This year, one story stands out above the rest: the rapid rise of AI. 

In this mini-report, we go beyond the findings of the main Local Consumer Review Survey with exclusive insights exploring how consumers are using AI for local business recommendations. You’ll learn who is using AI, which tools are most popular, how much consumers trust AI-generated recommendations, and what this all means for your local strategy.

"Consumers are looking for information in more places, more often."

Myles Anderson, Co-founder and CEO at BrightLocal

What’s incredibly clear is that businesses that operate with a ‘Google-only’ mindset are at high risk of missing out on customers and revenue. We’re seeing a 12% drop in consumers relying solely on Google for reviews, while platforms like TikTok, Apple Maps, and ChatGPT are seeing double-digit growth as business discovery platforms.

It’s not that consumers are abandoning Google. After all, usage of Google AI Mode and Gemini is surging. It’s that their journey from idea to purchase has become much more fragmented. They are looking for information in more places, more often.

Crucially, the likes of ChatGPT and other LLMs and AI search tools can’t see inside Google’s walled garden of reviews. If your reputation only exists on Google, you are effectively invisible to the millions of people using ChatGPT to find local services. To be successful now, you need a ‘Reviews Everywhere’ strategy. By building your authority across Google plus the specific sites where your customers and AI models actually spend their time, you ensure your brand is present and trusted at every possible point of discovery.

Online Reviews vs. AI Recommendations

Before we dive into the data, one quick note on how AI recommendations differ from traditional reviews. Review platforms like Google Business Profile or Yelp display reviews written by real customers, which typically include a star rating, user-supplied photos or videos, and an explanation of the person’s experience.

AI tools like ChatGPT, CoPilot, and Gemini work differently. When someone asks a question (or a “prompt”), these tools analyze information from across the internet and generate a tailored response. AI responses may include information from reviews, as well as local directories, businesses’ websites, social media, and other third-party sources, depending on the tool and the prompt. 

AI doesn’t “read” reviews in the same way humans do. Instead, it looks for patterns across multiple sources to quickly surface insights. While this makes it a powerful time-saving tool, recommendations aren’t always fully up to date, and key nuances from individual reviews can be lost. Even when sources are provided, the reasoning behind the results isn’t always clear. For this reason, AI works best as a starting point for discovery rather than a replacement for reading real customer experiences.

AI is changing how people find local businesses, but trust still drives decisions. For local businesses and marketers, getting to grips with AI’s role in reputation is essential for staying competitive in 2026.

Recommendations by ChatGPT

Recommendations by Google AI Mode

Recommendations by CoPilot

The Rise of AI in Local Recommendations

AI is no longer niche: it’s quickly becoming mainstream. 

In early 2025, Consumer Search Behavior data found that 40% of consumers actively use generative AI when searching online. Just 3% of consumers considered an AI platform as their default for local searches. 

Less than a year on, we’re already seeing significant growth in AI as a channel for local searches. Local Consumer Review Survey data finds that the proportion of consumers using AI to find local business recommendations has climbed from 6% in 2025 to 45% today. 

Until recently, early users deliberately sought out these tools, but as AI becomes more widespread and embedded in the platforms people already use, even more consumers are likely to embrace it as part of their local decision-making.

AI has grown quickly over the past year to become the third most used tool for local business recommendations, behind only Google and Facebook, and outpacing major players Yelp and TripAdvisor. 

At the same time, the use of Google reviews has slipped from 83% last year to 71%. Many are speculating that AI tools are shifting consumer behavior, contributing to significant declines in organic search traffic. It seems that these drops are causing a knock-on effect on the number of consumers using Google to read reviews. 

AI use for local recommendations varies by age. Adults aged 30-44 lead the way, with 64% having asked AI tools for a business recommendation in the past year. Those over 60 are the most cautious, with just 24% turning to AI for local business guidance.

Understanding which AI tools are most popular helps marketers prioritize where to focus visibility efforts. ChatGPT is the clear frontrunner among consumers, being used by 31% for business recommendations in the last 12 months. Following behind is Google’s AI Mode (23%), and then Gemini, another Google-owned tool. Microsoft Copilot and Claude fall behind, but are still being tested by consumers at a far higher rate than last year. 

Together, these trends show that AI is moving beyond early experimentation. With millions of consumers already turning to AI to discover businesses, being visible in these tools is quickly becoming as important as a strong presence in traditional search results. But, for AI to have a long-term impact, consumers need to feel able to trust its recommendations. 

Trust Levels Differ Between AI Natives and Skeptics

With AI usage growing rapidly, we wanted to understand how consumers really feel about recommendations from non-human sources. 

Among active AI users, nearly two-thirds (63%) trust AI tools’ recommendations, while only 10% express distrust. Trust is significantly lower among those who don’t use AI, with 53% saying they don’t trust its business recommendations.

Trust in AI tools is surprisingly high when compared to reviews. 

Despite online reviews being a normal part of consumer research for more than two decades, AI platforms are already being equally trusted by 42% of consumers. 64% of AI users trust tools like ChatGPT as much as reviews when making local business recommendations, though trust levels are much lower among those who haven’t yet tried AI. 

In the marketing world, there has been plenty of skepticism around the accuracy of AI tools, especially when some tools “hallucinate” facts or figures. It is always wise to fact-check AI insights, just as you would any data source. When used thoughtfully, AI can be a powerful tool to help both consumers and marketers make quicker, more informed decisions. It is not a replacement for strategic thinking, but a way to free up time to focus on the bigger picture.

Summaries Could be the Gateway to AI Adoption

AI can do more than recommend businesses; it can also condense customer feedback into easy-to-digest summaries. 

Tools like ChatGPT can generate full summaries of reviews in response to prompts, while platforms such as Amazon and Google are testing AI summaries of customer reviews. These summaries help consumers spot key themes and overall sentiment quickly, without having to read every review. But are these AI-generated summaries trusted to give an accurate picture of real reviews?

50% of consumers trust AI platforms to accurately summarize online reviews from real people. Among active AI users, this figure climbs to 71%. In fact, levels of trust in summaries are higher than those of AI recommendations overall, suggesting that the more these overviews are rolled out by review platforms, the more consumers may be willing to trust AI information in other places.

AI users appear to be generally trusting of AI review summaries, with only 9% not trusting the information given. People who don’t use AI are unsurprisingly less trusting, though they do appear to be a little more trusting of AI summaries than AI tools in general for local recommendations. 

Consumer behavior with AI-generated review summaries varies. 23% of people are happy to rely on just the summary when making a decision, while 59% check review profiles for more information. Just 18% skip over summaries entirely, showing they are already an important tool in the decision-making process.

A strong review summary can help consumers spot patterns and sentiment without having to read hundreds of reviews. However, details such as photos, specific experiences, and the date the review was posted may be glossed over. For consumers making a major purchase, it still pays to read full reviews to make sure nothing has been missed. 

This shift brings both opportunity and responsibility for businesses and marketers. AI summaries are shaped by customer reviews, making patterns in feedback more visible than ever. Taking a proactive approach to AI should make recommendations work in your favor. Ensure your business is visible for common prompts, check the accuracy of claims and correct information online where needed, and ask for reviews that highlight the qualities you want reflected.

Wary Consumers Fact-check Trusting AI Recommendations

AI has become a trusted source of local recommendations for many consumers. But this doesn’t mean people are blindly trusting the information.

Most AI users are careful to fact-check sources, with 88% of AI users checking to see if a review is legitimate (51%) or to see the source (37%). Just 12% don’t check AI sources, showing that even among early adopters, trust is still being built. 

97% of AI users sometimes double-check AI recommendations against real reviews. This suggests that for many, AI has become the first step in local business research rather than the final authority. 42% always check reviews on native review platforms, with others checking occasionally. Consumers still want to see the original context and feel sure that AI recommendations match the truth. 

For local businesses, this has clear implications. Consumers are actively visiting review sites to verify information. This means a weak or outdated review presence could damage trust at the decision stage. Responding to reviews, encouraging customers to add photos, and completing all parts of a review profile can make a real difference in guiding confident decisions. 

Why AI Should Matter to Local Marketers

This year’s Local Consumer Review Survey tells the story of moving consumer expectations around reviews, with AI acting as a key driving force behind this change. Overtaking long-standing review sources, AI is quickly becoming essential for local discovery.

Trust in AI recommendations is developing quickly, but most AI users continue to fact-check information by checking sources and reading real reviews. This means brand reputation, active review profiles, and accurate information are more important than ever. Marketers who understand how AI interprets reviews, citations, and business data will be best positioned to guide customers and improve visibility in 2026.

For agencies and marketers, this means shifting from tactical execution to strategic guidance. Businesses that aren’t appearing in AI recommendations will want to act quickly, and marketers have an opportunity to be the partners to help them ‘rank’. Local marketers are perfectly placed to step in as the reassuring expert: collecting reviews, improving visibility, and guiding businesses through this new era. 

[Space for Myles to add specifics of what marketers should do.]

AI is reshaping local discovery, and the pace of change is only accelerating. Explore BrightLocal’s AI Roadmap to see the tools BrightLocal is building to help marketers turn data into action. 

Methodology

The Local Consumer Review Survey 2026 was conducted using a representative panel of 1,002 US adult consumers via SurveyMonkey. To give the full picture of AI and online reviews in this report, some data has been cut to include only the 455 respondents who have used an AI tool for local business recommendations in the last 12 months (“AI users”).

Publications and individuals are welcome to use our research findings, graphics, and data, citing BrightLocal as the author and the page URL: https://brightlocal.com/research/local-consumer-review-survey.

A perfect example came from Wil Reynolds’ talk at BrightLocal’s Local SEO for Good. He showed a sign from a Philadelphia cheesesteak shop that claimed to be “authentic.” The image on the sign was AI-generated and featured the Statue of Liberty floating above Philadelphia’s skyline. As Wil put it:

“When you use AI to build out your image… what does that do to your authenticity score?”

That small detail instantly collapsed trust. The business did not intend to deceive anyone. Still, in an AI-saturated world, customers are paying closer attention to what feels fake.

This idea kept surfacing throughout Local SEO for Good. Whether it was Melissa Popp explaining why people immediately spot generic content, or Leighanne Jones reminding us that AI has never lived a human moment, speakers repeatedly returned to the same point. Authenticity is becoming a defining competitive advantage for local businesses.

AI can produce content quickly, but customers want honesty, human presence, and local relevance. They are not asking for more content. They are asking for more connection.

This article brings together these perspectives to show how local businesses can stay authentic while using AI in thoughtful and practical ways.

Why Authenticity Matters More Than Ever in Local Marketing

Local customers weigh a long list of factors when choosing who to work with. They pay attention to the people behind a business, the way a company communicates, and whether it feels trustworthy. Authenticity plays a central role in how those impressions form.

Melissa Popp captured this shift clearly:

“People can see right through” generic or AI-generated content.

This is especially visible inside Google Business Profile (GBP), where people are ready to act. Trust grows through:

• Real photos
• Human review responses
• Helpful Google Posts
• Up-to-date service information
• Clear answers in the Q&A section

BrightLocal’s Google Business Profile Audit highlights issues that weaken credibility.

Melissa also warned that posting the same asset across every platform creates distance rather than connection. AI has amplified this divide. When customers scroll, authentic content stands out while generic content blends into the background.

For local businesses, authenticity is no longer optional. It directly influences whether someone reaches out.

The Limits of AI: What Machines Cannot Recreate

AI can help with tasks, but it has no lived experience to draw from. Leighanne Jones explained this memorably:

“AI has never experienced a heartbreak. It has never lived a human experience.”

A machine has never reassured a stressed homeowner, walked into a flooded basement, or sensed the tension in a customer’s voice. Without that grounding, AI often produces content that feels disconnected from reality.

Leighanne noted that AI works best as an assistant, not a replacement. “It can provide the foundation or the bones of a strategy,” she said, “but it shouldn’t be the full implementation.”

Industry reporting continues to highlight how often AI tools introduce factual errors or “hallucinations.” A recent analysis from The New York Times showed how systems from ChatGPT to Google still fabricate details with confidence, sometimes producing misleading or entirely incorrect responses.

For local businesses, tasks like metadata, outline drafting, and research summarization work well with AI. Tasks involving empathy, lived experience, and nuanced judgment do not.

Tools like Reputation Manager support the human side of communication by helping teams manage and respond to reviews consistently.

The Authenticity Battleground: AI Pollution and Real-World Signals

Authentic work does not always rise to the top of AI-generated results. Wil Reynolds shared a revealing example from his work in banking SEO. He developed a high-quality page grounded in real interviews and industry expertise. After 30 hours of effort, the page still lost to a competitor using mass-produced content written at speed.

His reaction reflected a frustration shared by many marketers:

“My 30 hours of work got beat by what they did in 30 seconds.”

Current AI models often treat repetition as authority. Large sites can flood the web with repetitive content in ways that smaller businesses cannot match.

Google has also acknowledged the scale of AI-generated spam creeping into search, updating guidance on the risks of “scaled content abuse” and how websites should approach generative AI:

“Generative AI can be particularly useful when researching a topic, and to add structure to original content. However, using generative AI tools or other similar tools to generate many pages without adding value for users may violate Google’s spam policy on scaled content abuse.”

Despite these challenges, Wil highlighted a shift that works in favor of local businesses. As people personalize their AI tools, they direct results toward brands they already trust. Human preference, social proof, and real-world reputation begin to outweigh content quantity.

In Wil’s words, “Human data is gold.” The trust built offline and on social platforms influences how people use AI and who they choose to work with.

BrightLocal’s Local Search Audit helps uncover strengths and weaknesses in these credibility signals.

How Local Businesses Can Stay Authentic Across Today’s Most Important Platforms

Authenticity appears differently depending on where customers interact with a business. Melissa Popp offered practical guidance across four major platforms.

Google Business Profile: Trust Through Consistency

GBP rewards businesses that keep their information accurate and active. Melissa emphasized GBP’s importance:

“Google Business Profile is one of the most important places we are sharing content.”

Authenticity strengthens when businesses:

• Upload photos from real jobs
• Maintain accurate hours and service details
• Respond to reviews with care
• Use Posts to address timely questions
• Share seasonal and local updates

The GBP Post Scheduler helps teams maintain this presence without losing momentum.

Facebook: Community Conversations, Not Announcements

Melissa described Facebook as a platform rooted in neighborhood conversations. People turn to groups for recommendations, updates, and local knowledge.

During Denver’s severe hail season, she observed that promotional posts rarely resonated. Practical advice and supportive updates performed far better.

For visibility across social and directory listings, Citation Tracker helps identify inconsistencies that weaken trust.

Instagram: Honest Visuals Build Confidence

Instagram favors visual storytelling rooted in real experiences. Melissa encouraged teams to take their own photos, even if simple:

“Pull out your iPhone. Use them. That’s real.”

People respond to:

• Before and after photos
• Candid team moments
• Quick behind-the-scenes clips
• Visual stories tied to local challenges

Authenticity in imagery increases trust. Stock photos and AI visuals rarely capture that effect.

TikTok: Small, Genuine Moments Travel Farther

TikTok thrives on spontaneity. Melissa described it as a place defined by “micro moments of authenticity.”

Local businesses can share quick tips, surprising job moments, or light-hearted clips that show the personality of the team.

Using AI Without Losing Your Voice

Each speaker agreed on one key point. AI works well as a support tool but not as the creative engine that shapes a brand’s identity.

AI can lighten busywork. It speeds up research, outlines, metadata, and idea generation. Leighanne described it as useful for the “bones” of a strategy.

The limits become clear when AI is asked to imitate emotional intelligence or local understanding. Review responses, community messages, and service-oriented content benefit from a human voice that reacts with context and empathy.

AI can help you deliver faster. It cannot help you sound more genuine.

The Authenticity Playbook: five practical steps

1. Begin with customer language

Interview real customers. Pull keywords, concerns, stories, and local references straight from the people you serve. No model can recreate that texture.

2. Adapt a single idea into multiple formats

Melissa’s guidance still applies. One concept can be shaped differently for GBP, Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok. Each platform rewards a different kind of storytelling.

3. Infuse content with local detail

Use examples that only someone in your region would know. References to weather patterns, neighborhood quirks, or common homeowner issues give content a sense of place.

4. Highlight the team

People trust a familiar face. Real staff photos, quotes, and day-to-day glimpses anchor a business in humanity.

5. Reinforce your true differentiators

Wil’s testing revealed that repeating accurate, meaningful information about your business helps AI models understand what you do. Authentic details, when reinforced across your site, become stronger signals.

Conclusion: Authenticity Remains a Durable Advantage

AI will continue to evolve, but lived experience will always shape the most compelling stories. Wil expressed it clearly:

“You’re not going to win by outsourcing your authenticity.”

Melissa showed how trust grows through steady, real engagement.
Leighanne reminded us that human insight cannot be automated.
Wil demonstrated the long-term value of real-world credibility.

These themes surfaced across Local SEO for Good because they reflect how people decide who to work with. Customers rely on honest communication and meaningful connections when making local choices.

AI can help teams work faster. It cannot replace the qualities that make local businesses memorable and trusted. Authenticity remains the strongest foundation for long-term success.

You can see how we’re implementing AI to help teams and small businesses work faster in our AI Roadmap.

Which is why we’re happy to be launching our brand new MCP server. We want you to be able to access all the data you need on your locations, wherever it is you choose to use it.

This forms part of our new AI Roadmap, which forms part of our commitment to helping you get more from BrightLocal.

What is an MCP Server?

An MCP (Model Context Protocol) Server is a service that allows you to connect a tool, like BrightLocal, to AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and n8n.

It allows you to connect your BrightLocal account to a Large Language Model (LLM) or AI tool, and then use the AI tool to ask questions or take action. This shares your account data with the LLMs and tools.

For BrightLocal, this means you can ask questions about that data, such as ‘What is our best performing location?’. Later, you’ll be able to take action too, with prompts like ‘Update the opening hours of our main street branch to…’.

Once you’ve connected the tool to BrightLocal, you can do all of this without even opening BrightLocal. Letting you stay in ChatGPT, Claude, or the LLM of your choice.

In the words of Ed Eliott, our Tech Advisor & Co-founder:

“The MCP server enables you to have natural language conversations with your BrightLocal account. It enables you to get data from your account in the way you want, and to derive insights from that data.”

In other words, you can take the data from your BrightLocal account to your favorite LLM. This then lets you start these natural language conversations and really interrogate your data.

Then, in the next round of updates, it’ll also enable you to add locations, set up reports, and make changes to your locations and reports.

The BrightLocal MCP currently works with a number of LLMs, depending on the plan you have with that tool:

• ChatGPT – plan dependent
• ClaudeAI – Pro plan or Teams account
• Mistral – any plan, including a free plan

You can connect with n8n for workflow automation.

Examples of Use

If that sounds a little complex, then let us run you through some use cases to help you get your head around the implications.

Rather than simply opening a report dashboard, now you can attach your favorite LLM and prompt it to do things like:

• “Give me a list of all my BrightLocal locations based in New York.”
• “List the locations in my BrightLocal account that have received a one-star review in the last 2 weeks.”
• “Update the opening hours for all of my Chicago stores to Monday-Friday, 9-5 pm.”
• “Add ‘restaurant’ as an additional keyword to all of my LSG reports.”
• “Give me an overview of the review sentiment, highlight strengths and weaknesses, and present some opportunities based on recent reviews from the Le Bernardin location in my BrightLocal account.”

Why have we made one?

We want our customers to get the most out of their data and use their accounts in a way that works for them.

We recognize that many people now conduct a significant portion of their work using LLMs, so we’ve introduced our MCP to enable you to do the same. Once it’s set up, you don’t even need to log in to your BrightLocal account. You can do everything you need in your AI account.

That even includes taking action. It’s not just for running reports. You’ll be able to add locations, configure reports, and make changes to push out across your profiles, too.

How can you access the MCP?

Our MCP Server forms part of BrightLocal Anywhere, our package designed to help you take your BrightLocal data wherever you need it, via LLMs or APIs.

To access the MCP server and BrightLocal anywhere, you’ll need two things:

• An active Grow Plan and access to BrightLocal Labs
• Access to one of the supported AI platforms

For guidance on setting up the supported tools, visit our help center:

• Connect BrightLocal to ChatGPT
• Connect BrightLocal to Claude
• What is BrightLocal Anywhere?

How can you get your hands on BrightLocal’s AI features?

Our MCP Server and BrightLocal Anywhere are just the beginning of our new AI features in 2026.

You can discover our plans in our AI Roadmap.

Get Early Access with BrightLocal Labs

If you want to get your hands on features early and join our beta environment, then you can sign up for BrightLocal Labs. This gets you priority access to new features and direct input to help shape the product.

If you’re an existing customer who wants to request access to BrightLocal Labs, contact support.

The big changes we saw bubbling up in 2025—things like super-smart AI and how customers actually find places—are now the new normal. The message is clear: the customer experience is the new algorithm. Stop focusing so much on old, technical SEO tricks and start focusing on creating moments that people love and want to talk about online.

Success next year belongs to the businesses that inspire organic chatter on social media and community sites, platforms that the search engines and new AI tools actually trust.

Ready to see what the experts are predicting? Let’s dive in.

Myles Anderson on Gaining Confidence and Taking Action

"Your local marketing strategy for 2026 and beyond should prioritize Google first, and LLMs second."

Co-founder and CEO at BrightLocal

If 2025 was about reacting to the unknown, 2026 is about gaining confidence and taking action. We’ve realized something quite reassuring: the fundamentals of good, long-term SEO strategy, based on the goals of building trust and authority, are still the backbone of earning visibility.

My predictions for 2026:

• Google first, LLMs second: Google owns the live data of the physical world. Your primary strategy should still center on Google, while treating LLMs as a secondary (but growing) discovery layer.

• Websites must become transactional: We are moving into an era where AI agents (like those powered by Gemini and ChatGPT) are visiting your site to take action. Ensure your booking forms and stock levels are “agent-friendly.”

• Reputation everywhere: To earn trust in the AI era, you must build a strong reputation on a wider set of platforms, such as Yelp and industry-specific sites, which serve as vital data sources for LLMs.

• The agency pivot: Successful agencies will shift toward measuring “share of voice” and focusing on customer retention, helping clients turn their existing base into lifelong advocates.

• The Reddit evolution: As Reddit becomes a key source of “authentic insight” for AI, focus on genuine community participation rather than low-quality, automated spam.

Rachel Ellen on a Strong Local Presence 

"Strong local presence won’t just mean being found; it will mean being remembered, recommended, and revisited."

Local Search Strategist at Croud

In 2026, local marketing will be less about “find a store near me” and more about “where can I go that’s actually worth showing up for?” 

Consumers will always check for the basics, such as opening hours and phone numbers, but they also want to be inspired and given real reasons to visit. The spark often starts somewhere completely off-platform: a TikTok video showing a new drop happening only in one store, a Reddit thread sharing honest experiences, or a niche community recommending a location because something is happening there. Brands that turn stores and spaces into places worth talking about, through events, experiences, exclusives, or simply great local culture, will outperform those relying on templated landing pages and generic copy.

And crucially, this shift will make local marketing much more exciting and collaborative! Store staff, creators, local communities, loyalty teams, and customers will become contributors, not just recipients. Local will expand beyond “visibility” into something closer to hospitality and enthusiasm-building. Strong local presence won’t just mean being found; it will mean being remembered, recommended, and revisited. The brands that embrace this will see that community-powered experiences create measurable demand online, higher conversion offline, and a genuine reason for customers to turn up in person rather than scrolling past. I, for one, am super excited for the strategic evolution that we’ll need to embrace!

Crystal Carter on AI Agents

"If your forms, checkouts, appointment scheduling, and restaurant bookings are not accessible by AI agents, you won’t even be in the game."

Head of AI Search and SEO Communications at WIX STUDIO

I expect the agentic web to hit its stride in 2026. In case you haven’t noticed, agentic use of AI is ramping up. Google launched its Agent to Agent Protocol, OpenAI launched its Agentic Commerce Protocol, and Google also dropped the Agentic Payments Protocol, all in 2025. And they are just getting started.

At Wix, we’ve configured our website builder with the Agentic Commerce Protocol because automated shopping from AI tools will be a game-changer for users. We understand that for site owners, it means it’s not enough just to be mentioned in Google, ChatGPT, and the like; you need to build your website to become a tool for autonomous AI use via agents. If your forms, checkouts, appointment scheduling, and restaurant bookings are not accessible by AI agents, you won’t even be in the game.

Claudia Tomina on Agentic Workflows

"Visibility will depend on how well a business supports AI-assisted actions and transactions."

Founder at ReputationArm

Agentic workflows will become far more visible, moving users from discovery to action with fewer steps in between. Rankings alone won’t carry the weight they once did. Visibility will depend on how well a business supports AI-assisted actions and transactions.

Steve Wiideman on the Shift from Keywords to Context

"You can spend a month attempting to spam the web... or be the business customers are raving about, thereby allowing them to do all the LLM SEO work for you."

Owner at Wiideman Consulting Group

In the realm of multi-location SEO, platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini pay attention to focal points we already include in modern optimization: consistent business data and important passages within location or intent pages.

Most importantly, reputation takes precedence in local intent answers… We see reputation and sentiment used to solve for prompts like “highly-rated” or “top-rated,” while personalization eventually removes the need for these modifiers.

Four Key Focus Areas for 2026:

• AI-Powered Data Management: Leveraging AI to research, discover, and update business data.

• Powering LSEO with Vectors: Semantic vectors will reward listings that offer rich, contextually relevant, and entity-based information rather than just keyword matches.

• Smarter Location & Intent Pages: Moving away from 2019-style templates toward AI-driven, data-rich landing pages that are more helpful than ever.

• Convergence of Citations & Reputation: Moving past traditional “NAP” data entry toward authentic marketing on destinations visited by real people (Reddit, Yelp, TikTok) to foster visibility.

Final Thought

You can spend a month attempting to spam the web… or be the business customers are raving about, thereby allowing them to do all the LLM SEO work for you.

Will Scott on Comparison Content

"The data is clear: even self-referencing top X and comparison content is winning in AI."

Co-founder and CEO at Search Influence

We’ve been spoiled in local SEO as Google AI Overviews have left us alone so far. That’s about to change, big time. If you’re not already on the hunt for “best of [your category and city]” and “top X” lists, it’s time to get going. And if nobody else is writing them? Write them yourself. The data is clear: even self-referencing top X and comparison content is winning in AI.

Stefan Lozo on Monetizing AI

"LLM companies will try to monetize AI results..."

Founder and SEO Consultant at Lozo Digital

Businesses and bad agencies will try to use AI aggressively for quick and fast results. This will create a lot of mess, and a good SEO expert will have a lot of work to do and clean up the mess. For success, SEO alone won’t be enough, so there will be more demand for paid channels and digital PR, and their prices will increase. LLM companies will try to monetize AI results with some ad formats. SEO will definitely continue to evolve and continue to be a strategic part of the marketing strategy.

Andrew Optimisey on AI Features

"AI-geddon is coming!"

SEO Consultant and Owner at Optimisey

Google is going to push more and more AI features into local. They have to, they’ve invested so heavily in AI now it has to earn its corn:

• AI overviews in Maps +++

• “Use Gemini to book” buttons where AI calls businesses for you

• “Check stock with Gemini” ditto

• AI summaries of reviews, services, and service pages

• Web Guide style Map Packs with it split in sections, e.g., for restaurants: “Pet-friendly restaurants”, “Highest reviewed restaurants”, “Menu highlights”, etc.

AI-geddon is coming!

Key Takeaways: Your 2026 Local Marketing Action Plan

The roadmap for 2026 is clear: the era of “gaming the system” is over. To win, you must stop focusing solely on technical loopholes and start focusing on becoming a pillar of your community—the kind of business people mention by name without needing a search engine.

Here is how you can guide your business toward success in the local landscape this year:

• Be worth talking about: Search engines now prioritize “social chatter” and real human recommendations. Don’t just exist; create experiences, events, and a culture that people want to share on TikTok, Reddit, and in their own local circles.

• Build an “agent-ready” website: AI agents (like those powered by Gemini and ChatGPT) are increasingly handling the “doing” for your customers. If your website doesn’t have structured, easy-to-read forms for booking, scheduling, or checking stock, these AI tools will skip you in favor of a competitor who is more “agent-friendly.”

• Prioritize Google, but feed the LLMs: Google remains the king of live local data, but AI models like ChatGPT can’t see Google reviews. To be found everywhere, you must build a 5-star reputation on diverse platforms like Yelp, TripAdvisor, and industry-specific directories.

• Content must be actionable and opinionated: Generic landing pages are no longer enough. 2026 rewards “comparison content” (e.g., The Top 5 Coffee Shops in London) and raw, authentic human writing. Don’t be afraid to show some personality; the “messy” truth beats AI-generated fluff every time.

• Shift your definition of success: Visibility is the new gold. As organic clicks become harder to track, focus on your “share of voice.” If people see your brand mentioned across multiple platforms—even if they don’t click a link immediately—you are winning the long game.

• The fundamentals still rule: At its core, SEO is still about trust and authority. While the tools have changed, the goal hasn’t: be the most reliable, highly recommended business in your neighborhood, and the algorithms will naturally follow your lead.

I recently spoke at BrightonSEO San Diego, where I shared my experience from working at Google and my years helping clients improve their Google Business Profile’s performance. I explained why this shift matters and what local marketers should do about it. Here’s a breakdown of the key takeaways.

From Links to Answers

For over two decades, Google has been a gateway to the web. Searchers typed in a query and were served 10 blue links. But that model is quickly becoming outdated.

Enter AI Overviews (previously known as Search Generative Experience or SGE). These AI-generated summaries sit atop the search results, answering questions directly on the page without requiring users to click through. And it’s happening a lot more than you might think:

• 88% of informational queries now trigger an AI Overview (Source: SEMrush)
• 40%+ of local business queries are beginning to do the same (Source: LocalFalcon)
• And a staggering 69% of all searches end without a single click (Source: Similarweb)

This has massive implications. Google is no longer just curating information; it’s synthesizing it. And in doing so, it’s reshaping how consumers discover and engage with local businesses.

Your Website Isn’t Dead, But It’s Not Where the Action Starts

Let’s be clear. Your business’s website still matters. It’s a key source of structured content that Google uses to inform its large language models (LLMs) like Gemini. But when it comes to local queries, the most critical piece of your online presence is now your Google Business Profile (GBP).

Why? Because that’s what powers the Knowledge Panel, and the Knowledge Panel is fast becoming the place where decisions are made.

Whether in AI Mode or traditional search, users are increasingly interacting with the GBP interface, not your website. Clicking on the business name or image doesn’t take users to the site. It opens the GBP directly in the search results. Even photos and videos are rendered right there in the panel.

As the image above shows, clicking on the links in AI Mode will open the business knowledge panel instead of taking you to the business website.

This means your Google Business Profile isn’t just a listing anymore. It’s your new homepage.

What Local Marketers Should Do Right Now

So how do you adapt? Here are six actionable steps to future-proof your clients’ visibility in a world dominated by AI and zero-click experiences:

1. Optimize Descriptions and Services with Intent

Your Google Business Profile description and service list are no longer just for users. They’re data sources for Google’s AI.

Use clear, keyword-rich language that mirrors the way people ask questions. For example, if you’re a family law firm, don’t just say “We offer legal services.” Say, “We help with divorce filings, child custody, and adoption cases in [City Name].”

Inject your unique selling points and highlight anything that might resonate with search intent.

2. Choose the Most Specific Primary Category

This one’s easy to overlook, but it’s arguably the most impactful change you can make. Don’t settle for generic categories like “Lawyer” or “Store.” Go specific: “Personal Injury Attorney” or “Mexican Restaurant” gives Google a much clearer signal about what you do.

Once you’ve nailed the primary category, add relevant secondary categories. Avoid anything that doesn’t directly relate to your services. Irrelevant categories can dilute your authority and confuse the algorithm.

3. Reviews: Prioritize Frequency, not Just Volume

Yes, you need a lot of reviews. But you also need them to be frequent, relevant, and full of keywords.

Google’s AI models now extract intent and attributes from review content. So a review that says, “Best place for emergency dental work in Tampa!” is more valuable than one that says simply, “Great service.” Encourage customers to be specific and include photos whenever possible.

4. Complete Every Section of Your Profile

Google rewards data-rich profiles. Fill out every attribute, even if the answer is “No.” For instance, if a business isn’t woman-owned, still mark that attribute as “No” rather than leaving it blank. A complete profile sends trust signals and helps the AI understand your business more confidently.

Consistency matters too. Make sure your business name, address, and phone number (NAP) match exactly across your website, GBP, and directories.

5. Use Real Photos and Videos and Update Them Often

AI is now scanning visual content, not just metadata. That means every image or video you upload is another opportunity to confirm your relevance, authenticity, and location.

Showcase interior and exterior shots, team members in action, and real customers (with permission). Avoid stock photography or AI-generated images. They’re easily flagged and less trusted by the algorithm.

6. Post Regularly to Influence Conversions

Google Posts might not boost rankings, but they do improve conversions. Treat them like digital signage. Promote seasonal offers, share news, or highlight unique services.

Since users are now engaging more with your GBP than your website, this is your chance to shape their perception and nudge them toward action, whether that’s a call, a direction request, or a visit.

The Big Takeaway

Google is no longer just a search engine. It’s an answer engine. And the businesses that win in this environment are the ones who feed the machine with the best, most relevant, and most complete data.

In this new world, your Google Business Profile is the most important source of local business data for Google AI.

It’s a living, breathing representation of your business, and it might be the only thing a customer sees before they decide to call, visit, or move on.

So optimize it like your business depends on it.

Because increasingly, it does.

Local SEO can mean a lot of things. For the sake of this article, it refers to organic visibility in Google Maps via the Local Pack. Or, more plainly, your Google Business Profile (GBP).

GBP is particularly relevant today because small businesses are losing organic clicks from top and mid-funnel queries to AI Overviews (AIO). For any business or marketer, fewer clicks means less data. For these small businesses, it can mean fewer leads, too.

In other words, showing up for bottom-of-funnel search queries is more important than ever. For local businesses, those queries are the ones driving prospective customers to the Local Pack.

How AIOs Impact SMBs: A Quick Look at 2025

For a lot of businesses, clicks go down as AIOs take over relevant search engine results pages (SERPs). This is true even if the business ranks well in the overviews, as the business referenced below does. While some AIO citations result in clicks, many do not.

Correlation is not causation, but this is not an isolated example. SMBs are seeing fewer clicks across the board, and it’s not difficult to guess why.

GBP is a Critical Source of Leads for SMBs

The bright side is this: GBP remains a critical source of leads for SMBs. In fact, I’ve seen about 10-15% more calls come through GBP compared to pre-AIO times.

Additionally, first-time calls to businesses with aggressive marketing packages saw their Google listings start to drive more leads than their organic website traffic (which was unusual for the businesses I work with, historically).

With the advent of AIOs, GBP has overtaken organic search for phone calls by a margin of about 12%.

Small Business Local SEO 101: Make Patterns, Not Big Changes

SMBs need an actionable and consistent approach to GBP. We’ll dive into tactics in a minute, but for now, I want to focus on the right approach: Don’t look for one “big” change to fix everything. Look for small improvements and iterate on them.

Google actually encourages this approach with on-site SEO in its SEO Starter guide. It says “…if you’re not satisfied with your results and your business strategies allow it, try iterating with the changes and see if they make a difference.”

This statement isn’t about GBP, but the same principle applies. Don’t chase the big fixes; instead, iterate on the small ones to create a positive pattern.

This includes things like:

• Posting regularly, in a natural cadence that reflects your business’s updates, events, specials, etc.
• Gathering reviews over time, naturally, and in a way that reflects customer experience
• Consistently reviewing changes to your GBP data and keeping it fresh, accurate, and updated
• Responding to reviews consistently, over time
• Responding to customer questions in the Q&A section as they are asked
• Keeping your website updated with relevant content and information

Let’s Talk Strategy: Tactics that Customers (and Google!) Love

So, what patterns should you create? And which tactics create them? The simple answer is this: Focus on the things you can control, or at least try to.

Below, I’ve listed what I consider the more important local SEO tactics for small businesses. Some of them may seem obvious; others not. But they’re all important, especially when taken as part of a larger strategy.

Keep Your Profile Updated & Accurate

This one’s pretty obvious: it’s important to keep your business information updated and accurate. Not because it’ll help you rank, but because it’s a good customer experience. (And because customers will get annoyed if your information is wrong.)

A 2023 study from BrightLocal found that 62% of consumers would not use a business if they found incorrect information about them online.

It’s also completely within your control and could impact whether or not a customer is able to find or call you. Thus, it’s worth noting.

Describe Your Business Accurately (Don’t worry about the SEO)

As a general rule of thumb, make sure your GBP accurately reflects your business as customers experience it in the real world. This means filling out every field in your profile and adding as much detail as GBP allows, including your business description.

Here are a few best practices for the description:

• DO fill out your business description with as much helpful information as possible, so customers can see what you’re about.
• DON’T use keywords in your description or try to cater to what you think Google wants.

Keep Your Photos Updated (and Helpful)

Include photos of your business storefront so customers know what it looks like from the street or parking lot. Add pictures of the inside, too, so they know what to expect when they get there.

Update images if something changes. This is especially relevant for businesses (such as restaurants) that change their menu frequently. Service-based businesses, such as law firms, may not need to update their photos as often unless something at the business location changes.

A few things to avoid:

• Stock photos
• Geo-tagging your images
• Low-quality images
• Outdated images

Show Customers What You Have to Offer

If it’s available for your business type, add products and services to your listing.

Products are detailed snapshots of what you offer; services are more like a menu of what you do.

I find the products feature particularly valuable because you can add a detailed description, image, and link to a related page on your website from the product listing. Even for service-based businesses (like law firms or dentists), “products” are a great way to give customers more information about how you can help them.

Prep for GBP Suspensions Before They Happen

Google Business Profile suspensions are a hassle. Prepare for them in advance. There are two types of suspensions: hard and soft suspensions. A soft suspension keeps you from editing your business information; a hard suspension completely removes it from SERPs.

If your listing gets suspended, you can appeal it and submit evidence for reinstatement.

Here’s a quick list of what you should have on file to make sure you can appeal your listing quickly in the unfortunate event of a suspension:

• Business registration
• Business license
• Tax certificates
• Utility bills (Internet, phone, water, etc.)

I also recommend keeping a picture of their storefront with signage on hand as well.

Reviews, Reviews, Reviews

Treat reviews like an ongoing part of your business operations and request them consistently.

The number of reviews and average star rating are important, but velocity (how often people review your business) is also important. If you can, I recommend using review management software, such as BrightLocal, GatherUp, or Podium, to request reviews.

A few best practices and notes regarding reviews:

• It’s okay if your star rating isn’t 5/5. People know you’re not perfect, and a 4.8/5 can look more authentic to customers anyway.
• Respond to reviews. Be kind and don’t get defensive. If you’re able, offer to fix the problem. If not, let the customer know you’ll do better next time.
• If a review is fake or harassment, do not respond to it; instead, report it to Google so it can be removed.
• Do not have your employees leave reviews! Only reviews from real customers count.

Perfect Your Intake (Make Every Lead Count)

It’s easy to treat your digital marketing as something separate from your business’s day-to-day operations. Once you get a lead or someone walks through the door, your Google Listing has done its job, right?

Kind of. The next step is just as important, though. When you get a lead (call, form, text), you need to make sure that prospective customers have the same helpful experience they got online. If you can, audit your intake (you’ll need call tracking for this!) and coach your team on how to work with prospective customers/clients when they reach out.

The goal is to turn leads into revenue, and that only happens when the lead converts.

Track everything really well (call Tracking, UTM codes, etc.)

Speaking of call tracking, if your business gets leads over the phone, use call tracking software on your website and your Google listing. Call data is part of your local SEO Strategy.

Set up call recording (if permitted by local laws) and pay attention to the origin of your calls.

Additionally, make sure to add UTM tracking codes to your Google listing and any links on it (appointment link, product link, website link, etc.). I won’t go into too much detail here, but this resource from Claire Carlile has everything you need to know (including a template!).

What about directory listings (other than GBP)?

“Local SEO” used to be synonymous with “directory listings,” and the general rule of thumb was this: The more, the merrier! Today, it’s more closely associated with Google Maps optimization, and it’s worth asking whether other directories are worth the time and money it takes to stay listed in them.

Not long ago, I revised my approach to these third-party listings and removed clients from many of them. Here’s what happened:

• Rankings did not go down (they went up, on average, for important terms)
• Leads did not go down (they went up, on average, for most clients)

This doesn’t mean directories don’t have their place, but syndicating your business information to 80+ listings that will never be indexed or seen by humans simply is not needed to achieve local SEO success.

When Third-party Directory Listings Really Matter

Local SEO is still SEO, so “it depends” applies even to third-party directory listings. There are a few technical instances in which directories are relevant, and not just for your ideal clients:

New Businesses

I’ve worked with some new businesses that struggle to get their Google listing verified because they are so new.

If your business falls into this category, consider getting it listed in more directories than I recommended above. Listings that come with a unique profile that Google can index are best. Syndicating your data to many publishers is one way you can show search engines that your business is, in fact, “legit” and has some semblance of an online footprint.

Website Indexation

The same goes for new websites (often associated with new businesses).

In recent years, I’ve seen new domains struggle to get indexed without the help of some third-party mentions. Directory listings are one way to encourage crawlers to engage with your site.

Of course, your website needs to include some kind of value and helpful content, too, but getting onto directory listings can help move the indexation process along.

Address Changes

Changing an address in GBP can be really easy, but it can also be tough if Google deems the change unreliable. Having additional listings (ones that are easier to update, ideally) with the new address in place can increase the likelihood of Google accepting the change quickly.

LLMs Use Listings for Business Information

Kate Herbert-Smith, Digital Learning Manager at BrightLocal

BrightLocal’s research from July 2025 found that AI has bought citations and listings back into a more prominent position. While their importance had been waning for a few years, LLMs now use them as a regular source of information for your brand.

A few of our findings:

• Yelp is used as a source in a third of all searches, and often multiple times in one search.
• LLMs use reviews from Yelp, Google Business Profile, and other sources to get additional rich information.
• LLMs also take information from social media channels.
• Businesses own websites are incredibly important sources for LLMs.
• Industry niche directories are a regular source of information.

Read the full study

Your On-site SEO Matters, Too!

Your website is part of your local SEO strategy, too. Not only because it can rank for local queries, but also because your website optimization can impact your performance in Google Maps.

It goes without saying that for your GBP to reap the benefits of an optimized and authoritative website, you need a live website to optimize. But research shows that only 40% of SMBs said they had a dedicated website for their business.

Here’s an example of how an active website can impact your local SEO:

I encountered a business not too long ago that wasn’t new, wasn’t indexed except for the home page. Additionally, Google refused to display their website on GBP (would deny the update every time). Initially, the clear problem was thin content. However, the site encountered the same issues after that was fixed.

After checking the site’s technical elements (robots.txt, internal links, etc.), I noticed unsavory backlinks in the client’s backlink profile and submitted a disavow file.

Within two weeks, the site was indexed, and the firm’s visibility in Google Maps increased by 44%. Calls followed a similar pattern:

In short, the relevance of your website impacts the relevance of your Google listing.

If you’re interested in how to structure your website for local success and how to optimize your service pages, check out my course on mastering service page optimization from BrightLocal Academy.

Conclusion

SEO is iterative, and local SEO is no exception. Don’t look for one big lever you can pull and walk away. GBP isn’t a slot machine. If you treat it like one, you’ll end up disappointed. Look for the little things you can do consistently (and well!) that pile up over time. That’s how you win.

The good news, though, is that Google Business Profile will play a key role in what comes next.

As he put it:

“Google Business Profile is the digital storefront. It’s the point of truth across Google Search and Maps.”

From Keywords to Conversations

According to Riaz, search has moved far beyond “pizza near me.” Today’s customers type, or speak, more nuanced queries: “find me a gluten-free deep-dish pizza with vegan cheese that I can enjoy on a dog-friendly patio.” These conversational searches carry more context and more commercial intent.

“We’ve gone from people typing ‘pool cleaning’ to asking ‘why is my pool green and how do I fix it?’ Search is becoming more conversational and contextual.”

For businesses, this means two things:

1. Your visibility depends on how complete and accurate your information is.
2. Customers are closer to taking action when they find you.

Search Without the Search Box

Riaz pointed to Google Lens, Circle to Search, and AI Overviews as proof that discovery is expanding. One in five Lens searches already has purchase intent.

“One in every five Lens searches has commercial intent. That’s a huge opportunity for businesses.”

Add to that AI summaries at the top of results, and even AI Mode, which reasons through complex questions, and you have customers discovering businesses in entirely new ways. 

Local businesses can no longer rely solely on text-based search. Visibility now requires being present in images, summaries, and AI-driven conversations.

Google Business Profile: The Digital Storefront

Despite the buzz around new AI features, Omar stressed the central role of the Google Business Profile. He described it as the “point of truth” across Maps and Search, and now, increasingly, across AI-driven results.

“Businesses with complete profiles see up to seven times more clicks than those without.”

Complete profiles, with categories, attributes, hours, and rich visuals, are far more likely to surface in conversational queries. In other words, GBP is no longer just a listing; it’s the storefront through which AI introduces your business to customers.

For practical steps, see our guides on Google Business Profile optimization.

SEO Isn’t Dead, It’s Evolving

Riaz was clear: don’t throw away your SEO playbook. The fundamentals still matter — crawlability, technical health, and unique content remain the foundation.

“The fundamentals of SEO are even more important now than before. The goal is still to help people find outstanding original content that adds unique value.”

But in an AI-first world, the yardstick is shifting. Success is measured less in raw clicks and more in engagement, conversions, and loyalty. For marketers, that means rethinking what performance looks like — focusing on outcomes, not just traffic volume.

Our Local SEO Checklist can help make sure you’ve got the essentials in place.

2025 Priorities for Local Businesses

Looking ahead, Google is steering businesses toward four key content priorities:

• Messaging and chat: adding WhatsApp and SMS directly into GBP.
• Social integration: linking Instagram, YouTube, and X to build authenticity.
• Google Posts: using posts as part of an active social strategy.
• Structured menus and ordering: especially for restaurants and cafés, where customers expect to browse and book without friction. For more, check out our restaurant SEO guide.

“We’re advising businesses to treat Google Posts as part of their social strategy — updating at least once a week improves visibility.”

The thread running through all of these? Freshness, completeness, and authenticity. Google wants GBP to be an active channel, not a static listing.

The Data Gap and What Comes Next

One audience concern resonated: visibility into AI traffic. Right now, tracking is limited. While Omar acknowledged this frustration, he noted that these are very new products, and analytics will evolve.

“AI Mode has only just launched in over 180 markets. Tracking and analytics will evolve, but right now it’s still very new.”

For now, his advice was to double down on what’s within your control: strong content, complete business profiles, and consistent engagement.

Google Doubling Down

Omar Riaz’s session underscored an important truth: Google isn’t moving away from local business visibility, it’s doubling down on it. By weaving AI into search, by expanding the role of Google Business Profile, and by emphasizing fresh, authentic content, Google is signaling that the businesses that adapt now will be best positioned tomorrow.

As Riaz made clear;

“Those who invest in completeness, authenticity, and adaptability will be the ones who thrive in Google’s AI-first future.”

Citations and local listings are back in the spotlight

There’s been a lot of talk about citations in the context of AI search. For traditional SEOs, citations mean unlinked brand mentions, i.e., your business being mentioned in a news article, blog post, or PR, but without a direct link back to your site. While these have always been part of a solid online presence, now these unlinked mentions, along with local citations and listings, are being seen as key for ranking in AI searches.

Obviously, for local SEOs, citations are something we’ve been using for years.

Citations in the form of local listings and aggregators used to be absolutely vital for local visibility. In recent years, they have become more of a foundational task. But with AI-driven search on the rise, they’re making a big comeback, often being referenced directly by these new AI platforms.

For example, Data Axle points out how crucial it is to get your locations synced with major voice assistants like Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple Siri, and to ensure accuracy for GPS services like Uber. If your business doesn’t refresh and rebuild its listings and citations for this new AI-driven world, it’s definitely going to miss out.

Foursquare’s surprising role with ChatGPT

Here’s a real head-scratcher that shows just how important diverse local data sources are: the partnership between Foursquare and ChatGPT. A few months ago, Foursquare teamed up directly with ChatGPT, meaning Foursquare’s location data is now powering many of the AI’s responses.

What’s really wild about this is that Foursquare has pretty much retired its consumer-facing apps and websites. Yet, it’s now a key aggregator for AI search. It’s important to note that Foursquare isn’t necessarily appearing as a directly linked source in the way other citation or listing sites might. Instead, AI models are pulling information straight from their vast database. Reports suggest that a significant 60% and 70% of local results on ChatGPT come straight from Foursquare’s city guide listings, especially for smaller towns or niche businesses.

This really hammers home that listings beyond just Google Business Profile (GBP) and Yelp have real value. If ChatGPT doesn’t find enough info on Foursquare, then it turns to other sources, including Google Business Profile. With over 100 million points of interest in more than 200 countries, Foursquare’s database is a surprisingly powerful player in the AI search game.

Source

What we’re seeing in AI search: All LLMs are using directories for sources, and Yelp is prevalent

From what we’re observing across various AI search platforms, there’s a clear shift in how local business info is being pulled and presented. We did some real-world searching and found the following.

Directories are key for AI search

All LLMs are using directories and citations for business information across every industry.

• Platforms like MapQuest were frequently leveraged by both Google AI Mode and Perplexity, demonstrating that even long-standing directories remain highly influential in the AI ecosystem.
• For specialized sectors, AI models exhibit a strong preference for industry-specific directories.
  • In our dentistry searches, for example, ChatGPT exclusively sourced information from ten different dental directories. Toprateddentist.com appeared as a key source for Gemini, AI Mode, and ChatGPT across these searches.
  • Similarly, sites like Superlawyers.com and Findlaw.com were heavily relied upon by ChatGPT and Perplexity for legal-related queries. This emphasizes the need to be present and accurate within your specific industry’s leading directories.

Yelp is a strong influence

Despite a fluctuating reputation among some users, Yelp remains an undeniable force in AI search:

• Yelp was used as a source in 33% of our overall searches. Perplexity notably used Yelp in every single industry we investigated, though not for every individual search within those industries.
• While Google Gemini was the only LLM that did not directly cite Yelp, Google AI Mode still pulled information from Yelp for multiple industries, including dental, hospitality, and fitness.
• LLMs utilized Yelp not only to extract specific business information but also, crucially, to surface and summarize customer reviews.

Google Business Profile is still essential for Google’s LLMs

Unsurprisingly, Google’s own AI models heavily favor Google Business Profile listings:

Even in instances where GBP wasn’t the main cited source, AI Mode would still display GBP information within its results. It often summarizes key details via text alongside data from other sources before presenting the full GBP listing further down. This highlights its importance for visibility within Google’s AI environment.

Your business website really matters

Perhaps the most reassuring finding for businesses is the continued importance of their own websites.

In our previous ChatGPT source study in December 2024, we found that ChatGPT used business websites as a source 58% of the time. This continues to be the case.

The vast majority of sources across every single LLM and industry were businesses’ own websites. This finding really highlights just how critical it is to have your own, well-maintained website. Your website serves as the ultimate authoritative source for LLMs seeking the most accurate and complete information.

How to Build a Local Business Website From Scratch (Without Screwing It Up)

Learn more

Other notable findings

While directories and your website form the backbone, our research also points to other content types and platforms influencing AI search results:

• For industries like hospitality, blogs and lifestyle-oriented websites frequently appeared as sources, indicating the value of content marketing and partnerships beyond traditional listings.
• Social platforms are increasingly contributing to the AI search landscape.
  • Instagram was cited as a source by both Google AI Mode and Perplexity.
  • Facebook was used by Google AI Mode and ChatGPT.
  • YouTube content influenced results for both Gemini and Perplexity.

This shows your business needs a complete online presence with accurate information, good review management, and engaging content on many different platforms to help AI find you easily.

What this means for your business

The rise of AI search is a game-changer for how your business needs to approach getting found online. To make sure your business stays in the running in this new era, here’s what you need to focus on in terms of citations and listings: 

1. Build and optimize your foundational citations (including niche and key directories)

Our research clearly shows that directories are key for AI search. LLMs are extensively using them across every industry. This means actively working on getting your business mentioned across all sorts of online platforms, both broad and niche-specific. 

Platforms like MapQuest were frequently cited, highlighting the continued importance of even long-standing directories. Also, for specialized sectors like dentistry (where Toprateddentist.com was a key source) or legal (with Superlawyers.com and Findlaw.com), AI models show a strong preference for industry-specific directories.

Our Citation Builder service can streamline this process. Our team of experts finds and builds high-quality citations on relevant directories for you. You can also use our Citation Tracker tool to keep an eye on your existing citations, helping you spot inconsistencies or new opportunities that can boost your online authority.

2. Prioritize Google Business Profile

Google AI Mode consistently relied on GBP as a primary information source, often summarizing its details even when other sources were also used. This highlights that a complete, accurate, and optimized GBP is non-negotiable for visibility within Google’s AI environment.

3. Optimize your website

Our findings show that your business’s own website is often the dominant source for LLMs. This means your website is truly your most important online asset. Ensure it’s up-to-date with essential information, including your Name, Address, and Phone number (NAP), detailed services offered, current opening hours, compelling photos, answers to FAQs, customer reviews (and links to review platforms), and comprehensive business descriptions. 

4. Leverage data aggregators

Platforms like Data Axle, Foursquare, Neustar, and others are crucial for making sure your business info gets shared across AI search engines, voice assistants, and navigation systems. These aggregators push your core data out widely, ensuring LLMs have access to consistent information.

As part of our Citation Builder service, we offer direct submissions to the five major Data Aggregator Networks (including Data Axle, Foursquare, and Neustar). This ensures your core business information is pushed out to thousands of directories, apps, and mapping services, widening your reach to where AI models get their data.

5. Stay on top of your listings management

Our research, particularly on Yelp, demonstrates the strong influence of review platforms. Yelp was a source in a significant 33% of our searches, used not just for business info but crucially, to summarize customer reviews. This underscores the need to make absolutely sure your business name, address, and phone number (NAP) are identical across all your online listings, your website, Google Business Profile, Foursquare, Apple Maps, and social media. 

Keep all your profiles complete, accurate, and up-to-date with details like categories, hours, and photos. And don’t forget to actively manage customer reviews; they play a big part in how AI pulls together information and ranks businesses. Also, using strategic keywords in your listings can help improve their performance in local searches.

Our Active Sync tool ensures your most important business information is consistent and accurate across major platforms like Google, Facebook, Apple Maps, and Bing. It helps prevent unwanted edits and quickly pushes out updates. 

With our Reputation Manager tool, you can monitor reviews across 80+ sites, get notified of new feedback, and even generate more positive reviews, all helping to build the strong online presence AI algorithms are looking for.

6. Cultivate local mentions and PR

Beyond directories and your website, our findings show that other content types and platforms are influencing AI search. For instance, content and lifestyle sites were sources for hospitality queries, with reputable lifestyle publications like Time Out and smaller, more location—or industry-specific blogs.

Social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube were also cited by various LLMs. 

Cultivating local mentions and securing links from local news sites, community blogs, and other authoritative online sources is increasingly important. Our research into AI sources shows that these types of online local mentions are key signals in the eyes of AI algorithms. So, investing time in local public relations and actively seeking out these non-directory mentions will play a crucial role in your success.

AI search isn’t something that’s coming; it’s here now. Adapting your local SEO strategies to fit this new AI landscape will put you in the best position to get seen by customers, no matter where they’re looking.

You’ve likely heard this before, but is it truly embedded in your strategy? I have worked with many global brands over the years. A common disconnect brands suffer from is failing to tune into the “Familiarity Factor.”

Brands are an integral part of the social fabric of any community they operate in. They must act like it or risk being deemed untrustworthy by customers.

We’re Drawn to What We Know: Understanding ‘Familiarity Bias’

Cognitive science provides a valuable insight into why your local marketing efforts can feel tone-deaf: humans have a familiarity bias. This mental shortcut means we naturally gravitate towards what we know and find familiar because it feels inherently safer. When you tap into it, you’re not just aiming for clicks; you’re building cognitive trust and confidence. You are effectively guiding customers by demonstrating a genuine understanding of their context.

This is where true localization distinguishes itself from mere translation.

Translation alters words, but localization adapts your entire message to resonate with local culture, dialect, colloquialisms, and consumer behavior. It’s the difference between a generic approach and one that says, “I understand this specific community.” A nod to Giulia Panozzo, a neuroscientist turned marketer who breaks it down even further.

When Automation Misses the Mark: The Limits of AI in Localization

I have a wonderful anecdote regarding LLMs. ChatGPT helped me solve a decades-long search in one query.

I grew up surrounded by one side of my family speaking Hungarian and broken French, while the other spoke perfect French and fluent Yiddish. My father had many nicknames for us, and upon his passing, I could never figure out what one of them meant for my brother. How could I spell something that I’d never seen written?

Many years spent Googling didn’t help me.

And Yiddish speakers are so few and far between in my world now that I had no one left to ask. It turns out, and thanks to ChatGPT for this, that my brother’s nickname meant “little stick”, which was such a sweet and fitting description.

I literally had to speak it to get it found.

Except that such tools are not necessarily to be trusted blindly with localization. Their outputs can feel wildly off.

For instance, I once dedicated several hours attempting to guide an LLM in creating a vintage Hawaiian postcard, including some food staples from my childhood. The outcome was a collection of inaccuracies: typos, incongruous shapes, and what could only be described as “unholy textures.”

It was fundamentally wrong.

The reason? The machine lacks the lived experience and nuanced understanding that a human possesses.

Consider the “shaved ice” emoji . Emojipedia describes it as a “mound of shaved ice (snow cone) served in a dessert bowl… flavored with a cherry-red syrup… Associated with Hawaiian shave ice or Japanese kakigori.”

This is close, but misses a key local detail.

For those who truly know Hawai’i, it’s not called “shaved ice.” It’s “shave ice“—no ‘d’. This is a Hawai’i Pidgin term. Using “snow cone” or adding the ‘d’ instantly signals a lack of local familiarity. It’s a subtle distinction, but a potent one—a form of local shorthand. It clearly signals that you aren’t from there, that you are passing through as a tourist or a military person stationed on the island.

This isn’t linguistic pedantry, these nuances are foundational to genuine local connection.

Brand familiarity translates to increased cognitive trust and confidence in decision-making processes for customers. A great piece for further reading on this is: Familiarity and Its Impact on Consumer Decision Biases and Heuristics.

From Keywords to Connection: Weaving Familiarity into Your Local SEO

Your mission is to deliver localized experiences to users based on their geography and language preferences. How do we translate this understanding into practical local SEO? First and foremost, you should be able to point out a few examples of “not like us” in your own area. It’s about being both present and relevant.

True localization transcends language to tap into the psychological drivers behind decision-making.

1. Understand Local Behaviors and Preferences (I Call it the “Haupia Pie” Principle)

McDonald’s is a global brand, but they know that good old American apple pie is not the standard there. They offer Haupia Pie, a fried pie with a traditional Hawaiian coconut pudding filling.

McDonald’s understood that to be truly local, they needed to cater to the local palate.

This principle extends to items like “loco moco” (a popular local dish) or “furikake popcorn.” These are cultural touchstones that I seek out when I want comfort. They are something that you should know about if you are marketing to folks living in that beautiful state.

Are these appearing in your local keyword research? (Consider their search volumes: “loco moco burger” sees around 170 monthly searches, and “furikake popcorn” around 390.)

2. Be Locally Authentic 

I grew up with Paprika and a healthy fear of Russia. It used to be a baseline for Hungarian parents and grandparents coming from Hungary. So you can imagine that a Samsung advertisement that translated an American video into Hungarian but retained the phrase “pardon my French” was very, very confusing for many of my peers.

What does France have to do with Samsung…and us? This was a misstep because the idiom doesn’t resonate in Hungary.

In fact, a Hungarian expression for telling someone to go away translates literally to “go to France.” The ad felt inauthentic and disconnected.

Even details like phone number formatting contribute. The US, Canada, France, Germany, and Italy each have distinct conventions for “chunking” phone numbers to aid memory. Adopting the local format is a subtle acknowledgment of familiarity. Consider idioms, formats,, and keywords to truly connect with your audience.

3. Integrate Local Customs, Imagery, and Traditions

When targeting a market like Hawai’i, consider Aloha wear. It’s not merely casual clothing; it can be formal attire. There’s matching Aloha wear, Aloha print dresses, and traditional (and formal) Hawaiian muumuu dresses.

These terms have search volume because they are integral to the local culture. Your imagery should also reflect this understanding, featuring local scenery, symbols, and people. You should be able to do this as a local marketer. Otherwise, something is wrong; you’re not truly embedded in the local culture and will be treated as an outsider.

That stock imagery you added to your Google Business Profile that you’d hoped was humanizing? It could be doing the complete opposite if you’re not careful. Make sure you’re actually marketing effectively to your truly local audience and use images that reflect that.

4. Acknowledge Local Market Realities (The “Poké” Example)

For many outside of Hawai’i, “poké” is often perceived as a trendy restaurant item, usually a poké bowl. For a Hawai’i resident, however, it’s frequently a supermarket delicacy—a special treat one might look for on sale at local stores like Times Supermarket or Foodland.

Consequently, a poké restaurant in Hawai’i competes not only with other restaurants but also with local supermarket deli counters. Your local SEO strategy must account for this. Tools like AlsoAsked can provide valuable insights here, revealing common user questions such as, “Does Times Supermarket have poke?” or “Does Costco have poke?”.

Time to Make it Your Own: Actionable Insights for Effective Localization

Brand familiarity can streamline user experiences, making interactions feel intuitive and trustworthy.

(If you’re ready for a real deep dive, read this report: Elucidating trust-building sources in social shopping: A consumer cognitive and emotional trust perspective).

If you haven’t got time for that, though, then the magic formula in a neat bullet point list is: 

So what does that look like in practice?

• Shipping and Availability Transparency
  For island communities or remote areas, a primary concern is often, “Do they ship here, and what are the costs?” Queries like “Does Wayfair ship to Hawaii?” are prevalent. Clear information is key.
  
• Localized Promotions and Discounts
  In Hawai’i, the “Kama’āina” rate offers discounts to locals. Given the significant military presence, military discounts are also common. Recognizing and catering to these with specific landing pages or offers can build meaningful goodwill.
  
• Leverage Local Holidays and Events
  Beyond mainstream holidays, are you aware of regional events? In Hawai’i, this includes Prince Kūhiō Day (March 26), Lei Day (May 1), and King Kamehameha I Day (June 11), as well as the Aloha Festivals or the Merrie Monarch Festival. These present opportunities for locally relevant content, promotions, and community engagement.
  
• Adhere to Legal and Geographic Nuances
  Be aware of local regulations. For instance, Hawai’i has implemented its own data privacy laws. Compliance and awareness are crucial.
• Optimize Microcopy
  Your meta descriptions, image alt-text, and even button text are all opportunities to subtly incorporate local language and references.
• Build Local Trust Signals
  Seek reviews and testimonials from region-specific publications and influencers. An “upscale twist on the traditional Luau” review from a local Hawaiian magazine, for example, can carry more weight within that community than a generic endorsement.
• Refine Internal Site Search
  Ensure your internal search engine understands local terminology. If it doesn’t recognize that “manapua” is the local term for “char siu bao” or “pork buns,” or if it doesn’t account for regional variations in product names (e.g., “hair dryer” vs. “blow dryer”), you risk creating user friction.

Human Touch Breeds Familiarity in an Algorithmic World

Machine translation and AI offer scalability at a speed never before seen. Quality and speed are not synonymous though: crafting true resonance requires a multi-local approach—one driven by human understanding of subtle cultural nuances. It involves delving deeper than surface-level keywords to grasp the intent and context behind user searches.

Having lived and worked across diverse markets like the US, Canada, France, Germany, Portugal, Italy, and Denmark, I’ve consistently observed a fundamental factor: the deep-seated human need for familiarity. The goal is to move beyond simple translation and strive for genuine connection. Immerse your strategy in local customs, dialects, cultural references, imagery, and traditions. Aim to become that trusted local guide who understands the community’s unique perspectives. When you make your audience feel seen, understood, and comfortable, that’s when truly effective marketing occurs.

If you find yourself navigating a particularly complex local market, remember that these details matter. Paying attention to them is a cornerstone of successful local SEO.

At Google I/O 2025, we learned more about Google’s vision for AI search, and just before then, we found out about some new Google Business Profile (GBP) functionality. The direction is clear. Google is doubling down on AI and trying to improve the user experience of searchers.

So, what’s at the heart of this strategy? A renewed focus on personalization using AI, local discovery, smart spending, and seamless, enjoyable experiences, especially when it comes to food, events, and things to do.

AI Mode and the Future of Search

As part of the keynote on day one of Google I/O, Google announced a brand new AI Mode, along with a number of upgrades to Google Gemini.

While these aren’t local specific, there’s a good chance they’ll affect how users search for and discover businesses moving forward.

AI Mode is a fully AI search experience. Google created it early in 2025 in Search Labs and is now rolling it out to the whole of the US.

In their own words:

“AI Mode is our most powerful AI search, with more advanced reasoning and multimodality, and the ability to go deeper through follow-up questions and helpful links to the web. Over the coming weeks, you’ll see a new tab for AI Mode appear in Search and in the search bar in the Google app.”

– Elizabeth Reid, VP, Head of Search, Google

Right now AI Mode is opt-in; you have to navigate to it as it sits in its own tab at the top of the screen. But realistically, and hammered home by Liz Reid, Google’s Head of Search, this is the future of search. A truly personalized experience.

So what does that mean for you? How can you future-proof yourself?

It means that traditional search is not necessarily long for this world. AI Mode is designed to learn from you. It’ll look at your emails, your search history and try to tailor your searches based on that.

“Today the search experience for someone looking something up varies from postal code to postal code, but with this type of feature it’s going to vary from individual to individual.”

– Ross Simmonds, CEO, Foundation & Distribution.ai via LinkedIn

If it knows you’ve booked a hotel in downtown Miami, for instance, it can start giving you a tailored itinerary, and local restaurant suggestions.

If you’ve told it about allergies, it can omit any recipes it suggests in a search that includes those ingredients. That doesn’t sound too much of an issue for a local business, right? You’re not giving someone a recipe. But think about what that sort of learning and personalization actually means.

• When a user asks for a list of places to buy products in their local area, Google will already know their shopping preferences from their emails (and other sources). It could exclude certain shops from their list, while including them more regularly for others.
• If Google knows about an allergy, it can give tailored suggestions for places to eat based on the menus in Google Business Profiles.
• It can tailor recommendations based on the vibe it knows a user has. If it knows all about their interests, the brands they interact with, the papers they read, the inspirational content they interact with, the bands they listen to, or anything else, it can give them a recommendation that matches it.

This truly tailored searching is likely to be what Google wants all search experiences to be like in the future. So, while AI Mode may be in its own tab, for now, there’s a good chance it will inform how search works in the future. Therefore, it will affect how people find your business.

It’s currently available across the US.

For marketers or local businesses, AI Mode will bring some new truths:

• Clicks will likely go down.
  This is already the case for a lot of sites based purely on AI Overviews. But AI Mode may decrease them even more, even when it does provide links.
• Ranking for general terms may become less important.
  Depending on the personalization, the same term could show completely different results.
• Your brand and reputation is more important than ever.
  Making sure AI understands your brand, and that your brand is both familiar and respected locally will be crucial for getting it found. It goes without saying, but continue to work at getting more reviews.
• Diversifying your channels is going to be important.
  Look beyond simply optimizing for Google. Where else is your brand visible? TikTok, YouTube, Yelp?
• Your Google Business Profile remains important.
  In the examples Google uses in its presentation, the AI continues to surface the full profile for the local businesses it recommends.
• You can’t track traffic from AI Overviews or AI Mode.
  As it stands, Google is not offering the opportunity to track traffic from its AI search functions. 

“Right now, ranking #1 for a broad key phrase means you get a lot of clicks, but many people will drop out when the price is wrong, the brand isn’t a good fit for them, or doesn’t fit some kind of personal requirement.

The personalisation we’ll see within AI-type systems will mean a “broad” term with 50,000 searches a month may generate 1,000 different sets of results/recommendations based on the user profile. Fewer clicks, but much higher qualification is likely the future—so as Myriam Jessier has been publishing, making sure AI systems understand what your brand is, will be paramount.”

– Mark Williams-Cook, SEO Direct, Candour via LinkedIn

On top of AI Mode, Google announced a number of upgrades to Google Gemini and a rollout of AI Overviews to new countries. If you hadn’t realised by now, Google is all in on AI.

Google Business Profile Releases: Event Posts and ‘What’s Happening’

Just before Google IO, Google rolled out a brand-new Event Post display for restaurants and bars. This significant update makes GBP Posts more visible than ever in mobile search.

Here’s what you need to know:

• Displays prominently for branded searches on mobile
• Pulls content from your GBP event posts or connected social accounts
• Highlights timely updates like ‘Live Band Tonight’ or ‘Happy Hour Today’
• Prioritizes recency—outdated content disappears quickly
• Not available on Maps or desktop (yet)
• Live in English-speaking markets: US, UK, CA, AU, NZ
• Available only for single-location listings

And there’s more! Google has also introduced the new ‘What’s Happening’ section for restaurants and bars. This is a dedicated space at the top of a GBP profile to spotlight events, deals, and specials.

“This is the first time in a while that Google has made Posts more visible in search. The intent is clear: Google wants to surface what’s happening right now at your business.”

– Claudia Tomina, Google Product Expert and CEO, Reputation ARM via LinkedIn

This space is designed to drive immediate engagement, putting updates like ‘Today’s Special’ or ‘Live Music Saturday’ front and center. To be eligible to appear in this new space:

• Post directly to your GBP using Google Posts, or
• Connect your Facebook, Instagram, and X profiles for automatic syncing.

It’s a small change with a big impact, especially for businesses that rely on footfall and timely promotions.

What These New Features Mean for Local Businesses

These recent GBP changes are all about enhancing the discoverability and appeal of local businesses. From event-led footfall to deal-driven dining decisions, Google is reinforcing the power of local relevance and giving businesses more tools to stay visible and competitive.

At BrightLocal, we’ll be tracking these developments closely and helping businesses make the most of every new feature as it rolls out.