Winning in Local AI Search
What is actually working to help local businesses show up in ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews, and beyond.
We’ve been paying close attention to how our clients show up in AI-generated results. We’re still very much in the infancy of this, but here’s what’s working.
Longevity and citations matter more than ever
One signal we see again and again is how long a business has been around and how deeply it’s referenced across the web. Get your site launched as soon as possible, then build out citations, backlinks, and as much high-quality information as you can. AI tools pull from everywhere, not just your website.
Content at a scale that feels uncomfortable
Publish as much as you can while retaining quality: case studies, blog posts, event recaps, and service updates, all kept current. Don’t post slop. AI is getting better at spotting thin content, and it will hurt you. Small businesses that commit to real, consistent publishing will pull ahead of competitors who treat their website like a digital business card.
Get reviews and own them
Reviews are a major trust signal, and relying solely on Google Business is risky because profiles can be suspended with little warning. Your reviews should live on your own website and be prominently highlighted.
Your FAQ page is a goldmine
AI tools look for direct answers to direct questions, and a well-built FAQ page is perfectly structured for that. If you don’t have one, build it. If you have one, make it bigger and better. Start with a dozen great answers.
The boring fundamentals are still the foundation
None of the above works if the basics are broken: a fast site, proper structured data, and meta titles and descriptions that serve a purpose instead of being keyword-packed fluff.
Is this all just an AI bubble?
It might be. But even if AI search deflates, businesses investing in good fundamentals and quality content now will be ahead of whoever comes next. If you want to know where your business stands in AI search right now, we’d love to take a look.