Let me ask you: When someone searches for "real estate agents" in your city on Google, does your face and contact info pop up on the map?
If not, you’re missing out on a goldmine opportunity to connect with potential buyers and sellers searching for an agent in your area.
As we head into 2024, waves of new prospective clients will soon be scouring the internet for a real estate professional to help them buy or sell a home.
The question is, will you show up when they search? Or will all those precious leads go to your competitors instead?I’m here to make sure that doesn’t happen to you!
In this post, I’ll walk you through exactly how to create or optimize your Google My Business listing to capture more organic leads and grow your business.
Curious what secrets I’m going to reveal? Read on!
Chapter 1: What is Google My Business and Why do you need it?
Imagine an online business directory listing that sits at the very top of Google every time someone searches for real estate agents in your city.
A listing that displays your headshot, contact details, glowing 5-star reviews from happy clients, and listings of incredible homes you’ve sold.That place of honor is exactly what Google My Business provides - prime real estate on the world’s most popular search engine for zero dollars.
But it gets even better...
Google My Business also supplies a dashboard stuffed with insightful analytics. You’ll discover valuable intel like:
How people found your business
Where your website traffic is coming from
How many calls you received from your listing
Who viewed your profile and when
These are all precious nuggets of information you can use to fine-tune your marketing and capture even more leads!
Why You Needed to Set Up Your GMB Profile Yesterday
And if that wasn’t enough, Google My Business enables you to easily update your profile and interact with potential clients in real-time.
You can respond to reviews, answer questions, and post photos or updates about current listings.
This kind of public engagement breeds trust and familiarity with prospects before they even contact you!With all these mouthwatering lead generation advantages, can you see why you need Google My Business in your real estate toolkit?
It’s free!
It promotes trust and authority.
It captures highly qualified, ready-to-buy leads.
It provides market intelligence to sharpen your marketing.
Frankly, NOT having a Google My Business profile at this point is self-sabotage.
You’re essentially invisible to the buyers and sellers hunting for an agent in your area.
Ylopo AI Text:
The pioneering 24/7 AI real estate assistant that actively converts leads 365 days a year.
Chapter 2: Impact on Local SEO and Visibility
Now you know what an incredibly powerful (and free!) lead generation tool Google My Business can be. But the benefits extend far beyond connecting directly with potential clients.
Optimizing your GMB profile also provides a gigantic boost to your local SEO, sending your website traffic and rankings soaring.
What is Local SEO?
You see, Google wants to connect searchers with the best local businesses.
So when you thoroughly complete your GMB listing, you're feeding Google exactly what it craves - details about your real estate services tailored to home buyers and sellers in your area.
In return, Google happily displays your business front and center to local searchers.Your personalized company knowledge panel pops up prominently in the sidebar, while your address and map location claim prime real estate at the top of search results.
It's the ultimate royal treatment!
And with 70% of mobile searches resulting in some form of action, that premium visibility translates to more leads and sales.
Get Your Real Estate Business on the Google Map
With a complete Google My Business profile, your smiling face and 5-star reviews will shine bright while less prepared competitors fade into the background.
Talk about an incredible opportunity handed to you on a silver platter!
How to optimize your GMB profile in 3 simple steps:
Sign up for a free Google business account
Verify your business identity
Completely fill out your profile with engaging photos, service options, attributes, etc.
Then watch the leads roll in on autopilot!
Google loves showing off businesses that fully utilize My Business. So you'll earn greater visibility as you add more profile content.
>>Want MORE spots at the TOP of Google search results? Check out our detailed guide on how you can leverage Google LSA for your real estate business!
Chapter 3: How to Optimize Your GMB Profile
Now you understand the immense power Google My Business wields in pushing your real estate business to the top of local search results.
But simply having a profile isn't enough. Optimization is key for lead generation supremacy.
Let me share four proven GMB profile optimization strategies to maximize your visibility, authority, and conversions:
1. Perfect Your N.A.P. (Name, Address and Phone Number)
It's imperative that your business name, address, and phone number precisely match across all online properties like your website, Facebook, and other listings.
Even minor inconsistencies can sabotage your local SEO and lead to duplication errors.
Google gets confused, dividing up your leads and reviews instead of funneling everything into your GMB profile where you want it.
Carefully audit all platforms to ensure 100% accuracy.
This tedious but vital process guarantees Google appropriately directs your hard-earned reputation and authority into one dominate location - your GMB listing.If tackling this solo feels overwhelming, services like Whitespark offer citation cleanup to perfect your N.A.P. and consolidate citations.
Don't leave potential leads on the table due to inconsistent listings!
2. Encourage Verified Reviews
Positive online reviews establish trust and social proof with potential clients. That's why generating more 5-star Google reviews must be priority #1!
Not just any reviews though - verified reviews.
You see, Google wants to connect users with legit businesses. So they meticulously vet reviews before publicly showing them to confirm authenticity.
The approval process can take a few days.
To speed it up, specifically ask happy recent buyers and sellers to leave detailed reviews using keywords from your services.
Establish a pattern, and Google will go "Ah ha! We can confirm this agent consistently delights customers in their market."
Then they'll prominently showcase your rave reviews to prospects searching in your area, further cementing your authority. It's a genius setup!
3. Foster Engagement on Your Google Business Page
Imagine a buyer posts a question in your GMB profile's Q&A section. Then a week goes by without any response... Pretty bad impression, right?
When anyone engages on your page, prompt replies establish professionalism and reliability. Don't leave them hanging!
Designate a staff member to monitor your GMB and consistently respond to reviews, questions, messages etc.
Remember reviews are a two-way street. Following up thanking happy clients for praising your work increases goodwill.
Replying to negative feedback also allows you to resolve issues transparently.
Open communication and responsive support build tremendous trust and loyalty with potential customers scoping you out.
4. Devote Sufficient Time to Release Pertinent Material
If your shiny new GMB profile sits empty, will visitors stick around to learn about your business? Probably not.
Post fresh content at least 3X a week to captivate their attention with market updates, local event announcements, new listings, real estate tips and more.
Puzzled about the type of content to roll out?
Content can take many forms - freshly minted property listings, news about the community, market trends, tips for buying and selling homes, showcasing real estate agents, and of course, posts that don't necessarily focus on real estate alone!
In general, here are 3 content objectives to guide your posting strategy. Basically, anything that:
Highlights your expertise so prospects choose you over competitors
Encourages inbound calls by promoting appealing listings
Signals Google your active presence increases your visibility
While dedicating time to content creation is an investment, eyeballs on your page convert to leads. Don't leave money on the table!
Ideally, a viewer comes across your post, gets intrigued by one of your property listings, and lands on your search site.
Chapter 4: Advanced Strategies for Boosting Your Online Profile
You've got the basics down, right?
Now let's talk about taking your online game to the next level.
I've seen agents absolutely crush it with these strategies, and I'm going to break them down for you.
Make Search Engines Love You
SEO isn't just for the tech geeks anymore. It's how you get found online, plain and simple.
Here's what you need to do.
Use those keywords. Consider what your clients are typing into Google. "Best realtor in [your city]" or "homes for sale in [neighborhood]". Add those phrases to your profile and posts.
Go local. Mention your city, county, even specific neighborhoods. When someone's searching for a realtor in your area, you want to pop up.
Stay Consistent. Your name, address, and phone number should be exactly the same everywhere online.
It sounds simple, but you'd be surprised how many agents mess this up.
Become a Local Legend
Real estate is all about relationships, right?
Well, here's how you build them.
Get out there: Mingle at local events. Sponsor that Little League team or neighborhood block party. People remember faces, not just online profiles.
Join forces: Find local businesses that complement what you do. Maybe partner with a home stager or a moving company. You help them, they help you.
Be the insider: Become the main source for what's happening in your area. Market trends, new developments, best coffee shops – whatever makes your community tick.
Know Your Numbers
You can't improve what you don't measure.
Keep an eye on these stats.
Profile views: How many eyeballs are landing on your page?
Engagement: Are people reaching out? Clicking your links? Saving your listings?
Feedback: Read those reviews and comments.
Good or bad, there's always something to learn.
The Good and The Bad of Being Online
Let's break it down:
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| You show up when people are searching | It takes time to keep things updated |
| Builds trust before you even meet | One bad review can sting |
| You get data on what's working | You need to stay on top of it |
| Showcase your listings 24/7 | Easy to overdo it and look spammy |
Your online presence is like a digital handshake.
Make it firm, make it memorable, and keep working at it.
Climb to the Top of Organic Search Results With GMB
Trying to optimize your GMB presence alone can get overwhelming fast. Google's rules change constantly, and beginner mistakes can tank your rankings.
Work with a personal consultant specializing in ranking and converting local agents on Google. Leave the heavy lifting to the experts!
With us by your side, we'll flawlessly:
☑️ Set up your profile
☑️ Create conversion-focused content
☑️ Monitor and respond to all inquiries and reviews
Our done-for-you GMB management frees up your schedule while amplifying your visibility and leads.
It's a win/win!
About the Author
Aaron “Kiwi” Franklin
Head of Growth
Aaron "Kiwi" Franklin is the Head of Growth at Ylopo and an innovative technologist and serial entrepreneur who has over 25 years of experience creating digital solutions for major brands and pioneering companies at the intersection of technology and real estate. His depth of expertise stems from leading development of the first website for Apple to founding a global community of over 1,000 elite athletes. Connect with me