Scroll a local Facebook group or an agent’s Instagram feed and you will see a familiar pattern: a carousel of listing photos, a “Just Sold” graphic, maybe a quote about the market. It is the digital version of a yard sign. Meanwhile, more buyers start their research by asking an AI assistant a question, and Google’s AI Overviews answer many real estate questions before anyone clicks a website. So here is a question I think the industry does not ask enough: how many agents are doing anything meaningful for search and AI visibility beyond posting photos?
The short answer: not many
The published figures vary by source and method, but they point the same way. NAR’s 2025 Technology Survey reported that 52% of agents use drone photography and video, while 26% consistently use video for every listing (National Association of Realtors). A separate 2025 industry analysis put the share of agents using any video in their marketing at 38%, and the share creating dedicated listing videos at 9% (Media Engage). On written content, a 2024 compilation estimated that about 23% of U.S. agents use content marketing (Ranktracker). Those are estimates from different methods, not a single census, but they suggest most agents are not publishing the kind of question-answering material search engines and AI tools can use.
Why photos alone are not enough
Listing photos are essential, but they solve a narrow problem: they show what a property looks like. They do not answer the questions people type or speak into search bars and AI assistants. Search engines can read alt text, but they cannot pull context or explanation out of a picture of a kitchen. Answer engine optimization (AEO) is about structuring content so tools like ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google’s AI Overviews can draw direct answers from it; a well-written FAQ or a video transcript can do that, and a photo cannot (Boston Agent Magazine).
The video gap
Video does a few things a photo cannot. It tends to keep visitors on a page longer. It can be found on YouTube as a separate discovery channel. It produces a transcript that can become a blog post or FAQ. And it lets people see how you explain things. On social media, a 2026 report on data from the property marketing platform PropertyBox found that video posts generated about six times more impressions than static images, and that professionally produced video posts averaged about 1,851 impressions, 701 views and 48 website clicks per post in June 2026 (PropertyWire). That is one platform’s data, not a prediction for any individual agent.
Explainer videos on the buying or selling process, market updates that cite their sources, and buyer and seller FAQ series remain uncommon, even though they are the kind of material AI tools draw on when answering local questions.
The AI visibility problem
A 2026 industry benchmark reported that 91% of U.S. agents did not appear in AI search results it tested, and estimated that 67% of buyers use AI tools as a primary research method (FlyDragon). HousingWire reported in 2026 that only 8.4% of U.S. agents appeared in AI-generated answers to high-intent searches in their markets, that the top 1% captured 47% of citations, and that the average buyer asks 8.7 questions before settling on a shortlist of two or three agents, most of them local in nature (HousingWire, “Most Agents”). Inman has made a similar argument: a small share of agents are being surfaced by AI repeatedly while most are not (Inman). These are industry estimates, and methods differ, but the direction is hard to ignore.
What AEO means in practice
AEO favors direct answers, structured pages and consistent mentions across the web (Boston Agent Magazine). HousingWire reports that AI systems give weight to complete business profiles, accurate location data and consistent listings across platforms, and that the businesses cited in AI answers overwhelmingly have complete, actively managed Google Business Profiles (HousingWire, “The New Real Estate Playbook”). For an agent, that means thinking a little less like a photographer and a little more like a publisher:
- Write clear FAQ pages that answer the questions buyers and sellers actually ask.
- Use a proper heading structure so the content is easy to parse.
- Caption your videos and publish transcripts.
- Build area guides around physical, verifiable facts (roads, parks, housing types, HOA basics) rather than descriptions of who lives somewhere or school rankings, which fair housing advertising rules do not allow.
- Keep your Google Business Profile complete and consistent with your website, including your brokerage name.
The opportunity
Because relatively few agents invest in video and structured content, the barrier to doing it is lower than many assume. It does not take studio production. It takes consistency, a willingness to be on camera, and a basic understanding of how search and AI tools read content. Nobody can promise that an AI assistant will name a particular agent; what you can do is publish clear, accurate, useful material so there is something worth citing.
A final thought
Search is no longer only about ranking on Google; it is also about being a source AI tools draw from. HousingWire reported in 2026 that when a Google AI Overview appears, most searches end without a click to any outside site, and that the share is higher in Google’s AI Mode (HousingWire, “The New Real Estate Playbook”). Photos will always matter in real estate marketing, but on their own they are not enough. You can see how I approach this on my own FAQ page.