A Google Business Profile for realtors is a free listing on Google Search and Google Maps that shows your name, photo, service area, reviews, and contact details whenever someone searches for an agent near them. Setting one up correctly takes about 20 minutes, though full verification can take 5 to 7 business days, and once it is live it becomes one of the few marketing assets that works for you around the clock without ad spend.
- What is a Google Business Profile for realtors?
- How do you set up your Google Business Profile for realtors?
- What should you include to stand out locally?
- How do you keep reviews and posts working for you?
- How does a Google Business Profile compare to other local marketing tools?
- Where does a Google Business Profile fit into your overall marketing?
- Key takeaways
- FAQ
What is a Google Business Profile for realtors?
Think of it as your listing on Google's version of a local directory, except it shows up directly inside search results and Maps, often before any website appears at all. When someone types "realtor near me" or "[city name] real estate agent," Google usually answers with a map and three local listings before it shows any organic website results. A Google Business Profile is how you get considered for that spot.
For realtors, this matters more than for most small businesses because so much of the search volume around real estate is local by nature. People are not just looking for information, they are looking for someone nearby who knows their specific street or neighbourhood.
A profile is not the same as a website. Your website is where you control the experience, capture leads, and show IDX listings. The profile is more like a storefront sign that points people toward that website, your phone number, or your reviews. The two work together rather than one replacing the other, which is why realtors who build a Marketing for realtors and brokerages system typically treat the profile as one piece of a larger setup rather than the whole plan.
One practical note for Ontario agents: how you can name your profile and describe your services is shaped by provincial rules around brokerage representation. The Real Estate Council of Ontario sets out requirements for how registrants must identify themselves and their brokerage in public-facing materials, and a Google Business Profile counts as public-facing. It is worth checking your brokerage's current name and advertising guidelines before you fill in the profile so the listing matches what is required.
How do you set up your Google Business Profile for realtors?
The setup itself is straightforward, but a few choices early on are hard to change later, so it helps to go in order.
- Go to google.com/business and sign in with the Google account you want permanently tied to this listing, ideally a work email rather than a personal one.
- Enter your business name. Most realtors use their own name plus their brokerage, matching exactly what appears on their license and brokerage materials.
- Choose "Real estate agent" as the primary category. You can add secondary categories later, such as "Real estate consultant," if they fit.
- If you work from a brokerage office that is not open to walk-in visitors, select a service-area business rather than a storefront. This hides your exact address but still lets you list the cities, towns, and neighbourhoods you serve.
- Add your phone number and your website link. If your current website is a shared brokerage template, this is a natural point to reconsider whether a Website design and build built under your own name would do more with the traffic the profile sends it.
- Verify the profile. Google will offer mail, phone, video, or email verification depending on your account and history. Mail is still the most common route and typically takes 5 to 7 business days for the postcard to arrive.
- Once verified, fill in hours, a business description, and at least one profile photo before moving on to the details in the next section.
Pro tip: claim the profile under an account you will still have access to in five years, not a personal account tied to a team you might leave. Lost access to a verified profile is difficult and slow to recover, and it can set your local visibility back months while you wait for Google support to resolve ownership.
If you are rebuilding your online presence at the same time, it is worth reading through Realtor website design so the site your profile links to is ready to capture the people who click through.
What should you include to stand out locally?
A profile that is merely claimed looks different from one that is actually complete, and Google tends to favour the latter in how often it surfaces a listing.
Start with photos. Add a clear headshot, a photo of you at a recognizable local landmark or in front of a sign, and a handful of property or neighbourhood shots if you have the rights to use them. Profiles with recent, real photos generally perform better in engagement than ones using stock imagery or a single logo. If you do not already have a library of usable images, Photo and video production is worth planning alongside any other marketing work, since the same footage can also serve ads and your website.
Fill in the business description with plain language about who you help and where, naming the specific cities, towns, or neighbourhoods you work in rather than vague phrases like "the GTA." Google's local algorithm leans on this kind of specific geographic language, and so do the people reading it.
Use the services section to list both buyer representation and seller representation separately, along with any specialties like first-time buyers, relocation, or new construction. Add your service areas as a list rather than a single city, since most agents cover more than one municipality.
Keep your name, phone number, and address consistent with how they appear on your website and any directory listings. This consistency, often shortened to NAP, is a known factor in local search and ties directly into broader SEO work. For a deeper look at how this fits together for agents specifically, see Real estate SEO for agents in Canada.
How do you keep reviews and posts working for you?
A profile is not a one-time setup. The listings that perform well over time are the ones agents keep active.
Reviews are the clearest factor you can influence directly. Ask every client for a review within a few days of closing, while the experience is still fresh, rather than months later. A short text message or email with a direct link to your review form removes most of the friction that keeps people from following through.
Respond to every review, positive or negative, within 24 to 48 hours. A thoughtful response to a less-than-perfect review often reads better to future prospects than a page of five-star reviews with no replies at all, since it shows how you actually handle problems.
A complete, consistently updated profile is one of the strongest local signals a business can control directly, and unlike paid placement, it costs nothing to maintain.
Use the Posts feature to share new listings, open houses, and market updates. These posts appear directly in your profile and expire after a set period, so a routine of posting every week or two keeps the listing looking active rather than dormant.
Pro tip: screenshot or save a handful of your strongest reviews and feature them on your website too, rather than leaving them stranded on Google. If you want a sense of how this looks in practice, the Client reviews page shows one way to present them. The same review content also supports the broader goals covered in the Real estate lead generation guide, since trust signals tend to improve conversion everywhere they appear, not just in one place.
How does a Google Business Profile compare to other local marketing tools?
A Google Business Profile is free and valuable, but it is not the only lever available, and it is not equally strong at every job. The table below compares it against the other tools most realtors consider.
| Tool | Cost | Time to see results | Control over leads | Best used for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Business Profile | Free | Weeks to a few months | Low, leads come through Google's interface | Local visibility and trust once someone has found you |
| Website with IDX and SEO | Ongoing hosting and build cost | Months | High, you own the forms and data | Capturing and nurturing buyer and seller leads directly |
| Google Ads | Pay per click | Days to weeks | Medium, depends on landing page setup | Fast, controllable volume for specific services or areas |
| Facebook and Instagram ads | Pay per impression or result | Days to weeks | Medium, depends on funnel setup | Reaching people who are not actively searching yet |
| General directory listings | Often free or low cost | Slow, minimal direct impact | Very low | Minor supporting signal, not a primary channel |
No single row in this table replaces the others. A profile builds trust and local presence, a website captures and converts, and ads add volume you can turn up or down on demand. Realtors who rely on only one of these tend to hit a ceiling faster than those running a few in parallel. For a closer look at how ads and websites work together, [Facebook and Instagram ads](https://www.launchandfound.co/services/me
