Estate agents must adapt as AI search reshapes industry
New report by respected SEO specialists underlines growing influence of AI searches and reveals which estate agencies are being most recommended.
Estate agents face a huge shift in how people discover their services, with AI chatbots increasingly influencing property searches and the big corporates topping the rankings, says Blue Array boss James Powley (pictured).
He says Google’s search market share has dropped to 79.1% as AI platforms gain popularity, particularly among Generation Z buyers who represent 30% of those preparing to get on the ladder.
And he adds that those who adapt their digital strategies to include AI optimisation alongside traditional SEO will be better positioned to capture clients as the marketplace shifts towards AI-driven discovery.
How it works
When consumers ask ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini or Meta’s LLaMA for property advice, these platforms recommend specific brands based on their ‘training data’.
Blue Array’s research shows estate agents can influence these recommendations through what it calls “Generative Engine Optimisation”.
Estate agents listed on major portals generally have significantly higher chances of being recommended by AI platforms than those operating independently. However, AI platforms operate differently – while ChatGPT and LLaMA favour property portals in their results, Google’s Gemini has a bias towards recommending estate agents directly.
According to Blue Array, upmarket agency Savills currently achieves the highest recommendation rate among estate agents by being associated with terms including “luxury”, “expertise” and “international reach” in AI responses, showing what a difference a strong brand positioning can make.
What agents can do
The report recommends agencies should review online forums to identify negative perceptions about their brand, then reposition their marketing to showcase value. And those with premium services should clearly communicate their benefits to offset any concerns about higher costs.
Jodie Harris, Head of Digital PR at Blue Array, says: “Brands that have been focusing their marketing efforts on great brand storytelling and PR will do well when it comes to being discovered via AI search.”
