What Happened
Russell Easther, founder of DigitalBrief, spoke to Real Estate Business ahead of his appearance at the REB Innovation Summit on Thursday, 25 June. His message was direct: agents who fail to establish a strong digital presence for AI-driven search will miss out on a growing pool of buyers and sellers who no longer start their property research on Google.
"People aren't just using Google to find information and to be connected to local businesses and services anymore," Easther told REB.
His advice centres on generative engine optimisation - the practice of structuring online content so that AI tools cite your business when answering user queries. For agents, that means providing a thorough explanation of what they do across their own website, so that AI systems treat them as a trusted, authoritative source rather than skipping them entirely.
Easther is clear that this is not a quick fix. "Don't rush it. It isn't like an ad where things can happen overnight," he said. "It is going to take a fair amount of time to generate results."
Why It Matters
The shift from Google-first to AI-first search is not theoretical for Australian property professionals - it is already affecting where buyers and sellers begin their research. When someone types a query into an LLM and asks which local agent to call, the agent who has invested in GEO gets named. The one who has not simply does not appear.
That absence has real commercial consequences. Easther argues the quality of the lead itself changes when it comes through AI search. "If a person is going to LLMs to do their research, provided they are getting a positive result, then that lead is much hotter." A buyer who has already read an AI-generated summary about an agent's track record, suburb expertise, and client reviews arrives at first contact far more prepared than someone who clicked a banner ad.
For smaller agencies competing against large franchise networks, GEO is one of the few channels where effort and expertise can outweigh advertising budget. A well-structured website with clear, specific content about an agent's services and local knowledge can outperform a competitor who spends heavily on paid search but has thin or generic web copy.
Key Details
Easther's practical guidance breaks down into three areas.
Build substantive website content. Agents need to explain what they do in clear, specific terms - not just a generic bio. AI tools pull from pages that demonstrate genuine expertise in a defined area. Thin content or keyword stuffing does not satisfy the signals that LLMs use to assess credibility.
Track AI visibility with the right tools. "There are third-party tools available that can review AI visibility that you can get access to, but ultimately, you can look at your business metrics, like leads and sales," Easther said. He noted that "they are SEO specific tools that are now tracking AI visibility in a similar way to how they've tracked SEO in the past." Monitoring whether AI-sourced leads are increasing over time tells agents whether the channel is worth continuing to invest in. As Easther put it, "it highlights whether or not that's a strong channel."
Set realistic timeframes. Unlike a Google Ads campaign that can generate enquiries within days, GEO compounds slowly. Agents who start now build an advantage that will be difficult for late movers to close.
Background and Context
The broader context here is a structural change in how search works. Traditional SEO rewarded agents who ranked on page one of Google. That model still matters, but it sits alongside a newer dynamic where AI tools synthesise information from multiple sources and present a single, confident answer to the user.
"We know that AI-led search is growing because it is bringing a more substantiated and robust answer than what Google has previously done," Easther said. That shift is why GEO has moved from a niche technical topic to a practical concern for any agent who relies on digital channels to generate business.
Australian consumer behaviour is tracking global patterns. Buyers researching a suburb, comparing agents, or trying to understand market conditions are increasingly turning to AI tools for that first layer of research. The agent who shows up in those answers - cited, named, and described accurately - has a significant head start.
For Australian agents navigating these changes, Mindiam's work in AI strategy, GEO and AI-driven SEO, and AI training for business teams covers the practical steps involved. The real estate industry page outlines sector-specific considerations.
What Comes Next
Easther is presenting at the REB Innovation Summit on 25 June, where GEO and AI search strategy are expected to be among the central topics for property professionals. The summit reflects a wider recognition across the Australian real estate sector that digital strategy can no longer treat AI as a future concern.
For agents who have not yet audited their website content or investigated AI visibility tools, the window to build an early advantage is narrowing. Those who start the work now - even if results take months to materialise - will be better positioned than those who wait for the channel to become crowded before acting.
Mindiam's editorial standards and author page provide further context on how we cover AI developments for Australian business.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is generative engine optimisation (GEO) and how does it differ from traditional SEO?
Generative engine optimisation is the practice of structuring your online content so that AI tools - such as ChatGPT, Google's AI Overviews, or Perplexity - cite your business when generating answers to user queries. Traditional SEO focuses on ranking in a list of blue links on a search results page. GEO focuses on being the source that an AI draws on when it synthesises a single, confident answer. Both matter, but they require different approaches to content depth, authority signals, and the specificity of information you publish.
Why are leads from AI search described as warmer than those from traditional search?
When a buyer uses an LLM to research which agent to contact, they are typically asking detailed questions and reading substantive answers before they ever reach out. By the time they make contact, they have already formed a view of the agent's expertise and suitability. That pre-qualification process means the buyer arrives with more context and intent than someone who clicked a search result or an ad without doing deeper research first. Russell Easther described this directly: "provided they are getting a positive result, then that lead is much hotter."
How long does it take to see results from a GEO strategy?
GEO is not a fast channel. Easther's advice is explicit: "Don't rush it. It isn't like an ad where things can happen overnight. It is going to take a fair amount of time to generate results." Agents should treat GEO as a medium-to-long-term investment, similar to building a reputation in a local market. The compounding nature of the channel means early movers gain an advantage that becomes harder for competitors to close over time.
How can agents measure whether their GEO efforts are working?
Easther points to two approaches. The first is using third-party tools that now track AI visibility in a similar way to how they have tracked SEO rankings historically. The second is monitoring business metrics directly - specifically leads and sales - to assess whether AI-sourced enquiries are increasing. Tracking both gives agents a clearer picture of whether the channel is generating real commercial value.
Do Australian real estate agents need to comply with any specific regulations when publishing content for GEO purposes?
Australian agents publishing content online must comply with Australian Consumer Law, which prohibits misleading or deceptive conduct. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) enforces these obligations, and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) sets requirements around how personal information is handled. Agents should ensure that any claims made in their web content - about their track record, services, or market expertise - are accurate and substantiated, regardless of whether the content is written for human readers or AI indexing.