Why Every Real Estate Agent Needs a Google Business Profile
If you set up a Google Business page back in 2019 or 2020, filled in some basic information, collected a handful of reviews, and haven’t thought much about it since, you’re not alone.
For years, most agents treated their Google Business page as a set-it-and-forget-it part of their digital strategy that they rarely pay much attention to once it’s created.
But the role that your Google Business Profile (as it’s now called) plays in your overall marketing strategy has changed significantly over the past few years, and what used to be a nice-to-have part of your local SEO strategy is now a critical part of your overall search strategy (not just for traditional search, but for building AI visibility as well).
Your Google Business Profile is something you should be paying attention to as part of your marketing. That’s because it’s one of the primary sources that AI platforms use when deciding whether to recommend you (or not), and an incomplete, outdated, or neglected profile can quietly cost you visibility in both traditional and AI-driven search.
That means having an up-to-date Google Business Profile is more important than ever, and the gap between agents who actively manage their profile and those who don’t is getting wider.
It’s the First Thing People (and AI) See When They Search Your Name
When someone searches your name, whether they were referred to you, met you at an open house, or heard about you through a friend, the first thing they see on the right side of the search results is your Google Business Profile. It probably shows your photo, your reviews, your contact information, your hours, your website link, and any recent updates you’ve posted.
That sidebar is, for many people, the first impression they get of your brand and your business. And if your profile doesn’t have much information (like no reviews, no photos, no posts, etc) it creates an impression of neglect, regardless of how strong your actual business is.
The same thing now applies to AI platforms. When someone asks ChatGPT about you by name, the model looks at your Google Business Profile as one of its key sources for forming an opinion about whether you’re credible, active, and worth recommending.
That means a well-maintained profile with consistent, recent reviews and complete information gives the AI more confidence about you, while an incomplete or out-of-date one gives it reason to disregard you.
★ Want to learn more about how AI evaluates your online presence? Have a look at these posts:
- How and Why to Prove Your Experience to AI, LLMs, and Search Engines
- Creating an AI Visibility Strategy for Your Real Estate Brand
- How to Build an Online Review Strategy That AI Search Can’t Ignore
Reviews Are the Foundation of Your Profile (and Your AI Visibility)
Reviews have always been the most valuable part of a Google Business Profile, but their importance goes well beyond just building a local search strategy.
AI platforms see your review presence as one of the strongest signals of trust and authority. And it’s not just the star rating, but also the amount, the recency, and the specificity of what people are saying about you and your business.
That means a profile with dozens of recent, detailed reviews that mention specific neighborhoods, transaction types, and outcomes sends a much different signal than one with just a few reviews from several years ago.
AI models are trained to recognize specificity and recency as markers of credibility, and they weigh those factors when deciding whether to recommend you in response when people search for things like “who’s the best real estate agent in Orlando” or “who should I use to sell my condo in downtown Toronto.”
To be successful, your review strategy needs to be ongoing and it needs to be intentional. You should be consistently asking clients for reviews, and when possible, encourage them to include details about the experience, like the neighborhood, the type of transaction, and what made the process work well.
That kind of detail doesn’t just look good to prospective clients reading the reviews; it also gives AI models the specific, contextual information they need to confidently cite you.
The most effective review strategies aren’t one-time campaigns. Instead, they’re built into the ongoing process of your business, so that your profile is always current, always growing, and always giving both search engines and AI platforms evidence that you’re active and trusted.
★ Want to learn more about building a review strategy? Have a look at these posts:
- How to Build an Online Review Strategy That AI Search Can’t Ignore
- How Case Studies Can Boost Your Online Review Strategy
Your Profile Is a Key Part of Your Local Search and Map Visibility
When someone searches for “real estate agent near me”, the map results that appear at the top of the page are driven almost entirely by your Google Business Profile. Your business address, your service area, and your reviews (primarily the number of reviews) all factor into whether you show up in that map pack.
And that’s critical because appearing there can be a significant source of organic leads.
But the fundamentals of building a local search strategy haven’t changed. What has changed is how competitive those map results have become, and how much more detail Google now uses to rank profiles.
A complete profile with accurate categories, a detailed business description, up-to-date contact information, service area definitions, high-quality photos, and an active posting history will consistently and constantly outperform a bare-bones profile that only has the basics filled in.
The posts feature, in particular, is still one of the most underused tools on the platform. Google Business Profile allows you to publish updates directly to your profile that appear when someone searches your name, and these posts signal to both Google and AI platforms that your profile is actively maintained.
Whether you’re sharing a recent blog post, a market update, or a new listing, the act of regularly posting tells the algorithm that you’re engaged (and engagement is a ranking signal that shows how much you care about your online presence).
★ Want to learn more about building a local search strategy? Have a look at these posts:
- How to Start Building a Solid Real Estate Local SEO Strategy
- Building a Real Estate Online Presence Strategy to Get Found in LLMs Like ChatGPT
- Bridging the Gap Between SEO, AEO, and GEO
Your Profile Is Your Digital First Impression
Your Google Business Profile is much more than a basic listing where you have a few reviews; it’s one of the most important parts of your overall marketing strategy. It’s the first thing people see when they search your name, the primary source AI platforms use when deciding whether to recommend you, and one of the foundations of your local search visibility.
The real estate agents who treat it as a living, actively managed part of their strategy, with ongoing reviews, regular posts, complete information, and consistent details, are the ones who show up, get recommended, and earn the kind of trust that turns a search into a conversation.
Want to drive traffic, build your brand, and engage your target audience? Download our eBook: ‘The Ultimate Guide to Real Estate Marketing’. It’s a collection of some of our best marketing articles, tips, and tricks that we’ve collected over the years.
