In this day and age, Google is the all-knowing source that will lead people to the promised land of information.  

As a real estate agent, your online presence is extremely important. According to RE/MAX, millennial’s who are buying homes rely on the internet. They go to the internet before they reach out to a real estate agent.

Once they find their dream home, they’ll take note of you, the real estate agent, and Google you. They browse for everything, including online reviews, your social accounts, and maybe other listings you offer.

Josh Neihaus, Director of Sales at Elite Group Inspection Professionals, says, “approximately 80-90% of your clients will Google your name.”

What Are Clients Looking For?

According to Neihaus, they’re “looking for social proof.”

The best way to add social proof to the Google search, as Neihaus explains, is to “place reviews readily available on your first page of your website. Also, place icons of Yelp, LinkedIn, Facebook, Google Maps next to your professional headshot. Most consumers trust these platforms and as a by-product subconsciously trust you or your brand.”

But how do you know what a client sees when they search your name? You need to Google yourself.

Tips on How to Google Yourself

What shows up on Google is the front page of your reputation. This is the impression you leave on potential buyers, so it’s important to keep track of what’s popping up.

Tip 1: Google yourself often. You should be doing this about once a month.

Tip 2: Set your browser to incognito or private mode and log out of any Google accounts. These modes will get you results that are not impacted by your search history or location.

Tip 3: Use variations of your name, even misspellings. There’s a chance a potential client will not type your name correctly, so it’s important to see if your name still pops up when you Google your misspelled name.

Tip 4: Set a Google alert for your name. This will deliver new results directly to your email inbox.

If you Google yourself, you will see what your clients and prospective clients see. Monitoring your online presence is key to your business.