The Impact of AI on Search (and what it really means for agent marketing)
- 20 hours ago
- 4 min read
There are a lot of sharks in the waters of Google right now, feeding off fear whipped up by a growing army of so-called AI experts. If you’re not careful, it’s easy to believe all the hype.
Mid last year, there was so much noise that I’ll admit — I got caught up in it too. Every headline seemed to suggest the future of search was about to flip overnight.
But when you strip it all back, this really comes down to one thing: human behaviour.
People have always looked for faster, easier ways to get answers. If there’s a shortcut to an outcome, humans will find it — because why spend time researching when you could spend it scrolling socials instead?
We’ve seen this before.
First, it was the Yellow Pages — searching, calling businesses, leaving messages and hoping for a callback.
Then came Google. Type a question, read a few articles, compare options. A huge step forward in speed and convenience.
Now the question becomes: what if I didn’t need to search at all?
What if something could do the research for me and just tell me the best option — based on what I care about?
That’s where platforms like ChatGPT, and more broadly Large Language Models (LLMs), come in. Billions have been invested to make that possible. Naturally, people wanted to test it. And honestly? The answers were pretty good.
That’s when the buzz really started.
Suddenly, the narrative was everywhere: “Google search is dead.”
No more websites. No more rankings. AI will just tell people which business to choose.
The panic spread fast. Every industry scrambled to figure out how to get their name “into the answers”. Real estate was no different.
In one of the most competitive industries in Australia, standing out has never been straight forward. Getting your name on the shopping list has always been the goal and the idea that AI might decide who gets recommended understandably caused alarm.
But experience has taught me something important: hype rarely plays out the way it’s sold.
There is genuine change happening. It’s one of the biggest shifts Google has faced. But what’s often missing from these conversations is a basic truth: AI hasn’t changed why people search — it’s changed how and where they start.
Search behaviour isn’t disappearing. It’s evolving and fragmenting.
Large Language Models are great at answering broad questions quickly. They help people understand concepts, narrow options and form an initial opinion. But they don’t replace the need for validation — especially for high-trust, high-value decisions like choosing a real estate agent.
This is where Google search still plays a critical role.
When someone is considering selling their home, they don’t stop at a single AI-generated answer. They check names. They Google agents. They read reviews. They look at listings, suburb performance, social profiles and recent sales history.
But increasingly, they also check social media.
For many consumers, social platforms have become a form of search in their own right.
Instead of asking Google “who’s the best agent in my area?”, they open Instagram, Facebook or TikTok to see:
Who’s active locally
Who consistently shows up
Who looks credible, relatable and experienced
Who feels like someone they could trust with a major life decision
Social doesn’t replace Google — it humanises it.
In many cases, AI helps form the shortlist.
Google is where that shortlist gets verified.
Social media is where trust gets reinforced.
What we’re really seeing is a layered search journey:
LLMs support early-stage discovery and understanding
Google search confirms facts, credibility and authority
Social media provides familiarity, personality and social proof
Property portals validate experience through listings and results
For real estate marketing, this distinction matters.
If an agent isn’t visible or credible on Google, AI isn’t going to fix that. And if an agent looks inactive or inconsistent on social, Google credibility alone may not be enough to convert interest into enquiry.
AI doesn’t replace visibility — it amplifies it.
But maybe the more important point is this: the real question isn’t “what is AI’s impact on search?”
The better question is how has consumer online behaviour changed when someone is choosing a real estate agent?
People no longer rely on a single channel to make that decision. It’s not just Google. It’s not just social. And it’s definitely not just an AI-generated answer.
Today, selecting an agent happens across an entire digital environment.
A potential seller might start by asking an LLM a broad question. They’ll then Google agent names, read reviews, check suburb performance and scan recent listings.
They’ll visit property portals to see who’s active and consistent. They’ll scroll social media to get a feel for personality, professionalism and local presence.
Each step plays a role.
This is why focusing solely on LLMs misses the bigger picture, and more importantly, the real opportunity.
AI isn’t replacing the journey; it’s compressing it.
And that means agents who show up clearly and consistently across all of these touchpoints are more likely to be shortlisted, remembered and contacted.
The opportunity for agents isn’t to chase the latest AI trend or worry about “ranking” in a chatbot. It’s to understand how these channels work together and ensure they’re present where trust is built.
Because when consumers are ready to make a decision, they don’t choose the agent an algorithm tells them to.
They choose the agent who feels familiar, credible and proven — across search results, reviews, portals, social feeds and real-world experiences.
That’s the environment modern marketing operates in.
And the agents who recognise that aren’t being disrupted by AI — they’re being supported by it.
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