08/27/26

ChatGPT, or your favorite AI platform, is not a new tool anymore. We first wrote about this technology in 2024, and we know it’s become part of everyday life for many of us. However, it’s always been a bit unclear how businesses, organizations, and yes, real estate professionals, can get themselves recommended by these robots. 

While in late 2026, it’s still a guessing game how rankings work — and anyone who says it isn’t should be met with the same skepticism we give unsolicited emails — the AmeriTitle team wanted to provide you with some fresh information on how these LLMs seem to work. The findings come from a study released by the company AirOps. While it’s not real estate-specific, the information is valuable for anyone hoping to rank higher in results generated by Claude, Perplexity, Gemini, etc. 

But first, what is AEO? We’re glad you asked! Answer Engine Optimization is the new term for how brands and people can appear inside AI-generated answers. Instead of asking only, “Does our website rank?” the new question is becoming, “Does AI recognize us as a trusted source when someone asks about the best REALTOR®, loan officer, or related professional?” 

Fresh and constantly updated content matters. Web pages that are updated in the last three months get cited 3x more often than stale sites in AI-generated answers. That’s once a quarter, which is admittedly a lot. However, a blog and regularly swapping out photos can be good first steps. 

85% of brand mentions in AI answers come from third-party sources. Sadly, this means your website is only a small part of the AEO equation. Make sure you’re getting mentioned on review sites and that your directory pages are up to date and consistent. Using content to cross-promote with frequent collaborators is a good idea, too. If you’re big enough to invest in paid media, such as news releases, they’ll help in this area as well. 

One thing to note: AI has shown that it will penalize a business if it deems too many of its reviews were created using AI. Talk about ironic. 

AI rankings are unstable right now. This can be good or bad, but it’s important to know. Since these models are constantly trying to improve themselves, what they recommend now may not be what they spit out in a month or two. How quickly can things change? According to the report, Chime tripled its AI citations in four weeks. 

As you can see, the only thing changing quicker than our local real estate markets may be the recommendations produced by ChatGPT. However, our AmeriTitle branches know we work with the best professionals to serve a buyer or seller’s evolving needs, and we want everyone to know that. Thank you for choosing AmeriTitle for your title and escrow work!