The short version
Local AI answers appear to draw on the same information that powers local search: your Google Business Profile, reviews, listings on other platforms and your website. Nobody outside the AI companies knows the exact mix, and it differs by assistant. So make your business details correct everywhere, earn real reviews, and give your site pages that clearly say what you do and where.
What's different about local AI answers
A map pack shows several businesses ranked by proximity, relevance and prominence. An AI assistant gives a short written recommendation, often naming two or three options with reasons. There's less room, so inclusion matters more, and the reasons it gives (reviews, services, experience) come from what it can find about you.
We can't say precisely which sources each assistant uses. Reports and vendor announcements suggest a mix of web search, licensed business data and review platforms, and those arrangements change. Treat any such detail as something to verify, not a strategy foundation.
Run this 20-minute test first
- Write five prompts a customer might use: "best HVAC company in Austin for emergency repairs," "who can fix a roof leak in Tampa this week," "family dentist near me taking new patients."
- Run each in ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity and Google (AI Overviews or AI Mode if shown), more than once and on different days. Answers vary.
- Record whether you appear, which competitors do, the reasons given and the sources cited, with the date and location.
- Ask each assistant what your business is and what it does, using your real business name. Check for wrong hours, address, phone or services.
Repeat monthly. For a fuller method, see how to measure AI search visibility.
The fix list, in priority order
High: Google Business Profile
- Choose the right primary category and add accurate secondary ones.
- List services, service areas, hours (including holidays) and a working phone number.
- Add real photos of your team, vehicles and work.
- Reply to every review, good or bad, professionally.
High: Reviews that say something specific
- Ask every happy customer, with a direct link to make it easy.
- Never buy, fake or incentivize reviews in ways that break platform rules. The FTC has rules on fake and misleading reviews.
- Specific reviews ("fixed our water heater same day in Plano") carry service and place details assistants can reuse.
High: Consistent name, address and phone (NAP)
- Match your website, Google, Bing Places, Apple Business Connect, Yelp, Facebook and the main directories for your trade.
- Fix duplicates and old addresses.
- Be careful with call-tracking numbers: keep your main number consistent where platforms allow.
Medium: Your website
- One page per core service, written for real customers, with the area you serve, price ranges where possible and how you work.
- Genuine location pages only where you serve and have something unique to say. Swapping city names in a template is thin content.
- Short direct answers to common questions near the top.
- LocalBusiness structured data (most specific type that fits) matching your NAP.
- Make sure AI search crawlers aren't blocked. See technical SEO for AI.
Medium: Third-party presence
- Trade directories, chambers of commerce, local news, sponsorships and partner pages.
- Platforms that some assistants may use, such as Bing Places and Apple Business Connect.
- Our local citation audit covers this systematically.
Low: Extras
- Google Business Profile posts: useful for customers, unproven for AI.
- llms.txt: no proven effect on citations; skip for a local business.
Common mistakes
- A different phone number on every listing
- Service areas listed as "everywhere"
- Ignoring negative reviews
- Near-identical "We serve" pages for 40 cities with the same paragraph
- Assuming ranking in the map pack means AI will recommend you
Multi-location and multi-state businesses
Give each real location its own profile and page, with local staff, photos, services and reviews. Keep a central source of truth for brand facts so franchise or branch pages don't contradict each other. If you operate across states, note licensing, certifications and regulations that differ by state.
What we can't promise
Nobody can guarantee an assistant will recommend you. You can control accuracy, reviews and clarity, and you can measure the outcome over time.
Other markets
Directories, review platforms and AI features differ elsewhere. See our guides for Australia and the UK. Canada is covered in our Canada guide.
Frequently asked questions
How do AI assistants decide which local business to recommend?
Nobody outside the AI companies knows the exact method, and it differs by assistant. They appear to use a mix of web content, business listings and reviews, so accurate profiles and strong reviews are the safest focus.
Is local AI search replacing Google Maps?
Not on the evidence we can verify. People still use maps and the local pack heavily. AI assistants are an extra place customers may ask.
Do I need a new website?
Usually not. Improve service pages, add real local detail and make sure the site is crawlable.
Do reviews really matter?
They're among the most consistent local signals, and they give assistants specific details to quote. Quality, recency and replies all count.
Should I list my business on Bing and Apple?
Yes. They're free and low effort, and some assistants are reported to use them. Keep details matching Google.
Do local directories affect AI visibility?
They can, as part of the wider set of sources describing your business. We track which directories get cited for your category rather than assume.
Can an agency guarantee I'll show up in ChatGPT?
No. We can fix the factors you control and measure results, but we can't promise a particular recommendation.