Future-Proof Your Digital Footprint For 2026 (And Beyond)

I recently had the privilege of sitting on a panel organized by Laura Monroe, Chief Innovation Officer at REALM Global, digging into one of my favorite topics: digital media, branding and websites.

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On the call were two standout REALM members and luxury agents: Tiffany Pantozzi, a founding luxury agent at Align Real Estate in Orlando, Florida, and Nicole Gary, a luxury team leader at The Nicole Gary Team at Keller Williams NYC, who works in both New York and Miami. In addition, there was Ricardo Bueno, a marketing expert with deep roots in real estate and event marketing.

The common thread for the luxury agents, when it comes to their online presence, is that they think of their entire digital footprint as a living, evolving asset.

This is about more than just “your website should be pretty.” It means future-proofing your digital presence so that it really works for you in 2026 — no matter how quickly the tech, search and social landscape shifts.

Here are the five biggest takeaways from our discussion, along with concrete steps you can take to implement them in your business, just in time for 2026.

1. Own your online presence, or you’re renting your future

One of the most painful lessons Pantozzi learned came after spending thousands of dollars to set up a website, only to lose it all.

“I’ve been through the pain of investing thousands and thousands of dollars into a site that, at the end of the day, if you ever decide to change gears in your business, you don’t own,” she said. “That investment is gone.”

After that realization, she built tiffanypantozzi.com on a WordPress-based platform that she controls herself. That means that if she wants to change hosts later, the content — her content — remains hers, including the search engine optimization (SEO) and the equity she’s built through that online platform.

It’s not about using a specific provider. Instead, it’s about making your platform choice the way you would any other business decision. If your provider or brokerage owns the code and content, you’re renting a storefront from someone else.

Future-proofing your digital footprint starts with portability. Your site should be able to migrate if your brokerage changes or your brand evolves. Website design should serve the structure of your business — not the other way around.

What it means for you

Ask your current (or future) website provider the following questions:

1. Who owns the code and content if I leave?
2. Can my site be migrated without rebuilding from scratch?
3. Can an independent developer work on my site?
4. How easy is it to add new functionality as tech features evolve?

If the answers are vague or they make you uncomfortable, that’s your signal that your digital footprint isn’t built for the future.

2. SEO isn’t a project, it’s a habit

While everyone wants to “rank on Google,” very few agents are willing to do the disciplined, long-term work to make it happen. SEO is a practice, not a project.

Pantozzi has virtual marketing assistants who handle her content needs, including blogging, keyword research and on-page optimization. “I find courses, send them what I’m learning and say, ‘Implement, please.’”

She also emphasized a major oversight agents make when it comes to their sites. “Your homepage is the number one place those crawlers are going to find,” she said. “We want the message and the keywords of who you are, what you offer, what you specialize in all written into your homepage.”

Bueno added that buyers don’t ask a thousand questions — they ask the same 10 questions in a thousand different ways. Your site needs to answer those questions clearly, in language that matches how real people search.

What it means for you

Build an SEO habit over the next 90 days by doing the following:

• Audit your homepage copy and make sure it mentions your markets, specialty niches and the problems you solve.
• Choose three to five keyword themes (neighborhoods, lifestyle topics, relocation, etc.).
• Publish one new piece of content per week tied to those themes.
• Delegate the technical SEO work to someone else so you can focus on the local insights.

3. AI search is changing how you get found

“I got my first listing from somebody asking ChatGPT who one of the best agents was,” Pantozzi said. “I came up on a short list and he called.” 

AI-driven search isn’t the future — it’s now. Buyers and sellers are already prompting ChatGPT, Gemini and Google’s AI Overviews with questions like:

• “Who is the best luxury agent in [city]?”
• “Where should I live in [metro] if I want golf and lake life?”
• “Best neighborhoods in [city] for schools.”

Pantozzi captures this traffic through her hyperlocal, lifestyle-driven website. She focuses on four key markets and creates content around golf, lake life, high-end wellness, country clubs and the places real buyers care about. 

She also tags and partners with local businesses to expand reach and calls leveraging those other audiences “one of the most important things you can do.”

Pantozzi said that keywords are key, even in social media posts, so SEO strategy is no longer just for websites. “Google is picking them up.”

Ask ChatGPT who the top agents are in your city. If you don’t appear, that’s a sign you’re not publishing enough structured content.

What it means for you

Make AI work for you by having it

• Write posts that sound like answers to natural questions (“Should I buy in [area] in 2026?”).
• Use conversational language in titles and headings.
• Add geographic and lifestyle keywords to every social caption.

4. The client experience is the foundation of your brand

Both Pantozzi and Gary agree that luxury is not a price point — it’s a feeling. Gary said, “It’s about the experience that you’re giving somebody. That experience becomes the perception.”

Her digital presence matches her real-world presence. She’s elegant, polished and responsive, and the stories she tells online reinforce that. She talks about the client who wanted a “nearly impossible” holiday tea reservation at The Plaza. “It took a lot of calls, but I made it happen,” she said.

Gary is also known for showcasing her personality, like the time she attempted to climb an 83-foot rock wall in heels during a listing shoot. Everything is rooted in authenticity and alignment. “My personal branding is sophisticated because that’s who I am,” she said.

What it means for you

Your digital footprint should match the experience you deliver, so

• Audit your Instagram, YouTube and website as if you’re a stranger.
• Collect three stories where you’ve gone above and beyond, and repurpose them across platforms.
• Define your “luxury standards,” even if your price point isn’t ultra-luxury. A high level of service is transferable across niches and market segments.

5. Audit your online presence just as you would any other asset

If you want to future-proof your current online presence, here’s a simple, structured yearly audit to help.

Ownership and structure

• Do you own your content and code?
• Can it migrate if you change companies or vendors?

Performance and UX

• Mobile speed and responsiveness
• Clear CTAs
• Clean, intuitive navigation

SEO and content

• Ranking for your name + city
• Neighborhood/lifestyle rankings
• Fresh content within the last 90 days

AI discoverability

• Are you referenced by AI tools?
• Do your headers match natural-language queries?

Analytics and conversion

• Do you review analytics monthly?
• Do you know which pages convert best?

You don’t need to overhaul everything at once. Improve one category each quarter, and you’ll outpace most agents in your market.

The big shift: From website to digital footprint

Digital marketing has evolved dramatically, but the fundamentals we discussed remain the same:

• Your website is your 24/7 digital twin.
• The architecture matters.
• The content matters.
• The experience matters.

What’s different today is how quickly everything changes. AI, search behavior and consumer expectations are all accelerating. 

That’s why the real question for 2026 isn’t: “Do I need a new website?”

It’s: “Do I have a digital footprint I own, that’s discoverable, that reflects the experience I deliver — and that I can continue to evolve?”

If the honest answer is “not yet,” that’s okay. Start with ownership. Add better SEO habits. Lean into authentic lifestyle content. Run a simple audit. Then keep going.

Your future clients are already searching. The question is whether they’ll find you — and whether what they find convinces them you’re the obvious choice.