For AI resources for agents, visit matthewrathbun.com/ai
For years, I have worked hard to create content that appeases the Google-gods so that consumers and potential clients could find me as an authority on a given topic. And for a very long time, it worked. I ranked well, created a business, and benefited from my efforts. However, with the rise of AI and consumer dependence on it, SEO is becoming something very different. And those who are early adopters will benefit the most.
GEO stands for Generative Engine Optimization. Think of it as upgrading your content not just for Google searches, but for AI-powered search engines—like ChatGPT, Perplexity, or Microsoft Copilot. Rather than fighting for clicks on a traditional SERP (search engine results page), you’re aiming to get cited right inside AI-generated answers
If the last decade was about ranking on Google, the next one is about being the source that AI trusts. Consumers are asking ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, and Copilot questions like they would ask a friend, then picking the one agent who shows up with receipts. Your job is to become the answer key.
Personally, I have nearly abandoned using Google to get the answers I need. Searching and then sifting through 5-6 links to find the answer I need is tedious and time-consuming. When I need to know the answer to something, I simply ask an AI chatbot, and the vast majority of the time, I get the exact answer I need.
AI is now a meaningful slice of search, not the whole pie. Roughly one in five Google queries in the U.S. shows an AI Overview, and when that box appears, people click fewer traditional links. Outside Google, stand-alone AI assistants like ChatGPT are growing fast and overcoming classic search. Translation for agents: you don’t have to win every blue link anymore—you need to be the source that AI feels confident citing, with a clean Google Business Profile, consistent data, credible reviews, and proof of production it can point to.
That doesn’t mean that we’re abandoning content creation and solid website content, far from it. We’re now in the era of not only convincing consumers that we’re authorities, but also convincing AI Chatbots that we are. Our websites, combined with external sites that are considered authorities, are a marketing necessity.
Why this shift matters
- Search is summarizing. AI Overviews and similar features condense answers and show a few citations. Fewer blue links get clicked, so winning the citation matters.
- People are using AI assistants directly. ChatGPT and others now return live web results with sources. If your data is clean and credible, you become the link the assistant chooses.
What AI engines actually look at for local agents
I asked a variety of AI Chatbots to break down what sources of data they were using to produce results for consumers who were searching for a real estate agent to assist them. I also read a series of work from AI architects and Frontier model experts, and got some great data. Below is a list of the sources and content that tend to get the AI’s attention.
- Google Business Profile accuracy and activity. Categories, service areas, hours, description, photos, posts, Q&A, and review responses signal that you are real and active.
- Structured data on your site. Use local business and real estate agent schema so machines can parse your NAP (name, address, and phone number), areas served, and services.
- Authoritative third-party profiles. Zillow and Realtor.com show transaction histories and reviews that are easy for AI to cite.
- Credible local mentions. Community press, awards, chambers, and podcasts help AI choose you when it assembles proof.
- Answer-ready content. Pages that cleanly answer buyer and seller questions get quoted more often.
Nobody publishes exact weights. In practice, AI tends to privilege reviews, public sales history, and directors that agents are listed in:
- Verified entity data and structure first. Google Business Page completeness and consistent NAP across the web. (Google Business Page seems to be the most recurring trusted source in my research. Those reviews really do matter!)
- Review signals second. Volume, recency, and specificity on Google are most visible, with Zillow and Realtor.com reinforcing trust.
- Documented production third. Public sales, average DOM, list-to-sale ratio, and niche expertise pages.
- Third-party authority fourth. Local press and reputable directories.
A realistic consumer question sequence in AI
As I travel and teach about AI to real estate agents, I have heard from a few who have told me that a consumer who wasn’t in their SOI has reached out to them after being recommended by AI. I asked AI to give me an example of the types of consumer sequences that were being asked of it by a consumer searching for a real estate agent.
- “Who are the best listing agents in Fredericksburg for move-up sellers”
- “Compare the top two by recent sales within 10 miles, average days on market, and list-to-sale ratio”
- “Show reviews that mention negotiation and routine updates”
- “Any agents with new-construction expertise near [subdivision, city and state]”
- “Schedule a consult with the top match next Tuesday at 4 pm” (This is for those who are using ChatGPTs agent mode)
Both ChatGPT and Google Gemini told me that what they look for is your Google Business Page categories and posts, your site’s FAQs and proof pages, Zillow and Realtor.com stats, and credible local articles that mention your niche. If your data is tidy, you are the citation. If not, the AI shrugs and moves on like it’s the pilot episode of a show that never got renewed.
Steps to become “AI-recommendable”
In light of this rise in AI Chat recommendations, here are what some top marketing and AI experts are recommending
- Tune your GBP weekly. Set primary and secondary categories, confirm service areas, update hours and description, add photos, post updates, answer Q&A, and reply to every review.
- Add structured data. Make sure that your website information aligns with the content on third-party sites. Align your name, address, phone, and hours with GBP. Validate with Google’s SEO plug-ins on your website.
- Publish answer-ready pages. Short, scannable explainers that a chatbot can quote: closing costs in your local market, best neighborhoods for commuters, how local transportation affects pricing, new-construction walkthroughs.
- Show your receipts. Keep a public “Recent Sales” and “Case Studies” page. Link your Zillow and Realtor.com profiles. I’ve been predicting this well before AI came into the picture. Your market data and performance will be a big factor in getting recommended. If your listing is overpriced or stays on the marketing too long, that is going to affect your AI recommendations. This is also true about inconsistent marketing. If your website is about “luxury real estate”, but your market data shows that you’re working average sales pricing, the mismatch may also have a negative impact.
- Systematize reviews. Ask at key milestones. Coach clients to mention neighborhoods, communication cadence, and outcomes. Prioritize Google, then Zillow and Realtor.com.
- Earn local mentions. Pitch neighborhood guides to local media, visit podcasts, sponsor community orgs. These links often become the sources in AI summaries.
- Create niche hubs. New-construction, VA buyers, historic homes, waterfront. Each hub gets its own FAQ and internal links.
- Measure surfaces. Track whether your pages or profiles get cited in AI Overviews for your target queries. Adjust pages so a two-sentence quote answers the question cleanly.
- Keep your data clean everywhere. NAP consistency across GBP, your site, Zillow, Realtor.com, and major directories.
You’re an AI Marketer Now, Harry!
For a lot of agents who have neglected their online marketing, this can all seem a little overwhelming. I get it. I do. The good news is that AI is not only changing consumer behavior, it is equipping agents with skillsets and resources that they never had before and in a remarkably easier way than could have been imagined just two years ago.
We’re all learning this together, but the one thing I know is that early adopters reap the rewards of technology and now is the time to start understanding and adapting to the new skills and resources that will make you a marketing super-star!
References
- Google. “AI in Search: Going beyond information to intelligence.” May 20, 2025. Official blog
- Google. “AI Overviews expand to over 200 countries and territories.” May 2025 update. Official blog
- Ahrefs. “AI Overviews reduce clicks by ~34.5%.” Apr 17, 2025. Study
- Search Engine Land. “Google’s AI Overviews are hurting click-through rates.” Apr 21, 2025. Coverage
- Pew Research Center. “34% of U.S. adults have used ChatGPT, about double the share in 2023.” Jun 25, 2025. Report
- Google Support. “Tips to improve your local ranking on Google.” Guide
- Google Developers. “Local Business structured data.” Documentation{
