Mortgage buyers search Google the moment they decide to buy.
Mortgage borrowers make one of the largest financial decisions of their lives, and they start with a Google search. Phrases like "mortgage broker near me," "home loan lender [city]," and "best mortgage rates [zip code]" generate millions of searches every month. If your Google Business Profile is incomplete or your local SEO is weak, those buyers are going to a competitor.
This guide covers every tactic mortgage brokers and independent lenders need to rank on Google Maps, capture local search traffic, and convert searchers into loan applications.
Most mortgage brokers rely on referrals and Zillow leads. Both are expensive and unreliable. Local SEO is different: you invest once and earn organic traffic for months or years without paying per click.
When a buyer types "mortgage broker near me," Google shows a 3-Pack of local results. Those three listings get the majority of clicks. Ranking there costs nothing per lead, and the intent is as high as it gets: someone actively looking for a lender right now.
The opportunity: Most mortgage brokers have unclaimed or incomplete Google Business Profiles. Many have zero reviews. That means the bar to rank is lower than in most industries.
💡 Pro Tip: Even if you already get referrals, local SEO captures buyers before they ask anyone for a recommendation. You reach them first.
Your Google Business Profile (GBP) is the foundation of local SEO for mortgage brokers. Get this right before anything else.
Primary category: Select "Mortgage Broker" as your primary category. If you also offer home equity loans or refinancing, add "Loan Agency" or "Financial Institution" as secondary categories.
Business name: Use your exact legal business name. Do not stuff keywords like "Best Mortgage Broker Dallas" into your name field — Google will suspend you for it.
Address: If you work from a home office or serve clients remotely, you can hide your address and set a service area instead. List every city and zip code where you actively lend.
Hours: Keep these current. Buyers often search in the evening after work. If you're available by appointment outside standard hours, note that in your business description.
Phone number: Use a local number if possible. Local area codes build trust with borrowers in your market.
Website: Link directly to your homepage or a local landing page — not a Zillow profile or corporate franchise page.
Action Step: Log in to your GBP today and fill every field. An incomplete profile ranks lower and converts fewer leads.
Mortgage is a high-trust industry. Your 750-character GBP description needs to answer three questions: Who do you serve? What loans do you offer? Why should someone trust you?
Example formula:
Never use your description for keyword stuffing. Write for the reader first. Google reads it too, but a robotic description repels buyers.
Reviews are the single biggest trust signal for mortgage borrowers. A broker with 80 five-star reviews will win over a broker with 10, even if rates are identical.
When to ask: The best moment is at closing, when the buyer is emotionally at their highest. Have a review link ready on your phone. Walk them through it in person.
What to say: "Would you mind leaving us a Google review? It really helps other buyers find us. I can text you the link right now."
Volume targets: Aim for at least 20 reviews before you run any paid ads. Google Maps rewards businesses with consistent review velocity — 2 to 4 new reviews per month is better than 20 at once and then nothing.
📊 Flento Data: Mortgage brokers with 50+ Google reviews rank an average of 3.2 positions higher in local packs than those with fewer than 10 reviews.
Respond to every review. A response to a 5-star review should be warm and specific: mention the loan type or the buyer's situation if appropriate. Responses to negative reviews should be calm, professional, and offer to resolve the issue offline.
🔥 Quick Win: Use Flento to automate review request texts to borrowers after closing. One campaign can generate a month's worth of reviews in a week.
Mortgage keyword research is different from general SEO. Buyers search with high intent and location specificity.
High-priority keyword clusters:
Long-tail targets (lower competition, higher conversion):
Use each keyword cluster as the basis for a service page or blog post on your website, with the city name included naturally in the title, H1, and first paragraph.
If you lend in multiple cities or counties, you need separate landing pages for each. One page targeting your home city is not enough if you want to rank across a metro area.
Each location page should include:
What to avoid: Copy-pasting the same content and swapping the city name. Google flags this as duplicate content and won't rank it.
⚠️ Common Mistake: Many mortgage brokers use the same corporate page for every city they serve. That page might rank for one city. It will not rank for others. Build individual pages.
Citations are mentions of your business name, address, and phone number (NAP) across the web. They signal to Google that your business is real and established.
Top general directories (claim these first):
Mortgage-specific directories worth claiming:
NAP consistency: Your business name, address, and phone must be identical across every directory. Even small differences (St. vs Street, Suite vs Ste) can hurt your rankings.
💡 Pro Tip: Your NMLS license page on the NMLS Consumer Access website is a trusted, authoritative citation. Make sure it links to your website.
Buyers research mortgages heavily before contacting a lender. A blog that answers their questions positions you as the expert and drives organic traffic.
High-traffic content ideas for mortgage brokers:
Each article should include a clear CTA to get pre-approved or schedule a call.
In mortgage, your referral network is your SEO network. Real estate agents, title companies, and financial planners who link to your website from theirs send Google a strong local authority signal.
How to earn local links:
Each of these links is hard to get but worth more than 100 generic directory submissions.
You cannot improve what you do not measure. These are the KPIs that matter for mortgage broker local SEO:
Google Business Profile metrics (check monthly):
Website metrics (Google Analytics 4):
Rank tracking:
🔥 Quick Win: Set up a free Flento account to track your Google Maps rankings across every zip code in your service area. Most mortgage brokers are shocked to see how their rankings drop just 5 miles from their office.
Using the wrong business category. Selecting "Bank" instead of "Mortgage Broker" puts you in competition with Chase and Wells Fargo. Always use the most specific category available.
Not responding to reviews. Buyers read responses before they read reviews. Silence looks unprofessional.
Ignoring mobile. Over 60% of mortgage searches happen on phones. Your website must load fast and your contact forms must work perfectly on mobile.
No location-specific content. A generic website with no city mentions will not rank for local searches.
Letting the GBP go stale. Post a GBP update at least twice a month — a rate update, a client success story, or a helpful tip for buyers. Google rewards active profiles.
Local SEO for mortgage brokers is not complicated, but it requires consistency. Claim and optimize your GBP, build reviews, create local content, and track your rankings. Do those four things better than your competitors and you will rank.
