The way renters discover apartments is evolving—and your leasing strategy needs to evolve with it.
For more than two decades, property managers and multifamily owners have played by one unwritten rule: rank high on Google or stay invisible.
Want prospective renters to find your property? Optimize your website. Chase SEO rankings. Build backlinks. Pray that Google’s algorithm doesn’t tank your traffic overnight with the next mysterious update.We followed those rankings until we turned blue. We hired SEO agencies, rewrote website copy around keywords, and obsessed over being on page one of search results.
Then ChatGPT arrived—and the entire discovery process shifted.
What’s Actually Changing (And What Isn’t)
Here’s something we should acknowledge upfront: Most people have always only clicked the top 3 search results.
Google’s #1 result gets about 30% of clicks. #2 gets 15%. #3 gets 10%. By the time you scroll to position #10, you’re getting maybe 2% of traffic.
Nobody was actually looking through all 10 results on page one. They were scanning titles, clicking the top 2-3 that looked promising, and calling it a day.
So what’s different now?
It’s not that people are suddenly only considering 3 options—they always were.
What’s changed is who decides which 3 options are worth clicking.
Before: User-Filtered Search
- Google shows 10 results
- User scans titles and descriptions
- User clicks the top 2-3 that look good
- The user does the filtering work
Now: AI-Filtered Recommendations
- AI evaluates dozens of sources behind the scenes
- AI tells you “here are the top 3 apartments for you”
- User clicks those specific recommendations
- AI does the filtering work
The difference? You can’t game your way into AI’s top 3 the way you could optimize for Google’s #1 spot.
AI is evaluating factors you can’t fake: genuine reviews, real reputation, authoritative content, and consistent information across platforms.
The New Apartment Search Journey
Today, millions of renters are skipping traditional search entirely. Instead of typing “apartments in [city]” and scrolling through results, they simply ask AI:
- “What are the best apartments near downtown Atlanta?”
- “Should I rent in Buckhead or Midtown?”
- “What’s a reasonable rent for a 2-bedroom in my area?”
And here’s the critical part: AI doesn’t just answer their question—it evaluates dozens of properties behind the scenes and surfaces only the 3-5 worth investigating.
Those 3-5 properties? They still get the website visit. They still get the phone call. They still get the tour request.
But the other 45 properties? They never even entered the conversation.
Google saw this coming. Their response? SGE (Search Generative Experience)—an AI-powered layer that summarizes and recommends information directly in search results, filtering options before users even see the traditional list of links.
What This Means: The Top 3 Have Always Mattered—But How You Get There Just Changed
Website visits aren’t disappearing. The top few properties have always gotten the lion’s share of clicks.
What’s different is how properties earn their place in that top 3.
The Old Path (SEO-Driven):
- Optimize keywords and meta descriptions
- Build backlinks from other sites
- Improve page load speed
- Hope Google’s algorithm favors you
- Goal: Rank #1 on Google
The New Path (AI-Driven):
- Deliver exceptional resident experiences
- Generate authentic 5-star reviews
- Create genuinely valuable content
- Build real brand authority in your market
- Goal: Be one of the 3 properties AI recommends
Think about it:
- Before AI: A prospect clicks 3 properties based on titles and rankings
- With AI: A prospect clicks 3 properties AI evaluated as the best fit based on reviews, reputation, and quality
Your traffic might look different. But the visitors you do get? They’re pre-qualified, more serious, and further along in their decision process.
This is actually good news—if you make the shortlist.
The challenge? You need to be one of the 3 properties AI recommends, and you can’t manipulate your way there.
How AI Decides Who Makes the Shortlist
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: The factors AI weighs can’t be gamed with SEO tricks.
1. Reputation and Reviews
When AI evaluates properties, it heavily weighs what real residents say. Your star rating, the volume of reviews, the authenticity of testimonials—these are now the signals that determine whether you get recommended.
A property with 4.8 stars and 200 authentic reviews will get recommended over a property with better SEO but only 3.2 stars.
You can’t keyword-stuff your way to good reviews. You have to earn them.
2. Authoritative, Trustworthy Content
AI systems prioritize information from sources they deem credible. Properties with genuine resident testimonials, detailed neighborhood guides, transparent pricing, and high-quality virtual tours establish themselves as trustworthy sources worth citing.
Generic, keyword-stuffed content? AI sees right through it. It’s looking for depth, accuracy, and value—not optimization tactics.
3. Brand Recognition and Market Presence
Properties that are well-known in their market—mentioned in local news, active in the community, referenced across multiple credible platforms—carry more weight in AI recommendations.
It’s the digital equivalent of word-of-mouth at scale. And just like word-of-mouth, you can’t fake it.
4. Consistency Across Platforms
Your information needs to be accurate and consistent everywhere: your website, Google Business Profile, apartment listing sites, social media. AI cross-references sources, and inconsistencies hurt your credibility.
This isn’t about optimizing—it’s about having your act together.
The SEO Era vs. The Recommendation Era
Let’s be honest about what the old SEO game really was:
You could rank #1 on Google without necessarily being the best property. You just needed to be better at SEO than your competitors. Better keywords, better backlinks, better technical optimization.
A mediocre property with great SEO could outrank an exceptional property with poor SEO.
That’s what’s changing.
AI doesn’t care about your keyword density. It doesn’t care about your backlink profile. It cares about signals that indicate actual quality: reviews from real residents, content that genuinely helps people, recognition from credible sources.
You can’t optimize your way to a 4.8-star rating. You have to deliver experiences that earn it.
This levels the playing field in favor of properties that have always done the right thing: focused on resident satisfaction, invested in their communities, and built genuine reputations.
Google’s Dilemma (And Opportunity)
Here’s the tension Google faces:
Their business model depends on clicks and ads. The entire Google empire—worth hundreds of billions—is built on people clicking search results and seeing advertisements.
But users are demanding more efficient discovery. They don’t want to evaluate ten options. They want help narrowing to the best 3.
Google isn’t going anywhere. They’re Android, YouTube, Gmail, Google Workspace, Cloud infrastructure, Chrome, and Maps—an ecosystem that touches 90% of the internet.
Search made them dominant. But their future depends on evolving how search works.
Now, let’s be clear: AI isn’t perfect yet. These systems still make mistakes—what the industry calls “hallucinations.” They’re still learning. They still get facts wrong. We question ChatGPT and Claude constantly, and for good reason.
But they’re improving rapidly. And more importantly, user behavior is already changing.
The Real Question for Multifamily Operators
Will traditional SEO survive?
And if the answer is no—or even “not as we know it”—what does that mean for how multifamily properties earn those increasingly valuable clicks?
The Future Is Building What AI Wants to Recommend
Here’s our take: We’re entering an era where being recommendable matters more than being findable.
The properties that will thrive aren’t the ones gaming algorithms. They’re the ones building what AI naturally wants to recommend:
1. Exceptional Resident Experiences That Generate Authentic Reviews
The best “SEO” strategy for 2025? Make your residents so happy they can’t help but leave glowing reviews.
You can’t fake your way into AI recommendations. If your property delivers mediocre experiences, your reviews will reflect that—and AI will recommend your competitors instead.
This rewards properties that have always prioritized resident satisfaction.
2. Original, High-Quality Content That Actually Helps People
Video tours, neighborhood guides, resident stories, transparent pricing information—content that establishes your property as a trusted authority.
Not content created to game algorithms, but content that genuinely helps prospects make informed decisions.
AI rewards properties that provide real value, not keyword-stuffed blog posts that no human would actually want to read.
3. Active Community Presence and Local Partnerships
Being known and respected in your market matters more than ever. When AI evaluates which properties to recommend in your area, community involvement and local recognition become ranking factors.
This isn’t about backlinks—it’s about actually being embedded in your community.
4. Expert Leasing Teams Who Convert High-Intent Traffic
Here’s the thing AI fundamentally cannot do: close a lease.
AI can recommend your property. It can get prospects to your website, on the phone, and through your door. But it can’t tour them, answer their specific questions, address their concerns, or guide them through the application process.
That still requires skilled leasing professionals who know how to build genuine connections.
And here’s the beautiful part: when prospects arrive via AI recommendation, they’re further along in their journey. They’re more qualified. They’re more ready to act.
You might get fewer website visitors than you did chasing broad SEO keywords—but if your leasing team converts 40% of them instead of 10%, you’ll fill vacancies faster than ever.
Your conversion rate becomes your most important metric.
Why This Actually Makes Us Optimistic
At Sales Inc., we’ve spent 34 years proving one thing: real leasing success comes down to genuine connections and excellent execution—not keyword tricks.
We’ve never believed that ranking high on Google alone fills apartments. It’s about:
- Having skilled leasing experts who know how to connect with prospects
- Creating remarkable resident experiences that generate word-of-mouth
- Building a reputation that makes your property the obvious choice
- Following up, being responsive, and actually caring about the people who walk through your doors
As the digital landscape shifts, that truth becomes even more important.
The multifamily operators who’ve invested only in SEO and paid ads—hoping that clicks alone would solve their vacancy problems—are about to face a reckoning.
But the ones who’ve built strong brands, delivered exceptional experiences, and developed expert leasing teams? They’re positioned perfectly for this new era.
Because they’ve been building what AI wants to recommend all along.
The playing field is actually leveling in favor of properties that do the right things.
What This Means for Your Leasing Strategy
The future isn’t about gaming algorithms. It’s about being worth recommending.
Sure, most people have always only clicked the top 3 results. What’s changed is that you can’t manipulate your way into that top 3 anymore.
You have to earn it through:
- Reviews that reflect genuine resident satisfaction
- Content that demonstrates real expertise
- A reputation that’s built on consistent excellence
- Leasing teams that convert interest into signed leases
Clicks aren’t dead. But earning them now requires actual excellence, not optimization tricks.
And honestly? That’s a better system.
The Bottom Line
The top 3 have always gotten the clicks. What’s changed is how properties earn their place in that top 3.
The old way: Optimize better than your competitors
The new way: Be better than your competitors
At Sales Inc., we’ve always believed that real results come from expert leasing professionals who know how to connect with prospects, showcase properties effectively, and close leases consistently. That’s why our Leasing Experts close qualified applicants at 2 to 3 times the rate that was occurring before we arrive.
AI can change how prospects find you. But it can’t replace the human expertise that converts them into residents.
And as the digital landscape continues to evolve, that human expertise—combined with genuine excellence in everything you do—becomes your greatest competitive advantage.
Christina Simms is the Marketing Manager at Sales Inc., guiding the company’s brand direction and advising multifamily communities on strategic marketing initiatives that drive leasing success.
