If you tuned in to the early parts of Realty ONE Group’s Waking up to Win Town Hall series you probably heard me emphatically stress how important your Google My Business profile is for the success of your business. Because I love you, I want to make sure you’re covered and so, let me outline why I will continuously stress the importance of Google My Business (or GMB when we show off acronyms).
Why is Google My Business (GMB) Important for My Business?
Because you work in real estate, you already know that everything is local. GMB is the online directory source for all businesses and service providers at a very local and targeted level which means that when you search, Google will give you results that are most relevant and nearest to you.
For example, when someone searches for a ‘real estate agency near me,’ they will see your physical address if you’re in close proximity. Now the rest is up to you. You’ll need to make sure your business profile is up to date and complete, including your address, website, etc., to be visible for Google and to entice people to click on it.
Your business name, location, service categories, and website URL are critically important if you want Google to serve you up in search results.
I KNOW, I WANT TO GET UP AND START DANCING FROM THIS EXCITEMENT TOO!
Remember, GMB is not a social media platform or a website. Think of it like the new-age yellow page listing. It’s the identity information source of your business which Google will first look at and it’s local, just like real estate.
So, step number ONE? Make sure your GMB is updated with the service area!
How Do I Update my Google My Business?
Here are five components of your Google My Business that must be complete:
- Your business name
- Your business address
- Your business website address - REAAAALLLLLYYYYYY IMPORTANT Y’ALL!
- Your business phone number
- Clear and horizontal exterior and interior photos of the office
And things get better, my friends. Because you are a Realty ONE Group franchisee, you get GMB optimized for local SEO for FREE! Yes, our leadership has invested in the local success and visibility of your business. To make sure your Realty ONE Group office is included in this program follow these simple steps:
- Go to https://www.localact.com/one/ and submit your information. This allows LOCALACT to create a user profile for you and provide you with access to the performance dashboard.
- While signed into your business Google account, (the same account you created your GMB profile with):
- Go to business.google.com
- Click the “Users” tab on the lower left side panel
- Click the invite users button in the upper right-hand corner (plus sign icon)
- Add the e-mail realtyonegroupllm@gmail.com and grant “Owner” access This level of access is needed to move the listing into the folder feeding the API. This allows the display data in LOCALACT for your location's insights. Don’t worry! You are still the primary owner of your business listing.
- If you have any difficulty granting access to LOCALACT, you can reach out to support@localact.com
PLEASE make sure the information you provide is consistent (e.g. same name, address, etc.) with all of your other online placement.
WAIT! Did You Do It?
If you’ve made it this far and you’re reading this my hope is that you completed the steps above and are on your way to making sure you exist digitally. If you’ve skipped ahead then hit the rewind button buddy because you are definitely missing out on some value. If you’re completely ignoring this then just know you’re making me cry inside and I’m screaming in my heart “WHYYY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO ME?!?!”
Until next time, toodles!
