Episode 593: Google 8 Kick-Off: Turn Your Business Profile & Search Console Into 24/7 Lead Magnets

Google remains the first place buyers and sellers go when they start hunting for answers, so mastering Google’s own tools is the fastest way to show up first. In this opening session of the “Google Eight” series, I highlight two foundations every agent needs: Google Business Profile and Google Search Console. Your Google Business Profile is a true digital storefront. When someone types your name—or “realtor in Malibu”, that panel on the right side of the results page decides whether they tap Call, Directions, or keep scrolling. Claim the profile, add the brokerage name, service area, phone, and high-resolution photos of listings and community shots. Turn on messaging, post market updates, and respond to reviews so Google sees an active, trusted local expert. A complete profile pushes you into the three-pack on Google Maps, capturing homeowners who need an agent before they ever reach Zillow. Google Search Console is the dashboard that shows why you appear (or don’t). After verifying your domain and submitting a sitemap, you can see which search terms, “Malibu ocean-view homes,” “homes for sale near Pepperdine University,” “Thousand Oaks real estate market update”, already drive traffic, which pages rank, and where Google spots errors that bury your results. Those insights tell you exactly which blog posts, YouTube videos, or listing pages to create next so local buyers and sellers keep finding you instead of a portal. Together these two free tools let you control how Google introduces you to the public and how you refine the keywords that matter. Set them up, study the data, and you’ll lay the groundwork for the six remaining pieces of the Google Eight, each one building on this visibility so your name becomes the first answer in every real-estate search.     #GoogleBusinessProfile #GoogleSearchConsole #RealEstateSEO #LocalSEO #RealtorMarketing #DigitalStorefront #HomeSearch #MalibuRealEstate