Most real estate agents in Toronto compete heavily on referrals and their brokerage's brand. That strategy still works — but it's leaving a growing segment of potential clients unaddressed: buyers and sellers who start their agent search on Google.
"Real estate agent Toronto," "realtor in Scarborough," "sell my home Etobicoke" — these searches happen thousands of times a month across the GTA. The agents who appear in the local map pack for these searches have a significant advantage. And the primary tool for getting into that map pack is a fully optimized Google Business Profile.
Why most realtors underuse Google Business Profile
There's a common misconception that Google Business Profile is primarily for brick-and-mortar businesses — restaurants, salons, shops. In fact, Google offers a service-area business option that's designed exactly for professionals like real estate agents who serve clients across a geographic area rather than from a fixed storefront.
As a realtor, you can set up a GBP that shows your service areas (Toronto, Scarborough, Etobicoke, North York, Mississauga, etc.), links to your website, displays your reviews, and appears in local map results when potential clients are searching for an agent in your market. Most agents in the GTA haven't done this — which means early movers have a genuine window of opportunity.
Setting up your profile as a service-area business
Go to business.google.com and create your profile. When prompted for a location, choose "I deliver goods and services to my customers" rather than entering a specific storefront address. This prevents your home address from being publicly listed while still allowing you to rank in local search.
Set your service area to include every GTA neighbourhood where you work: Toronto, North York, Scarborough, Etobicoke, Mississauga, Brampton, Oakville, Burlington. You can add up to 20 service areas.
For your business name, use your actual name or team name as it appears on your brokerage materials. Don't keyword-stuff it ("John Smith — Best Toronto Realtor") — Google flags this and can suspend your listing.
Fields that matter most for a real estate agent
Fill out every available field, with special attention to:
- Category — Set "Real Estate Agent" as your primary category. Add "Real Estate Agency" if you run a team. Avoid overly broad categories that dilute your relevance.
- Services — List specific services: buyer representation, seller representation, pre-construction condos, investment properties, first-time home buyers, downsizing, commercial real estate. These are search terms clients use.
- Description — Write 200–250 words that describe your specialties, the neighbourhoods you know best, your years of experience, and what distinguishes how you work. Mention specific GTA areas naturally: "I specialize in freehold homes in East Toronto, from Leslieville to the Beaches and into Scarborough."
- Photos — Upload your professional headshot, recent listing photos (with brokerage permission), neighbourhood photos, and any team images. Agents with professional photos on their profiles consistently get more profile clicks than those with no photos or low-quality images.
- Website link — Link to your personal agent website, not just your brokerage homepage. A personal site that reinforces your specialties and service areas strengthens the entire local SEO signal.
Google reviews for real estate agents: your most powerful credibility signal
Real estate is a high-stakes, high-trust transaction. Buyers and sellers are making the biggest financial decision of many people's lives. Before they commit to working with an agent, they research carefully — and Google reviews are a primary input.
A Toronto realtor with 45 detailed Google reviews from actual clients will convert more profile visitors into inquiry calls than one with 8 reviews, even if the 8-review agent has a 5.0 average. The volume of social proof matters because it signals the scale of successful transactions.
The right time to ask for a review is immediately after closing — when the client's satisfaction is at its peak and the experience is fresh. A text or personal email the day after closing: "It was such a pleasure helping you find your home in Leslieville — if you ever have a moment, a Google review would mean a great deal to me. Here's the direct link." Most clients who've had a genuinely positive experience will follow through on this ask from an agent they liked.
Using Google Posts to stay top-of-mind in local search
The Posts feature in Google Business Profile lets you publish updates directly to your listing. For a real estate agent, this is an opportunity to demonstrate active market knowledge:
- "Just sold: 3-bed semi in East York for $120K over asking — market is moving. DM for a free home valuation."
- "New to the market: Stunning Scarborough townhouse — swipe to see inside."
- "Spring market update: Here's what's happening with inventory in Toronto's east end right now."
Post weekly. It takes ten minutes and keeps your profile active — which Google rewards with better local visibility. An agent who posts regular market updates looks like an engaged local expert. An agent whose profile hasn't been updated in six months looks dormant.
Your website and Google profile work together
A Google Business Profile without a linked personal website operates at reduced effectiveness. Google uses your website to verify and reinforce the information on your profile — your service areas, specialties, and legitimacy as an active agent.
A personal real estate website also serves a function your GBP can't: it tells your story, showcases your track record, hosts your active listings, and provides the full set of information a potential client needs to decide to call you. The profile gets you found. The website converts the visitor into a client.
If you're a real estate agent in Toronto, Scarborough, Etobicoke, North York, or across the GTA and want a professionally built personal website and managed Google Business Profile working for you consistently, Curbli handles all of it — a one-time $397 launch fee plus $97/month. Get a free audit of your current online presence →