Article · By Launch Point · Marketing Services
Ask ChatGPT for the best HVAC company, dentist or real estate agent near you. You’ll get a short answer with two or three names. The question every local business should be asking: are we one of them?
The shift happened fast
In one year, the share of consumers using ChatGPT and other AI tools for local recommendations jumped from 6% to 45% [1]. And 42% of consumers now trust AI recommendations as much as traditional reviews [1].
Google is changing too. In a 2025 study, Whitespark found AI Overviews appearing in 68% of local business-type searches [2]. Meanwhile, 68.01% of U.S. Google searches in early 2026 ended without a click to any website [3].
Customers are getting answers without ever visiting your site. If you’re not part of the answer, you’re not part of the decision.
How AI assistants decide who to mention
AI tools don’t have a secret list. They build answers from information they can find and trust across the web. For a local business, that usually includes:
- Your website: what you do, where you do it, who you serve and how you’re different
- Business listings: your Google Business Profile and directory listings, and whether the details match
- Reviews: volume, rating, recency and what customers actually say
- Third-party mentions: local news coverage, community organizations, industry associations and “best of” lists
- Clarity and consistency: whether all of those sources tell the same story
The pattern is simple. Businesses that are clear, consistent and credible across the web are easier for AI to recommend.
Six moves that improve your AI visibility
1. Build real service pages. One page per core service, written in plain language, answering the questions customers actually ask: what it costs, how long it takes, who it’s for and where you serve.
2. Make your listings match everywhere. Business name, address, phone, hours and categories should be identical across your website, Google Business Profile and major directories.
3. Keep reviews coming. 74% of consumers look for reviews written in the last three months [1]. A steady flow of fresh reviews beats a pile of old ones.
4. Answer questions directly. Add FAQ sections to key pages. Short, direct answers are easy for AI tools to understand and quote.
5. Add structured data. Schema markup tells search engines and AI tools, in their own language, what your business is, where it operates and what it offers.
6. Earn credible local mentions. Coverage in trusted local media, sponsorships, community partnerships and industry recognition all strengthen the signal that you’re a real, reputable business.
Check yourself in five minutes
Open ChatGPT, Google and Perplexity and ask the questions your customers ask: “best [your service] in [your city]” or “who should I call for [problem] near me.” Note who shows up, what’s said about them and whether you appear at all.
Then ask about your business by name. If the answer is thin, outdated or wrong, that’s your roadmap.
Where this fits in your marketing
AI visibility isn’t a separate project. It’s the result of doing the fundamentals well and consistently: clear positioning, a website that works, steady reviews and a brand that shows up the same way everywhere. That’s the heart of integrated marketing, and it’s covered in depth in our Integrated Marketing Playbook.
Want to know where you stand? Schedule a Conversation with the Launch Point team. We’ll look at your site the way a machine reads it and tell you what’s keeping you out of the answer.
Sources
- BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey 2026, Feb. 11, 2026. https://www.brightlocal.com/research/local-consumer-review-survey/
- Whitespark, The Prevalence of AI Overviews in Local Search, May 12, 2025. https://whitespark.ca/blog/case-study-the-prevalence-of-ai-overviews-in-local-search/
- SparkToro and Similarweb data, via Search Engine Land, June 9, 2026. https://searchengineland.com/google-zero-click-searches-2026-study-479717