Your Apartment Is Being Googled Less — So How Are Renters Finding You?

Google is still important—but it’s no longer the only place renters are discovering apartment communities.

In this episode of The Multifamily Marketers Podcast, hosts Josh Grillo and Caroline Mills explore how the renter journey is evolving beyond traditional Google searches into a much broader digital ecosystem that includes AI, social media, Google Maps, reviews, ILSs, and property websites.

As search behavior becomes more fragmented, multifamily marketers need to rethink how they measure visibility and ensure their communities can be discovered wherever renters begin their search.

You’ll learn:

• Why renters are relying less on traditional Google searches
• How AI, social media, Google Maps, reviews, and ILSs now shape the renter journey
• What “zero-click” searches mean for apartment marketing
• Why rankings alone no longer guarantee visibility
• How to build a strong multifamily digital ecosystem across every platform
• Simple searches every marketer should perform to evaluate their property’s visibility
• Why consistency across your website, Google Business Profile, reviews, and ILS listings matters more than ever

To suggest a topic, get in touch!

For more multifamily marketing help, connect with us at Resident360.

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TRANSCRIPT

Episode 54: Your Apartment Is Being Googled Less — So How Are Renters Finding You?

Podcast Co-Hosts: Josh Grillo and Caroline Mills, Resident360

Josh: Welcome back to the Multifamily Marketers Podcast. I’m your host, Josh Grillo, co-founder here at Resident360, and I’m joined by my co-host, Miss Caroline Mills, our director of digital marketing. Caroline, happy Monday.

Caroline: Hello, Josh. Happy Monday. Kicking off our week today.

Josh: For today’s topic, we decided to call it “Your Apartment Is Being Googled Less, So How Are Renters Finding You?” This is kind of a piggyback on last week’s episode, where we did a whole deep dive into AI and ChatGPT and which properties are showing up there. So today is going to be a little different. Is that right, Caroline?

Caroline: It is, and I’m excited. We get this question a lot: Are people Googling less, and how are they finding your property? So we’ve got some cool topics for today.

Josh: So when was the last time you actually Googled something? And I don’t mean a definition or a restaurant. I mean typed a question into Google, clicked through three, four, or five websites, opened a bunch of tabs, and did your research. The way I search for things is absolutely changing, and I think that has a pretty major implication for multifamily properties as well.

What happens if renters aren’t finding apartments the way they used to? We already know they aren’t necessarily starting with Google anymore. They might ask ChatGPT. They might search on TikTok. They might just look at Google Maps. They might ask Reddit, believe it or not. They might go directly to Zillow or Apartments.com, or see a property they like on Instagram. And by the time they ever visit your website, they may already have a pretty strong opinion about your community. I think the most important distinction is that we’re not saying Google is going away.

Caroline: Definitely not. That’s a great way to phrase it. We’re saying the renter journey is becoming much more fragmented. If you’re still thinking about your marketing strategy as Google, website, lead, lease, you’re probably missing a lot of what happens before a prospect ever hits your CRM. That’s what we’re going to dive into today.

This is a perfect follow-up to last week’s episode. If you haven’t listened yet, we did it a little differently: We searched for apartments on ChatGPT live together and looked at what came up and why. We looked at which properties it recommended and which it didn’t, and we started asking why. What information was available for those properties? What did AI seem to understand about them? And most importantly, what information was missing?

Josh: I think one of the biggest takeaways was that the search wasn’t necessarily happening on a property website.

Caroline: Exactly, 100%. We started with a question, just like a renter would, and that’s where today’s conversation begins, because the search journey doesn’t start with your website anymore.

Josh: So if we take a step back, Caroline, what did traditional apartment search look like? Was it just somebody going to Google and typing something in?

Caroline: Traditionally, it was really easy to visualize. A renter decided to move, went to Google, and searched something like “apartments in Atlanta.” They’d click around. Maybe they’d see an ad, maybe they’d click an ILS, maybe they’d click the property website. They’d browse, maybe fill out a form, and eventually become a lead. Because we can track so much of that activity, we got really comfortable thinking about marketing through those channels: an impression, then a click, then a lead, a tour, an application, and a lease.

But that’s really changing.

Josh: It is, and we’ve built entire reporting structures around that model.

Caroline: Yes. If you look at the back end of CRM platforms, that’s exactly the path they show: click, lead, tour, lease. The problem is that’s not the entire journey anymore.

Josh: So the old journey is Google, website, lead, tour, lease. And I guess the new one would be social, AI, Google, Maps, reviews, ILS, website, social, call, tour, lease.

Caroline: Yes, that’s so different. Just from what you walked through, a renter might start their search on TikTok and not click anything. Three days later, they might ask ChatGPT about apartments in their neighborhood, and your property may or may not show up. Then they may Google your property. They’ll definitely look at your reviews; we talk all the time about how important those are. Maybe they check Google Maps to see what’s around you. Then they click over to your Instagram. It’s all connected, and they may not have even left their browser this entire time. Then they look at Zillow, click your property website, and finally become a lead. So how much of that journey did your reporting actually capture?

Josh: If I had to guess, probably not much.

Caroline: No, it really doesn’t. And that’s where it starts to get interesting for marketers.

Josh: Hold on, though. When we’re talking about Google, there’s another piece here. Google itself is changing.

Caroline: You’re absolutely right. Google isn’t just a page of blue links anymore, which is what we’re used to. Now we’re seeing AI-generated answers, maps, reviews, images, videos, and local results, and Google is increasingly trying to answer the question before the user ever gets to a website. So even when someone does use Google, they might not click through to you. That’s where we get into something we’ve talked about before: zero-click searches. That’s when someone searches, sees what answers come up, reads an AI summary, and never clicks through to a website.

Josh: Let’s say a marketing director says, “Well, we’re number one on Google for apartments in our market. Why should I care, Caroline?”

Caroline: That’s a good question, because ranking isn’t the same as being discovered. Think about what a search results page looks like now. At the very top, you could have AI-generated answers. Then the map results, or the map pack. Then reviews, images, videos, paid ads, ILS listings, and then the organic listings. So being in position one for your website doesn’t necessarily mean you’re the first thing a renter sees anymore. Visibility has become much bigger than rankings. Sometimes we even see position-one results that don’t show up until what feels like page two, because of everything else on page one. I think that’s the most surprising and biggest change for people.

Josh: Okay, so if it’s not just Google, where are renters actually going?

Caroline: That’s the multimillion-dollar question we get all the time, and I don’t think there’s just one answer.

Josh: Obviously ChatGPT and other AI tools, and we literally tested this last week. Instead of searching “apartments in Orlando,” you can ask, “I’m moving to Orlando. I have a dog. I work downtown. I want a one-bedroom under $2,000. What apartments should I look at?” That’s a completely different search experience than going to Google and typing “one-bedroom apartments in Orlando” into the search bar.

Caroline: Completely. It’s changed the journey entirely. And like you mentioned earlier, we’re also seeing more discovery happen on channels like TikTok, Instagram, and short-form video. That’s especially important because social isn’t necessarily where someone goes to complete their apartment search, but it may be where they discover an apartment exists.

Josh: I think that’s a really important distinction, Caroline.

Caroline: It is. Social doesn’t always have to generate a lead. Sometimes its job is just to create the awareness that eventually becomes a Google search or an AI search.

Josh: I guess another avenue would be Google Maps. That’s one I think multifamily probably doesn’t pay enough attention to. A renter can search “apartments near me” on Google Maps, and suddenly they’re looking at your rating, reviews, photos, and directions. That’s a huge amount of information before they’ve even visited your website.

Caroline: And now there’s the new Ask Maps feature, which we did a whole deep dive on earlier this year. That leads into the one most people are familiar with: ILSs. ILSs obviously aren’t going anywhere. You’ve got Zillow, Apartments.com, Apartment List, and Rent.com. Those sites are still incredibly important because renters still go directly to them. That’s another reason I don’t think multifamily should think about this as Google versus ILS versus social versus AI. They’re all connected.

And I want to save reviews for last, because they tie ILSs and Google together. You know we love to talk about reviews here; we have several episodes on them. But I think reviews are still the most underrated piece. A renter may discover you through Google, and the first thing they do is read your Google reviews. Or AI may use information from reviews to understand your property. We saw that in one of the examples last week. It talked about the downtown location and said, “Reviewers usually mention how close this is to downtown.” So someone might search, “What is it like living at Main Street Apartments?” and suddenly resident experiences become part of your marketing.

Josh: Which means reputation isn’t just reputation management anymore.

Caroline: Exactly. It’s becoming part of discovery. Then there’s what we’d call the messy middle. This is where the renter journey gets really messy, because renters aren’t following a neat search, click, convert path. They’re bouncing around. They might see a TikTok, then search the property, then read reviews. Then they go back to AI and ask it a question. Then they check Zillow, maybe go back to Google, and click through to Instagram. Maybe they talk to friends, and finally they call or submit a form. That’s a lot of touchpoints, and we have to stop pretending the last click tells the entire story.

Josh: Okay, another big million-dollar question, Caroline. What does that mean for reporting? How do you report on this stuff?

Caroline: That’s a really good question, and we were just talking about it before we jumped on. We really have to rethink some of our reporting. Imagine this: Someone sees your apartment on TikTok, but they don’t click. Two weeks later, they Google your property and think, “Huh, I remember seeing something about them. That looks familiar.” Then they read 40 reviews. They visit your website and think about it for a while. Three days later, they call you. Your CRM is going to say “Google Organic.” Technically, that’s true. It’s not wrong. But is Google Organic really responsible for the lease? Maybe, but so is TikTok, and so were your reviews, your website, and your brand overall.

Renters don’t experience marketing in channels; we do. That’s a really important part of how you think about where you spend your money and invest your dollars, and why these other channels matter beyond what your reporting alone tells you.

Josh: Okay, so if I’m a property marketer thinking, “I can’t possibly optimize for every place someone might search,” what do I do?

Caroline: People do ask that, but it’s the wrong way to look at it. You don’t need a completely different marketing strategy for every platform. Like we’ve referenced in other episodes, you want to create a strong digital ecosystem.

The thing we talk about most is consistency. If your website says one thing and your Google Business Profile says another, make sure they match. Your ILS listings should match, your social profiles should reinforce the same information, and your reviews should support it. Your content should answer renter questions so AI can understand what your property is. That’s the strategy: making sure all these channels line up.

I think we’re moving toward a world where these things can’t operate independently anymore. Your SEO strategy affects your AI visibility. Your reviews affect your reputation and, as we’ve learned, potentially your AI visibility. Your social content creates awareness. Your ILS listings give renters information. Your website validates everything they’ve learned across all those channels. And your paid media puts you in front of people who may not have discovered you organically. Together, it creates this entire system. That’s why we call it the digital ecosystem.

Josh: I love that: the multifamily digital ecosystem. I wrote it down. I think it’s a fantastic one, and we need to reference it often. This may leave people wondering: Does the property website become less important now?

Caroline: I’d say it’s the opposite. It becomes more important, but its job changes from what we were used to. It may not always be where discovery happens, but it’s definitely where validation happens. Someone hears about you somewhere and thinks, “Okay, let me see if this property is actually what they said it was,” or they want to see your photos, so they come to your website. That’s where you need to answer every question they might have. Make it very clear and easy to navigate: pricing, floor plans, availability, amenities, photos, location, pet policy, fees, and contact information. And ultimately, answer the question, “Why should I live here?”

Josh: All right, let’s make this really practical. If someone listening wants to know whether they’re ready for this new search environment, what should they do, Caroline?

Caroline: I’d start with a very simple exercise. Search number one: “apartments in [your city],” wherever the property you’re concerned about is located. Do you show up? Then we’ll get more niche as we go. Search number two: “best apartments in [your city].” Are you there now? Were you there before and now you’re gone? What changed? Then start getting specific about the amenities you offer, like “pet-friendly apartments in [your city].” Are you there now? Did you just start showing up when you weren’t before?

Then ask AI with a long-form query: “What apartments would you recommend in [my city] for…?” and describe whatever renter profile you want. When we did it, I said I was 30 years old with a pet and working remotely. If that’s the type of renter you want, are you actually showing up? That will give you a good starting point.

Josh: Another one you can do is search your property name. What do you see? Are the reviews accurate? Are the photos current? Is your information consistent? Does the property look appealing? And here’s the one I really want marketers to do: Search like someone who doesn’t know your property exists. I think that’s a great test.

Caroline: I completely agree.

Josh: So are you saying multifamily marketers should stop worrying about Google, Caroline? Is that what we’re saying?

Caroline: I know that’s probably what someone’s going to think, but no, we’re not saying to stop worrying about Google. But I do think we should stop treating Google as the entire search strategy. It’s still incredibly important. But search is becoming more conversational, more visual, more local, more social, and absolutely more AI-driven. The properties that win won’t necessarily be the ones with the biggest marketing budgets. They’ll be the ones that are easy to discover, easy to understand, and easy to trust.

Josh: Here’s the question I want everyone listening to ask themselves this week: If I didn’t tell a renter my property existed, how would they find it? Would they find you on Google? On Maps? Through an ILS? On social? Would AI recommend you? Would a resident recommend you? Would your reviews convince them? That’s a big one. If the answer to all of those is yes, you’re probably building the right kind of digital presence, or as Caroline likes to say, the multifamily digital ecosystem.

Caroline: Yes, absolutely. You’re definitely on a great track. And if the answer is no, well, you’ve got some marketing to do.

Josh: I think that’s a great place to end the show today, Caroline. We covered a lot. We’re coming from a world where you typed into a search box looking for an apartment, and whatever Google showed you is what happened. Now it’s this full discovery process within a digital ecosystem, like you mentioned.

I think back to what I do now when I’m looking for answers. I’ve said this before: I use Claude for a lot of things, but for quick research, I use ChatGPT all day long. It’s like my own personal research agent. When I can’t find the answer I’m looking for in ChatGPT, then I go to Google, type it in, and see what Google shows in its AI results, plus any forums that are mentioned, because it even pulls in videos. That’s how I search now, which is funny. I’m straight-up ChatGPT first. That’s my number one search tool right now. I get an initial opinion there, then go to Google to fill in the answers I’m not getting.

Caroline: I think that’s a good way to put it. It’s easy to picture ourselves doing this for other things, like a new pair of shoes or a restaurant, but renters are doing the same thing. They’re following the same path and the same journey.

Josh: The thing I wonder is, we’re so close to this. We’re heavily involved in everything AI, so we understand building out our own profiles, prompts, and mega-prompts to get the best answers. But again, we’re close to it. I wonder whether other people searching for apartments are doing the same thing. Are they really creating full renter profiles and typing in multiple prompts to get the best answer from ChatGPT? I don’t know.

Caroline: That’s a good question. Even if you aren’t doing it, we know renters are. I know it’s one of those things where people say, “Yeah, yeah, everybody keeps saying that.” But we have reporting platforms where we follow the kinds of prompts people are entering and see where properties rank in these AI tools, and we do see people asking these questions. Some of them are pretty niche. So if you’re not doing it for your own property, think about what someone looking for an apartment like yours would ask, and see what comes up.

Josh: Okay. Very insightful as always, Caroline. I appreciate everybody listening today. If you liked the show, please leave us a review. We love seeing new reviews. Shoot us an email if you have an idea, and we’ll try to cover it in a future episode. Until next week, we’ll see you later. Thank you, Caroline. Talk to you later.

Caroline: Thanks, guys. Bye!