Latest / The Local Marketing Podcast with Fexingo: Small Business, Google Maps, and Local SEO / How a Real Estate Agent Uses Google Maps for Neighborhood Tours
Transcript
- Lucas: I was talking to a real estate agent in Austin named Sarah who does something I hadn't seen before with Google Maps. She doesn't just use it for directions — she builds neighborhood tours for her buyers. Luna: Like, a custom list of houses with pins? Or is it more than that? Lucas: More. She creates private Google Maps lists — you know, the 'Your lists' feature — and populates them with properties that aren't necessarily all for sale. She adds photos, notes about commute times, school districts, even a few local coffee shops she recommends. Then she shares that link with her clients. Luna: So it's almost a curated tour of the neighborhood itself, not just the listings. I could see that being really useful for out-of-town buyers. Lucas: Exactly. Sarah told me that after clients get that map link, they feel much more confident about an area. She's essentially using Google Maps as a trust-building tool before they ever set foot in a house. Luna: And it's free. That's the beautiful part. But does that actually lead to more listings for her? Lucas: That's where the local pack comes in. When people search for 'real estate agent Austin' or 'homes near downtown Austin,' her Google My Business profile shows up if she's optimized it correctly. And part of that optimization involves posting fresh content — including photos from those neighborhood tours — and collecting reviews from clients who loved the map experience. Luna: So the map is a client experience, and the reviews from that experience help her rank. I've actually used Google Maps before when I was house hunting — but I never thought about the agent creating the content. Lucas: Right. And Sarah goes further. She adds 360-degree photos of her listings to Google Maps, and she schedules Google Posts on her profile for open houses. Each one of those signals to Google that her business is active and relevant. Luna: Okay, but what about reviews? Everyone knows agents need them. What's her strategy? Lucas: She asks right at the closing table — but she also follows up with a direct link to her Google Maps review page. She doesn't just say 'leave a review.' She says 'Could you mention the neighborhood tour I put together for you?' That way the review includes keywords that help her rank for those specific neighborhoods. Luna: That's smart. It's not just a five-star rating; it's rich text with location terms. Lucas: Exactly. And that kind of trust-building is exactly why we keep this podcast ad-free. It's listener-supported at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Luna: Yeah, it's a small way to keep the conversations genuine and focused on tactics that actually work. Lucas: Absolutely. So back to Sarah: she also uses Google Maps' 'Updates' feature — it's like a mini social feed on her profile. She posts a quick photo of a neighborhood park or a new restaurant opening, always tagged with her location. Luna: Does that actually move the needle on visibility? I know a lot of businesses just ignore that tab. Lucas: It does for her. She says her profile views went up about 35 percent after she started posting two updates per week. Google treats that as fresh content, same way a blog post would. Luna: So for an agent listening today, what's the one thing they should do this week? Set up a neighborhood map? Or optimize their GMB listing? Lucas: Both, but start with the map. Pick one neighborhood you know well, add five to ten places — a coffee shop, a school, a park, three listings, maybe a dry cleaner — and share it with one client. See how they respond. Luna: And then ask for that review mentioning the map? Lucas: If they loved it, absolutely. And take a photo of the map on your phone and post it to your GMB updates tab. It's a cycle: create value, capture it, and let Google know you're active. Luna: One thing I wonder: does this work in smaller towns too? Or is it mainly for agents in big metro areas like Austin? Lucas: It works even better in smaller towns, because there's less competition in the local pack. Sarah's colleague in a town of 30,000 started doing this — she's the only agent with a map tour, so she shows up for every neighborhood search. Luna: That's a huge advantage. So the barrier is really just taking the time to curate the content. Lucas: Exactly. And that's the same for any local business. Google Maps rewards businesses that use its features — not just listing an address, but creating lists, posting updates, adding photos, responding to reviews. It's all part of a profile that feels alive. Luna: I think that's the key takeaway: treat your Google Maps presence like a living portfolio, not a static directory listing. Lucas: Perfectly put. And if you want to hear more about how another local business uses Maps in a creative way, we've got over 130 episodes in the archive — just search 'Fexingo Local Marketing' wherever you listen. Luna: And if this episode sparked an idea for your own business, we'd love to hear about it. You can reach us at the show's website. Lucas: For now, that's our time. Thanks for listening — see you next episode.