In the 486th episode of the Mail-Right Show, Robert Newman and Jonathan Denwood tackle one of the most loaded questions in real estate marketing: “How do I get found on Google fast in 2025?”
Robert, the founder of InboundREM and a long-time SEO and inbound marketing strategist, has spent over 16 years answering some version of that question for agents and brokers. Jonathan, co-founder of Mail-Right, brings the perspective of a WordPress and CRM platform owner who has been living through the turbulence of Google updates and AI disruption in real time. Together, they unpack what “fast” visibility on Google really means now—and what actually works in the current landscape.
Why “Fast” SEO Feels Harder Than Ever
Jonathan starts by sharing his own experience. For months, both his WP-Tonic and Mail-Right websites were seeing strong growth. Then a series of Google core and AI-related updates hit, and traffic took a noticeable downturn.
This experience isn’t unique. Many site owners have seen:
- Traffic fluctuate wildly
- Impressions rise but actual clicks drop
- Long-standing content suddenly underperform
Robert points out that this is one of the reasons so many people give up on SEO. It’s not just slow—it’s inconsistent. But he also notes that when you commit to higher-quality content and a long-term plan, you can end up far ahead of competitors when the dust settles. His own agency traffic has grown significantly because they invested heavily in content quality and user value long before these updates landed.
The key idea: “Fast” visibility now depends on how well you adapt to the new rules of search—not on tricks, shortcuts, or volume alone.
Why AI-Generated Content Alone Isn’t Enough
One of the biggest themes in 2025 SEO is AI content—and the misconception that you can let a tool write everything and magically rank. Jonathan warns strongly against this approach.
He experimented heavily with AI-written content for his sites. Initially, traffic went up. Then Google rolled out updates that penalized obviously machine-generated, low-value content. Rankings dropped. To recover, he had to:
- Edit AI content thoroughly
- Add meaningful human insight
- Incorporate video and richer media
- Use tools to “humanize” the language and structure
Robert expands on this by explaining how search engines are evolving. Large language models learn from enormous pools of existing content—much of which was created by real writers, businesses, and publishers who never intended that work to be repurposed at scale without attribution. As lawsuits and legal challenges unfold, it’s clear that the AI content explosion is not going to be a consequence-free shortcut.
Google’s response has been simple: it doesn’t care if you used AI—it cares whether the final result provides original, useful value to the user. Thin, generic, unedited AI articles are being devalued.
The practical takeaway is clear:
AI can help with ideas, outlines, and drafts, but you need to:
- Reshape it with your own voice
- Add examples from your market
- Include real numbers, stories, and nuance
- Layer in media like video, images, and tools
In other words: AI can accelerate your work, but it cannot replace your expertise.
How Google Really Thinks About AI and Originality
Robert notes that Google has powerful ways of detecting similarity and overlap—even when you “reword” content with AI. While the exact thresholds are unknown, the pattern is clear: Google is rewarding pages where a meaningful portion of the text, examples, and structure is genuinely original.
At InboundREM, they still use AI—but they aim for content that is substantially reworked and deeply edited by real writers. They treat AI as a brainstorming partner, not a ghostwriter. The goal is simple: produce something that could stand on its own even if AI didn’t exist.
This mindset is especially important for real estate agents. Market-specific nuance, your personal process, your actual transactions, and your interpretation of trends are things AI cannot generate authentically. That’s your edge.
Why Brand Building Is Now Central to SEO
The conversation then shifts to what has changed most dramatically in the past year: the relationship between branding, social media, and Google search.
Robert explains that historically, platforms like Facebook and Instagram were largely “walled gardens” in terms of SEO—Google couldn’t crawl and index much of their content. That has changed. With AI and data-sharing deals, Google can now read and surface more content from these platforms, particularly Instagram.
At the same time, Google has brought its branding algorithm to the forefront. In plain language, that means:
- How often users search for your brand name
- How often your name or brand is mentioned across the web
- How frequently people click on your site when they see it
All of that now plays a similar role to what backlinks used to play years ago. Where backlinks once accounted for most of your ranking power, they now represent a much smaller piece of the puzzle. Brand signals, especially combined with video, have become incredibly important.
For a real estate agent, this means that building a recognizable brand—your name, your team, your niche—across platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and even TikTok can help you:
- Show up faster in Google search
- Be taken more seriously as an “entity” by the algorithm
- Get more benefit from each piece of content you publish
It’s no longer just about “ranking a page.” It’s about showing Google that you’re a known, trusted presence in your market.
Why Video Is Still the Fastest Path to Visibility
One of the most encouraging points Robert makes is that video content continues to be the fastest way to get surfaced by Google.
Short- and long-form videos on platforms like YouTube and Instagram are now appearing in search results within days—sometimes within hours. For agents asking, “How do I get found fast?” the answer more and more is:
- Create videos that answer real buyer and seller questions
- Post them consistently on YouTube and Instagram
- Optimize titles and descriptions around local and niche keywords
Jonathan adds that consumers are also searching directly on other platforms—Amazon, TikTok, Instagram—fragmenting search behavior. So part of being “found fast” now means being present where people are actually searching, not just relying on traditional Google results.
But because Google has started surfacing more video from these platforms, a smart cross-platform strategy lets you double-dip:
- Reach users inside each platform
- Gain additional visibility through Google search
Backlinks That Actually Help in 2025
Backlinks used to be the centerpiece of SEO. Today, they still matter—but the way you earn them has changed. Robert explains that Google now evaluates:
- How natural your backlink profile looks
- How many links come from the same domain
- What anchor text is used
- Whether the linking site has real traffic and authority
Buying cheap backlinks or using spammy link schemes is more dangerous than ever. Penalties, devaluations, and wasted money are common outcomes.
Jonathan shares the two backlink strategies that have consistently worked for him:
- Press Releases
Well-written, properly syndicated press releases about legitimate news—events, milestones, launches, awards—still send strong signals. They can generate mentions in local media and niche outlets, as well as structured links back to your site. - Appearing on Podcasts
Being a guest on other people’s podcasts (local business shows, marketing podcasts, community programs) typically earns you:- A show notes page
- A link to your website
- Brand exposure to a new audience
- A show notes page
For a real estate agent, this might mean:
- Guesting on local business or lifestyle podcasts
- Sharing your insights on the local market
- Offering practical advice for buyers, sellers, or investors
These methods are hard to fake and rooted in real human relationships—exactly the kind of signals Google has a hard time discounting.
The Big Mistake: Treating Google as the Only Decision Point
Toward the end of the discussion, Robert brings up one of Neil Patel’s key observations: many businesses still think only in terms of “Google traffic,” while consumer decision-making has moved across multiple platforms.
People now:
- Compare products and read reviews on Amazon
- Watch neighborhood tours on YouTube
- Search for “living in [city]” or “moving to [area]” on TikTok
- Check reputation and reviews on Google Business Profiles
For real estate, portals like Zillow and Trulia have also become decision hubs—places where users browse, save, compare, and even contact agents without ever visiting a traditional website.
Rather than fighting this reality, agents should adapt by:
- Maintaining a strong Google Business Profile with reviews, photos, posts, and accurate information
- Treating each major platform as a mini “decision funnel”
- Showing up consistently where clients are already spending time
Getting found “fast” in 2025 is not just about ranking a blog post. It’s about meeting consumers where they are in their journey—on Google, on social, on video platforms, and inside the apps they use every day.
The Real Path to Getting Found Fast in 2025
When you put it all together, Robert and Jonathan’s message is simple but challenging:
- AI alone won’t save you. Use it, but don’t lean on it.
- Original value still wins. Your stories, your market insights, your process.
- Brand is a ranking factor. Be seen, be searched, be remembered.
- Video is your accelerator. It’s the fastest way to surface across platforms and inside Google.
- Backlinks still matter—but the honest ones. Press, podcasts, partnerships, and real relationships.
- Decisions happen everywhere now. Don’t build your strategy around Google alone.
If you’re willing to combine these elements—quality content, consistent video, brand-building, and smart distribution—then “fast” visibility on Google isn’t a myth. It’s just the result of aligning yourself with the way search, content, and user behavior actually work in 2025.
