Search is shifting to AI
Google's AI summaries are used by 2 billion people a month. Increasingly, real estate questions are asked to an AI, which suggests names in its answer.
Monthly users of Google's AI Overviews (AI summaries built into Google Search).
More than one in eight searches shows an AI summary at the top, a figure that doubled in months. The classic results page is changing fast.
Share of US Google searches that show an AI Overview at the top of the page.
Google sends fewer and fewer clicks
Nearly 7 in 10 searches end with no click at all. Ranking well is no longer enough if no one clicks: you have to BE the answer, not one link among ten.
Share of US Google searches ending without any click to an external site.
When an AI summary appears, 83% of searches go to no site at all. Being named in the AI answer then matters as much as a Google position.
Zero-click rate when an AI Overview is shown in Google results.
Online reputation decides
Nearly 9 in 10 consumers read Google reviews before contacting a professional. Online reputation acts as a storefront, and AI reads it too.
Share of consumers who use Google Reviews to evaluate local businesses.
For one client in two, a good review is worth a recommendation from a friend. Word of mouth has gone digital — and it gets cited.
Share of consumers who trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.
Local, accelerated by AI
Almost one search in two has local intent. Your neighbourhood is a query — you just have to be the expert it names.
Share of Google searches with local intent (« near me », city names, « open now »).
« Near me » searches grow 150% faster than general search, and 32% show a local AI summary. Local discovery is moving toward AI.
Growth of « near me » searches vs general searches over two years.
How clients pick their agent today
43% of buyers start their journey online (and 100% use it at some point). The first contact with your future client happens on a screen, not in person.
Share of home buyers who started their home search online (first step).
36% of sellers find their agent online — more than double 2018. The classic referral is receding; online discovery is taking over.
Share of sellers who find their agent through online channels.
The agent stays central: 88% of buyers and 91% of sellers use one. The need hasn't changed; the way a professional is found has.
Share of home buyers who used an agent or broker for their purchase.
AI citation: the new lever
Pages with structured data are 30 to 40% more likely to be cited by an AI, and an AI referral converts about 5× better than a click. Visibility increasingly comes from structured data rather than keywords alone.
Increased likelihood of being cited in an AI answer for pages with structured-data (schema) markup.
The economics of attention is flipping
Google ad costs rise every year (+12.88%, 87% of industries, 5 years running) for ground that's emptying: the user reads the AI answer and acts without scrolling to the ads.
Year-over-year rise in Google Ads cost per click, all industries (87% of industries up, 5th straight year).
Each paid click costs $2.53 and only 3.28% convert — one of the worst ratios on the web. You buy many clicks for few clients. An AI referral converts ~5× better — for free.
Average cost per click in real estate (Google Ads), for a conversion rate of only 3.28%.
How a real estate broker gets found and cited in the AI era.
Discovery has moved online and toward AI. Today 7 in 10 searches end with no click, and an AI often answers in Google's place. Being the answer the AI cites is a different job from ranking in ten blue links. It rests on structured data and an authoritative, verified profile.
The principle is simple: be the name the AI cites when someone looks for a broker in your sector. That means a verified, structured, authoritative profile, readable by Google, ChatGPT, Perplexity and Gemini.
That is what Payotte builds: one verified expert per sector — yours, exclusively — and a profile written to be read, understood and cited by AI answer engines. No commission, no bidding. The spot is earned on your results, never bought.
Frequently asked questions
- How do clients find a real estate broker in 2026?
- Increasingly online: 36% of sellers find their agent online (double 2018), even though 88% of buyers still use one. The need for a broker hasn't changed — discovery has: it starts on a screen, and increasingly through AI answers (Google AI Overviews, ChatGPT).
- Is classic SEO still enough for a broker?
- No. Nearly 7 in 10 Google searches end with no click — 83% when an AI summary appears. Ranking in the blue links is no longer enough: you have to be the answer the AI cites, which means structured data and a verified, authoritative profile.
- Is Google Ads still worth it in real estate?
- Less and less: cost per click rises (+12.88% in a year, 5 years running) for a ~3.28% conversion rate in real estate — one of the lowest. An AI referral, by contrast, converts ~5× better, with no cost per click.
- What is « AI citation » and why does it matter?
- It's being named by an AI assistant (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, AI Overviews) as the expert for a sector. Pages with structured data are 30 to 40% more likely to be cited: it's the new visibility lever, where the click disappears.
- How does Payotte help a broker get cited by AI?
- Payotte publishes one verified expert per sector, in structured data designed to be read and cited by Google and generative AI. The spot is earned on results (never bought), and verified status strengthens your profile's citability.
Methodology: the figures above are mostly North American (United States) or global — indicative of the same trend in Canada. Each figure links to its original source.