Can Consumers Still Trust the Online Review?

Rate My Agent Agent of the Year Awards 2021 Image

Realty ONE Group agents recognized in RateMyAgent flagship event prove verification matters

Homebuyers who begin their search for a real estate professional online will likely look to past client testimonials to help make a decision when selecting who to represent them in the home buying or selling process. It is no secret that in 2021, the internet is flooded with online reviews, and consumers are simply inundated with semi-relevant information. How do online consumers find trustworthy and diligent agents through the sea of 5-star ratings and self-proclaimed “top producers”?

Realty ONE Group’s 2020 partnership with RateMyAgent was founded in the shared belief that transparency backed by data is the best way to build customer trust and climb the coveted Google search rankings. 27 Realty ONE Group professionals across 16 states topped national, state, and regional rankings in the 2021 Agent of the Year Awards; showing it pays to lead with transparency in the age of digital reviews!

Keep reading to see the complete list of Realty ONE Group professionals recognized in this year’s event and learn how RateMyAgent is a digital marketing game-changer in the real estate space.

Organic Lead Generation

Backed by live and vibrant data, consumers are naturally drawn to RateMyAgent reviews. With branded landing pages and listing photos pulled directly from the MLS, prospective consumers immediately understand that the review they are reading is factual and was written by a past client. While RateMyAgent does a fantastic job at Search Marketing Optimization, their platform is truly geared towards organic lead generation. Paid advertising focused on keyword searches is run of the mill these days, however, not many providers are empowering brands to organically generate leads online. With RateMyAgent’s Google My Business integration, all reviews collected from the platform are syndicated to the professional’s Google My Business page, boosting Search Engine Optimization. As agents close more deals, the custom landing pages created with each review increase the amount of rich content about the professional online as well. Meaning agents who collect more reviews and receive high remarks will automatically rise in visibility on Google searches which increases the likelihood of prospective clients reaching out! This is all done under the Realty ONE Group partnership without any monetary investment from the agent.

Digital Marketing ROI

In the first year of Realty ONE Group’s national partnership with RateMyAgent, over 2000 Realty ONE Group agents have claimed their RateMyAgent profiles and the average profile already has 3 reviews. Despite reviews being free to request and collect from past clients, the verified testimonial is in fact the most valuable piece of digital marketing in a real estate professional’s business. SEO boosting landing pages, Google My Business syndication, and client verification are what help consumers identify who in their market is the most qualified and honest agent to work with. Online verification becomes a token for agents to leverage. Past customer satisfaction equals future satisfaction to prospective homebuyers and sellers. Agents and brokers alike, appreciate the fact that requesting reviews is simple and effective. With direct integration into our Transaction Management system, the RateMyAgent platform already knows who from an agent’s contacts is ready to leave a review and prompts clients in a friendly and easy-to-follow format

Client Acquisition

RateMyAgent aggregates client reviews from other platforms as well like RealSatisfied and Zillow. This means that instead of having a couple of reviews existing on several different sites across the web, RateMyAgent pulls all reviews into one platform to create higher impact and maintain a cumulative star rating for every real estate professional in the country. The RateMyAgent star rating is a cumulative score for all verified reviews received through the platform. The extra level of authenticity is what really catches the attention of new prospects. Google favors Business Pages that have more reviews with high star rankings. Not to mention, data-rich content about agents online will surface closer to the top of search results over superficial squeeze pages or unverified content. The genius behind RateMyAgent is that experienced, dedicated, and productive agents are rewarded when consumers do what consumers do- provide feedback online based on a previous experience. Outstanding customer service is the North Star for Realty ONE Group professionals, that is why Realty ONE Group is proud to see our agents topping RateMyAgent’s 2021 Agent of the Year Awards!

 

AWARDS-

In five out of fifty states, a Realty ONE Group professional took home 1st place for the highest star rating in their state.

  • Jason Becvar(ME), Linda Phillips(SC), Michelle Price(IA), Kathi Rafters(AZ), and Susan Buettner(NE)

 

Four of our Real Estate professionals made the Top 100 list out of all competitors throughout the nation.

  • Kathi Rafters(AZ), Mary Griffin(NC), Linda Phillips(SC), and Matias Rosales (AZ)

A special shout-out goes to the two Realty ONE Group professionals- Kathi Rafters (AZ) and Matias Rosales(AZ)- for topping all three award rankings in the Regional, State, and National categories!

Kudos to the many Realty ONE Group Rock Stars who were recognized this year!

For real estate professionals who want to be recognized next year- simply claim your free profile and start collecting reviews before the year is out!