Amidst all the buzz and controversy surrounding AI, I get this question often. And the answer is: Directly, probably not so much. Indirectly, maybe more than you think.

I know this sounds like a typical non-answer that you might get from some marketing types, but the answer is driven by the distinction between local search and general search, and the synergy between the two.

Local search is driven by what you offer, how relevant it is to the person searching and most importantly, how close you are to his/her location. Overarching all that is your reputation — the opinion your customers have of you — and that’s reflected in your Google reviews. So it’s of paramount importance to choose the right business category for your Google listing, accurately describe what you provide, post updates, and above all, garner as many positive reviews as possible. This will place you as high as possible on the local (map) results.

General search is not driven per se by location (but it is a factor) it’s centered on answers to queries people have on a topic, and that could include a product or service. So Google seeks to return the most informative answer to the question, and this literally drives why Google shows results at the top of the page as answers to questions, as in “people also ask”. Where AI comes in is that it often aggregates the answers on its own at the top of results, so effectively the searcher doesn’t have to click over to the sites that provided the source information (although AI does provide embedded links to the source site). One recent stat has it that now 75% of search queries don’t result in a clicke over to a site.

So what then does AI in general search have to do with my local business you may ask? Google depends on your website, in addition to what’s on your business listing, to determine how likely you have what the searcher is looking for. So the more you can make your website content relevant in those AI-tailored questions and answers, the stronger your local listing.

If you need help in getting better visibility for your business, your website and your Google business listing, give us a call at 904-744-8877.