The rules have changed.
For years, local businesses played by a simple playbook. Get your name, address, and phone number consistent across directories. Rack up Google reviews. Keep your Google Business Profile updated. Rank high in local search results. Win.
Not anymore.
AI is rewriting the entire game of local visibility. And if you’re still only focused on traditional SEO tactics, you’re already falling behind.
The Rise of Zero-Click Answers
Here’s what’s happening: people aren’t just searching on Google anymore. They’re asking ChatGPT for restaurant recommendations. They’re using Bing’s AI chat to find local services. They’re letting Google’s Search Generative Experience give them direct answers without ever clicking a link.
Think about that for a second.
Nearly 60% of searches already end without a click to any website. The user gets their answer right there in the search results. With AI-powered search gaining millions of users, that percentage will only grow. Your potential customers are getting recommendations from AI assistants. The question is: will those assistants mention your business?
This isn’t some distant future scenario. It’s happening right now. Google’s heavily investing in Gemini and AI-infused search results. Microsoft’s pushing Bing Chat. ChatGPT has millions of daily users asking it for local recommendations. The shift from traditional search to AI-assisted discovery isn’t coming – it’s already here.
What Are LLM Citations and Why Should You Care?
Let me introduce you to a term you need to know: LLM citations.
LLM stands for Large Language Model, the technology powering these AI chatbots. An LLM citation happens when an AI references your business as a source of information in its answer. This comes in two flavors:
Explicit citations with links. The AI provides information and shows exactly where it came from, often with clickable sources. Think of ChatGPT’s “Quotes” panel or how Google’s AI might list the websites it pulled data from.
Mentions without links. Sometimes the AI simply names your business in its response. “I’ve heard Giovanni’s Trattoria serves excellent authentic pasta.” No link, but your name is in front of the user. That’s brand awareness money can’t buy.
Both matter enormously.
When an AI assistant recommends your business, it’s like a personal referral from a trusted friend. Users who arrive at your business through AI channels show incredibly strong intent and conversion rates, even though AI referrals currently represent less than 1% of overall traffic. That small percentage converts at outsized rates.
The Problem: Traditional SEO Alone Won’t Cut It
Your Google Business Profile? Still critical.
Your consistent NAP information across directories? Absolutely necessary.
Those five-star reviews? Keep them coming.
But here’s the uncomfortable truth: these traditional tactics establish credibility, not discoverability in an AI world.
Google’s AI will pull from your Business Profile for basic information like hours and ratings. But when answering a query like “best coffee shops in Lisbon,” the AI synthesizes content from multiple sources. It combines Google Maps data with information from travel blogs, “10 Best Cafés” articles, local news sites, and authoritative food websites.
If your business isn’t mentioned in those third-party sources, the AI might skip right over you. Even if you have stellar Google reviews.
The same goes for ChatGPT, Perplexity, and other AI platforms. They reference external content when giving local recommendations. Being listed in Google isn’t enough anymore. You need to be mentioned where the AI is looking.
What Actually Works: The Hybrid Approach
Smart local businesses are adopting what experts call a “both-and” strategy. Nail the traditional fundamentals while actively pursuing AI visibility.
Here’s the playbook:
1. Maintain Your Foundation
Keep your local SEO house in order. Consistent NAP information. Well-optimized Google Business Profile with current hours, categories, quality photos, and steady review flow. This establishes trust with both users and algorithms.
Don’t get creative here. Just execute flawlessly.
2. Get Featured in “Best Of” Content
This is the new currency of local visibility.
Target placement in local listicles, roundups, and guides on high-authority sites. If you run a bakery, you want to appear in “10 Best Bakeries in [Your City]” articles on popular food blogs, local news outlets, and community websites.
Why? Because these listicles are ready-made answers for AI. When someone asks an AI assistant for bakery recommendations, it often pulls from exactly these types of curated lists. Being included dramatically increases your chances of getting named by the AI.
Research shows that while AI-generated answers draw from pages ranking well on Google, a notable percentage of AI citations come from authoritative listicle pages that might not even be the top search result. These curated guides serve as knowledge sources that AI models love.
3. Pursue Local PR and News Mentions
Don’t overlook traditional media in the AI era.
Brand mentions on trusted, high-authority sites carry enormous weight with AI systems. When an AI encounters your business cited across multiple reputable sources – local newspapers, industry publications, community blogs – it interprets that as a strong credibility signal.
Volume of mentions matters. It acts as corroboration. Generative AI models are designed to favor information that appears across multiple trusted sources and in recent publications. The more consistently your name appears in relevant contexts, the more “true” you appear to the AI.
4. Prioritize Freshness
Recency is critical in AI responses.
Unlike traditional SEO where a years-old authoritative page could still rank first, AI models want current information. They prioritize recent content to avoid serving outdated answers. A “best restaurants” article from 2019 carries less weight than a 2025 guide, especially as AI training data skews toward newer content.
Aim for regular, periodic mentions. Quarterly appearances in seasonal “Top 5” articles. Updated local guides. Fresh press coverage. New blog features. Supply the AI with recent references that reinforce your ongoing relevance.
5. Create Repetition Across Sources
Repetition solidifies your business as a “known good answer” to AI systems.
When multiple trustworthy websites all include “Joe’s Pizza” in their best pizza lists, an AI gains confidence recommending Joe’s Pizza. It’s less likely to be a fluke or single-source bias. This creates an “echo” of your brand across the web.
Corroboration across multiple reputable sources is a key signal that LLMs use when selecting what information to include in answers. The more your name appears in relevant contexts, the more the AI trusts it.
Real-World Impact: The Restaurant Example
A 2024 study examining Google’s Gemini AI for local restaurant queries found something revealing. For searches like “best restaurants for [cuisine] in [city],” Gemini’s answers typically included businesses from the Google Maps 3-pack – but also added recommendations drawn from top web articles and local blogs.
The researchers recommended two specific actions for restaurant owners: get featured in local blogs and news sites, and earn authoritative links. The insight? Even Google’s own AI looks beyond pure Maps data to whatever credible content it finds about local businesses.
If your competitor is being reviewed in the local press or featured on TripAdvisor and you aren’t, the AI might favor them over you. Simple as that.
Why Ignoring This Shift Is Risky
I get it. This feels like yet another thing to add to your marketing plate.
But consider these trends:
AI search usage is exploding. Millions already use ChatGPT and similar tools. Google’s pushing AI features into mainstream search results. These AI-infused answers take up screen space and provide instant information, meaning fewer users click traditional links.
Zero-click searches are becoming the norm. In an AI answer scenario, the user might get everything they need – including your business name, phone number, and rating – directly from the AI response without visiting any website. You want your name in that answer.
Trust signals are evolving. LLMs care about authority, but also about how extractable and clear information is. A well-structured piece on a moderately authoritative blog might get cited over a poorly formatted page on a more famous site.
Real traffic and leads are already flowing. Companies optimized for AI citation are seeing 25% increases in visibility and 44% monthly traffic surges from ChatGPT-based channels. Those numbers will only grow.
Early adopters gain the edge. Laggards risk invisibility.
Practical Steps for Local Businesses
You don’t need a massive budget. You need strategic focus.
Audit your AI presence. Search for your business in ChatGPT, Bing Chat, and Google’s AI features. Can they name you when asked a relevant query? If not, investigate which sources they’re pulling from. Are competitors featured in specific “best of” lists or articles you’ve missed?
Invest in digital PR. Pitch your business to local bloggers, influencers, and journalists. Contribute to roundup articles. Sponsor community events that get media coverage. Getting mentioned in a local newspaper’s “best of the city” feature or a niche site’s guide is invaluable.
Create useful local content. Publish guides, FAQs, and blog posts answering common local questions on your own site. Structure it clearly so AI can extract information easily. While this helps, remember: getting your name mentioned prominently by others in your local market is even more critical.
Keep everything fresh. Update your website and Google Business Profile regularly. Publish new content. Generate new reviews. If something about your business is newsworthy, blog about it or issue a press release. Fresh content gets indexed and potentially incorporated into AI training data.
Monitor new metrics. Track whether you’re receiving traffic from AI chatbots. Watch for brand mention volume and sentiment across the web. As AI models digest content, increased mentions of your business will eventually influence what they recommend.
The Bottom Line
Local SEO isn’t dying. It’s expanding.
The fundamentals remain essential – NAP consistency, Google Business Profile optimization, reviews, and local content form the credibility foundation. But layered on top is a new requirement: making your business known to AI-driven systems.
This isn’t either-or. It’s both-and.
Businesses that master traditional local SEO while simultaneously pursuing “LLM citations” through broader web mentions will dominate local visibility. Those who ignore AI optimization will watch potential customers get recommendations from AI assistants that never mention their name.
Here’s a timeless truth: being the best-kept secret is worthless. In the past, that meant you needed to be in the phonebook or on Yelp where customers were looking. Today, it means being mentioned where the AI is looking.
In an era when an algorithm might be telling your next customer about “the best solution near them,” you want that algorithm to think of you. Not your competitor down the street who invested in getting featured in the right places.
The shift is here. The question isn’t whether to adapt, but how quickly you can move.
Because your future customers aren’t just searching Google anymore. They’re asking AI for recommendations. And AI answers based on what it knows, what it’s read, and which businesses appear most credible across multiple trusted sources.
Make sure you’re one of them.