Mortgage businesses are facing significant challenges in adapting their marketing strategies in the era of artificial intelligence (AI), which is reshaping digital marketing fundamentally. Traditional search-engine optimization (SEO), once the primary method for gaining visibility on platforms like Google, is being disrupted by AI-driven tools such as ChatGPT, Anthropic, and Google’s Gemini, which consumers are increasingly using to seek information instead of conventional searches. For mortgage lenders and originators, this shift requires adopting new marketing techniques and perspectives that prioritize being the “best answer” rather than the loudest advertiser. Sarah DeCiantis, CMO at United Wholesale Mortgage, emphasizes the need to approach marketing from a consumer-first and intent-driven angle, moving beyond paid advertising strategies. However, with AI technology constantly evolving, there is no universal formula for success. Companies must pivot their strategies to focus on how they are perceived within the broader ecosystem, not just their self-presentation. Tela Mathias, CTO at Phoenixteam, explains that AI optimization differs significantly from SEO because large language models (LLMs) assess content in a broader context, placing greater importance on external perspectives and what others say about a company. This marks a fundamental shift from marketing centered on “us” to one that prioritizes “them, ” the consumers and ecosystem’s view. In the past, SEO strategies relied on tactics like backlinking and keyword stuffing to boost Google rankings, with relevance often determined by the number of backlinks—a system Steven Cooley of Prlmnt describes as relatively straightforward compared to AI’s complexity. While some elements remain, AI’s ranking methods require understanding one’s position within AI search hierarchies and leveraging that knowledge to build authority. Due to the novelty of AI marketing, there are no definitive playbooks, and companies must “get in the weeds” to gauge AI’s impact. Retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), a common AI technique, helps analyze websites to predict how LLMs might attract users, but it offers only part of the solution. Without human input, AI may direct traffic to a webpage without conveying the desired brand message, highlighting the need for guidance on technical and content-structure methods.

AI consultants also use tools that scan AI platforms to track when and how companies appear in responses, enabling tailored strategies and competitive analysis. With AI arbitrating which content is surfaced, marketers face the reality that they no longer control the platforms delivering their content. AI generates answers based on its data without fact-checking capabilities, so prominence does not guarantee accuracy. Sources like FAQ pages and discussion forums such as Reddit are favored by AI due to their structured, accessible information. Mathias notes that LLMs function like powerful auto-completion tools, predicting statistically likely continuations based on context, which influences how information is prioritized. This raises questions about SEO’s future. While SEO and Google remain crucial, their dominance is challenged as AI search grows. Josh Glantz of Lendware predicts Google will continue evolving by integrating generative AI into its search results, reducing the importance of ranking on early pages. Nevertheless, SEO analytics remain valuable, offering insights that can enhance AI marketing strategies if companies analyze organic traffic deeply. Cooley advises marketers to closely monitor organic search data to understand evolving drivers and supplement efforts accordingly. Although internet searches remain relevant, a new, fast-moving AI-driven paradigm is increasingly shaping consumer decision-making. Mortgage businesses must therefore balance maintaining strong SEO with aggressively adapting to AI’s transformative impact on marketing.