Google Business Profile: The First Search Battle Every Loan Officer Has to Win in 2026 with Bobby Kerr of Loc8 My Business

Welcome and meet Bobby Kerr (00:00)

David: Listeners, no one would argue that this is a tough market, and that means there are skills you need to be more effective. One of them is this: are you being discovered when someone does a Google search? We have an expert with us today, Bobby Kerr, who is the Google guy. I met him through my producer Ben’s efforts. He went searching for good guests, because we’re here to help you listeners. We found this guy, and I’ve got to tell you, I’m so impressed. I now have him working on my Google Business Profile. Bobby Kerr, the Google guy, good to have you here.

Bobby: Thanks, David. I appreciate it, man. I’m really excited to share all the best practices for Google and AI visibility with your listeners.

David: There’s a lot to this, as you and I have talked about while getting to know each other, and I’ve really enjoyed it. First of all, I enjoy someone who knows and is really passionate about what they do, but you’re also a good human being who really cares about people doing well. You’ve combined those two things, and look at what you’ve done. I really want to get into that. Before we do, tell us a little about yourself, for those who don’t know you, and how you got to where you are.

Bobby’s story: from home inspector to “the Google guy” (01:35)

Bobby: Sure. I’ve been in real estate for about 10 or 12 years. I started my first real-estate-based business, a home inspection company. I grew up around the construction business. My grandfather owned a custom home building business in the Kansas City area, so I was around homes and systems a lot. I was getting my real estate license to become a licensed agent, and of course you learn all facets of the business during that time. When I got to the home inspection component, I said, “I’ve already bought and sold 15 homes by now, and every home inspector I ever had was older, overweight, and did everything analog. I’m going to do everything digital and turn this into a marketing company that does phenomenal home inspections.” So we did that. We started leveraging relationships with real estate agents, and the business really took off.

From there, I sold the business and moved into the mortgage space as a vice president at a mortgage brokerage in Kansas City. Then we started a property and casualty insurance business, then got into real estate teams, sales, and marketing. And here we are today, helping mortgage professionals and real estate agents across this great country be more visible on Google search and AI search.

Why your Google Business Profile is the foundation (02:50)

David: Let’s talk about the importance of being visible in Google business search. A lot of people say, “Aren’t we moving past that with AI? It used to be SEO, now it’s GEO.” Talk about why it’s so important to have a good Google Business Profile.

Bobby: Number one, David, a Google Business Profile is the foundation for all online visibility. You might have a ton of opportunity and experience in this business. You might have been a mortgage loan officer for 20 or 30 years, with a ton of transactions and great relationships. But if all you’re doing is leveraging your reputation person to person, and not leveraging it online, then essentially you’re not going to get found. You’re forgotten.

The Google Business Profile is the foundation for all online visibility. Every AI tool, in some way, is pulling directly from the Google Business Profile or indirectly, but it’s looking there no matter what. That includes your reviews, your profile settings, the data you’ve added, your website. So if you want to be found on ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Perplexity, Claude, Copilot, or, pick your poison, Grok, and you don’t have a highly optimized Google Business Profile, you’re missing out on a massive opportunity. That’s why it’s so important for mortgage loan officers to pay attention to this podcast today, because this is the start of everything for online visibility.

David: Foundation. That’s the key word there. And I love the name of your business, as your hat suggests: L-O-C-8, “locate.” You’re the founder of Loc8 My Business, a real estate marketing company that specializes in Google profiles. I’m really impressed with what you’ve done. As I’ve started the process of working on my own profile, my eyes have been opened to mistakes I’d made.

The #1 mistake: setting it and forgetting it (04:25)

David: I’d like you to explain to our listeners: what is the number one mistake you see loan officers, or anyone on the production and sales side, making on their business profile that costs them leads and visibility?

Bobby: Mortgage loan officers are notoriously bad at this. Real estate agents are bad, and mortgage loan officers are even worse when it comes to paying any attention to their Google Business Profile. The number one mistake we see every day is that loan officers, brokers, and lenders across the country don’t leverage this tool at all, or they set it up and forget it. Maybe they’ve got a few reviews, but they haven’t touched it in months or years. Mortgage folks don’t quite understand that this is a living, breathing tool to promote your business on the world’s biggest platform, for free, every single day.

So the number one mistake is setting it and forgetting it, and not coming back to it, because it is truly a living, breathing tool. Google wants us to use it. This is the world’s largest platform for business data sets, and all the AI tools are pulling from it directly, especially Gemini. Google has a massive recency bias. If you’re not getting consistent reviews, not responding to reviews, and not adding photographs or videos of you and your business to your profile, Google basically looks at your business as dead or dying.

They’re looking at David’s business and saying, “David doesn’t have any recent reviews. He hasn’t added any photographs or videos promoting his business. He’s not adding any posts. He hasn’t added any hyperlocal services to the back end of his profile. I don’t even know what to do with David or his business. Why would we trust this mortgage business enough to promote it in search results if David doesn’t even trust his own business enough to get new customers and show them through reviews?” So I think that’s what people need to focus on: this is a living, breathing tool that we’ve got to work on every single day.

What separates a profile that ranks (and the AI search numbers) (06:40)

David: Great points. What actually separates a loan officer’s Google Business Profile that ranks and converts from one that just sits out there looking finished?

Bobby: I think we just touched on it on the surface: it’s one that actually gets leveraged. It gets used. It gets touched.

David: When you say “leverage,” explain what you mean in this case.

Bobby: Sure, that’s a great question. Leverage means using it as an actual tool. Again, mortgage loan officers are notorious. Somebody in the funnel of their business set up a business profile, whether it was a marketing contractor, someone on their team, or themselves when they first got started, and then they leave it alone. They don’t understand that this is the tool to leverage and use every single day. Loan officers are great at LinkedIn and Facebook videos, and some are great at YouTube or Instagram. But if you want to be found by the world’s biggest search crawlers right now, which means AI visibility…

Let me back up a little, David. AI search tools, ChatGPT, Gemini, and so on: in January of 2024, less than one percent of all internet search traffic was going to AI tools. Less than one percent, two and a half years ago. By June of 2024, that had risen to two and a half percent, a one and a half percent rise in six months. Fast forward to this summer, and over fifteen percent of all internet search traffic is going to AI search tools instead of traditional search tools. Instead of going straight to Google or Yahoo or Bing, people are going to an AI search tool. That’s a thousand fifty-four percent increase in two and a half years.

So for the folks saying, “I’m a referral-based business, I get all my business from agents, why do I need to work on my online visibility if my SOI is my primary source of business?” The statistics are wild. When someone refers a person to your business, what’s the first thing they do? They verify you, to make sure it’s a good referral, and they go straight to Google. They look at the reviews from other clients to make sure you’re aligned with what they need as a homebuyer.

The review rule: 3 to 5 a month (08:35)

Bobby: So what separates the loan officer profile that ranks and converts? Number one, it’s the one that gets reviews on a consistent basis. The ones that don’t perform are the ones that pay somebody like us to build the profile, or build it themselves, and then never touch it again. It has to be loved on a weekly basis. The recency bias is real.

I just touched on reviews, and I want to go a little deeper, because it’s the most important component for a loan officer. You’ve got to be getting three to five keyword-rich, hyperlocal, geographically tagged Google reviews every single month, minimum. I’ll say that again for the people in the back: three to five keyword-rich, geographically anchored, five-star reviews on Google every single month. That’s the hot spot. That’s the magic number where Google essentially says, “This business is worth promoting in search results.” If you’re getting one or two reviews a month, they view you as a small fish, not somebody they trust enough to promote at a higher rate in search results.

Replying to reviews, and using AI without the penalty (09:55)

David: When you’re talking about reviews, I’m imagining there are some do’s and don’ts in this process that Google sees through. Is that a way to say it?

Bobby: That’s a great question. AI has created a lot of shortcuts for a lot of people. On the loan officer side, if a real client takes the time to leave you a nice, real, custom review, you need to reply to it within 24 hours. Number one, you’re giving the client one more touch after the transaction, and they appreciate it. Number two, Google recognizes when you respond to reviews. They look at a business that responds as a valuable business, because you’re communicating publicly with your clientele.

So you’ve got to respond, and don’t respond with AI. This is where I’m coming full circle. AI has made a lot of shortcuts for people, and it’s really easy to copy and paste. A mortgage loan officer copies a client’s review, throws it into ChatGPT, says, “Respond to this review with keywords and make it sexy,” and pastes it back in as the Google response. Google knows that’s an AI response.

David: How do they know?

Bobby: Well, I don’t know. Why is the sky blue? I don’t know exactly how, but their algorithms and tools understand when tools are being used to create content, for the most part. So take the time to write a real reply. Address the reviewer by name and reinforce what they mentioned. If they mention specific problems you solved, that signifies your excellence as a mortgage loan officer, so echo it back to them: “Hey, I loved working with you on…”

David: Is it wrong to use AI? We’re all using AI to help massage things a little. Where does that work to our disadvantage, or should we not touch AI for this at all?

Bobby: No, that would be a mistake. If you’re not touching AI, you’re going to be left behind. I get asked this a lot. I think the best way to look at AI for mortgage loan officers is this: you’re not really using it to do the job itself, because there’s a lot of human touch in that. But when it comes to creating content, it’s okay to use AI. Just make sure it gets a human touch at some point.

David: Okay. All right.

Bobby: If you’re going straight from copying and pasting your AI-created content without looking at it, because you want a shortcut, that’s going to get you in some hot water.

When and how to ask for reviews (12:35)

David: What are some other things loan originators are doing wrong in the way they ask for reviews?

Bobby: They don’t ask enough, and they’re not asking at the opportune time. This is where our mortgage brokerage really took off. We went from about 13 reviews to almost 500 in just a couple of years, as a local independent brokerage. You’ve got to ask when your clients are the happiest. You can’t ask a week or two after they’ve moved into their house. They’ve already forgotten about you. They’re worried about getting their kids in school, finding local restaurants to order pizza from while there are boxes everywhere, and getting the appliances installed and the furniture in.

You’ve got to ask when they’re happiest, which is usually at clear to close or at the closing table. Hopefully you’re a mortgage loan officer who still goes to closings and still meets your clients in person. If so, there’s no better time. Have something at the closing table, like a business card with a QR code, that your clients can scan and go straight to your Google review link. And they need to mention some keywords.

The five elements of a “holy grail” review (13:45)

Bobby: There are five things in the holy grail of a Google five-star review for a mortgage loan officer.

Number one, they leave five stars.

Number two, they mention you by name in the review, ideally the name that matches your Google Business Profile. If your business is “David Lykken, Mortgage Loan Officer” and they mention David Lykken, that suffices. But if the business name is “Lykken on Lending” and they just say “David was awesome,” there’s a disconnect, because the business name has nothing about David in it. So we want the reviewer to mention the business by name as it appears on the profile.

Number three, they’ve got to mention geographic anchors. Google Business Profile is powered by Google Maps, so this is all a geography play. Google wants to promote businesses on a local level that are active and serve as community experts. If none of your reviews have geographic keyword anchors… and this is easy for a mortgage loan officer, because you’re doing business for a specific property. Mentioning the city and state, and even the subdivision or street name, ties into Google and sends another trust signal: this is a person doing business in the specific service area they list on their profile. So, five stars, mention you by name, and geographic anchors with city and state at a minimum.

Number four, they mention things that signify your excellence. “David got my house closed in less than 30 days. David worked with my title company, my home inspector, and my realtor. Communication was great,” et cetera.

And lastly, number five, the holy grail: if they can leave a photograph on their review, that sends the biggest trust signal to Google that it was a real-life client who left the review.

David: Really good.

Bobby: It tells Google the review wasn’t purchased and it wasn’t spam. If you’re getting those five things in your Google reviews, or in your reviews on other platforms where you have profiles, like the Zillow lender platform, NerdWallet, or LendingTree, your online visibility is going to do much better.

David: Those are some really key tips, and people will want to go back and loop through those things. We’ll put together something on just those points when we promote your podcast.

Getting found in AI search: industry platforms and EEAT (16:15)

David: AI search tools like ChatGPT and Gemini are changing how people find local lenders. How does that shift change what loan officers need to be doing on Google and on industry-specific platforms right now?

Bobby: Like I said with those stats, people are going to these places to find our services as real estate professionals, so we’ve got to be visible there. ChatGPT or Google Gemini isn’t only going to Google Business Profile to verify whether a business is trustworthy, reputable, or authoritative. They’re going to outside sources: the mortgage lender platform on Zillow, Bankrate, LendingTree, NerdWallet, Expertise. They’re looking at industry-specific platforms where you should be. So it’s important for loan officers to have not only a highly optimized Google Business Profile but also matching profiles on these industry-specific platforms, and on non-industry-specific platforms, which are really important too.

Google calls this E-E-A-T: experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. If you’re not on these other platforms that signify your excellence, the industry-specific ones I mentioned, the Zillow lender platform, Bankrate, LendingTree, NerdWallet, Expertise, plus non-industry ones like the Better Business Bureau and Yelp… Bing Places is another one; I can talk about that in a minute. ChatGPT is looking at all these different sources simultaneously. They’re scouring the internet to decide whether you have enough experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness to recommend you in a search result.

We all know these AI search tools recommend one, two, or three businesses. If you’re not in that top list, you’re a ghost. So you have to be on all of these platforms to show your E-E-A-T, so that Google and the AI tools say, “Yes, this is a trustworthy business that’s worth promoting in search results.” If they can’t find you after they’ve scoured the internet, and I just listed ten websites, if you don’t have profiles on those platforms, they’re going to skip over you and recommend the competition.

It all starts with the Google Business Profile, but then you need the industry-specific platforms in addition to the non-industry ones: the Better Business Bureau, your local Chamber of Commerce, Yelp. And Yelp’s not just for food and beverage. It’s a highly reputable platform for business owners.

David: A lot of people overlook that. They go, “I’m not a restaurant, I’m not in the food service business,” but that’s a great point you’re bringing up.

What to do this week, and Bobby’s free audit (19:25)

David: If a loan officer listening has never touched their Google Business Profile, or hasn’t touched it in months, what’s something they need to do this week? What’s the action item, other than getting a hold of you? First of all, I’d recommend getting a hold of you.

Bobby: Thank you. That would be great: get a hold of us first, so we can take a look.

David: You’re willing to provide our listeners some free consultation?

Bobby: Absolutely. Go to our website and schedule 30 free minutes with me. I won’t hand you off to another team member. I’ll meet with you personally, as the founder of the company, look at your profile, and do a sniff test, an audit. I’ll say, “David, here are the missing opportunities, and here’s where I think it could be better.” I’m also a former public school middle school teacher, so I come at all of this with a stance of education. I want everyone to listen to the show feeling empowered, so they don’t even need to call me. They can go do it on their own.

And by the way, none of this is theory. This is what works. This is what Google promotes and what Google tells us. We found a niche a long time ago doing this for real estate professionals, because we’re real estate operators before we’re a marketing company.

So if you’ve never touched your profile, or you haven’t in a long time, besides getting a hold of us, focus on reviews. That’s the most important ranking factor on Google and other platforms. If you don’t have real customers talking about real experiences, these platforms, these AI tools, and Google just look at you as someone with no experience. You could be in this business for 25 years, which a lot of your listeners are, 10, 15, 25 years, with hundreds and hundreds of transactions and hundreds of homeowners helped across decades. But if you don’t have public reviews, there’s no proof, besides an industry-specific platform that actually shows your volume or transaction count. So it’s important to be on those other platforms, like I mentioned. But if you don’t have public reviews, you’re not as reputable or trustworthy in Google’s eyes. So today, focus on getting keyword-rich reviews.

And one other thing: treat your Google Business Profile like a social media platform. You can add posts to your profile. You can add photos and videos, just like on YouTube. You can add services to the back end of your profile that tell Google, “Not only am I a mortgage loan officer by the category that reads on Google, but here are the specific services I offer,” and they’re all keyword rich. You get hundreds of characters to tell Google. That’s your built-in SEO, your built-in AEO and GEO and all the EOs.

David: Really good.

Bobby: Those are all things you can customize on your profile. So get some reviews, and start treating your profile like a living, breathing asset, a digital asset you own, so you can start promoting your business on the world’s biggest platform.

How to reach Bobby (22:30)

David: Many of our listeners are probably thinking, “This is all good, I’m going to go back and listen to this, but I still don’t know how to get started.” I’m going to take advantage of that 30-minute conversation. How can people reach you, or at least start a conversation, which is a no-brainer as a result of this one?

Bobby: I really appreciate the opportunity. They can go to loc8mybusiness.com. That’s L-O-C, the number 8, mybusiness.com. There are a ton of call-to-action buttons to schedule 30 free minutes with me. They’ll get on my calendar and choose whatever time works best for them. Again, it’s all about education. We love this space. We love working with mortgage loan officers to help them be more visible, because this is where everything’s going.

That’s the 15 percent number I gave for AI search tools. I know some people are going to say, “Bobby, that’s not very many people.” But look at where we came from two and a half years ago, at 1 percent. In the industry, we digital marketers thought we’d reach 15 percent AI tool usage in 2028. We are so far ahead of the curve that I’d imagine by the end of next year, 50 or 60 percent of people will be using AI search tools to find services like ours in real estate, as opposed to going to a traditional Yahoo, Bing, Google, or Microsoft search.

The Bing Places hack (23:35)

Bobby: I do want to add one more thing that I think your listeners are really going to like. I mentioned Microsoft Bing a couple of times. We’ve all heard of Bing, and probably most of us never really used it, because it never quite caught on.

David: I agree. That’s right.

Bobby: But it’s still a valuable search tool, because think about this: OpenAI, which owns ChatGPT, has a formal partnership with Microsoft. Who do you think ChatGPT is going to tie its search results to?

David: Interesting, yeah.

Bobby: They’re going to tie them to Bing, which is owned by Microsoft. And here’s the cool part. Once you’ve optimized your Google Business Profile, whether you worked with us or did it on your own, go to bingplaces.com. They’ve got a little sexy button that says “sync with my Google Business Profile.” Microsoft knows they’re never going to compete on the business platform, so they give us a shortcut: pull over your Google profile to start populating on Bing. That makes your business way more visible on ChatGPT, because of their official partnership with Microsoft.

David: That’s a nice hack. That is a really nice hack.

Wrap-up (24:55)

David: Bobby, what a joy to get to know you. I’m so excited to continue working with you on my own profile and see the results. I’ve already been so impressed with your knowledge and your expertise. And not only that, you’re a musician. I love that.

Bobby: I’ve had the privilege to play all over the world. I do tribute bands now. I’m past the days of writing original music, but I’m in a Bon Jovi tribute band. I get to tour all over the world doing that as Jon Bon Jovi, which is a lot of fun.

David: That is so cool. I love it. Bobby, I’ve enjoyed getting to know you, and I’m looking forward to forming a long and lasting friendship. Thank you so much for being here and sharing all this with our listeners. Again, the best way to get a hold of you is…

Bobby: loc8mybusiness.com.

David: The number eight. Good job. I look forward to having you back. And I would love to have you start producing a regular tip segment on our page, on our website, and on our podcast.

Bobby: I’m all about it.

David: I love it. All right, friend, thank you so much. I appreciate you being here.

Bobby: Thank you, David. Talk to you soon.

David: You bet.