Google My Business is an online tool from Google that allows businesses to manage their local listings. You can create, edit, or delete your listings, add photos and videos, and schedule a variety of events.
It’s a free service that allows you to upload multiple listings at once and automatically update all of them at once. GMB allows you to upload your information into a single location, so you can easily see what’s new or what needs to be updated.
It works well with the Google Suite of programs. This enables location-based niches like realtors to get the most out of their experience.
10 Mistakes Realtors Do On Their Google My Business Profile
1. Using Wrong Website Address
One of the most occurring problems on a GMB profile is getting the address wrong. When this happens, people who check your GMB can’t navigate to your website. It can cause several problems like loss of clients and negative SEO impact.
The Problem And How To Avoid It
If you’ve updated your website or changed your business name, there are chances that you might have the old website on your profile. When people are not able to navigate to your website, it sets a bad precedent for them.
- Ensure you check and verify the website address.
- Maintaining a checklist can help you avoid the problem.
- If you have moved domains, you need to update them on your GMB.
- Check your other listings for erroneous website addresses as well.
2. Tag And Classify Their Properties Incorrectly
People have found that the biggest mistake people make with their GMB profile is that they don’t tag all the properties correctly. So when it comes time to optimize their profiles for local search, the first step is to review their listing details.
Ensure that all the properties are tagged appropriately with the relevant tags.
The Problem And How To Avoid It
One important thing to remember here is that the key to optimizing GMB is to ensure you are listing for the correct search terms. These are the ones that people use to find your business online, so you need to make sure that these are accurate.
The second most important thing is to use the right tags. This is how Google determines what types of businesses your business is, so it can be found for certain types of searches.
- Unfortunately, there are no tools that can check for tags. You have to do them yourself.
- Having a best practices checklist can help you avoid these errors in tags.
- Take the time to categorize properties when you create the listing. It can prevent mistakes down the line.
3. Incorrect Business Hours
A GMB listing has all the information required from a business. This also includes the business hours of a real estate business. People can look through your GMB listing and know if you’re open to customers. It gives them the flexibility to plan their day.
The Problem And How To Avoid It
Citing the right business hours is not only important for people but also for search engines. When a user searches for any business, the search engine tries to match them to working hours as well. When you don’t have working hours listed, this can become a problem.
It’s important to update your Google My Business profile when you change your business hours. It reflects accurately when your agency is open.
- Wrong working hours create a bad first impression for your business.
- Ensure that you update your working hours when you change timings.
- The changes can be done at any time, but it will take a week for them to reflect.
4. Missing Or Outdated Photos
Images are a big part of the GMB process and especially true for real estate. People want to see the property from different angles to be interested in them. Properties with images also tend to sell faster than ones without.
The Problem And How To Avoid It
People have access to faster internet speeds and powerful mobile devices today. This makes rich content like images more common for the general audience. It has extended even to GMB listings which now feature images on it.
Not having images or outdated, low-resolution images is a huge problem. It doesn’t generate interest in the property and can become harder to sell.
- The best way to avoid this problem is to ensure you click the picture yourself.
- If you’re unable to, have a professional cover it under good lighting conditions.
- Ensure that you have included SEO meta tags into the image for best results.
5. Incorrect Address Information
Another common mistake realtors make is not having the right address. If you don’t update this to your latest address, people won’t be able to find your agency. What’s worse is that you might even funnel business to your competitors.
The Problem And How To Avoid It
Contact information can be a huge blow to a real estate business. This type of error usually crops up just after you’ve changed your location. Changing this to reflect your current location is critical to rank well.
Not doing this can result in issues not limited to just customers but on search rankings as well. Inconsistent location data and bad reviews can hurt your agency.
- Location is critical for the business and your listing. The wrong location means you won’t get enough people.
- Bad address information can have detrimental effects on your ranking as well.
- Verify that you have the right address information after you’ve shifted your office.
6. No Local Citations
If you look at most GMB listings, you’ll notice that many of them are missing some key details. One thing you’ll want to make sure you add is any local citations such as city directories and phone books. This will establish that your business is available in the local area.
The Problem And How To Avoid It
Local citations give your business a huge boost in local presence. Citations are a big part of Google’s algorithm.
Search engines use your citations to determine how important your business is to people in a particular area.
If you have multiple locations, each location should have its own Google My Business account.
- Local citations can help people discover your businesses more easily.
- It can directly influence the number of people calling or visiting your agency.
- It improves your agency’s authority in the area without spending a lot of money.
7. Duplicate Local Business Listings
If your business appears in multiple places on the web, Google will deem it a duplicate listing. It will then sort through all the listings and determine which one is the best to feature in search results. This can be left up to chance and needs to be avoided.
A duplicate business listing on Google My Business is a red flag and should be corrected ASAP.
The Problem And How To Avoid It
Many real estate agents think that duplicate listings can get them more visibility for their business. But this is simply not true. Google flags them for duplicate listings and reduces their visibility on searches.
The key here is to not spam your listings, thinking it can improve your rankings.
- Periodically check for duplicate listings on other platforms.
- Communicate with your SEO team regularly to prevent duplicates from being added.
- BrightLocal can help you find duplicate listings for your real estate business.
8. The Address Is Not Verified
It is critical to have your address verified for your GMB listing. Businesses that have their address verified are more credible and preferred by more people. Trust is an important factor in the real estate business, and so you need to work on it.
The Problem And How To Avoid It
The issue of not verifying your address is that people won’t know that you’re a legitimate business. Once you verify it, you signal to your audience and Google that you are a serious contender.
Address verification is done right at the start. As soon as you create your GMB profile, you should receive the option to verify your address.
- Choose the right option for verification. Only opt for verification if you’re available to receive mail at the address specified.
- Verified addresses are mandatory for businesses. It brings trust and credibility to your business.
- It is a great way to make a first impression when people search for your real estate agency.
9. No Relevant Customer Reviews
Business owners often ignore reviews on their GMB profile, but this can hurt their agency in the long run. Encourage your customers to leave reviews about your services. This can help other people make up their minds about your agency as well.
The Problem And How To Avoid It
Not having adequate reviews for your services signals to people that not many people use your services. This is something that you need to avoid. Giving people incentives for leaving a review is a good way to get more.
- It is not enough just to read reviews, respond to them, and build up a conversation.
- Review monitoring tools like Whitespark and Moz Local can help keep track.
- Always remember to keep your interactions professional on the web.
10. Neglect Social Media
There are more than three billion people on at least one social media platform. This makes it one of the best platforms for business today. People make the mistake of only relying on Google to propel their business. Using social media can be a huge step in the right direction.
The Problem And How To Avoid It
Social media platforms offer a significant improvement in visibility, even for niches such as real estate. For most people, a website is the only way they interact with the public. But to get more business, you need to take the time to learn how to use social media.
There are several social media platforms available to improve your reach. Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are the most popular ones.
- Creating a social media account can be hugely beneficial to your business.
- You can amplify your GMB reach from the platform and connect with your audience.
- Powerful SEO tools like BuzzSumo and Sprout Social can help improve lead generation through social media.
Key Takeaways
- Optimizing your GMB profile is critical, especially for a realtor.
- Creating duplicate listings can result in a penalty for your business.
- Ensure that you have the right NAP (Name, Address, Phone) across all platforms.
- Having errors in your GMB can affect your rankings on searches as well.
- Ensure that your website address is right and it is mobile-optimized.
- Update your GMB profile regularly with images to keep it engaging.
About the Author
Blakely Gilmore is the SEO Marketing Manager at The Los Angeles SEO Company, where she specializes in driving organic growth through strategic SEO. With deep understanding of on-page and off-page SEO, Blakely helps businesses to improve organic visibility in Search engines.
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