Old-school Google-style search is already being replaced by something called answer engine optimization or “AEO.” Ask Siri a question about where to find a service provider, and it will give you a series of options and ask if you want to be connected to its first choice. Google has made the same transition, using Gemini AI to answer questions right in the search window.
Traditional search and SEO are still the cornerstones of AEO, but the question agents need to answer today is, “How can leads find me in this new world that determines who gets seen first?”
I recently sat down with one of my favorite experts in real estate, Jeff Lobb, CEO and founder of Spark Tank Media and Coach 52, who is now launching a new application called Searchably.ai to help agents get found in this new reality.
“The big shift in AI is that it’s no longer about the agent; it’s about the consumer. This is Google shifting from the search box to AI. You will no longer type in keywords. Instead, it’s a conversation, where the consumer asks a lot of questions using ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude,” Lobb said.
“The questions they’re asking include: ‘Who should I hire?’ ‘Who do you recommend?’ ‘Who is the best agent in this neighborhood?’ The challenge is who the AIs will recommend and why. Agents who fail to establish their expertise may never even enter the conversation.”
Lobb described how this actually plays out: consumers are getting very specific about what they want. For example, “Who is a top real estate agent in the Baltimore market who can get me top dollar for my condo?”
Assuming the AI finds four recommendations, it will then ask about the price range you’re searching in and narrow those four agents down to the two who sell condos in your range. You may be one of the best agents in your market, but if you’re not part of that conversation, the consumer may never know it.
What’s old is new again
AI relies on what it can read online. As Lobb explained, “It’s much like 25 years ago when blogging first got started. AI can read the written word, your reviews, the content in your videos, see your photos and check your socials. On Google, this process often starts with your Google profile.”
From my perspective, it’s much like starting a new geographical farm, except this one is an AI neighborhood. Getting found there will take 12-18 months, the same as it would with a traditional farm.
Lobb described it like this: “Answer engine optimization doesn’t eliminate SEO. It changes the question from ‘How do I rank?’ to ‘How do I become part of the answer?’ That answer may be based on written content, reviews, video, social media and how consistently the agent posts.”
The challenge is producing enough useful content to connect your name with a market, an audience and a specific type of property.
How to get started
Lobb shared several specific ways to start building your credibility in the AI neighborhood of your choice.
1. Think video first
Since Google search has historically been the starting place for real estate search, it’s also the first place to build your presence in your AI neighborhood farm.
“Instagram Reels and YouTube are great places to post local videos, but YouTube Shorts is actually a sleeper. While most consumers go to ChatGPT for answers, Google’s Gemini is still the search AI powerhouse. Many users like the simplicity of captions on Instagram Reels, which YouTube also offers, but YouTube Shorts is an underused resource that feeds directly into Google’s search system,” Lobb explained.
2. Avoid the ‘share’ button with other platforms
While the platform you post to may let you share across other social media platforms, Lobb advises against it. “You get a lot more traction by organically uploading directly to each platform rather than using the share button,” he said.
3. Be specific about geography
One of the longstanding problems in both print and digital marketing is that agents fail to mention the town, county, state or ZIP code. If you live in a city named “Paris,” for example, you could be in one of nine U.S. states or in France.
“Instead of saying you’re one of the top waterfront marketers in Charlotte, North Carolina, say you’re one of the top waterfront marketers on Lake Norman, North Carolina,” Lobb said.
Better yet, reference the ZIP code and note how many miles the lake is from Charlotte. Specificity, down to the neighborhood, ZIP code, city and state, helps an AI system direct you to an exact answer instead of a general one. If you’re creating video, include the city, state and ZIP code as well.
4. Use AI to draft, but never let what you post sound like AI
Lobb suggested a simple strategy to address this issue: Review your emails for questions your clients actually ask. Then use AI to help draft a script for a 90-second video you can deliver and post across your social platforms.
The important piece of advice is to use the AI script only as a guideline. Take the concepts AI generates and answer the question in your own words.
For example, clients may ask where they can walk their dogs or about local hike-and-bike trails. AI can identify these, but the smarter move is to go to the best local dog park and shoot a short video there, or do the same thing at a nearby hike-and-bike trail. You don’t need much commentary — the video tells the story better than any script could.
That one video can become several pieces of strong content for your website, blog, and social and video platforms, including YouTube and TikTok. As Lobb observed, “Your experience, language, examples and judgment are what make the content credible enough to be worth recommending.”
I asked Lobb to share his single most important piece of advice for being found by AI.
“Focus on your core business, the thing that makes you money, and become an expert at that. Find the partnerships, the people or the companies that fill the voids you can’t fill yourself. No matter what you do, generating revenue is still the most important thing,” he said.
This October, Inman turns its focus to AI and its rapid rise in real estate. During Artificial Intelligence Month, we’re digging into the startups shaking things up and the established players folding AI into their offerings.
Bernice Ross is president and CEO of BrokerageUP and RealEstateCoach.com, the founder of Profit.RealEstate and a national speaker, author and trainer with over 1,500 published articles.
