Local SEO2 min read

Google Business Profile for real estate agents: a step-by-step guide

Your Google Business Profile is often the first thing people see when they search for an agent near them. Here is how to set it up properly.

By the N3X Realty team

Family home with a green lawn

When someone searches "realtor near me" or your name, the panel with photos, reviews and a call button is your Google Business Profile. For local service businesses it's often the first impression, and it's free. Here's how to set it up and keep it working for you.

Before you start, check your brokerage's policy. Some brokerages have rules about individual agent profiles, and your state may require your brokerage name in advertising.

1. Create or claim your profile

  1. Go to Google Business Profile (business.google.com) and sign in with the Google account you want to manage it from.
  2. Search for your name first. If a profile already exists, request ownership instead of creating a duplicate.
  3. Enter your business name exactly as you present it publicly, for example your name or your team name. Don't add extra keywords to the name; that's against Google's guidelines.
  4. Choose Real estate agent as your primary category.

2. Decide how your location appears

If clients don't visit you at a staffed office, set your profile up as a service-area business: hide your street address and list the cities or ZIP codes you serve. If you do meet clients at an office during set hours, you can show that address.

3. Verify the profile

Google will ask you to verify that you're a real business. Depending on your business, that might be a short video, a phone or email code, or a postcard. Follow the steps it shows you; the profile won't appear fully until it's verified.

4. Complete every section

  • Description: who you help, where, and what makes you different, in plain language.
  • Phone and website: use the same number and website you use everywhere else.
  • Hours: the hours you actually answer the phone.
  • Services: buyer representation, seller representation, home valuations, relocation, and so on.
  • Photos: a professional headshot, your logo, and real photos of you at work and in the neighborhoods you serve. Only use listing photos you have permission to use.

5. Get reviews the right way

  • Ask every past client you've helped. Send your profile's review link by text or email right after a successful closing.
  • Never buy reviews, write them yourself, or offer gifts in exchange for positive ones. Fake or incentivized reviews break Google's policies and can break the law.
  • Reply to every review, good or bad, briefly and professionally.

6. Keep it active

  • Post updates: new listings, open houses, recently sold homes, and short market notes.
  • Answer questions people ask on your profile.
  • Add new photos every few weeks.

7. Keep your details consistent

Your name, phone number and website should match on your profile, your website, Zillow, Realtor.com, your brokerage page and social profiles. Consistent information makes it easier for Google, and AI search tools, to connect them as the same business.

Common mistakes to avoid

  • Using a P.O. box or a virtual office as your address.
  • Stuffing keywords like "Best Realtor Austin" into your business name.
  • Creating several profiles for the same person.
  • Letting reviews go unanswered for months.