Dear Real Estate Professonal, whether you love it or hate it, you need to have a Google+ Local Page.  But NOT for the reasons you may think. It’s not because I want you to engage and interact with consumers on Google+. It’s not to sell your listings. It’s not because I want you to post your content there for SEO.  There is only one reason why I want you to have a Google+ Local Page. So YOU can be found when a consumer searches for a Realtor. Think of it as a Yelp account, but even better.  Google+ Local Pages rock search.  Google+ Local pages are indexed in four types of searches:

1. Google – Google indexes Google+ Local pages. And guess what, just like it does with YouTube, Google gives Google+ Local Pages priority.  So your Google+ Local page has a good chance of ranking very high when someone searches for a Realtor in your area.
2. Mobile Android Search – Android’s new Voice Search (very similar to Siri) is of course a Google App. If you read my post Yelp Reviews are Essental for Realtors, then you know that on iPhones, Siri indexes Yelp in mobile search.  Well guess who Google/Android Phones index?  That’s right, Google+ Local Pages.  So if you want to be found in mobile search, you need both a Yelp account and a Google+ Local page.
3. Google Map Search – Yep, if a consumer pulls up google maps and searches for a Realtor, the results will be indexed by Google+ Local Pages.
4. Google+ – Anyone using Google+ can easily search Local listings as well, right from their home page.

Have I convinced you yet?  This is not just another Social Media account that you need to post to. Although you can if you want to…  It is set up so that you can use it just like you would a Facebook Fan Page.  But that is not necessary, because most of the people that find your page in search are NOT going to be Google+ users.  They are going to be consumers who are looking for a Realtor in your location/area. Period. All they need and want is your bio and your contact info.  And of course they will want to read your reviews.  That’s right, just like Yelp, your Google+ Local page is designed so that consumers can rate and review you.  And the more positive reviews you have, the higher you will rank in search. Just like Yelp.  Sometime last year, Google bought Zagat.  And Zagat is now the rating system that runs Google+ Local pages.  It’s actually a much better rating system than Yelp. It allows consumers to rate and evaluate you on up to 30 different categories.