Search engines helped people find you.
Now, AI decides whether you are worth finding.
Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is how you make sure AI knows who you are, what you do, and why your expertise matters. If you’re not teaching AI that story, you’re invisible, even if you post daily.
I recently unpacked this topic on my AI After Hours podcast. If you prefer to listen instead of read, check out the episode GEO Visibility: How to Show Up in ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Beyond.
Flyers Are Dead
If you are still spending money on flyers, templated graphics, or chasing hashtags, you are missing what is actually happening.
Your next client is not typing “mortgage lender near me” into Google anymore. They are asking AI tools questions like:
“Who is the best loan officer in Bozeman for first-time buyers?”
“Who can help me lower my monthly payment?”
“Which lender actually explains things clearly?”
If your name does not show up, you do not exist in the new visibility game.
That is what GEO is about: helping AI recognize you as the trusted professional in your market.
The Shift Your Competitors Are Preparing For
Everyone is talking about AI, but your competitors are doing something different. They are preparing for it.
They are not waiting to see how it plays out. They are already building visibility inside the systems clients are using to find trusted lenders.
For years, SEO was about feeding Google the right keywords. It helped you rank, not relate.
But AI does not rank. It interprets.
ChatGPT and Perplexity do not list links. They generate answers. And when they do, they pull from everything the internet already knows about you.
If that information is incomplete, inconsistent, or missing, AI cannot include you in the response.
That is not a content problem. That is a visibility problem.
What GEO Actually Means
Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) shapes how AI understands your professional identity.
Think of GEO as your digital introduction. It helps AI understand who you are, what you stand for, and when to bring your name into the conversation.
If you are a loan officer, that might be:
“Who helps buyers get approved with student loans?”
If you are a branch manager, maybe it is:
“Who leads a top-producing team that educates first-time buyers?”
GEO makes sure the answer includes you.
The Data Speaks for Itself
According to a recent survey done by Realtor.com, 82% of respondents said they use AI tools like ChatGPT or Gemini for real-estate insights. That includes everything from researching local home prices to comparing mortgage information before ever contacting a professional.
The survey focused on consumer behavior, not lenders specifically, but the takeaway is clear. If buyers are already turning to AI for answers, they will soon expect those same tools to recommend the professionals they can trust.
For loan officers, that is not a distant trend. It is a warning shot. Your future clients are already asking AI who they should work with, and if your name is not part of the answer, you are not part of their search.
SEO Got You Clicks. GEO Gets You Chosen.
Search engines ranked pages.
Generative engines summarize people.
Google might show your website.
ChatGPT will describe you.
If that description is wrong or nonexistent, your credibility disappears before you ever get a chance to earn it.
This industry runs on trust, and trust now starts inside AI-generated answers.
How AI “Sees” You
Here is what loan officers and mortgage professionals may not realize about AI visibility.
AI systems do not just pull from your website. They pull from everywhere.
Your LinkedIn headline.
Your podcast guest intros.
Your online bios.
Your social captions.
Your company profile.
Even what other people say about you.
All of those data points form your digital identity.
If they do not align, AI either ignores you or blends you with someone else.
GEO helps you control that narrative and define your identity before the system does it for you.
The Hard Truth About Visibility
If AI tools do not know who you are, your expertise does not exist online.
Not in the way clients are now searching.
You can have the best service, rates, and reputation in your market, but if the systems people trust cannot find or describe you, you are not even in the running.
If your name is not being cited, sourced, or recommended by AI, someone else’s will be.
Where to Start
Do not overthink it. Start simple.
- Run your own GEO check.
Ask ChatGPT or Perplexity, “Who is [Your Name]?”
If it cannot answer, that is where you begin. - Align your message.
Update your website, LinkedIn, and social bios so they all describe you the same way. - Earn digital mentions.
Be featured on a podcast, contribute to a partner’s blog, or get quoted in local media. Every credible reference builds your authority signal. - Stay current.
AI updates constantly. Keep your content and language fresh.
The Bottom Line
GEO is the new foundation of trust and visibility.
Those who adapt now will earn more referrals in their markets. The ones who wait will be playing catch-up to competitors who already show up when AI is asked, “Who’s the expert?”
Visibility builds trust. Trust builds business. GEO builds both.
Want to See How AI Describes You?
Join my GEO Masterclass for mortgage and real-estate professionals who want to take control of their digital visibility.
Inside the session, I will show you how to:
✅ Run your first AI visibility check
✅ Strengthen your digital footprint
✅ Train AI tools to recognize and reference your expertise accurately
👉 Reserve your seat for the next GEO Masterclass
Katie Shive is a Montana-based brand and AI strategist helping mortgage and real-estate professionals build authentic personal brands, master content strategy, and use AI to grow visibility and trust online.
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