How to Optimize Local Listings for AI Search

By: Trent Ruffolo

Search isn't what it used to be – and it's changing fast.

Customers still rely on Google, but they're not starting their search journey there. AI-powered platforms — like Google's own AI Overviews (AIO), ChatGPT, and even TikTok, YouTube, and Siri — are rewriting the rules of customer discovery:

• 8% of Americans already use ChatGPT as their search engine.

• 51% of Gen Z favor TikTok over Google for search.

• 53% of customers don't ever start their journey on search engines.

Customers move fluidly across search engines, social platforms, and AI-driven tools to find what they need — often before ever reaching a brand's website.

For marketers, this shift means one big thing: if your data isn't everywhere customers search, your brand may as well be invisible. Google still matters — a lot — but it's no longer the only player in town. AI platforms pull data from a much wider range of sources, like business listings on Google and longtail sites, customer reviews, and unstructured content on third-party sites.

To win in this new era, your brand needs to be visible everywhere. That starts with making your listings AI-ready and making sure your data is complete, accurate, and consistent. Here's how to do it.

1. Make your data AI-ready on your Google Business Profile (GBP) and on your website

Put your best foot forward by making sure major touchpoints (your website and "big four" publishers) are optimized for the age of AI search.

• Make sure every field on your GBP is complete, including accurate address, hours, phone number, website URL, business categories, and services.

• Use high-quality photos and videos to enhance visual appeal and increase engagement. Visuals don't just catch customers' attention; they signal freshness to AI platforms.

• Use conversational FAQs. Write FAQs using the same natural language your customers do. This makes it easier for AI to recognize and surface your content.

• On your website, implement schema markup (structured data) for events, products, reviews, and location data to make your content machine-readable.

• Conduct a website crawl to identify and fix broken links, outdated content, or duplicate metadata.

• Make sure your data is consistent and refresh it frequently. This signals to AI that your brand is notable and trustworthy.

• Proactively manage your data so search engines like Google and AI platforms can see your commitment to quality, relevancy, and delivering value for customers.

• Optimize all of your digital touchpoints (traditional search engines, local pages, listings, first and third-party reviews, social media, etc.) because AI will check them all.

Pro Tip: Centralize your brand's data in a knowledge graph. It acts as a single source of truth, making it easier to manage listings across platforms like Google, Yelp, and Bing — while keeping AI-driven platforms, like ChatGPT, in sync.

2. Keep your data fresh and consistent across every platform

AI models don't rely on a single source, like Google. They cross-check your brand's information across multiple platforms to verify its accuracy. If they find inconsistencies — like a mismatch in your hours or phone number — they're less likely to surface you in results. Here's how to stay consistent everywhere:

• Use listings management tools to automate updates across platforms whenever business information changes.

• Regularly audit and correct NAP data (name, address, phone number) across all directories to help maintain consistency.

• Update seasonal offerings or temporary changes (e.g., holiday hours, promotions) as soon as they occur. AI-driven platforms prioritize fresh content, and "recently updated" listings are seen as more credible.

• Set reminders to audit data quarterly for inaccuracies or outdated information.

Pro Tip: Use Google Search Console to identify potential errors or inconsistencies affecting how your site is indexed.

3. Proactively manage your data for quality, relevancy, and customer value

Your data strategy doesn't end with GBP and directory listings – it is the foundation of your discoverability. AI models value trustworthy data, and they reward brands that consistently deliver accurate, relevant, and customer-friendly information. But trust isn't given — it's earned.

Here's how to maintain control over your brand's data:

• Assign a dedicated owner (or team) to oversee all data updates and maintain accuracy.

• Monitor GBP insights and analytics to identify trends on user behavior. Use this to refine your listings.

• Invest in AI-powered tools to analyze and optimize data quality and identify gaps in coverage.

• Collaborate with teams to develop a data governance policy outlining protocols for updating and verifying information.

• Conduct a competitor analysis to identify data features or attributes they've optimized that you may be missing.

Pro Tip: Accuracy isn't just about consistency. It's about credibility. A Knowledge Graph helps make sure your information is complete, structured, and aligned across every platform AI models check.

4. Optimize every digital touchpoint – because AI is looking

Once again, in AI search, conversational answers are generated cross-referencing and confirming data pulled from various sources. Don't neglect a single one — or it could cost you.

• Claim, verify, and update your presence on all major directories (e.g., Yelp, Bing Places, Facebook) and niche platforms relevant to your industry.

• Actively monitor and respond to first-party reviews (Google, Facebook) and third-party reviews (Yelp, Trustpilot). Reviews help shape how AI understands your brand, and responding to reviews shows AI that your brand is engaged and active.

• Maintain active, engaging social media profiles, optimizing bios and pinned posts with search-friendly details. Social platforms are becoming key search engines, and this helps customers find you faster.

• Use UTM parameters in all links to measure traffic and ROI from listings and profiles.

• Optimize your mobile site experience (e.g., fast loading speed, easy navigation) to make sure AI doesn't deprioritize you for a poor user experience.

Don’t wait to make your listings AI-ready

Search has evolved. Customers are starting their journeys in more places than ever — from ChatGPT to TikTok to Google's AIO.

And as they move between platforms, AI models are verifying your brand's data every step of the way. If your listings aren't optimized, you risk being invisible at key moments of discovery.

If your data isn't fresh, AI may not trust you. And if you're still treating Google as the only source of truth, you'll miss opportunities where AI (and customers) are searching.

Ready to get started on optimizing the data in your local listings? Check out our guide.