On the 351st episode of Mail Right Show, Jonathan Denwood and Adam Brown discussed Google local SEO and dived into how real estate agents can dominate the local market and get leads. Adam Brown is Mail Right’s co-founder and owns a marketing agency familiar with SEO, video, and website. Meanwhile, Jonathan Denwood is the founder and CEO of Mail Right, a platform that combines a variety of digital tools into one convenient, user-friendly package. This episode highlights tips for real estate agents to rank high on Google search engine results.
Dominate Your Local SEO
When talking about dominating locally, it refers to ZIP code-based dominance. Therefore you should have a physical address and set up a Google My Business Profile; to do that, you have to give your Google My Business the ZIP code, you can put in a group of ZIP codes, and by doing that, they send you a card to your address. Then they match the zip codes to your physical address, and you will get a city or regionals.
Google Map Pack
If someone uses a smartphone and does a real estate search, you will show up in Google Map Pack— the top ranking in Google’s local search results— which is three to five agents’ details linked to a map, and you need to be one of those agents.
The map pack changes with every search result because you are using a mobile device, and Google knows where you are physically utilizing that mobile device. The search experience that you have on your phone is a lot different than on the desktop.
How To Become One Of Those Agents in Google Map Pack
When somebody’s in one of the zip codes that you operate in, and they search for a property in that zip code, how can you guarantee that you’re going to be one of those agents that comes up in the Google search pack?
You must first claim your Google profile and fill it in, and we’ve got several videos on the Mail Right website that discuss in detail the key things you’ve got to know and do correctly. But to guarantee that you regularly appear in the Map Pack, there are two factors you need and should do.
- Reviews are one of the ways that can accelerate your Google profile and be one of those agents that appears in searches regularly. Part of the search pack is a phone number highlighted with a picture of you and a map. When somebody clicks the phone icon, it will ring you straight away. So, people will call you more often the more frequently you appear in these local searches.You are probably thinking, “But I have been doing this only for months or a year. I haven’t sold many houses, and I don’t have a lot of people to give me reviews.” The good news is that having people who have utilized the service you’re advertising is the best, but more is needed. You can get loads of people in your contacts to give you reviews. If they know you through the community in your previous careers and you’ve been attending many community events, you can ask them for a review. If you have a list or database, you need a plan of action to email these older clients and encourage them to give you reviews.One thing to remember is using keywords in your reviews is essential, so you would want to guide those people on how to write a review. Give them some examples so that they’re using your full name, terms like a real estate agent, buying a home, selling a home, depending on their circumstances; those are all things that google will pick up on, and it will increase your ranking organically.
- Your Digital Presence. Your digital activity is trying to match up a specific search that somebody’s doing in a particular ZIP code to the right agent. One thing that Google looks for is the activity of an agent online and on social media. Are you publishing videos to youtube, then publishing those videos onto your google profile? Google owns both, so it gives you stars for doing that.Do you have a website? Is the website mobile-friendly? Are the people visiting your website staying because you’ve got some excellent evergreen content, or are they just bouncing off? Have you got your IDX on your website, so people are doing actual searches? Google doesn’t know precisely why they’re staying on the website, but it knows the amount of time each person spends visiting your website, which is crucial because it shows the quality of your website’s content.
If you have all these factors sorted out, the signal you’re giving to Google is that your content is relevant, indicating you are the right agent. And Google will ensure you are shown in that map pack much more regularly. Moreover, you will have reviews if you’re relevant, so all these areas integrate well together.
Utilizing Google
People can get frustrated at the fact that Google is constantly changing things, but you have to get used to it. For instance, the Google My Business app is no longer called that; now, it just directs you to maps or searches. So, learning to dominate local SEO is important because these changes align with where Google’s headed, especially since you want to rank. After all, it gives more leads.
Furthermore, it would be best if you utilize Google. Many don’t realize they can post photos and videos on Google. They can post events if they have an open house or events. And this can be overwhelming, but the Mail Right platform can help or train you to get all this setup.
