AEO is the New Normal

For years, like every agent I know, we chased Google. We were thinking about SEO, and the goal was always the same: get to page 1 and the phone will ring. Then a new client, "Ollie," told me he found us on ChatGPT, and I realized the finish line had quietly moved while the rest of us were busy trying to get more views.

Page 1 was never really ours

Think about how a Google search works. (I'm talking straight Google, not AI Mode.) There's page after page of names, and you are NOT on that first page. Those first two pages are filled with Realtor.com, Homes.com, Trulia, Refin, Zillow and the rest. You know, all the listing aggregators that use our hard-won listings to generate leads and sell them to OTHER agents.

And if you want to be at the top as an individual Realtor, you've got to pay through the nose for that spot. Otherwise you may be on page 6, 9 or 12. Who knows if a client will click that far?

• 2 pages of Google results filled by listing aggregators
• 6, 9, 12 where an individual agent might land instead
• 3–5 agents an AI answer names before it stops

An AI answer doesn't work that way

An AI answer names a small handful of three to five agents it really trusts, and then it stops. More and more often, that AI answer sits right at the very top of Google, in AI Mode, before anyone ever scrolls down to the links. So you can be sitting pretty on page one without anyone having to scroll through multiple pages.

SEO isn't dead

Now, I'm not saying SEO is dead. The truth is, SEO and AI visibility are interconnected. You can't have one without the other.

"SEO isn't the whole game anymore." — Nancy Chu

The new question is:

"When someone asks, does AI recommend me?"

This week's homework

When you have a moment, ask AI to name the top agents in your town:

"Who are the top real estate agents in [your town]?"

Were you one of them? Would your clients be surprised if you weren't?

Want more AI recommendations for your business?

• Find out about ai{Found}RE
• Download our AI Visibility guide
• Book a free call with Nancy and Raf
• Join our next class: Wed, Dec 2, 3 PM ET

FAQ: AEO and getting recommended by AI

What is AEO, and how is it different from SEO?

AEO stands for answer engine optimization. SEO is about ranking in a list of Google links. AEO is about being one of the few names an AI answer recommends when someone asks ChatGPT, Gemini or Google's AI Mode for an agent. The two are connected. You can't have one without the other.

Why is it so hard for an individual agent to reach page 1 of Google?

The first two pages of a straight Google search for agents are usually filled with listing aggregators like Zillow, Realtor.com, Homes.com, Trulia and Refin. An individual agent who doesn't pay for the top spot may land on page 6, 9 or 12, where few clients ever click.

How many agents does an AI answer recommend?

An AI answer typically names a small handful, about three to five agents it trusts, and then stops. That answer increasingly sits at the very top of Google in AI Mode, above the links.

Is SEO dead for real estate agents?

No. SEO and AI visibility are interconnected, and you can't have one without the other. But SEO isn't the whole game anymore. The new question is whether AI recommends you when someone asks.

Till next week,

— Nancy Chu and Raf Ricci

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