Beyond the Lead: Building Digital Authority in the Age of AI Summaries
With Google’s AI Overviews and a shift towards 'Answer Engines', your website might not be the lead source it used to be. It is, however, still worth persisting with.
“We just want to be on page 1 for Real Estate Agency in [Suburb]”
When we talk websites and SEO, almost every conversation with Real Estate Agency owners in the past decade has shared this goal.
While it’s a great target to have, the days of working towards and consolidating that ranking are now long gone.
As a provider of digital marketing services, we obviously want to help our clients get as close to that position as possible, however it just isn’t always possible, or as simple as it used to be.
AI Summaries Are Here To Stay
Search Engines have changed enormously in recent times. Those who are familiar with the latest trends will be aware that a lot of tech leaders are now referring to them as Answer Engines. This is as a result of the way that people use Search Engines, and AI tools, to ask questions, rather than type in a few keywords like they were trained to do for years.
The expectation of the user has been significantly upgraded as well.
In decades gone by, especially for those who used to try their luck with Yahoo, Altavista, or even Ask Jeeves, you’d expect to trawl through the search results hoping for some luck in what had been provided.
As the internet progressed, Google and Bing have been delivering stronger results for users each and every year.
In 2024, this changed forever, with the introduction of AI summaries.
Answers were now being provided, without the need to click.
Users were sceptical. The answers were hit and miss. But now, they’re really, really good.
Millions of websites have felt the impact, with many taking 40% hits to their organic traffic numbers. Many users don’t even click the links anymore in their search results - they simply read the summary, satisfy their curiosity, then leave.
If this is the way search engines are moving, many business owners are now wondering what to do, and if investing time and money into their website will indeed be worth anything in the future.
We spoke with a business owner recently who said his agency used to publish articles regularly, alongside a company newsletter. With all of these changes on the technology front, he mentioned “it’s not too much effort for an even smaller return. We used to get a few leads here and there from our articles and updates, but now people go to Google and don’t even get to our website. We’re going to put more time into cold calling.”
When it’s put like that, I can’t blame him. What good is content if people won’t read it? If there are no readers, how will you be found and attract leads?
The answer is simple. Take your SEO and AI preparedness seriously.
How do you do it? That’s not so simple. You need a strategy, be prepared to invest time, and ultimately, be patient.
Content is Still King, but Search Console is the Castle.
When we speak to prospects about their current Real Estate Agency website, it’s often the same old story.
“We’ve had it for years, paid a lot of money for it, and want a new design”
“We don’t know how many leads we get or where they come from” or “we never get any leads through the website”
“I’ve never heard of Search Console. Why do I need it?”
Yes, leads are extremely important. There’s no doubting that. But that’s not the biggest issue here - Search Console is.
What is Google Search Console?
Google Search Console is a free, professional tool provided by Google that acts as a direct communication channel between your website and the search engine, allowing you to monitor technical health, track which keywords are actually driving your traffic, and ensure your pages are being indexed correctly.
When we launch a website, configuring Search Console on your behalf is one of the most important steps we take.
Without this, Google hasn’t been provided with a sitemap (a directory of all your pages and the website hierarchy), hasn’t been told to index your website (include it in search results), and won’t be performing technical health checks.
All modern websites have a strong technical foundation, and the most effective way of knowing you tick all of these boxes is through Google’s Core Web Vitals (found in Search Console). As a business owner, you’re not expected to go into this or understand what the results say. Your web developer should be in there, and they should be checking results regularly.
I’ve heard some people say that the results provided in the Core Web Vitals “aren’t really that important”, and we “don’t need to worry about getting perfect scores”.
If this was the case, why would Google provide this tool?
Things that are checked will all help to contribute to ranking success in Google and other search engines. These factors may only make a small difference, but hey, aren’t we all looking for those 1% gains?
Page speed, initial load times, responsiveness, and many other items are all a part of this.
If you (well not you, your web developer) get this right, you’ll be on your way to long term success. SEO isn’t an overnight win, it’s a long play that could lead to substantial results over time. It will also add value to your business when it comes time to sell.
Persist With Your Content
Okay, so now you have a website that is technically sound and keeping Google happy!
We’ve all heard the saying that Content is King. This is still true, despite AI Summaries taking a large portion of the internets traffic and showing no sign of giving it back.
If your website is performing well from a technical standpoint, and you have enough authority amongst your online peers, you’ll still have a chance of ranking well in your marketplace.
For those who do get to your website, they may take interest in the lovely new content you’ve published. Keeping your content up to date and fresh will mean that no matter when someone lands on it, there will always be an opportunity there.
But what about the AI Summaries?
Here’s the kicker… if your website has enough authority, provides real and substantial content, and is seen as a credible source, you’ll have a shot at being mentioned in those AI Summaries.
The AI tools have to get their information from somewhere after all.
Don’t stop writing. Start writing for the modern ecosystem.
If you’d like to chat about your Real Estate Agency, and a strategy to help give you the tools to success in the modern era, feel free to reach out.