What is local SEO for a real estate agent?

How does Google decide which agents appear in the map results?

Google's Business Profile help center names three factors: relevance, meaning how well a profile matches the search; distance, meaning how far the business is from the person searching; and prominence, meaning how well known the business is. Google also states that there is no way to request or pay for a better local ranking.

For a real estate agent, distance is fixed by where the agent is verified and where the searcher is standing. Relevance and prominence are the two factors the agent can work on.

What makes an agent's Google Business Profile more relevant?

Relevance comes from a complete and accurate profile: the correct primary category, a description of the services the agent actually offers, the areas served, hours and a working phone number. Google's guidelines require the business name to be the agent's real name, with no keywords, cities or slogans added.

Adding a city or "best realtor" to the profile name breaks Google's guidelines and is a common cause of suspension. It is not a relevance shortcut.

How does an agent become more prominent in local search?

Google says prominence draws on information from across the web, including links, articles and directories, and that review count and ratings are part of it. Google states that more reviews and positive ratings can help a business's local ranking.

In practice that means a steady flow of honest reviews from real clients, consistent name, address and phone details wherever the agent is listed, and a website page about the agent that Google can connect to the profile.

Is local SEO the same as website SEO?

Local SEO is not the same as website SEO. Local SEO is mostly about the Google Business Profile and how the agent appears in the map pack. Website SEO is about how the agent's own pages rank in the regular search results below the map. The two support each other: the profile links to the website, and the website confirms the details on the profile.

An agent can rank in the map with a thin website, and can rank a strong website page without appearing in the map. Most agents need both to show up for searches like "real estate agent" plus their town.

How long does local SEO take to work for an agent?

Google does not publish a timeline for local ranking. Profile edits such as category or hours go to Google for review, and Google decides when they appear. Review count and prominence build over months, because they depend on closings and on other sites mentioning the agent.

Any company that guarantees a specific map position is promising something Google says cannot be bought.

Where do the facts on this page come from?

Every statement about how Google works on this page is attributed to Google's own published help or developer documentation, linked below.

• Google Business Profile Help — Tips to improve your local ranking on Google
• Google Business Profile Help — Guidelines for representing your business on Google
• Google Business Profile Help — Tips to get more reviews