In real estate, early-stage discovery—neighborhood research, market data, and mortgage basics—is increasingly answered inside AI tools, reducing visits to agent websites before users search for specific agents or brokerages.

Google is transforming Search into an AI-driven experience with Gemini, moving from a simple list of links to interactive, on-the-fly AI widgets where website links become secondary.

To adapt, agents should prioritize being found by AI tools, not just indexed, by maintaining a strong Google Business Profile with complete, accurate information, reviews, and consistent NAP data; producing content that answers precise questions with clear E-E-A-T signals and hyper-local relevance; adding structured data for RealEstateAgent, RealEstateListing, LocalBusiness, and FAQ to enable rich results; and building owned channels like email newsletters to keep direct reach independent of search algorithms.

Publisher traffic is already declining as AI Overviews rise, with lower click-through rates and more zero-click searches, signaling a fundamental shift in how users discover information online.

The strongest positioning comes from agents who are already seen by AI tools as credible local authorities and whose clients can find them without performing a search.