powerful when it is used in combination with other lead generation methods. Here are a few examples of how you can integrate Google My Business with other real estate marketing strategies:
- Social media: Repurpose photos and videos from social media into Google My Business to keep your profile consistently updated and drive viewers to your social media pages.
- Email marketing: Post updates with content from your real estate newsletter and add a call to action for your email list. On the other hand, add links to your GMB profile in your emails to consistently generate reviews and questions.
- Website and landing page: Add links to your website or real estate landing pages with links to properties, property searches, or details for specific types of leads.
- Real estate advertising: Google ads are a powerful method of generating traffic and leads for realtors. In addition, with a Google Screened realtor profile, you can also run local service ads.
Make sure you also have a system established to generate and capture leads who contact you with a top real estate CRM. For example, Pipedrive automatically imports lead contact information and creates a visual sales pipeline. This helps you effectively market to all leads, whether they are simply considering a property transaction or if they are ready to buy or sell. Plus, it’s easy to use with a variety of specialized features for agents.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Yes, Google My Business for real estate agents is an important tool for marketing their business. In fact, Google provides real estate professionals with multiple tools to boost their business with optimized profiles, like the ability to earn a “Google Screened” badge for additional credibility.
Yes, Google My Business is a free tool from Google. In addition, there is no cost to becoming Google Screened. To create a Google Business profile for realtors, you only need a Google account.
For real estate agents, the Google business page setup can take just a few minutes. However, it may take longer to optimize your profile, especially if you are a new real estate agent who needs to establish your business details, website, and social media profiles. In addition, profile verification may take a few days to weeks, depending on the method used.
Bottom Line
Google My Business for real estate agents is an undeniably powerful tool that can transform any real estate business. By following the steps above to create a Google Business profile and optimize it, you can drastically increase your visibility and credibility.