Would you like to attract clients while also building trust and rapport? Here are 7 steps to building up great reviews and obtaining a higher rank on Google so you can. And the best part is, it costs nothing!
Here's the deal. We're out there every day as consumers, looking at reviews. Generally, when it comes to reviews, the first thing we look for is which reviews have the highest rankings. You've probably done this yourself if you're going out to eat in a new area or to some sort of attraction.
Well, it’s the same thing with home sellers in your area. If you have not already done this, set up your Google My Business account.
The benefit of having this profile activated is that it can help rank you on Google, and, at the same time, pin your office location on Google maps. Best of all, the page will showcase your reviews. So there's really three huge benefits here.
Once you fill out the profile, email the link to friends, family and coworkers first, and have them give you a review. It's easy if they have a Gmail account; they can log in and write a review very easily. Friends and family can speak to what we call character reviews. They can talk about things like your trustworthiness, helpfulness, and so on. They can fill out reviews just to get the ball rolling.
Once you have those first few from your network, you’ll want to also send the link to past clients. Obviously, if it's a past client, dig a little deeper than with friends and personal connections. Ask them to share why they hired you, why you were the best, the struggles they had before hiring you, and how you helped.
Now, the next thing you should do is respond to your reviews. Google My Business gives you an option to respond, which helps you rank on Google. After all, Google is always looking at who is active on their platforms. So when someone gives you a review, if you respond to it, it raises your ranking!
I definitely suggest uploading an image to your Google My Business account. Try a professional headshot and maybe even a photo of your office exterior or sign. That will fill out your profile a little bit more and make you more visible to Google.
It sounds like a no-brainer, but make sure important contact details such as your phone number, email, website, and address are all the same across Facebook, Google, Instagram, Zillow, Realtor.com and wherever else you happen to have profiles and information online. For example, my legal name is Joseph. I go by Joe. Some people call me Joey. That said, I want to put Joe Nickelson on every profile — I don't want to do Joe here or Joseph there. It’s the same thing with your street address. If you're going to abbreviate the word “boulevard,” do that on all profiles. This is really critical for you to get rankings on Google because not only do you want reviews, you also want people to find those reviews. If people can't find them, they're useless!
Having reviews also puts you on Google Maps. That means that if someone looks you up on the map app with Apple or Android, it's going to show a pin wherever your address is. For example, if it's your brokerage address, it's going to show your personal phone number and your website on your brokerage building on Google maps.
One thing that I have to mention is, once you fill out your Google My Business account, you’ll receive a mailed postcard to the address you give them. So for example, if you put your brokerage address, the postcard will go to your brokerage, with attention to your name. On the postcard, they'll give you a code. You'll enter in the code, and that will help rank your profile even higher.
I hope these tips help you. If you would like more information about how you can showcase your reviews and how you can rank your personal brand, we have a wealth of information on our blog. And don't forget to like and subscribe to our YouTube channel so you don't miss my next video.
