- What's actually changing — and how fast
- The zero-click world: what it means in practice
- The AI Local Pack: a new threat to Top 3 visibility
- ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity: how AI tools recommend businesses
- Ask Maps: Google's biggest local search upgrade in a decade
- What AI systems actually use to recommend businesses
- Why the Maps Top 3 has never been more important
- What to do now
- The bottom line
The way customers find local businesses is changing fast. AI summaries now appear above the map pack on a significant share of local searches. ChatGPT and Perplexity are answering "recommend a plumber near me" without Google involved. And Google Maps itself just got its biggest AI upgrade in a decade.
This article draws on the most current available research to explain what's actually happening — and what it means for your business. The data is primarily US-based (where AI search studies are most advanced), but the signals and patterns apply equally to Australian local markets.
What's actually changing — and how fast
Until mid-2024, searching Google returned what it always had: ten blue links, a few ads, and sometimes a map pack at the top. For local searches, that map pack — the three businesses Google pinpoints on a small map — was the prime real estate. Nothing disrupted that for over a decade.
Then Google began rolling out AI Overviews at scale: AI-generated summary boxes that appear above organic search results, directly answering the user's question before they have any reason to click elsewhere. The frequency of these summaries has been volatile and exploratory — a Semrush analysis tracked AI Overview appearances surging from 6.5% of all queries in January 2025 to a peak of 24.6% in July, before pulling back somewhat. Separately, Local Falcon's April 2025 whitepaper — which analysed 60,000 queries specifically for local business categories — found AI Overviews appearing on 40.2% of local business searches.
That figure is worth sitting with. For nearly half of all searches where someone is looking for a local service, Google is now generating an AI-written answer box as the first thing a user sees.
Meanwhile, outside of Google, AI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity have grown to a scale that commands attention. These platforms have also begun answering "find me a local business" queries directly, with no Google involved.
And in March 2026, Google made its biggest Maps announcement in years — launching Ask Maps, a Gemini-powered conversational feature that lets users ask complex natural-language questions inside Google Maps itself. We'll come back to that.
"Search as you knew it is being restructured. The question for local businesses is not whether AI matters — it's whether your business is positioned to be found within it."
Spotlight Local, 2026The zero-click world: what it means in practice
When AI Overviews and other rich search features answer a query directly on the results page, users often get what they need without clicking through to any website. This is called zero-click search, and it has been growing for years — but AI has accelerated it sharply.
Bain & Company research found that approximately 60% of searches now end without the user visiting any external website. For queries where an AI Overview is present, research from Similarweb puts the zero-click rate at around 83%. Ahrefs' February 2026 study of 300,000 keywords found that AI Overviews correlate with a 58% reduction in organic click-through rates for pages that would otherwise have ranked highly.
For publishers, bloggers, and informational content sites, this is genuinely alarming. For a local service business, the situation is more nuanced — and arguably more manageable.
Why zero-click is different for local businesses
Consider what happens when someone searches "emergency plumber Surry Hills" and sees an AI-generated answer at the top of the page. That answer will typically pull your business name, phone number, address and star rating directly from your Google Business Profile and display it prominently. The user may never click to your website — but they may pick up the phone and call the number they just read. That's a zero-click session that still generated a lead.
The real risk for local businesses is invisibility — being excluded from AI summaries entirely — not zero-click behaviour per se. A local business that appears prominently in AI-generated local results, with its data cited, is in a stronger position than it would have been with a buried organic ranking below the fold. The imperative is to be the source AI draws from, not to fight the format.
The flip side: Research from Seer Interactive found that brands cited within AI Overviews receive approximately 35% more organic clicks than uncited brands on the same query. Being inside the AI answer creates a trust signal — users who do click are more likely to click you specifically. The goal is not to avoid AI; it is to be part of it.
The AI Local Pack: a new threat to Top 3 visibility
In late 2025, local SEO researchers began documenting a new and unsettling phenomenon: an AI-generated "Local Pack" beginning to appear in place of the traditional three-business map pack for some searches.
Joy Hawkins of Sterling Sky — one of the most respected voices in local SEO — began tracking what she described as "AI-powered local packs" that displace and replace the traditional 3-pack. These AI versions often show only one or two businesses rather than three, and crucially, they remove the call buttons that the traditional pack includes — reducing direct contact opportunities for the listed businesses.
Data from Places Scout, cited in January 2026, found AI Local Packs appearing on roughly 8% of keywords — and rising. Hawkins' analysis noted that these AI-generated packs appear to increase ad clicks while decreasing traffic to Google Business Profiles themselves. For businesses that depend on the traditional pack as their primary visibility channel, this is a material development worth monitoring.
What this means: The traditional Local Pack is not disappearing — it remains the primary local visibility format across the vast majority of searches. But AI is beginning to test alternative formats that may reduce direct contact opportunities even for businesses that rank in the Top 3. The implication is that Top 3 placement remains critically important, but so does ensuring your profile has strong phone call and direction conversion signals — the engagement data that influences how AI formats present your business.
ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity: how AI tools recommend businesses
Alongside Google's own AI features, a parallel ecosystem of AI search tools is now answering local business queries. When someone asks ChatGPT "recommend a good physiotherapist near me" or Perplexity "best Italian restaurants in Fitzroy", these platforms generate answers with specific business recommendations — independently of Google's search results.
The most important dataset on this comes from SOCi's 2026 Local Visibility Index, which analysed nearly 350,000 business locations across 2,751 enterprise brands, testing how often each was named by ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity for relevant local queries. The findings reveal how selective AI tools are — and how differently each platform behaves.
Source: SOCi 2026 Local Visibility Index, via Search Engine Land. Analysis of 350,000 business locations.
The headline finding: AI visibility is three to thirty times harder to achieve than appearing in the traditional Local Pack. ChatGPT recommended just 1.2% of businesses — meaning 98.8% of local businesses are completely invisible when users ask ChatGPT for local recommendations. Even Gemini, which has the best local performance of the three because it is grounded directly in Google Maps data, only surfaced 11% of businesses.
The SOCi research also revealed another important finding: performing well in traditional local search does not automatically translate into AI visibility. In retail, fewer than half of the brands performing well in Google's local results also appeared in AI recommendations. Your Google ranking and your AI visibility are two different things — measured in two different places. The good news, as we'll cover below, is that the signals that drive both are largely the same.
How each platform behaves differently
Gemini has the most reliable local data because it draws directly from Google Maps. A strong Google Business Profile — complete, accurate, with strong review signals — is the most direct path to Gemini visibility. This is an important point: the work you do to rank on Google Maps is the same work that makes you recommendable to Gemini.
ChatGPT is the most restrictive. It recommends very few businesses, and its accuracy is lower — SOCi found business profile information was only about 68% accurate on ChatGPT, compared to near-perfect accuracy on Gemini. ChatGPT draws from its training data, web content, and Bing's index. The businesses most likely to be recommended have substantial review volume, strong third-party mentions (directories, press, review platforms), and clear web presence across multiple sources.
Perplexity is the AI search engine most local business owners haven't heard of — but it is growing fast and particularly relevant for service businesses. Unlike ChatGPT's reliance on training data, Perplexity performs live web searches, which means it can surface more current information. It rewards consistent directory presence and regularly updated content. The platforms behave independently enough that visibility on one does not guarantee visibility on the other — so presence across all three matters.
Ask Maps: Google's biggest local search upgrade in a decade
On 12 March 2026, Google announced what it described as "the biggest navigation upgrade in over a decade" — a dual release for Google Maps powered by its Gemini AI models. The centrepiece is Ask Maps, a conversational interface that allows users to query Google Maps using natural language. Ask Maps launched initially in the United States and India, with a wider global rollout — including Australia — expected by the end of 2026.
Instead of searching "plumber near me", a user can now ask: "Find me a reliable plumber who does same-day callouts, has good reviews, and is available on weekends." Google Maps synthesises data from over 300 million places — including Google Business Profile information, review sentiment, photos, and operational details — to generate a tailored response.
This is not a small tweak. It represents a fundamental shift in how Google Maps surfaces local businesses: from a ranked list model to a synthesis model. The implications are significant:
- Quality of reviews becomes more granular. Ask Maps doesn't just count stars — it reads review content. A business where customers consistently mention "fast response times" or "clean and professional" will be surfaced for queries that match those attributes.
- Service descriptions matter more. A business with a detailed, specific list of services in its Google Business Profile provides better AI input than one with generic descriptions. "Emergency plumbing, hot water systems, blocked drains" is better AI source material than just "Plumbing."
- Photos contribute to recommendations. Ask Maps analyses photos to understand the nature of a business — its environment, quality standards, and category relevance. A well-photographed profile communicates more than words alone.
- Proximity is still a factor, but differently. Local Falcon's research found no distance-based ranking correlation within AI Overviews (correlation coefficient: 0.001) — meaning the businesses AI selects are not necessarily the nearest. Quality signals appear to matter more than proximity in AI-generated local results.
"By bringing together the world's freshest map with our most capable Gemini models, we're transforming exploration into a simple conversation."
Miriam Daniel, VP & GM of Google Maps, March 2026 (paraphrased)What AI systems actually use to recommend businesses
Across all major AI platforms — Google AI Overviews, Ask Maps, Gemini, Perplexity, ChatGPT — the signals that drive recommendations converge on three core inputs. Understanding these gives you a clear picture of what actually matters. The practical actions that follow from each are covered in the next section.
Your Google Business Profile is the primary data source for Gemini, Ask Maps and Google AI Overviews — three of the highest-volume AI surfaces that affect local businesses. Every field matters: business category, service descriptions, hours, photos, Q&A, and attributes. Incomplete or inaccurate profiles are not cited by AI. Google's AI cross-references your profile data against other web sources — inconsistencies reduce trust scores. Businesses with complete profiles are treated as more authoritative data sources by the underlying models.
Reviews function as AI training data. When ChatGPT or Gemini recommends a local business, it has effectively read your reviews and decided they represent a credible, reliable service provider. Volume matters — a business with 200 reviews is statistically more credible to an AI system than one with 12. Recency matters — a business that received most of its reviews two years ago looks stale. And content matters in a new way: AI platforms parse review text for specific attributes (speed, professionalism, value) and match those against conversational queries.
Your Name, Address and Phone number must be identical everywhere they appear — your Google Business Profile, your website, Yelp, True Local, Yellow Pages, industry directories and social profiles. AI systems cross-reference multiple sources to verify business legitimacy. Beyond consistency, third-party mentions matter: a business referenced in local press, featured on review platforms, or cited across credible directories is perceived as more authoritative by AI models than one that exists only on its own website. These external signals are how AI confirms your business is real and trusted.
Why the Maps Top 3 has never been more important
Given everything above, one might assume that the rise of AI tools signals the decline of Google Maps. The data says the opposite.
The SOCi comparison is instructive: Google's traditional Local Pack surfaced 35.9% of businesses in their study. ChatGPT surfaced 1.2%. Gemini surfaced 11%. Even in an AI-first world, the conventional Maps Top 3 is the most reliable, highest-volume local visibility channel by a wide margin. It is not being replaced. It is being layered upon.
More importantly: the work you do to rank in the Maps Top 3 is the same work that earns AI visibility. Your Google Business Profile is the data source for Google AI Overviews, Ask Maps and Gemini. Your reviews are the credibility signals that AI systems use when assessing whether to recommend you. Your NAP consistency across the web is the verification layer AI uses to trust your data.
There is no separate "AI strategy" and "Maps strategy" for a local business. There is one strategy — building a profile that Google's systems trust as the most credible, complete and active local business in your category and area. That strategy earns Top 3 placement. It also earns AI citations. The same signals, the same investment, dual outcomes.
The purchase intent attached to local search remains exceptional. 46% of all Google searches have local intent. 76% of those searches result in a business visit within 24 hours. This is not an audience browsing casually — it's an audience making decisions. The business that appears at the top of their search, with strong reviews and complete information, wins. That has not changed. AI is redistributing how that visibility is presented, not who deserves it.
What to do now
The signals above tell you what AI systems look for. Here's how to act on each — plus two additional steps that go beyond the signals and directly affect your discoverability. For a detailed breakdown of what drives Maps ranking specifically, see our guide to ranking in the Top 3 on Google Maps in Australia.
1. Treat your Google Business Profile as your most important marketing asset
Not your website. Not your Instagram page. Your Google Business Profile. It is the data source that feeds Google AI Overviews, Ask Maps, Gemini recommendations, and traditional Maps rankings simultaneously. Every field should be complete, accurate and regularly updated: categories, service descriptions, hours, photos, attributes, Q&A. Incomplete profiles are not cited by AI systems. They are also increasingly transparent to customers — a sparse profile signals a business that isn't paying attention.
2. Build review velocity, not just review count
AI systems assess review recency as well as volume. A business that earned 150 reviews two years ago and hasn't received one since looks stale to an AI evaluating whether to recommend it. A consistent stream of new, specific reviews — even at a modest rate — signals an active, trusted business. Encourage customers to mention specific services and outcomes in their reviews. This review content becomes the AI's understanding of what your business is actually good at.
3. Ensure your business data is consistent across the web
Your name, address and phone number should be identical everywhere — Google Business Profile, your website, Apple Maps, Yelp, True Local, Yellow Pages, and any industry-specific directories. AI platforms cross-reference these sources. Inconsistencies reduce confidence in your data and reduce the likelihood of an AI recommendation. A citation audit — identifying and correcting every inconsistency — is unglamorous work with outsized impact on AI visibility.
4. Make your website a direct answer source
For AI tools that draw from web content (particularly Perplexity and ChatGPT with browsing), your website should open with clear, direct statements about who you are, what you do, and where you do it. Service pages should describe each offering concretely. A FAQ section addressing common customer questions improves citation probability. If you haven't added schema markup to your website, it's worth asking your web developer about — it's a layer of structured code that helps AI systems read and categorise your content more accurately, making it more likely to be cited in AI answers.
5. Monitor your AI visibility, not just your search rankings
Traditional rank tracking tools show you where you sit in Google's organic results. They don't tell you whether AI tools recommend you when someone asks for a business in your category. Test this yourself right now: open ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity and ask the exact questions your customers would ask — "best [your trade] in [your suburb]", "recommend a reliable [your service] near [your city]". Note whether your business appears, what it says about you, and whether the information is accurate. If you're absent, you have a clear signal of where to focus. If you appear with incorrect data, that's equally urgent to fix.
The bottom line
AI has not replaced local search. It has layered over it. The businesses that will remain visible as AI becomes the default search experience are not the ones that pivot to some new tactic — they are the ones that build the most credible, complete and active local presence: a strong Google Business Profile, consistent review velocity, accurate data across every directory, and a website that answers questions clearly.
The window to establish that advantage is open now. Citation patterns in AI systems are being set by early movers. The businesses that invest in their local signals in 2026 are the businesses that AI systems will default to recommending in 2027 and beyond. The work is the same work it has always been — done with a clearer understanding of why it matters more than ever.
Frequently asked questions
What is a Google AI Overview and how does it affect local businesses?
A Google AI Overview is an AI-generated summary that appears at the top of search results, directly answering the user's query before they see any links. For local businesses, Local Falcon's April 2025 whitepaper found AI Overviews appearing on 40.2% of local business searches. Businesses whose data is cited within these summaries can receive more clicks than uncited businesses, according to Seer Interactive research. Ensuring your Google Business Profile is complete and accurate is the primary way to influence your presence in AI Overviews.
Does ChatGPT recommend local businesses?
Yes, but very selectively. SOCi's 2026 Local Visibility Index found that ChatGPT recommended only 1.2% of local businesses when asked relevant local queries — covering nearly 350,000 business locations. By comparison, Google's traditional Local Pack surfaced 35.9% of businesses. The businesses ChatGPT does recommend tend to have high review volume, strong third-party web presence, and data consistency across multiple online sources.
What is Ask Maps and how does it affect my business?
Ask Maps is a Gemini-powered conversational feature launched inside Google Maps on 12 March 2026. Users can ask complex natural-language questions — "find me a reliable plumber who does same-day callouts" — and Google Maps synthesises business data, reviews, photos and operational information to generate tailored recommendations. For local businesses, this means the completeness and quality of your Google Business Profile (including specific service descriptions, photos and detailed reviews) now directly influences whether Ask Maps surfaces your listing for relevant conversational queries.
Is the Google Maps Top 3 still relevant in the age of AI search?
Yes — more so than ever. Google's traditional Local Pack surfaces businesses at a rate of 35.9%, compared to 1.2% for ChatGPT and 11% for Gemini (SOCi 2026). The Top 3 remains the most reliable local visibility channel. Critically, a strong Google Business Profile — the primary driver of Top 3 placement — is also the main data source that Google AI Overviews, Ask Maps and Gemini use when recommending businesses. Earning the Top 3 and earning AI visibility are increasingly the same work.
What is Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) and do I need a separate strategy for it?
Generative Engine Optimisation (GEO) is the practice of structuring your digital presence so AI platforms cite or recommend your business. For local businesses, the encouraging reality is that GEO largely overlaps with the work that drives Google Maps rankings — reviews, accurate and complete business data, consistent directory presence, and clear website content. You do not need a separate GEO strategy in addition to a Maps strategy. You need to execute the same underlying work well.
Will zero-click search hurt my local business?
Less than it sounds. Zero-click search — where users get their answer without visiting any website — is primarily a concern for informational content (blog posts, comparison articles). For high-intent local searches, zero-click often means the user saw your phone number or address directly in the AI Overview or Map Pack and contacted you without clicking. The real risk for local businesses is being absent from AI summaries entirely, not zero-click behaviour. Being cited — even without a click — builds brand visibility and drives direct contact.
Sources: Local Falcon, "The Impact of Google AI Overviews on Local Business Search Visibility" (whitepaper, April–May 2025); SOCi 2026 Local Visibility Index, via Search Engine Land (January 2026); Ahrefs, AI Overviews click impact analysis (December 2025, published February 2026); Bain & Company / Dynata Generative AI Consumer Survey (February 2025); Seer Interactive, AIO Impact on Google CTR (November 2025); Semrush analysis of AI Overview frequency (2025); Sterling Sky / Joy Hawkins, AI Local Pack tracking (December 2025 – January 2026); Places Scout AI Local Pack data (January 2026), via Search Engine Roundtable; CNBC, Google Maps Ask Maps announcement (March 12, 2026); Gartner, traditional search volume forecast (February 2024); Digital Applied, Local SEO Statistics 2026 (April 2026).