Why Every Land Agent Needs a Google Business Profile
When a potential buyer searches your name or looks for a land agent in your area, what do they see? For most, the answer is your Google Business Profile—that information panel displaying your photo, contact details, and reviews before they ever reach your website.
Your Google Business Profile is your digital storefront. Buyers form impressions here first. A complete, active profile signals credibility. A sparse one raises questions.
The good news: it’s free, and optimizing it doesn’t require technical expertise. Yet most agents set it up once and never touch it again.
Key stats:
- 93% of online experiences begin with a search engine, and Google holds about 95% of that market share.¹
- Your GBP appears in both standard search results and Google Maps.
- Land buyers frequently search by region or county, casting a wider net than residential buyers.
Trust factors:
- Buyers research agents before making contact.
- They read reviews, look at photos, and check how active you are.
- A well-maintained GBP answers their questions before they ask and builds confidence that you’re the right person to call.
This is the first in a series on improving your online visibility as a land agent based off of my Realtors Land Institute webinar “Where Are the Buyers in 2025“.
How to Set Up or Claim Your Profile
Step-by-Step Setup Guide
- Go to google.com/business and click “Manage now.”
- Sign in with your Google account.
- Enter your business name exactly as you want it displayed.
- Select your business category (e.g., “Real estate agent”).
- Add your location or indicate you serve customers at their locations.
- Enter your service areas (up to 20 counties or regions).
- Add your phone number and website URL.
- Complete the verification process (postcard, phone, or email).
- Once verified, fill out all remaining profile sections.
Note: Google may have already created a profile for your business. Search your business name on Google first. If a profile exists but you don’t control it, click “Own this business?” and follow the verification steps to claim it.
Verification typically takes a few days to a couple of weeks. Don’t skip this step. Until your profile is verified, you won’t have full control over the information displayed or the ability to respond to reviews.
In the past Google has relied on post cards sent through the mail with a verification code. They are switching more to video verification where you will need to be inside of the physical location and prove to Google it is a real location. There are other ways that Google can verify your business and they choose which one. For additional information on business verification, view Google’s GBP documentation.
What to Do if Your Brokerage Already Has a Profile
Yes, you can create your own individual GBP even if your brokerage already has one. Google allows practitioners within a business to have separate profiles. Your profile represents you as an individual agent while the brokerage maintains its own listing.
Guidelines for individual agent profiles:
- Use your real name and credential (e.g., “Jane Smith, Land Agent”).
- Don’t stuff your profile name with keywords or your brokerage name.
- Keep your contact information consistent with other online listings.
- Link to your personal page on the brokerage website if available.
Optimizing Your Profile for Maximum Impact
A half-filled profile tells buyers you’re either too busy to care or not tech-savvy enough to figure it out. Neither impression helps you. Google also rewards completeness. Profiles with full information rank higher in local search results than sparse ones.
NAP Consistency Checklist
NAP stands for Name, Address, and Phone number. Consistency across all platforms matters more than you might think.
| Element | Check For | Example Issue |
|---|---|---|
| Business Name | Exact match across all listings | “Smith Land & Ranch” vs. “Smith Land and Ranch Co” |
| Address | Same format everywhere | “123 Main St” vs. “123 Main Street, Suite A” |
| Phone Number | Same number on all platforms | Office line vs. cell phone on different listings |
| Website URL | Consistent domain | www.yoursite.com vs. yoursite.com |
Quick audit: Search your business name and check the top 10 results. If you see variations in your NAP, fix them. Search engines see inconsistencies as separate businesses, which dilutes your authority. Though this article is focussed on Google Business Profile’s it is still worth ensuring your NAP is consistent across the internet. This can be manually updated or there are services that can help normalize your NAP across listing sites. These services include YEXT and Brightlocal to name a few.
Choosing the Right Categories and Service Areas
Categories:
- Select a primary category that best describes what you do.
- Add secondary categories to capture related searches.
- Be specific where possible. “Real estate agent” works, but more specific options may be available.
Service Areas:
- Google allows up to 20 service areas.
- Include every county or region you actively serve.
- If a buyer searches “land agent in Henderson County” and Henderson County isn’t listed, you won’t show up.
Additional profile elements to complete:
- Business hours (even if by appointment only)
- Website link
- Direct phone number
- Business description (use relevant keywords naturally)
- Attributes (wheelchair accessible, appointment required, etc.)
Adding Photos and Visual Content
Profiles with photos get more attention. According to Google, businesses with photos receive 42% more requests for directions and 35% more clicks to their websites.²
Photo Do’s and Don’ts
| Do | Don’t |
|---|---|
| Include a professional headshot | Use blurry or poorly lit images |
| Add photos of properties you’ve sold or listed | Post photos cropped from group shots |
| Show local scenery and landmarks | Upload sideways or improperly oriented images |
| Use high-resolution images | Add dozens of mediocre photos |
| Update photos regularly | Let your photos get stale (5+ years old) |
| Include your office exterior if applicable | Use stock photos |
Using Video to Stand Out
GBP supports short videos up to 30 seconds. Video helps you stand out from agents who only use static images.
Video ideas:
- A quick personal introduction
- Property highlight clips
- Drone footage of a listing
- Brief market update for your area
Keep videos short, well-lit, and professional. You don’t need fancy equipment. As I mentioned in the webinar, a smartphone in good lighting works fine. Don’t let the idea that you need professional equipment to take professional photos or videos.
Getting and Managing Reviews
Reviews do double duty. They build trust with potential buyers and influence where you appear in local search results. Google’s algorithm considers review quantity, quality, and recency when ranking local businesses.
How to Request Reviews
- Ask right after a successful closing when the experience is fresh.
- Keep the request simple: “If you’re comfortable with it, a Google review would really help my business. I can send you a direct link.”
- Generate a short review link from your GBP dashboard.
- Send the link via email or text to reduce friction.
- Follow up once if needed, but don’t pester.
Warning: Never offer incentives for reviews or ask people to leave fake ones. Google penalizes this behavior, and savvy buyers can spot inauthentic reviews.
Responding to Reviews
For positive reviews:
- Respond to every one with a brief thank you.
- Personalize your response rather than copying and pasting.
- Work in a relevant keyword naturally when it fits.
- Example: “Thanks, John. It was a pleasure helping you find hunting land in Travis County.”
For negative reviews:
- Don’t ignore them and don’t get defensive.
- Respond professionally and acknowledge the concern.
- Offer to resolve the issue offline.
- Keep your tone calm and constructive.
Potential buyers read how you handle criticism as much as they read the criticism itself. A professional response to a negative review can actually build trust.
Using Posts and Updates to Stay Active
Google Business Profile includes a posting feature that most agents ignore completely. Posts let you share updates, promote listings, highlight events, and demonstrate that you’re actively working in your market.
What to Post
- New listings: A quick photo with basic details and a link to the full listing.
- Market updates: Short posts about trends in your area.
- Local events: County fairs, hunting season openers, community happenings.
- Sold properties: Celebrate closings (with client permission).
- Tips for buyers: Quick advice relevant to land purchases in your region.
- Seasonal content: Hunting season prep, spring planting, etc.
Posting Frequency Tips
- Aim for one or two quality posts per month.
- Consistency beats volume. Avoid a flurry of activity followed by months of silence.
- Google posts expire after six months (event posts expire after the event date).
- Batch your content work. Draft several posts at once and schedule time to publish them throughout the month.
Keep posts concise. A couple of sentences and a good image are enough. Think of posts as a low-effort way to keep your profile fresh without overhauling the whole thing.
Tracking Your Results with GBP Insights
Google gives you free analytics for your Business Profile. The Insights section shows how people are finding you, what actions they take, and how your profile performs over time.
Key Metrics to Watch
| Metric | What It Tells You |
|---|---|
| Direct searches | People who searched your name or address (they already know you) |
| Discovery searches | People who found you through category searches like “land agent near me” |
| Website clicks | How many people clicked through to your site |
| Direction requests | How many people looked up your location |
| Phone calls | How many people called directly from your profile |
| Photo views | Which images get the most attention |
| Photo comparison | How your photos perform vs. similar businesses |
How to use this data:
- Check your insights monthly.
- If discovery searches are growing, you’re reaching new potential buyers.
- If calls drop off, refresh your information or ask for more reviews.
- If photos are underperforming, update them with higher quality images.
- Notice spikes after adding posts or photos? Keep doing what’s working.
Additionally, a UTM parameter can be used on your URL you use in your GBP to help you keep more precise tracking of clicks to your in Google Analytics. When you add UTM parameters to the links in your GBP (like the website link, appointment link, or posts), you can:
- Differentiate GBP traffic from other sources in Google Analytics.
- Measure engagement from GBP posts (e.g., which post drove the most clicks).
- Track conversions from GBP visitors separately from organic search.
Below is an example URL:
https://yourdomain.com/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=gbp_profile
More information on UTM Parameters is available here.
The data isn’t perfect and won’t capture everything, but it’s free and gives you a baseline. Most agents never look at this information at all. Simply paying attention puts you ahead.
Put Your Profile to Work
Your Google Business Profile is one of the simplest ways to improve your online visibility. It costs nothing, takes minimal time to optimize, and puts you in front of buyers at the exact moment they’re searching for help.
The basics matter most. Claim your profile, complete every field, add quality photos, and ask for reviews. These steps alone will put you ahead of most agents who either neglect their profiles entirely or set them up once and forget about them.
From there, small consistent efforts compound over time. A post here, a new photo there, a thoughtful response to a review. None of it is difficult. The challenge is simply making it a habit.
If you’ve been putting this off, start today. Thirty minutes of focused work can make a real difference in how buyers perceive you and whether they find you in the first place.
This is the first article in a series on digital visibility for land agents. Next, we’ll cover website essentials and what your site needs to earn trust and rank in search results.
References
¹ BrightEdge Research: https://www.brightedge.com/resources/research-reports
² Google Business Profile Help: https://support.google.com/business/answer/3038177
