The Fastest Way for a Real Estate Agent to Rank in Google's Local Pack

There are eight sections of a Realtor's Google Business Profile that impact how you rank in Google's Local Pack, but the one that will help you rank the fastest is Reviews.

Reviews are the #1 lever for ranking better in local SEO. Here's what matters and how to think about a Google review strategy:

1. Quantity. The number of reviews you get matters, of course. Ranking isn't a pure most-to-least thing, because there are other factors. But generally speaking, an agent with 100 reviews will show up in the Local Pack more often than an agent with, say, 25 reviews.

2. Review velocity. After you reach a certain quantity of reviews where you're competitive with other agents in your market, it becomes more about review velocity (how often you get reviews) and recency.

3. Star rating. Again, it's not a highest-to-lowest thing where agents with a 5.0 rating will always rank higher than agents with a 4.5 or 4.7 rating. You don't need a 5.0 rating, but your number needs to be good. No matter how many or how often you get reviews, Google's not going to put you in the Local Pack if you have a 2.5 rating.

I've seen this play out time after time with my clients and wife. In fact, Cari went through a 2-month stretch this summer without getting a new Google review. She fell out of the Local Pack and her GBP engagement numbers flatlined. Then she got four new reviews in three weeks, instantly showed up in the Local Pack again, and her engagement numbers rose 10%.

Put all this together, and your strategy becomes pretty simple: Get more positive reviews and get them consistently. If you're not showing up in the Local Pack, it can be really hard to displace high-ranking agents with a strong GBP. Reviews are the most direct way to do it.

Related Articles

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• Do Google Posts Help With SEO?

• Which Real Estate Category Should I Choose for My Google Business Profile?

• How to Get More Leads When You Reply to Client Reviews

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