Real estate agents: How are you showing up in AI search? ChatGPT keeps recommending my competitors

Jake, this is the conversation we’re having at every brokerage meeting lately.

I’ve spent the last 6 months studying this because we were in the same boat. Here’s what I’ve learned:

Why you’re invisible despite great reviews: AI systems don’t just look at your website. They pull from Wikipedia, major publications, industry databases, and authoritative sites. Your 500 reviews are on Google and Zillow, but are you mentioned anywhere else?

What moved the needle for us:

1. Local authority content - We publish monthly Denver market reports with actual data (median prices, days on market, neighborhood trends). AI systems LOVE citing specific statistics.

2. Community involvement that gets press - When we sponsor events, we make sure there’s a press release or news mention. These third-party citations matter more than self-promotion.

3. Structured data on everything - LocalBusiness schema, RealEstateAgent schema, FAQ schema on every page. Makes it easy for AI to extract info.

4. Neighborhood guides that outdo Zillow - Hard to believe, but we created 47 neighborhood pages with more depth than Zillow’s generic descriptions. We’re now getting cited for neighborhood questions.

It took 4 months to see results, but now we’re appearing in “best agents in [neighborhood]” queries.

I manage marketing for 200+ agents across our region. Here’s the data we’ve collected:

Agents who appear in AI recommendations share these traits:

The biggest surprise: Agents mentioned in local newspaper articles get 3x more AI recommendations than those with only reviews.

We started a PR push for our top agents - getting them quoted in local housing stories, contributing to “best neighborhoods” lists, etc. That’s moved the needle more than any website changes.

New agent here (2 years in). I don’t have the review history that established agents have, but I’m actually showing up in some AI results.

What I think is working:

I went all-in on one specific niche: first-time homebuyers in South Denver. Every piece of content I create is hyper-focused on this.

• “First-time homebuyer guide for Englewood”
• “How much house can a first-time buyer afford in Littleton”
• “First-time buyer mistakes in Denver’s south suburbs”

When someone asks ChatGPT about first-time buying in these areas, I come up because I’m the ONLY one creating this specific content. The established agents have generic “I sell all types” messaging.

Niche focus seems to beat general authority for AI recommendations.

Luxury market perspective here - different challenges.

For high-end properties, AI systems are VERY cautious about recommendations. They don’t want liability for recommending an agent for a $5M purchase.

What’s working in luxury:

1. Association credentials - AI mentions agents with recognized designations (CRS, ABR, etc.) more frequently
2. Publication features - Being quoted or featured in Mansion Global, Robb Report, local lifestyle magazines
3. Sold data visibility - We publish our sold listings (with client permission) with enough detail that AI can reference them
4. Network mentions - Being part of Christie’s, Sotheby’s network gets you mentioned when those brands are recommended

For luxury, it’s less about SEO-style optimization and more about reputation building that creates mentions across authoritative sources.

I help brokerages with AI visibility. Here’s the framework we use:

Three pillars of real estate AI visibility:

1. Platform presence (where AI looks first)

• Google Business Profile (complete, verified, updated)
• Zillow agent profile (reviews, sold history, bio)
• Realtor.com profile
• Local MLS agent pages

2. Content authority (what makes you citable)

• Market data reports
• Neighborhood expertise content
• Buyer/seller guides
• Local community content

3. Third-party validation (what AI trusts)

• News mentions
• Industry award listings
• Chamber of commerce
• Local business directories
• Client testimonials on third-party sites

Most agents focus only on Pillar 1 and wonder why they’re not appearing. AI needs all three to build confidence in recommending you.

We use Am I Cited to track which agents in a market are showing up in AI answers. Eye-opening to see who’s actually winning this race vs. who just thinks they are.

I coach real estate agents and this is the #1 question right now.

The mindset shift required:

Traditional real estate marketing = “Here’s why I’m great” AI-optimized marketing = “Here’s valuable information that happens to be from me”

AI systems recommend the agent who TEACHES, not the agent who SELLS.

When you create a “Ultimate Guide to Buying in Cherry Creek” that’s genuinely the best resource online, AI will cite you. When you create “Why Choose Jake as Your Agent,” AI ignores it.

The agents winning are essentially becoming local real estate content creators. They’re the first source for local market knowledge, and AI rewards that.

This has been eye-opening. My whole content strategy has been agent-centric rather than information-centric.

Action items I’m taking:

1. Create comprehensive neighborhood guides for my 5 core areas - real depth, not fluff
2. Start publishing monthly market reports with actual data
3. Reach out to local papers to offer expert commentary on housing stories
4. Complete and optimize my Google Business Profile
5. Add structured data (FAQ, LocalBusiness schema) to all pages
6. Set up monitoring to track when I do (or don’t) appear in AI answers

The niche focus advice from Michelle resonates too. I’ve been trying to be everything to everyone. Going to pick a lane.

Appreciate all the insights. This feels like where real estate marketing is heading whether we like it or not.