"Hey ChatGPT, what's a good dentist near downtown Austin?"
That's a real query. People are asking it right now. And the answers AI gives are shaping real business decisions for real local businesses.
If you own a dental practice, a plumbing company, a restaurant, or any local service business, you probably know Google Maps and Yelp matter. You've spent time on your Google Business Profile. You've asked clients for reviews.
But have you ever checked whether AI recommends you? Most local business owners haven't. And that's about to become a problem.
People are already asking AI for local recommendations
The behavior shift is happening faster than most local business owners realize. ChatGPT, Perplexity, and other AI platforms are getting queries like:
"Best Italian restaurant in Portland for a date night." "Reliable electrician in Denver, good reviews." "Recommend a therapist in Chicago who specializes in anxiety." "Dog groomer near me that's good with anxious dogs."
These aren't hypothetical prompts. These are the kinds of questions millions of people are typing into AI tools every week. And the AI responds with specific business names, descriptions, and sometimes even reasoning for why it recommends them.
The question isn't whether people are asking AI for local recommendations. They are. The question is whether your business shows up in the answers.
How AI handles local queries differently than Google
Google Maps is essentially a directory. It knows your address, hours, reviews, and photos. When someone searches "dentist near me," Google pulls from its structured business database and shows nearby options.
AI doesn't have that same structured database. It draws from a mix of training data, web content, reviews, articles, and in some cases, real-time web search. It doesn't necessarily know your exact address or hours. What it knows is your reputation, your specialization, and what others have said about you online.
This means AI recommends local businesses based on different signals than Google Maps. A business with a perfect Google Maps listing but no broader web presence might be invisible to AI. A business with strong reviews on multiple platforms, mentions in local publications, and clear positioning on its website might show up in AI recommendations even if its Maps listing is mediocre.
Different system, different rules.
Why this matters for your bottom line
Local business is inherently high-intent. When someone asks "best plumber in Seattle," they need a plumber. Probably today. They're not doing academic research. They're about to call someone.
When AI recommends your business by name, the person has already been pre-qualified. They heard your name, got a brief explanation of why you're good, and are arriving at your website or picking up the phone with real intent.
This is the same referral dynamic that's always driven local business. Word of mouth. Except now the "mouth" is AI, and it's talking to hundreds of thousands of people simultaneously.
One restaurant owner in Nashville told us that after she started appearing in ChatGPT recommendations for "best brunch spots in Nashville," she noticed an uptick in first-time customers who seemed unusually confident about their choice. They'd already decided before walking in. That's the AI referral effect.
The local visibility gap
Here's the opportunity: almost no local businesses are thinking about AI visibility yet. They're focused on Google, Yelp, and maybe Instagram. AI recommendations are an uncontested space.
In most local markets, the AI recommendations are based on whatever signals happen to be strongest. A dentist with good reviews on Healthgrades and a few mentions in local "best of" articles might be the default recommendation simply because there's no competition for the position.
Compare this to Google, where every dentist in town has a Maps listing and is fighting for the top 3 spots. AI visibility for local businesses is like SEO was in 2008: the businesses that figure it out early will establish positions that are hard to displace later.
What makes AI recommend a local business
Based on patterns we've observed, five factors drive local AI recommendations:
Review presence across platforms. Not just Google reviews, though those matter. Reviews on Yelp, industry-specific platforms (Healthgrades, Houzz, TripAdvisor), and even Facebook. AI aggregates signals from multiple sources. A business with 200 Google reviews and zero reviews elsewhere has a weaker overall signal than one with 100 Google reviews plus 50 Yelp reviews and 30 on an industry platform.
Local media and publication mentions. "Best of" lists in local newspapers and magazines, features in local blogs, mentions in community publications. These carry significant weight because they represent third-party validation from local sources.
Clear specialization on your website. "Family dentist in Austin specializing in pediatric dentistry and dental anxiety" is vastly more helpful to AI than "Welcome to our dental practice." If your website clearly states who you serve, where you're located, and what makes you different, AI can match you to relevant queries.
Content that demonstrates local expertise. A blog post about "How to prepare your Denver home for winter plumbing issues" signals to AI that you're a knowledgeable plumber in Denver. Location-specific content ties your expertise to your geography.
Consistent NAP information. Name, Address, Phone number. If this is inconsistent across directories, AI can't confidently recommend you. Same as Google, but AI weighs it differently.
Practical steps for local businesses
Audit your web presence beyond Google
Open ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini. Ask each one to recommend a business like yours in your area. See what comes up. If you're not there, note who is and study their online presence. What do they have that you don't?
Diversify your review presence
If all your reviews are on Google, start asking satisfied customers to also leave reviews on Yelp, your industry platform, or Facebook. The multi-source signal is stronger than a single-source signal, no matter how many reviews you have in one place.
Update your website with clear positioning
Make sure your homepage clearly states what you do, who you serve, where you're located, and what makes you different. Use natural language, not just keywords. AI reads your site like a human would, looking for clarity and substance.
Get mentioned in local content
Pitch yourself for local "best of" articles. Write a guest column for a community blog. Sponsor a local event and get mentioned in the coverage. Partner with complementary businesses for cross-mentions. Every local mention strengthens your signal.
Create location-specific content
Write content that ties your expertise to your geography. Local tips, local guides, commentary on local trends in your industry. This helps AI connect you to your location for relevant queries.
The timing advantage
AI visibility for local businesses is in its infancy. Most of your local competitors haven't thought about it for a single minute. The window to establish yourself as the AI-recommended option in your market is open right now.
It won't stay open forever. As awareness grows, competition will increase, and securing these positions will become harder. The businesses that start today will have a meaningful head start.
You can manually check your visibility right now, it takes ten minutes, or use a tracking tool like Mentionable to monitor it over time. Either way, the first step is knowing where you stand.
Your customers are asking AI for recommendations. Make sure the AI knows your name.
