How to Set Up Your Google Business Profile
A free Google Business Profile helps buyers and sellers in your towns find you on Google Search and Maps, call you, and read your reviews. Setup takes about 30 minutes, and keeping it fresh takes about 15 minutes a week.
Questions? Email happyagent@laerrealty.com and we'll make sure the right person helps you.
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Before you start
Have these ready:
- A good headshot. Clear and smiling, with a plain background.
- Your cell phone number. Use the number clients should call, not the office line.
- The link to your LAER agent page.
- A list of the towns you work in. You can add up to 20.
- Your LAER business cards. You may need them to prove your business is real.
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Step 1: Pick your profile type
Ask yourself: Do you have your own permanent desk at a LAER office?
No (most agents): choose "I go to my clients."
- Google shows the towns you work in.
- Your home address stays private.
Yes: choose "Clients visit me at my office."
- Google shows the LAER office address.
- Email happyagent@laerrealty.com before you start.
- Choose this only if you are actually at that office during the hours you list.
Important: Don't use a LAER office address unless you work there every day and LAER has approved it. Using it can mix up your profile with the office's own Google listing.
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Step 2: Use the right email
Create your profile with a personal Gmail that you'll keep for years. Don't use your LAER email.
Why? Your reviews belong to the email account that owns the profile. If you use your own Gmail, your reviews stay with you throughout your career.
- Make a new Gmail just for real estate, for example
janedoe.realestate@gmail.com. - Turn on 2-Step Verification so no one else can get into the account.
- After your profile is live, you can add your LAER email too (see Step 6).
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Step 3: Create your profile
Sign in to your Gmail and go to google.com/business. Google will ask you a series of questions. Answer them like this:
Business name
Type: Your Name - LAER Realty Partners (example: Jane Doe - LAER Realty Partners)
- If you picked "Clients visit me at my office," type only your name (example: Jane Doe).
- Don't add towns, "Top Agent," "Realtor," or anything else to the name.
If Google shows you a list of businesses: don't pick any of them, even if one is a LAER office. Click I don't see my business or Create a business with this name.
Business type
Choose Service business. If you picked the office option, choose Local store instead.
Business category
Type and choose Real estate agent. Don't choose "Real estate agency," because that category is for the LAER offices.
Add a location customers can visit?
Choose No. If you picked the office option, choose Yes and enter the LAER office address.
Where do you serve customers?
Type the towns you work in, one at a time. You can add up to 20.
Phone and website
- Phone: your cell.
- Website: your LAER agent page.
Mailing address
Enter your home address. Google uses it only to confirm you're real and never shows it to the public.
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Step 4: Prove you're real (verify)
Google may ask you to record a short video to prove your business is real. Where you film depends on what you picked in Step 1.
If you picked "I go to my clients" (most agents)
Film at your home, the address you gave Google. Never film at a LAER office. Your video should show:
- Outside: your street sign or house number. You don't need to film inside your home.
- Your business: your LAER business card with your name on it, your car magnet, or a yard sign with your name.
- That it's yours: your phone or laptop logged in to your Google profile, your LAER email, or MLS. Your real estate license also works.
If Google asks to see "signage," your business cards and car sign count as your signage. Don't film the LAER office sign. Doing that can link your profile to the office listing.
If you picked "Clients visit me at my office"
Your profile shows the LAER office address, so Google may ask you to film at the LAER office. Only do this after LAER has approved your office profile. Your video should show:
- Outside: the LAER sign and the building's street number.
- Walking in: keep filming as you walk inside to your desk or office.
- Your name: your nameplate, door sign, or business cards on your desk, so Google can see this is your space.
- That it's yours: your phone or laptop logged in to your Google profile or your LAER email.
Tips for any video
- Film it all in one take. Keep the camera rolling and don't cut or edit.
- Film in daylight or during business hours.
- Google may offer to send a code by text, phone call, or email instead of a video. If it does, just follow the prompts.
- Verification can take a few days. Google will email you when you're approved.
On a LAER office listing, never click: Claim this business, Request access, or Suggest an edit. If something looks wrong on an office listing, email happyagent@laerrealty.com.
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Step 5: Make it look great
Once you're approved, open your profile and click Edit profile.
- Logo: your headshot. This appears next to your reviews.
- Cover photo: your headshot with the LAER logo, on a navy or white background. Add "Equal Housing Opportunity."
- More photos: your listings, open houses, closings (ask your clients first), and the towns you serve. Use real photos only.
- Hours: list only the hours you actually answer your phone, or leave them blank.
LAER logo and colors: Get the logo only from the LAER logo folder. Don't change, stretch, or recolor it. Use LAER navy and gold with a simple font such as Arial or Helvetica.
Your description: copy this and fill in the blanks. Google doesn't allow links, prices, or "call now" offers in the description.
[Your name] is a real estate agent with LAER Realty Partners helping buyers and sellers in [Town], [Town], [Town] and nearby communities. [First name] guides clients through pricing, marketing, negotiation and every step to closing. Licensed in [State]. Equal Housing Opportunity.
Links: set your website to your LAER agent page. You can also add your professional Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. Each one should show LAER Realty Partners.
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Step 6: Get reviews and keep it fresh
Get your review link: on your profile, click Read reviews, then Get more reviews, then Copy. Save the link in your phone and add it to your email signature.
Send it to every client after closing:
Thank you for trusting me with your home purchase. If you have a minute, I'd appreciate an honest review on Google: [your link]
Do:
- Ask every client, not just the happy ones.
- Reply to every review, good or bad.
- Stay calm and polite with bad reviews, and offer to talk by phone.
Don't:
- Offer gift cards or anything else in return for a review.
- Review yourself or swap reviews with other agents.
- Share private deal details in your replies.
Every week (about 15 minutes):
- Reply to new reviews and messages.
- Post one update, such as a new listing, a sale, or an open house.
Every month:
- Add 2 to 4 new photos.
- Send your review link to the clients who closed that month.
- Check that your information is still correct.
Add your LAER email (optional): go to Settings, then People and access, and add your LAER email as a Manager. Then you can reply from either email.
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Fair housing: talk about the home, not the people
Your Google profile counts as advertising. Everything you write, post, or reply must follow fair housing rules.
| Don't say | Say this instead |
|---|---|
| "Perfect for young families" | "3 bedrooms and a fenced yard" |
| "Great for retirees" | "Single-level living" |
| "Safe neighborhood" | Share public crime data and let clients decide |
| "Top-rated schools" | "Close to [school name]" |
| "Near churches" | "Near parks, the train and shopping" |
| "Exclusive" or "desirable" area | Describe the home's features |
| "No Section 8" | Welcome every qualified buyer and renter |
Also:
- Don't mention a reviewer's family, religion, health, or background in your replies.
- Use real photos of clients who have agreed to be shown, or no people at all.
- Not sure about something? Email happyagent@laerrealty.com before you post it.
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Quick fixes
- I already have a Google profile. Don't make a new one. Edit the old one so you keep your reviews.
- Google says my profile is a duplicate of a LAER office. Check that you didn't use the office address or the "Real estate agency" category, then email happyagent@laerrealty.com.
- My profile was suspended. Don't make a new one. Fix the issue and submit an appeal from your profile.
- I'm leaving LAER. Update your profile name, website, and description. Keep the profile, and your reviews stay with you.
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Stuck? You're not alone. Email happyagent@laerrealty.com and we'll help you get it done.