How Local Content Gets Agents Calls From Google and ChatGPT

by Mike Ferrante

Every agent I talk to has a list of things they're going to get to "when things slow down." Update the website. Start a blog. Figure out this AI search stuff. If your business is quieter heading into the holidays, this is that time. And I can tell you from the last couple of weeks that it works.

This post comes from one of our Tuesday trainings. Watch the full session on YouTube.

A call from someone who disagreed with me

Right before one of our recent Tuesday trainings, I got a call from a woman in Aurora. She had watched an Instagram video I posted the week before about the new park opening there.

She didn't like the video. She disagreed with pretty much everything I said. She thought the park was a waste of money. She was very pleasant about it, and at one point she asked why I even made the video. I told her, "Because I want to talk to people. And here I am, talking to you."

By the end of the call, I was setting her up on a home search. Will she end up working with me? I don't know. But a video about something happening in her town got a stranger to pick up the phone and call a real estate agent. I'll take that call every time.

A buyer who found us through ChatGPT

Here's another one. A buyer in the Kent area was searching in ChatGPT, and a blog we wrote about investing in Ravenna came up. Ravenna is right next door to Kent. He read it and reached out.

That's the shift that's happening. People aren't only searching Google anymore. They're asking ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini, and those tools pull from content that actually answers the question.

SEO, GEO and AEO in plain English

You've probably heard all three this year.

SEO, search engine optimization: showing up in Google search results.
GEO, generative engine optimization: showing up in the answers from AI tools like ChatGPT.
AEO, answer engine optimization: being the source that directly answers someone's question.

They all reward the same thing: specific, helpful, local content from someone who actually knows the subject.

Audit your whole online footprint

Whether you've worked on this already or not, go back through everything that represents you online and make it as strong as it can be. Your website, your Google Business Profile, your social profiles, your reviews, your videos and your blog. Make sure each one says clearly who you are, where you work and what you know.

Use AI, but don't publish AI slop

If you're not writing blogs yet, AI can help you get started. But I'm not telling you to generate a pile of generic content. You've seen the AI flyers that look like garbage and the posts that say nothing.

Here's my test. If someone could learn it from a quick Google search, it's not valuable. If it has your personal stamp on it, meaning what you've seen, what you think and what's happening in your market, that's what shows up in searches and gets people to call.

Go local

National headlines right now are pretty doom and gloom. Sellers are at a six-year high and pending sales are at a 10-year low, according to Redfin. But real estate is hyperlocal, and in a lot of Northeast Ohio we're still in a seller's market.

That gap is your opportunity. Your clients hear the national story every day. Content about what's happening in your town, like a new park, a market update or what it's like to invest in a specific city, is what they can't get anywhere else. It's also exactly the kind of content that gets found.

Where to start this week

Google yourself. Then ask ChatGPT who the real estate agents are in your town. See what comes up and what doesn't.
Clean up your Google Business Profile. Make sure your service areas, hours, photos and description are current.
Write one local post. Pick a question your clients asked you this month and answer it for your specific town.
Post one short video. Talk about something happening locally. Even the people who disagree with you might call.

None of this takes a big budget. It takes consistency, and the next couple of months are a good time to build the habit.

Want to learn how we do it?

We talk about content, AI and online visibility in our Tuesday training. If you want to talk about how the Mike Team and LPT Realty support agents, schedule a time with me at 21mike.com.

Mike Ferrante
The Mike Team at LPT Realty
www.21mike.com
Google Business Profile: https://g.page/r/CSQoYzel0Z68EAE
+1 (216) 373-7727