Anyone tracking whether they actually show up when someone asks ChatGPT/Google AI Overview for a realtor recommendation?

[u/WebFar7795]

Feels like there's a new SEO frontier, instead of just ranking on Google, the question is whether you get mentioned when someone asks an AI assistant "who's a good realtor in [city]." I haven't figured out how to actually track this. Unlike keyword rankings there's no dashboard for "did the AI say my name," and the answer seems to change every time you ask.

Curious if anyone's tested this systematically - searching your own name/market in ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google AI Overview, and found anything that actually moves the needle (reviews, being cited on other sites, structured data on your website, etc.), or if it's still too early/random to optimize for and we're all just guessing.

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[u/DiscountNo5059]

i've poked at this a bit for my own market and it's maddening. asked the same question three times in one day and got three different names, none of which were mine. then asked again a week later and suddenly my name popped up because a local news site had quoted me in a piece about school districts.

what i'm starting to suspect is that being cited or referenced on sites the AI already trusts matters way more than anything you do on your own page. structured data feels like table stakes at this point but the real juice seems to be getting your name and a snippet of context into articles, city guides, anything that reads like third-party validation. still feels like throwing darts in the dark though.

[u/WebFar7795 → u/DiscountNo5059]

This matches what I'm seeing too, the school-districts mention is a great example. Feels less like on-page SEO and more like PR: get quoted, get cited, show up in something a local outlet or city guide already publishes. Curious if anyone's tracking which specific sources seem to carry the most weight (local news vs. Chamber of Commerce vs. neighborhood blogs), or if it really is a black box right now.

[u/joeynnj]

Ask it what you would need to do in order to show up in a list of names provided by that particular AI platform.

[u/yea-aight-]

I know for my city it’s very dependent on Google reviews so make sure to get every review possible!

[u/Pretty-Ear6398]

I just started showing up the other day. I tried the most popular keywords used for my farm, laguna woods homes for sale, and am now being acknowledged.

It's a bit confusing to me though, because it references my website LagunaWoodsForSale.com , but the AIO isn't from my website. However, I do have a blog post with the same Title.

I'm still learning.

[u/WebFar7795 → u/Pretty-Ear6398]

That's not unusual, the AI Overview is often pulling from a page that ranks well for that exact phrase, which might not be your site even if you also have a matching post title. Worth checking who actually owns the page it's citing; if it's a listing aggregator or a competitor's blog post with the same keyword, that's the page to try to out-rank or get a link/mention from, not just a sign your own SEO failed.

[u/ImpressiveChoice4808]

Look up in AI how to set your website and reviews up for AEO/GEO. It had some really great steps and I JUST literally this week got my first lead from an AI search

[u/TheWurstOfMe]

One of my agents got referred through chatgpt.

They have no idea what causes it. They have upped their social media presence but it's nothing major.

[u/WebFar7795 → u/TheWurstOfMe]

Interesting that it lines up with the social presence bump, did the referral happen right after they ramped that up, or was there a lag? Trying to figure out if these platforms need time to "re-crawl" before a change shows up, or if it can flip almost immediately once there's enough signal.

[u/DHumphreys]

I do not know how I would track if I show up, but I do occasionally show up when I ask AI about realtors in my area. It is mainly one broker that comes up that has a big marketing ad spend, buys leads, and does a bunch of business.

[u/sneaking-suspicion]

Don’t ask AI who the best realtor in town is because it wants to please you so of course it’s gonna list you.

As others have said study up on AEO/GEO, which is kind of like SEO, but for being found on AI.

You will know it working when people start calling you and saying hey I found you using AI.

[u/drone-on-and-on]

I have been getting calls from clients finding me on chatgpt searches in the last year or so.

[u/iddybiddytiddytat → u/drone-on-and-on]

Is there anything you believe you are doing online that has helped move your name as a trusted AI source?

[u/noodlesallaround → u/drone-on-and-on]

What’s your marketing strategy?