Recently in a class I asked a zoom full of agents to open ChatGPT and type: "Who’s the best real estate agent in [their neighborhood]?"
Things went quiet. Then uncomfortable. Most weren't named and a few saw competitors. Agents who dominate their neighborhood didn't appear at all. A few showed up and weren’t sure why they were there.
AI doesn't know how many deals you've closed. It knows what the internet says about you. And right now, for most agents, the internet says almost nothing.
Below is a system to audit your AI visibility and start fixing it.
The AI Visibility Audit
What you'll need: ChatGPT, Gemini & Google AI Mode, a list of your target neighborhoods, links to your profiles on Zillow, Yelp, Google Business, and your personal site.
Step 1: Run these 5 questions, replacing [your market] with your actual neighborhoods:
1. Who is the best real estate agent in [your market]?"
2. I'm looking to buy a home in [your market]. Who should I work with?
3. Best luxury agent in [your market]?
4. I need an agent who specializes in [your property type] in [your market].
5. Who are the top-rated real estate agents in [your market]?
For each result, note: Are you named? If yes, what's cited as the source? Who is named? What sources did AI pull from? What platforms appear in the citations? Then repeat them in Gemini and Google AI Mode.
Step 2: Map your citation sources
Look at every source that appeared in the AI's answers. These are the platforms AI trusts for your market. Common ones: Zillow agent profile, Yelp business page, Google Business Profile, RealTrends rankings, local "Best Of" lists, RateMyAgent, Realtor.com profiles, your website, Reddit threads.
Make a checklist: Do you have a complete, active profile on each platform that showed up? If AI cited Yelp in its answer and you have 2 reviews from 2019, that's an issue.
Step 3: This is the tedious part. But it's also the highest-ROI action. For each platform from Step 2, check…
Is your bio specific? "Top-producing agent" means nothing to AI. "Specializing in brownstones and townhouses in Park Slope and Prospect Heights since 2015" gives AI something to cite.
Are your specialties listed explicitly? Neighborhoods, property types, price ranges, buyer vs. seller, first-time vs. luxury. Every attribute matters.
Are reviews recent and detailed? AI reads the words inside reviews. Reviews that mention specific neighborhoods, responsiveness, or expertise carry more weight than "5 stars, great agent." If a platform showed up in citations and you have fewer than 10 reviews, ask 5 past clients this week to leave one. Tell them to mention your neighborhood and what made you stand out.
Is the information consistent? If your Zillow says "Brooklyn" and your website says "NYC" and your Google Business says "Williamsburg," AI can't confidently connect you to any of them. Pick your markets. Be specific. Say the same thing everywhere. Use this prompt to fix it:
I'm a real estate agent auditing my online presence for AI search visibility. Here are my profiles:
[Paste your bios from: Zillow, Google Business, Yelp, your website etc]
Compare them for consistency in markets served, specialization, experience, and tone. Flag every inconsistency. Then write me one unified bio under 150 words that I can adapt for each platform, specific to my actual markets, written so AI can easily pull out the key details.
Update your profiles so they’re all highlighting the same things. By end of next week you'll have consistent, AI-readable bios across every platform.
Key Insight
AEO isn't fundamentally different from SEO. The mechanics overlap. If you rank on Google, you'll likely surface in AI responses too. The main difference is for broad "who's the best?" queries, AI needs multiple independent sources corroborating your authority. Your own website isn't enough. You need volume - the more platforms say you're the expert = higher likelihood of being listed in AI results.
Most agents haven't started, so the window is open. Now is a great opportunity!
This is exactly the kind of system we build in my AI Marketing course that starts March 23rd. Visit the page to see 60 testimonials from past students and grab your spot.
-Matt
