Don’t Fire Your SEO Company for an AI Optimization Company Just Yet

AI search is growing quickly, and apartment marketers should absolutely be paying attention to it. Prospective renters are using ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and other AI tools to research neighborhoods, compare properties, and narrow down where they want to live.

But that does not mean it is time to abandon traditional search engine optimization.

In fact, apartment companies that fire their SEO providers to hire firms focused exclusively on AI optimization risk giving up a significant amount of traffic and leads over the next year.

Most Apartment Searches Are Still Happening in Traditional Search

AI search may be getting most of the attention, but Google still drives the overwhelming majority of search traffic for a typical apartment community. Renters continue to search for terms such as:

• Apartments near a particular neighborhood
• Pet-friendly apartments
• One-bedroom apartments
• Apartments with parking, a pool, or a fitness center
• Apartments available for immediate move-in

These searches still generate most of the website visits, calls, guest cards, tours, and leases for our clients.

Based on the multifamily clients we track, direct traffic from AI platforms currently accounts for about 5% of website conversions for a typical client. That percentage varies by property and market, and it does not necessarily capture every renter whose decision was influenced by an AI-generated answer. Still, it provides an important reality check: AI search is growing, but it has not replaced traditional organic search.

Giving up a well-performing SEO program to focus exclusively on that 5% could put the other 95% at risk.

AI Traffic Is Small, but Valuable

The fact that AI sources account for a relatively small percentage of conversions does not mean they should be ignored.

We are seeing that visitors referred by AI tools convert at higher rates than visitors from other sources. That makes sense. Someone who has asked an AI assistant a detailed question and then clicks through to a property website may already know the location, price range, amenities, or apartment type they want.

AI-referred traffic also continues to grow. While it may represent approximately 5% of conversions today for a typical client, we expect it to become a much more meaningful lead source by the end of 2027. Apartment marketers need to prepare for that shift now, without walking away from the channels producing most of their leads today.

SEO and AI Optimization Are Not Separate Strategies

There is a growing industry of companies selling answer engine optimization, or AEO, and generative engine optimization, or GEO. Some of these companies make it sound as though traditional SEO has become obsolete and must be replaced with an entirely new discipline.

Google does not see it that way, and neither should you.

Google’s own guidance says that optimizing for generative AI search is still SEO. Its AI search features rely on Google’s existing search index, ranking systems, and quality signals. Google recommends continuing to focus on foundational SEO practices, including creating useful original content, maintaining a technically sound website, making content crawlable, and providing accurate business information.

Google also says that pages generally need to be indexed and eligible to appear in traditional search before they can appear as supporting sources in AI Overviews or AI Mode.

In other words, much of the work that improves AI visibility is the same work that supports SEO:

• Publishing detailed, useful property and neighborhood content
• Making pricing and availability accessible
• Maintaining accurate information across the website and other online sources
• Ensuring search engines can crawl and understand the website
• Building clear pages for amenities, floor plans, policies, neighborhoods, and frequently asked questions
• Strengthening the property’s reputation and authority across the web

AI optimization adds new considerations, particularly around how information is structured, cited, and distributed across third-party sources. But it builds on SEO rather than replacing it.

The Real Risk Is Choosing One or the Other

The apartment search journey is becoming more fragmented. A renter might begin with a question in ChatGPT, continue by searching Google Maps, visit an apartment listing site, read reviews, and then return through a branded Google search before scheduling a tour.

Focusing only on traditional SEO would ignore a growing source of highly qualified renters. Focusing only on AI optimization would ignore where most searches and conversions are still happening.

Apartment marketers need both.

That is why Respage offers SEO and AI search optimization as an integrated service. We help properties remain competitive in traditional organic search while also improving the content, technical structure, authority signals, and data consistency that influence AI-generated answers.

AI visibility and conversion tracking are also now included in our SEO services. This allows our clients to see if they are appearing in AIs for select queries, how much traffic is landing on the website, and how many conversions are coming from AI platforms.

AI search is not a reason to stop doing SEO. It is a reason to make SEO broader, better, and more measurable. Contact us for a free AI visibility audit.