GEO courseModule 7 of 10: What Others Say About YouLesson 7.4
Press, Mentions, Links and Partners
Being talked about, accurately and genuinely, on other people's websites: local and trade press quoting you, local organisations naming you, partners like solicitors and brokers listing you, and links from relevant sites. AI answers lean on what others say about a business, not just what it says about itself.
Why it matters
If the only place that describes your agency is your own website, AI has little independent evidence to go on.
The evidence
Evidence: Study
Vendor studies, correlation only, mostly large brands and mostly US. No UK local-press study. Our reading: be genuinely talked about; don't manufacture it.
Do this first
Search "[your agency]" -site:yourdomain.co.uk and list who mentions you and whether the details are right.
01What it is
If lots of people in your town say “go to Abbey for your first flat”, more people start asking for Abbey by name. It’s word of mouth, and the internet has a version of it.
Think of it like
A reference from a respected neighbour. It carries weight because it came from someone else.
02Why it matters
To the people searching
People trust what others say about you more than what you say about yourself: a quote in the local paper, a name on the football club's sponsors page, a solicitor's "who we work with" page. They also search for you by name after hearing it.
buyers
Search your name after seeing it in the news or on a board.
tenants
Trust agencies they've heard of locally.
sellers
Read market commentary and expect to see the agent quoted.
landlords
Shortlist agencies that partners and local press recommend.
To Google, Bing and AI
Evidence: StudyAhrefs studied 75,000 brands (2025) and found mentions of a brand across the web tracked Google AI Overview appearances far more closely (0.664) than backlinks did (0.218). That's correlation, for large brands, and Ahrefs sells a mention tool. Muck Rack's analysis of 25 million AI citations (May 2026) found journalism made up about 27% of links, over half from the last 12 months, and paid advertorial just 0.3%. Google's guidance says seeking inauthentic mentions isn't effective. Links still matter for search, and Google's AI features are built on its normal ranking systems, so relevant local links remain the foundation.
- How closely brand mentions tracked AI Overview appearances
- 0.664How closely brand mentions tracked AI Overview appearances
- How closely backlinks did (Ahrefs, 75,000 brands)
- 0.218How closely backlinks did (Ahrefs, 75,000 brands)
- AI citation links that were journalism (Muck Rack, 2026)
- 27%AI citation links that were journalism (Muck Rack, 2026)
An agent example
A lettings agency publishes a short quarterly rent report for its town, with method and dates, and offers it with a named spokesperson to the local paper. One outlet quotes it. The agency also sponsors the youth football club (and asks to be named, not just shown as a logo), lists three conveyancing solicitors on a "Who we work with" page that says plainly whether it receives referral fees, and adds the press article to a press page. Months later an AI answer about rents in the town cites the article. Nobody can prove the report caused it.
03Your turn
Check yours, then fix it
- 1Search "[your agency name]" -site:yourdomain.co.uk, with and without your town.
- 2List linked and unlinked mentions, and check the details are right.
- 3Search your name in Google News for coverage in the last 12 months.
- 1In Search Console, filter Performance queries for your agency name. Record clicks and impressions monthly.
- 2Compare your name with two local rivals in Google Trends.
- 1Search Console, Links: note your top linking sites.
- 2List every partner you recommend (solicitors, brokers, surveyors). Are you mentioned on their sites, and they on yours? Is any referral fee disclosed?
- 1Ask: "What has [agency] been in the news for?"
- 2Is any article cited, and is it accurate?
List the kinds of local organisations in [town] that publish news, events, sponsors or directories where an estate agency could genuinely appear. Then suggest five local data stories an agent could offer the local paper, using only data an agency would hold. Don't invent numbers.
- 1A named person, a clear local fact, a number with a source, a quick reply and a photo.
- 2Offer your quarterly market note (lesson 6.4) to named local property and business journalists.
- 3Comment on live local stories while they're running: an easier way in than a cold pitch.
- 4Never send a press release that's really an advert, or pay for advertorial dressed as news.
- 1Pick two or three local activities you can keep up for a year: a sponsorship, a landlords' evening, a charity.
- 2Ask to be named (not just a logo) on their site, with a link where it's natural.
- 3List yourself fully on your Chamber of Commerce and trade body directories.
- 1A "Who we work with" page: who each partner is, what they do for your clients, how to contact them.
- 2Ask partners to say what you've done together on their site, truthfully.
- 3Disclose any referral fee or commission clearly. Check the wording with Propertymark, your redress scheme or a solicitor.
- 1Ask for a link where a mention without one already exists, politely.
- 2Refuse paid link schemes and private networks, and any provider who won't name every site they'll approach.
- 3Keep a press page listing coverage with dates and links.
Then: Use your exact agency name everywhere (lesson 4.1), so every mention points at the same business rather than splitting across variations.
04Keep it up
One genuine local action a month. Track branded searches monthly and mentions quarterly.
That's lesson 7.4
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← Back to 7.3 "Best Agent" Lists, Awards and Your Own "Best" Claims