What is GEO? The Agent's Guide to AI Search Visibility

Something fundamental has changed about how people search for information. For twenty years, the playbook was simple: rank on the first page of Google, get clicks, win business. But in 2026, a growing percentage of potential clients never see a traditional search results page at all. They ask ChatGPT. They ask Perplexity. They get answers from Google's own AI Overviews before they ever scroll to the organic links.

For estate agents, this shift has massive implications. If your content isn't structured to be understood, synthesised, and cited by AI, you're invisible to a rapidly growing segment of your potential market. The discipline of preparing for this is called Generative Engine Optimisation — GEO.

What is Generative Engine Optimisation?

In plain English, GEO is the practice of optimising your online content so that AI-powered search engines cite you in their responses. When someone asks ChatGPT “Who is the best estate agent in Battersea?” or asks Perplexity “What should I look for in a realtor in Denver?”, the AI doesn't just make up an answer. It crawls the web, analyses available content, and synthesises a response from the most authoritative sources it can find.

GEO is about making sure your website is one of those sources. It's not about tricking an algorithm — it's about structuring your content in a way that AI models can understand, trust, and reference.

How AI Search Engines Work

Traditional search engines index pages and rank them based on relevance signals like keywords, backlinks, and page authority. AI search engines go further. They follow a three-step process:

• Crawl and index. Like traditional engines, they discover and store web content. But they also parse the semantic meaning of that content, not just the keywords.
• Synthesise. Rather than returning a list of links, the AI reads multiple sources and composes a unified answer. It decides which sources are most relevant, most authoritative, and most useful.
• Cite. The best AI search engines provide citations — linking back to the original sources they drew from. This is where your visibility comes from. If you're cited, you get the click.

The key insight is that AI doesn't rank pages in a list. It selects the best sources to answer a specific question. That means your content needs to directly and clearly answer the questions your potential clients are asking.

Why This Matters for Estate Agents

Real estate is inherently local, and local queries are exactly where AI search is growing fastest. People are already asking AI assistants questions like:

• “Who is the best estate agent in Clapham for family homes?”
• “What's the average time to sell a house in Scottsdale?”
• “Which realtors in Toronto specialise in condos?”
• “What should I expect from a good listing agent?”

If your website contains clear, authoritative answers to these questions — backed by local data, testimonials, and demonstrated expertise — AI will cite you. If your only online presence is a portal profile with a headshot and a phone number, you won't appear at all.

GEO vs Traditional SEO

It's important to understand that GEO does not replace SEO. Traditional search engine optimisation is still critical — Google's organic results aren't going away. Think of GEO as an additional layer on top of your existing SEO strategy.

• SEO is about ranking in a list of search results. You compete for position, and the higher you rank, the more clicks you get.
• GEO is about being cited in an AI-generated answer. There's no “position 1” — you're either referenced or you're not.

The good news is that many of the things that make content rank well in traditional SEO — clarity, authority, structure, and relevance — also make content more likely to be cited by AI. A strong SEO foundation makes GEO easier, not harder.

How to Optimise for GEO

GEO is still an emerging discipline, but the principles are already clear. Here's what agents should focus on:

• Structured Q&A content. Create content that directly answers specific questions. Rather than a generic “About Us” page, build pages that answer “What makes a great estate agent in [your area]?” with clear, factual responses.
• Cited statistics and data. AI models prioritise content that includes specific numbers, data points, and verifiable claims. “We have sold 127 homes in Wandsworth since 2020” is far more citable than “We're experienced local agents.”
• Clear definitions and explanations. When you explain concepts clearly — what stamp duty is, how the selling process works, what buyers should budget for — you become an authoritative source that AI can reference.
• FAQ sections. Dedicated FAQ pages or sections within your content pages are goldmines for GEO. Structure them with clear questions as headings and concise, complete answers.
• Schema markup. Structured data (JSON-LD schema) helps both traditional search engines and AI models understand the semantic meaning of your content. LocalBusiness, RealEstateAgent, and FAQPage schemas are particularly valuable.

Getting Started

If GEO feels overwhelming, start with three practical steps:

• Audit your current AI visibility. Open ChatGPT or Perplexity and search for yourself. Ask “Who is the best estate agent in [your area]?” and see if you appear. If you don't, you know where you stand.
• Create structured content. Start with one neighbourhood guide and one FAQ page. Make them detailed, factual, and specific to your area. Include real data — average prices, days on market, school ratings, local amenities.
• Build authority signals. Collect and publish client testimonials with full names (with permission). Get listed on trusted directories. Ensure your Google Business Profile is complete and actively reviewed. Authority is the single biggest factor in whether AI chooses to cite you.

The Agents Who Move First Win

GEO is still in its early stages. Most agents haven't heard of it, and fewer still are optimising for it. That represents a massive opportunity for those who act now. The competitive landscape in AI search is far less crowded than traditional Google rankings — it's significantly easier to become a cited source today than it will be in twelve months.

The shift to AI-powered search is not a prediction — it's already happening. The question is whether you'll be visible when your next client asks AI for a recommendation, or whether that referral will go to the agent who prepared first.

Want to see where you currently stand in AI search? Book a free GEO audit and we'll show you exactly how AI search engines see your business today — and what it takes to get cited.