How AI is changing apartment SEO in 2025

In this series, Respage CEO Ellen Thompson discusses the latest trends in the multifamily industry and how apartment communities can generate greater results.

Apartment SEO is undergoing a seismic shift in 2025.

Changes in technology, shifting renter behaviors, and the emergence of new search platforms are transforming how properties need to approach their digital strategies.

Renters are demanding faster, more accurate, and personalized results from the platforms they use, whether it's a traditional search engine or an AI-powered assistant. As a result, SEO must now encompass a multi-channel approach, optimizing not just for search engines but also for AI tools, social media platforms, and alternative search methods like voice search.

The strategies that have driven SEO success in the past must evolve to meet the demands of new technology. It’s important to stay proactive, and plan for the future with your SEO partner. 

By embracing these fresh approaches and continually refining your SEO efforts, your team can ensure your site remains optimized and competitive. Let’s dive into the major trends shaping apartment SEO in 2025 and how you can prepare to win.

Beyond Google: The rise of alternative search engines

For years, Google has dominated the search engine landscape, with market share close to or above 90% since 2010. While it remains the critical player, other search engines are starting to gain ground thanks to AI.

Bing, fueled by its integration with OpenAI’s ChatGPT, has grown in popularity in 2024, particularly among users looking for AI-driven search experiences. New entrants like Perplexity AI are also carving out niches by offering highly personalized and conversational search results. 

Search engines also pay in some cases billions of dollars a year to companies like Apple to be the default search engines in browsers and sites that offer search functionality. But we are learning that renters may be looking for higher quality search results instead of easy access, which could put alternative search engines at an advantage. 

Improvements to the quality of search results Bing provided in 2024—thanks to the improvements generative search offered—could help tip the scales in these deals and end Google’s dominance in the third party search engine wars and increase Bing’s market share in 2025.

What this means for apartment SEO

• Diversify your optimization efforts: Make sure to optimize for Bing as well as emerging search engines like Perplexity. Ensure your content is accessible and optimized for their ranking criteria. 
  • Pro tip: Include high quality, comprehensive content to your website that is conversational and is well organized.
• Leverage structured data: Provide clear, structured information in behind the scenes schema markup on each of your web pages to make it easier for these engines to understand the content on your pages. 
  • Pro tip: Ask your apartment SEO provider about how they are already handling your website’s schema markup.

The impact of Generative AI on search behavior

Generative AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and numerous competitors are becoming search destinations themselves. Instead of heading to search engines to find links to search engine results pages (SERPs), users are asking these tools questions directly, seeking instant and detailed answers without clicking through to any websites.

This shift could fundamentally alter how apartment seekers approach their search. In addition to exploring multiple listings on traditional ILS platforms and navigating through various community websites, renters may turn to AI tools to recommend properties that meet their specific criteria—like budget, location, or amenities. 

AI also has a direct impact on results when searching in Google, Bing or Yahoo with the use of featured snippets and AI overviews. Featured snippets display a curated excerpt from a single webpage and link back to the source, while AI overviews synthesize information from multiple sources to deliver a comprehensive, conversational response, often without linking directly to any particular webpage. 

This evolution in search behavior poses new challenges and opportunities for apartment SEO. Featured snippets provide an opportunity for properties to claim prime real estate on search engine results pages by presenting concise, authoritative answers to common renter questions.

Optimizing for snippets requires creating highly structured, easy-to-read content that directly addresses likely search queries. On the other hand, AI overviews shift the focus to creating rich, detailed content that can be synthesized and used by AI tools to answer broader or more complex questions. While AI overviews may not always drive direct traffic to a website, they elevate the importance of ensuring your property information is accurate, comprehensive, and accessible across all platforms.

Adapting SEO for Generative AI

• Create conversational content: Write FAQ-style content that mirrors the natural questions prospective renters might ask. 
  • For example: "What are the best high rise apartments near the Theater District in Midtown Manhattan?"
• Focus on accuracy across the entire web: New SEO tools no longer focus solely on your website to gather information. Today’s AI search tools pull data from all sites across the web. Ensure your content is updated, accurate, and aligns with the most authoritative source about your community—your website—to increase the likelihood of being included in AI-generated responses. 
  • Pro tip: Be ready to partner with your SEO provider to keep your Google Business Profile, social media, and local directories accurate and optimized across the web.
• Optimize for featured snippets: Like AI Overviews, featured snippets are prominent enhanced search results that live at the top of the search results. Unlike AI Overviews, featured snippets contain only one citation source making them prime real estate for additional brand visibility. Use clear content headings, bullet points, and concise, clear answers to help capture these valuable search result features.
  • Pro tip: Typically, we do not see websites sourced in AI Overviews and in Featured Snippets when both are shown in search results. If you are not winning a citation in the AI Overview shown for a search query, you still may win the Featured Snippet result if your content is better than the competition's.

Social media platforms: The new search engines

Younger generations are increasingly turning to platforms like Reddit, YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram as their go-to search engines. When they’re looking for peer feedback or neighborhood insights, these platforms provide rich, user-generated content that traditional search engines can’t replicate. 

Gen Z and Millennial renters may prioritize authentic, community-centered content over traditional website listings. Prospective residents could base their decisions on virtual tours they discover on YouTube, a TikTok video showcasing neighborhood highlights, or a Reddit thread discussing the pros and cons of living in a particular area. 

SEO best practices for social media platforms

• Video content is king: If you haven’t already, invest in high-quality video content showcasing your properties. Post virtual tours, Q&A sessions, and testimonials across your social platforms (and don’t forget YouTube).
• Engage in conversations: Monitor and actively participate in discussions about your property or neighborhood on Reddit, social media, and other forums.
• Leverage hashtags and trends: Use relevant hashtags and monitor trends to make your content discoverable on TikTok and Instagram.

The role of website content and authority

Despite these changes, your website remains the foundation of your SEO strategy. However, its role is evolving as generative search engines and social platforms increasingly rely on fresh tactics including off-site signals to evaluate authority.

Your website’s content needs to align with external mentions, reviews, and discussions to ensure it appears as the authoritative source about your property. Consistent messaging across all platforms and maintaining updated, rich content can position your website as a trusted resource in the apartment search journey.

Key strategies for 2025

• Publish high-quality content: Create detailed, engaging, and keyword-rich content tailored to your target renter’s needs. This means going beyond the 6-8 pages created in your website template.
  • Pro tip: Think neighborhood guides, information of interest to your residents, and detailed leasing information.
• Enhance social media presence: Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter) can drive traffic and validate your property’s reputation. Generative AI often factors in social signals when determining responses so be sure to publish quality content and respond to comments.

The influence of reviews and social proof

Online reviews and social proof play a pivotal role in SEO. Search engines and AI tools use these signals to determine your apartment community website’s trustworthiness and relevance.

Plus, reviews and social proof can heavily influence a prospective renter’s decision-making process. Renters often turn to platforms like Google, Yelp, and apartment listing services to assess real-life experiences from current or former residents. Improving your social proof is a win-win!

Actionable steps to improve social proof

• Encourage reviews: Ask happy residents to leave reviews on your Google Business Profile, Yelp, and the ILSs you use to advertise your apartment homes.
• Respond to feedback: Address negative reviews promptly and professionally to showcase responsiveness and care.
  • Pro tip: Respond to every review within 72 hours. This shows search engines that you are engaged.
• Highlight testimonials: Add a few reviews or video testimonials on your website (while being mindful to remain compliant with recent FTC regulations).
  • Pro tip: Read more to find out if your property website is compliant.

Strive for a holistic approach to apartment SEO in 2025

You now know the apartment SEO landscape in 2025 is going to be more dynamic than previous years. Success will require a multi-channel strategy that goes beyond optimizing your apartment website for Google. By considering the impact of alternative search engines, adapting to generative AI, leveraging social media platforms, and focusing on creating quality content and securing reviews, you can stay ahead of the curve.

Start implementing these strategies today to position your apartment community to get its fair share of visibility, organic traffic, leads, and leases in 2025.

How apartment SEO experts can help you reach your goals

Trust the experts who know multifamily inside and out. Respage has been 100% focused on multifamily and apartment SEO from the beginning, delivering proven strategies tailored to your unique needs. With the right guidance, your team can navigate the evolving SEO landscape and ensure your properties stay competitive in 2025 and beyond.

Here’s how we can help:

• Optimize for emerging search engines: We’ll ensure your website is fully optimized for platforms like Bing, Perplexity AI, and other rising search tools.
• Streamline schema markup: We handle behind-the-scenes structured data to improve search engine understanding of your website’s content.
• Leverage generative AI opportunities: From FAQ-style content to optimizing for featured snippets, we’ll position your property to thrive in AI-powered search environments.
• Stay ahead of SEO trends: With our deep multifamily expertise and proactive approach, we’ll ensure your digital strategy evolves to emerging trends and technology to future-proof your online visibility.

Not sure if your current SEO is up to the challenge? Ask us for an apartment SEO audit and we’ll give you a free assessment of where you stand today.