The Way the World Finds Real Estate Agents Online is About to Change
Most realtors are aware of how important it is to show up at the top of Google and how critical it is to rank well in traditional search engine optimization. But if you haven’t been paying attention to AI or think AI isn’t relevant to your business, this might be the article that changes that for you. Because the way customers find us online is about to radically change.
Answer Engine Optimization, or AEO, is the next evolution of online visibility. While SEO is about optimizing your site to rank in Google or Bing, AEO is about optimizing your presence so that AI agents like ChatGPT, Claude, or Perplexity can find and recommend you when someone asks a question like:
“Who is the best realtor to help me sell my home in Williston, Vermont?”
Instead of browsing websites, more and more people are relying on AI tools to give them vetted answers. That means these tools are now acting as gatekeepers to your future leads.
And this is just going to get more pronounced. Agentic Browsing is currently mostly in Alpha and Beta stages but will most definitely become the norm.
What is Agentic Browsing? Agentic browsing means using an AI assistant overlayed on your web browser that can do things for you on the internet, not just tell you what to do. My favorite example for understanding this is booking a flight. Instead of typing into Google, “Find me a flight to NYC under $300,” and then clicking through five different websites, you could just tell your AI agent that is already ON YOUR WEB BROWSER, “Book me a flight to NYC for under $300 next weekend.” You are not going to have to open a new page or go over to ChatGPT to ask this question. Your AI “agent” will open websites, compare prices, click the buttons, fill in the forms, and maybe even buy the ticket for you with your permission. It’s going to be like having a super smart intern/assistant layered on your computer that knows how to browse the web just like a person, only faster and …better.
So why is this important for Realtors? You can probably start to imagine.
It is going to 1000% change how people find things online. Right now, people Google something, scan the links, and click your website if your headline looks good. In the future, people will just ask their AI agent, and that AI will decide which business to pick based on trust, data, and how “AI-friendly” your website is.
In the future, you won’t compete for clicks; you’ll compete to be the choice of the AI agents.
According to Semrush, AI-powered search is projected to overtake traditional organic search traffic by 2028. This is not very far away guys. Stop ignoring it! The agent, team, firm, that is paying attention to how to show up on ChatGPT NOW will slowly and then quickly outpace their competition.
So how do you start showing up in AI searches?
AI Power Blogging is a great way to start! It’s the first monthly Storm Session available inside RAIN: Real Estate’s AI Network. Click here to get started!