--- title: "Google Business Profile for real estate agents" description: "Check your real estate Google Business Profile against Google's rules for agent eligibility, service areas, categories, reviews, and local ranking." canonical: "https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/google-business-profile-real-estate-agents" --- ## Site navigation - [Scale With Search](https://scalewithsearch.com/) - Real estate - Real estate - [Real estate](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate) - Work - Start here - [Send your brief](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#send-your-brief) - [Prepare your six-question brief](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#prepare-your-six-question-brief) - Build - [Site build, content library with SEO, signal desk](https://scalewithsearch.com/work) - For your business - Trades and home services - [Auto body and collision shops](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/auto-body-and-collision-shops) - [Foundation and home repair contractors](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/foundation-and-home-repair) - 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[The Complete Small-Business Guide to AI Agent Governance](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/ai-agent-governance-guide-small-business) - [The Complete Guide to Leaving Vendor AI Memory](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/leaving-vendor-ai-memory-guide) - Articles by cluster - [Business memory](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/business-memory-for-ai-agents-guide) - [Agent governance](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/ai-agent-governance-guide-small-business) - [Migration and ownership](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/leaving-vendor-ai-memory-guide) - For machines - [llms.txt](https://scalewithsearch.com/llms.txt) - [llms-full.txt](https://scalewithsearch.com/llms-full.txt) - [Machine view](https://scalewithsearch.com/?view=machine) - Company - Evidence - [Proof](https://scalewithsearch.com/proof) - Company - [About](https://scalewithsearch.com/about) # Google Business Profile for real estate agents: eligibility, categories, and reviews Start with the business your profile represents. Are you listing yourself as an individual agent, your brokerage, or a business that visits customers? Check the applicable rules below before choosing an address or creating another profile. Use this guide with your current profile open. Write down anything you cannot confirm before you edit it. Your working list should cover eligibility, location, category, reviews, and the website people reach from the profile. Keep a copy of the starting details and the changes you propose. If someone else manages the profile, agree who approves each correction. Google permits owners and authorized representatives to manage business information. A representative needs the owner's express consent to claim a profile. [Google's ownership rules](https://support.google.com/business/answer/13763036?hl=en). ## Check whether your real estate business qualifies Google generally requires in-person customer contact during your stated hours. It lists online-only businesses and lead-generation businesses as ineligible. A website that collects inquiries does not, by itself, establish an eligible business. [Google's eligibility rules](https://support.google.com/business/answer/13763036?hl=en). Real estate agents appear in Google's definition of individual practitioners. Your dedicated profile requires a public-facing role and direct contact at the verified location during stated hours. Support staff do not qualify under those practitioner rules. [Google's practitioner rules](https://support.google.com/business/answer/3038177?hl=en). Check your relationship with the brokerage before naming the profile. Where several public-facing practitioners share a location, Google distinguishes the organization profile from each practitioner profile. The practitioner's title should contain their name without the organization name. For a sole public-facing practitioner representing a branded organization, Google recommends a shared profile with the company and practitioner names. [Google's practitioner naming rules](https://support.google.com/business/answer/3038177?hl=en). Do not create profiles for each listing you market. Google excludes rental and for-sale properties, including vacation homes and model homes. It distinguishes eligible sales or leasing offices from those properties. [Google's property eligibility rules](https://support.google.com/business/answer/13763036?hl=en). Before proceeding, answer this question in your own words: which real business or practitioner does this profile represent? If the answer changes between your website and your profile, resolve the identity first. - [Connect your real estate profiles to your own website](/articles/real-estate-portal-profiles) ## Decide whether customers visit your address Google defines a service-area business as one that visits or delivers to customers without serving them at its business address. A hybrid business serves customers at its address and also visits or delivers to them. If you do not serve customers at your address, Google says to remove that address from the public profile. [Google's service-area definitions](https://support.google.com/business/answer/9157481?hl=en). To show an address, Google requires permanent fixed signage displaying your business name at that address. A hybrid location must also be staffed by your team and able to receive customers during its stated hours. These conditions apply beyond coworking offices. [Google's address and hybrid requirements](https://support.google.com/business/answer/3038177?hl=en). Google says a business without permanent on-site signage is not eligible as a storefront and should be listed as a service-area business. Apply that condition even if customers visit your address. [Google's storefront and service-area rules](https://support.google.com/business/answer/9157481?hl=en). For an eligible agent working from home, ask whether customers actually visit that home for service. If they do not, check the service-area setup rather than publishing the home as a walk-in office. Google's address guidance lets service-area businesses hide the address and display their service area. [Google's address guidance](https://support.google.com/business/answer/2853879?hl=en). An address you rent for mail does not qualify as an operating office. Google's rules exclude virtual offices. A coworking office needs clear signage, customer visits during opening hours, and staffing by your business during those hours. [Google's location rules](https://support.google.com/business/answer/3038177?hl=en). Treat these as separate checks: your authority to use the location, the way customers meet you, and the practitioner requirements. Do not assume that brokerage membership answers every question. Write down the arrangement and compare it with the applicable Google rules before changing anything. ## Set an accurate service area Use the places you actually serve. Google accepts cities, postal codes, or other areas, rather than a radius. You can specify up to twenty service areas. Its guidance says the overall boundary should generally stay within about two hours' driving time of your base. [Google's service-area guidance](https://support.google.com/business/answer/9157481?hl=en). A service-area business gets one profile for the whole area it serves. Do not create a separate profile for every town. [Google's service-area profile rule](https://support.google.com/business/answer/9157481?hl=en). Make a short working list of your markets before opening the editor. Mark any place where you need to confirm that you can provide the stated service. Keep speculative expansion plans off the current list. Check the same markets against your website's service descriptions. Use the service-area field to describe coverage. Do not treat it as a promise of visibility in every selected town. That distinction follows from Google's separate discussion of distance in local ranking, covered below. [Google's local ranking guidance](https://support.google.com/business/answer/7091?hl=en). ## Choose categories that describe your business Google says to choose a primary category that best describes the business. Select the most specific suitable option available in the editor. If it is unavailable, choose a suitable broader option. You cannot invent a category. Google also states that categories affect local ranking. [Google's category guidance](https://support.google.com/business/answer/7249669?hl=en). For your agent profile, look for an available category that describes your work as an agent. For a brokerage profile, assess the business represented by that profile. Do not copy another office's selection without checking whether it fits yours. Use only a few additional categories for genuine parts of the business. Google advises against selecting a category for every product or service. Adding or editing categories may also trigger another verification request. [Google's additional-category and verification guidance](https://support.google.com/business/answer/7249669?hl=en). Save your selected category and the reason it fits. Ask the person who approves your business details to review it before applying the change. Leave unrelated services out of that decision. ## Ask for honest reviews without controlling the answer You can invite customers to review a genuine experience. Google permits requests that offer no incentive and do not influence the rating or review content. It prohibits discouraging negative reviews and selectively seeking positive ones. [Google's review policy](https://support.google.com/contributionpolicy/answer/7400114?hl=en). Use a consistent invitation for the customers you ask. Avoid a satisfaction survey that directs only positive answers toward Google. Do not require a star rating, an agent's name, a town, or a service keyword. Google expressly prohibits asking for specific review content and pressuring customers to review on the premises. [Google's rating-manipulation rules](https://support.google.com/contributionpolicy/answer/7400114?hl=en). Google supports a review link or QR code for customer requests. [Google's review-request guidance](https://support.google.com/business/answer/3474122?hl=en). A draft invitation could read: > Would you share an honest Google review of your experience working with me? You can use this link: [your Google review link]. Adapt that example to your own wording. Keep the rating and content up to the customer. Google prohibits incentives for posting reviews and for changing or removing negative reviews. That includes payments, discounts, and free goods or services. [Google's incentive policy](https://support.google.com/contributionpolicy/answer/7400114?hl=en). ## Reply without exposing transaction details Your review replies are public. Google advises clear, helpful responses and protecting the reviewer's private information. For a complex issue, it recommends inviting the person to contact you privately. [Google's reply guidance](https://support.google.com/business/answer/3474122?hl=en). Before posting, remove private financing details, negotiation history, and anything the reviewer has not chosen to discuss publicly. Ask whether your reply answers the concern without telling the reader more about the transaction. If you believe a review breaks a Google policy, identify the applicable rule before reporting it. Google says only policy-violating reviews qualify for removal. Disagreement or dislike is not enough, and Google does not resolve business-customer disputes through review removal. [Google's review-removal guidance](https://support.google.com/business/answer/4596773?hl=en). Keep your proposed reply and any report as separate decisions. Do not promise yourself that a report will remove the review. ## Separate Google's ranking statements from promises Google's ranking page names relevance, distance, and prominence as the main considerations. Its introductory wording currently calls the third factor popularity; the detailed heading uses prominence. [Google's local ranking guidance](https://support.google.com/business/answer/7091?hl=en). Relevance concerns how well the profile matches the search. Distance concerns how far the business is from the person searching. Prominence concerns how well-known the business is, including website links and reviews. Google says more reviews and positive ratings can help local ranking. [Google's ranking-factor explanations](https://support.google.com/business/answer/7091?hl=en). Google also says you cannot request or pay for a better local ranking. [Google's ranking limits](https://support.google.com/business/answer/7091?hl=en). Evaluate proposed work by the corrections it makes. Ask for a clear explanation when someone ties a category change, review target, or larger service area to a promised position. ## Check the website your profile sends people to Open your website from the profile on your phone. Confirm the business identity, markets, and contact destination. Test the inquiry form with a clearly marked test submission. Check that you can reach the intended inbox and correct the page afterward. Write down the actual website problem: an outdated agent page, a broken form, or content you cannot edit. Keep that problem separate from your Google eligibility questions. Take your website and that short problem list to [the real estate website page](/for/real-estate). Use it to prepare the scope for your whole website fix. - [Test the seller inquiry path on your real estate website](/articles/seller-inquiry-path-agent-website) - [Check your real estate website in 30 minutes](/articles/real-estate-website-audit) ## Related: Real estate - [Connect your real estate profiles to your own website](/articles/real-estate-portal-profiles) - [Test the seller inquiry path on your real estate website](/articles/seller-inquiry-path-agent-website) - [Check your real estate website in 30 minutes](/articles/real-estate-website-audit) ---- ```text .|########||. .|########||. .|########||. |##||. .||##|. |##||. .||##|. |##||. .||##|. |#|. .|#|. |#|. .|#|. |#|. .|#|. |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#. .#| .#. .#| .#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |# ...... #| |# ...... #| |# ...... #| .# ||#########| #| .# ||#########| #| .# ||#########| #| .#. |######||######|. .#. .#. |######||######|. .#. .#. |######||######|. .#. #. .##|###|##|#|######| .# #. .##|###|##|#|######| .# #. .##|###|##|#|######| .# || |##|#||||||||||||#||#| || || |##|#||||||||||||#||#| || || |##|#||||||||||||#||#| || # |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. # |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. # |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || # .#||||||||||||||||||||||||#| # # .#||||||||||||||||||||||||#| # # .#||||||||||||||||||||||||#| # || ....|||#||||||##|#|||#|#||##||||....|. || || ....|||#||||||##|#|||#|#||##||||....|. || || ....|||#||||||##|#|||#|#||##||||....|. || #. . ....|# ....#||| ||| .#||| ....#. .# #. . ....|# ....#||| ||| .#||| ....#. .# #. . ....|# ....#||| ||| .#||| ....#. .# # . ||||#| .#####|| . .#| .#||| ||||# #. # . ||||#| .#####|| . .#| .#||| ||||# #. # . ||||#| .#####|| . .#| .#||| ||||# #. .| ||||| #. |#|||||. || #. |#||. .||||| || .| ||||| #. |#|||||. || #. |#||. .||||| || .| ||||| #. |#|||||. || #. |#||. .||||| || || |.... #. ....|#. |. ...|. ....|| || || |.... #. ....|#. |. ...|. ....|| || || |.... #. ....|#. |. ...|. ....|| || #. .||||||##||||||##||####|||||||#||||||#| .# #. .||||||##||||||##||####|||||||#||||||#| .# #. .||||||##||||||##||####|||||||#||||||#| .# # .||####|###########################|. # # .||####|###########################|. # # .||####|###########################|. # # .#||||||.#.|| # |. ..# #| #|||||#| # # .#||||||.#.|| # |. ..# #| #|||||#| # # .#||||||.#.|| # |. ..# #| #|||||#| # # .#|||||| .. |# ## |#| ...#|#|||#| # # .#|||||| .. |# ## |#| ...#|#|||#| # # .#|||||| .. |# ## |#| ...#|#|||#| # # .#|||#|# .# .#| #| ##|.#..#|||||#| # # .#|||#|# .# .#| #| ##|.#..#|||||#| # # .#|||#|# .# .#| #| ##|.#..#|||||#| # # .#||||||############|######|||||#| # # .#||||||############|######|||||#| # # .#||||||############|######|||||#| # # |...||#||||||#||||#|#||||||#|||||#||| |.| # # |...||#||||||#||||#|#||||||#|||||#||| |.| # # |...||#||||||#||||#|#||||||#|||||#||| |.| # #. .. ||||# .|||##|. |#| .|| || .|||#. #| # .# #. .. ||||# .|||##|. |#| .|| || .|||#. #| # .# #. .. ||||# .|||##|. |#| .|| || .|||#. #| # .# || | ...|| ...##| | #| .|. |. ##### .. .| || || | ...|| ...##| | #| .|. |. ##### .. .| || || | ...|| ...##| | #| .|. |. ##### .. .| || || ||||| || ||||#| . |. |. |#. ||||| |#| || || || ||||| || ||||#| . |. |. |#. ||||| |#| || || || ||||| || ||||#| . |. |. |#. ||||| |#| || || .# |.....#|....|#.||||.|||##.|#|....||.#||.#. #. .# |.....#|....|#.||||.|||##.|#|....||.#||.#. #. .# |.....#|....|#.||||.|||##.|#|....||.#||.#. #. #.|||||||#############################| ||| .# #.|||||||#############################| ||| .# #.|||||||#############################| ||| .# || ##||#||#||||||#||#||#||#||##. || || ##||#||#||||||#||#||#||#||##. || || ##||#||#||||||#||#||#||#||##. || # .#|||||||||#||#|||||||||||#| # # .#|||||||||#||#|||||||||||#| # # .#|||||||||#||#|||||||||||#| # || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || .# |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. .# |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. .# |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. || |#||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||#| || #. .######|#|#########| .# #. .######|#|#########| .# #. .######|#|#########| .# .#. |#####||||#####| .#. .#. |#####||||#####| .#. .#. |#####||||#####| .#. |# ||########|| #. |# ||########|| #. |# ||########|| #. |# ...... #| |# ...... #| |# ...... #| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#. |#. .#. |#. .#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. |##||. .||##| |##||. .||##| |##||. .||##| .||########||. .||########||. .||########||. 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