Ep #83:How to Get Found Online, Attract Consumers and Win More Deals With Local Search

Shane Cosser explains how loan officers can dominate local search results — Google, Yelp, Facebook — to attract inbound leads without paying for them. Topics include claiming and optimizing Google My Business, managing online reviews, and preparing for voice search. LOs who rely entirely on referrals but have no managed online presence will get the most out of this.

Takeaways you can run this week

• Right now, Google your own name and the phrase 'mortgage loan officer near me' in your city. Note whether you appear on the map pack and whether your knowledge card shows your photo, correct phone number, and website link. If not, you have a confirmed gap to fix.
• Go to google.com/business, claim or create your Google My Business listing, and fill in your full NAP: exact name as licensed, branch address, direct phone number, and business hours. Repeat this for Yelp and Bing. Yext's own scan found 58% of LO listings were missing entirely and another 30-40% had wrong information.
• Add a review request to your post-closing email sequence. The message can be as simple as: 'It was a pleasure helping you close on your home. I'd really appreciate it if you left a review for me at [Google link].' Make this a non-negotiable step in your closing checklist, not an occasional ask.
• Do a competitive review audit in your zip code: search 'home lending near me,' click the top 3 results, and count their star ratings and review volume. Your goal is to have more high-quality reviews than the top competitor — not necessarily 5.0 stars, but more stars and more reviews than whoever is currently winning locally.
• Respond to every negative review publicly using the 'hug your haters' approach: acknowledge the experience, apologize briefly, and offer to make it right. Yext's research shows many reviewers will update their rating when they see a response. This also signals to Google that your listing is actively managed, which improves your local ranking.
• Optimize your linked website for mobile: ensure it loads fast, is HTTPS (secure), has your photo prominently displayed, and has a single clear call to action (e.g., 'Schedule a call' or a contact form). Google's local algorithm uses your linked page as a relevancy signal, and 60-80% of searches are now on mobile.

The playbook

1. Step 1 — Claim your listings: Create or claim your Google My Business, Yelp, and Bing profiles with accurate NAP (name, address, phone, hours).
2. Step 2 — Link to an optimized profile page: Connect your listings to a mobile-friendly, HTTPS, fast-loading page with your photo and a clear call-to-action.
3. Step 3 — Build and manage reviews: Make a review request part of every post-closing process; respond to all reviews, especially negative ones; monitor your star rating vs. local competitors regularly.
4. Step 4 — Add long-tail content: Write or publish answers to common borrower questions (loan types, checklists, what to expect) and link them from your profiles to build topical authority and fill gaps in the buyer journey.
5. Step 5 — Prepare for voice: The same NAP accuracy and review prominence that wins Google map results also determines how Alexa and Siri answer 'find a mortgage loan officer near me' — no separate action needed beyond steps 1-3.

Worth quoting

“It's like two people being chased by a bear. You just need to run faster or have more stars than your competition.”

“Those kind of reviews will just make your business. They're better than any marketing content that you can ever create.”

Best for

LOs who get referrals but have never claimed their Google My Business listing or actively asked for online reviews.