Optimizing your website for AI
I have some bad news and some good news…. I know you’ve heard all about SEO and how you have to optimize your website with keywords and plugins and strategic marketing verbiage to try and get your website to pull up in a search. Welp, because of all the AI generated content and competing real estate websites, it’s going to be extremely hard to ensure that the hard work you’ve put into your website will ever be seen by those most in need of what you have to offer.
So what else am I supposed to do to boost my site and get converting leads?
AI chat… would you know it, we’re here…
81% of people are now choosing chatbots over traditional search engines for quick questions. ChatGPT or Claude or Gemini are just a few of these tools.
So what’s the good news?
People are asking AI conversational questions as if they were talking with a real person. You are no longer writing for keywords… you are organizing information logically and clearly. That is so much more real. Just do your very best to present your leads and clients with the helpful resources they need, and take the time to lay it out in a way that is super easy for them to acquire and digest that information. Voila!
Searches like Google are getting clogged up with tons of non-authentic AI generated content and other results that you have to sift through to find what you want - and who is going to even going to the second page of search results to find you?? Your future clients need help with buying, selling, or investing… and they are going to ask you the same questions they would ask AI… so if you answer those questions through your Portfolio or Case Studies or other FAQ sections around your website, they are more likely to find your site.
You get to be realistic when producing content. You don’t have to waste brain energy on the potential things your clients may need… just look at what questions your current leads and clients are already asking.
It’s as simple as that. They. have a need, you have a solution. You know things they don’t. That’s why you have a job.
What does this mean for my website?
If you purchased the True North template, there’s good news… I have already optimized your blog pages for AI and SEO (let’s check all the boxes, right?)!
However, there is still some work on your part.
Okay, so what do I have to do to keep my website optimized for AI?
Whenever you create a new blog post you need to duplicate the settings and structure that already exist in the blog posts that came with your website template. Copy / paste (maybe make a few edits)… not so hard.
Wait… I have a blog??
You don’t exactly have a “blog” in the traditional sense. However, the way your site is structured is that your Portfolio and your Case Studies are setup as blog pages so that someone can view all of your Portfolio “blogs” or “posts” in one place, or read through all of your Case Study “blogs” in one place. These “blogs” are already featured on your home page and are clearly labeled as either Portfolio or Case Studies. Your Testimonials page is also setup as a “blog,” just FYI. A “blog” is a page that collects posts from the same category, and for you that means (to be redundant) Portfolio, Case Study, or Testimonial. You can create a new blog to collect different types of posts easily, and I show you how in your Website Welcome Packet that you get when you purchase one of the Made For Me Templates. A brief explanation is below.
How do I add to my Portfolio?
In your Squarespace website editor mode (log into Squarespace > Account Dashboard > select your website), navigate to your Pages section and choose Portfolio. Then click Blog Content. Here you will find the example Portfolio items I’ve created for you. Start by editing these and saving your changes… once you’ve edited the existing posts, you can then add more by simply duplicating previous posts. Hover over the blog you want to duplicate (lefthand sidebar section) > click the three dots to the right > select Duplicate. Then go in and update the information for your new portfolio item.
How do I add a new Case Study?
Follow the same protocol as you did for updating or adding to your Portfolio, except when you are viewing your Pages you will select “Case Studies” to get to the “blog content” for this this category.
How to maintain AI optimization in your blogs:
Clear heading structure - aka change the text size in your posts to clearly define sections and make it easy to skim… basically.
(you’ll have 4 heading text options and 3 paragraph text options in your text editor while typing)Organize information into clear sections, adding bullet points or numbered lists where appropriate.
Add alt text to every image, video, and audio block that you put into your blog.
Don’t just use keywords - typical SEO protocol. Instead, use context to summarize sections if you have lots of writing in your posts.
Add “FAQ” sections to pages by using an “accordion block.” When you begin editing pages in Squarespace you will see that the “accordion block” is a type of item that you can place into any section of your website. This FAQ section is where you answer questions you’re already getting asked on social media, directly by clients, etc.
Add transcripts to important videos. Real Estate videos would probably include video testimonials, teaching videos where you discuss the home buying process for example, visual case studies where you share the story of a particularly challenging or rewarding transaction, etc.
Introduce yourself the way you would at an in-person conference. Introduce your portfolio items with a brief description of who you are and your work on the project/home. The best way to write for AI is for it to be as much like a real-life encounter as possible. If someone lands on this page of your case study, they need to be introduced to you, get to know who you are and why they should listen to you. As Squarespace expert Becca Harpain simply and accurately said: “This is not about bragging. This is about helping both AI and humans understand why they can trust your advice.”
Cite your sources! If you are sharing information that you just gleaned at a realtor conference or you learned some key selling or investing tips from another expert in the field, citing them isn’t just the right thing to do, it shows people and AI that you are connected to the real estate network. As you share your case studies and publish helpful information for your clients, it’s a benefit to them for you to be learning from others and sharing that information you are learning. This doesn’t detract from you, it actually establishes you as a connected and knowledgable source.
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Notes from her awesome podcast on optimizing for AI.
“Remember all those AI-generated articles clogging up Google? The ones written by people who've clearly never touched the products they're writing about? They've actually done us a huge favor by pushing people toward AI tools that can filter out the noise.
For those of us who actually know our stuff? Who've spent years in the trenches, solving real problems and helping real people? Our time is finally here.
Welcome to the Age of AI Optimization
Instead of stuffing our content with keywords and hoping for the best, we can now focus on what really matters: sharing our expertise in a way that both humans and AI can understand.
I call this "AI-Friendly Architecture," and it's revolutionizing how I create content. The best part? It's not about tricks or hacks – it's about being a better teacher and communicator.
I want to get my content in front of more people; Is SEO a waste of time?
No, but the role of SEO is changing. Think of traditional SEO as becoming more like business directory optimization – still important for local businesses, but not the be-all-end-all for content discovery.
Do I need to completely restructure my existing content for AI?
You don’t nee a complete overhaul – you can gradually adapt to where content discovery is heading. Start with your most important content first, and develop a structure and plan from there.
Will AI replace human-created content?
Actually, the opposite! AI is making it easier for genuine expertise to shine through. It's becoming harder to fake expertise, which means authentic, experienced voices are more valuable than ever.
What You Can Do Right Now
1. Focus on clear, logical organization of your content
2. Create comprehensive FAQ sections that address real questions
3. Use proper heading structure to guide readers (and AI) through your content
4. Include detailed context for any multimedia content
5. Build authority by clearly showing your expertise”