What the research shows
BrightLocal’s Local AI Visibility Study (September 2026) looked at over 200,000 local searches on ChatGPT, Google AI Mode and AI Overviews:
- Google Maps still shows businesses far more often. Maps mentioned a tracked business in 66% of searches, compared with 32–38% for the AI tools.
- AI answers change a lot. The same question asked again gave a different list most of the time.
- Websites matter. Business websites made up 42% of the sources AI tools cited.
- Distance still counts. Most recommended businesses were within 10 km of the searcher.
A companion BrightLocal study found Google Business Profiles were the most-cited source of all, ahead of Yelp and Facebook.
What Google says
Google says there are no special requirements or tricks to appear in AI Overviews or AI Mode. Pages just need to be indexed and eligible to show in search. It also advises keeping your Business Profile information up to date. See Google’s AI features guide.
What to do
- Get your Google Business Profile right. It’s the most-cited source. Use our checklist.
- Make your website clear. A page per main service, the suburbs you serve, your hours and contact details in plain text, not just images.
- Keep details the same everywhere: Google, Apple, Bing and directories.
- Build genuine reviews that mention what you did and where. AI tools summarise them.
- Don’t block AI crawlers by accident. OpenAI says sites need to allow its OAI-SearchBot crawler to appear in ChatGPT search results. Ask whoever manages your site.
Don’t forget where customers still look first
AI search is growing, but Google Maps still puts local businesses in front of far more people. Start by seeing where you stand there: run a free Google Maps rank check.