Google My Business: the leap to success your real estate agency needs

Where and when. With the right answers to those two questions, your ideal client will be closer to you than ever. We know. Now for the how. How? With Google My Business, of course. This free Google service lets your luxury real estate agency appear on the map when potential clients are searching for the services you also offer. Today it's called Google Business Profile, although many people still search for it by its old name.

Because appearing on the map is a competitive advantage, that's undeniable, but appearing with positive reviews is what counts most for your business. If you've already read our article on web rankings and our article on luxury corporate image, you know this matters to you. Here are all the details on Google My Business so that, from now on, it becomes your best ally.

Google My Business: nothing but advantages

Did you know the advantages of Google My Business can have a positive impact on your real estate agency's online presence? And that's not all: in a 360º digital marketing plan, using this tool is essential to build authority and obtain relevant data on how clients interact with you.

The main advantages it offers luxury real estate agencies are:

• Better online visibility and SEO: It lets your luxury real estate agency appear in local search results and on Google Maps, both essential to increasing its online visibility and its SEO rankings. The direct consequence? You'll attract new potential clients.
• Interaction with clients: Want to interact with your current clients? And with your potential clients? With Google My Business you can do so through reviews, posts and private messages.
• Control over your online information: If updating and controlling your information is a priority for your luxury real estate agency, you'll be able to do it more efficiently. Location, opening hours, phone numbers… All the information that may matter to your clients, kept up to date. This will help you maintain a more accurate digital presence.
• Data analysis: Google My Business provides detailed information on how your luxury real estate agency interacts with clients, including profile views and website clicks, among others. The result? The ability to measure and improve your agency's online presence based on this data.

There's no doubt that Google My Business is an option that, as well as increasing your luxury real estate agency's online presence, will also increase its credibility, building a sense of trust among potential clients. Building relationships and client loyalty matters for any business, but it becomes essential for companies positioned in the luxury sector. Why? Because personalised services are more common and, in that sense, the client has a lot to say.

Creating the listing is free and you can do it yourself; what makes the difference is setting it up properly: the right primary category, an address and phone number identical to those on your website, quality photos and a description that sounds like your real estate agency.

Getting reviews: the leap to success

Imagine Google My Business is a plane. Do you know how it would take off? Yes: with reviews. Because here, in this particular tool, the key to success also lies in what your clients say about you. That way, your luxury real estate agency can rank even ahead of the big property portals locally. Why? Because, unlike a standard search, Google ranks results geographically, making them especially relevant for potential clients near your business. And if your reviews are positive, the results speak for themselves.

How do you get reviews? 5 keys

To get reviews on your Google My Business account, there are several strategies you can use:

• Through a newsletter: Newsletters are a very effective way to communicate with your potential clients, and with your satisfied clients too. Asking for a review through a newsletter is one of the best ways to get one. Simply write a message with a positive tone, after closing a sale, inviting your client to stop by your luxury real estate agency's Google My Business profile. End the message with a link or a button that takes the client straight to your profile.
• Generating links and QR codes: Make it really easy. Your Business Profile itself gives you the link to ask for reviews (the “Ask for reviews” option), and you can use it to create a QR code. The advantages? You can share these links and codes through whichever channel you prefer: by email, on WhatsApp Business, on online invoices or even by adding the code to your own website.
• Asking satisfied clients: If your luxury real estate agency offers a one-to-one service, the relationship with the client is the priority. Depending on the case, you can choose to ask that client directly to leave a review on your Google My Business, provided they were happy with the service you offered. At a final meeting to close the sale, celebrate and share feedback, you can ask for an honest opinion and then suggest they leave that review online. And to make it easier? You can hand them the QR code for your profile on a card.
• Replying to reviews: Encouraging interaction with clients who have already left a review on your Google My Business profile is a good way to show that their reviews matter to you. Replying to their comments validates their opinions and strengthens your corporate image. The result, in this case, is very clear: it will encourage other clients to leave their reviews too.
• Verifying your Business Profile: An essential step. To be able to reply to the reviews your clients leave, your business must be verified. Google will suggest the method (phone call, SMS, email or video) and how long it takes depends on that method; as soon as it's ready, you'll receive a notification.

Conclusions

Appearing on the map goes far beyond the where and the when. Google My Business is the key tool for your luxury real estate agency to rank locally, build trust with potential clients and collect reviews from satisfied clients. By creating a listing with a good description of the services you offer, quality images, links to your business website and opening hours, you'll take your online presence up a level and make it take off.

If you've already worked on your website's SEO, your brand messaging and the marketing strategy for your business, Google My Business will become the leap to success your real estate agency needs. It's the work we do every month on our clients' local SEO: in the MG Grupo Inmobiliario case study you can see how their listing appears among the top three on the map right across uptown Barcelona.