ChatGPT has just rolled out a major update to its interface for local searches. If you type "best restaurant in (city)", you will no longer see just a long block of text.
ChatGPT now offers a rich and structured interface: a list of businesses, establishment profiles with photos and practical info, and an interactive map. The experience is smooth, intuitive, and strongly reminiscent of Google Maps… but with a selection of businesses curated by AI.
The contrast is striking compared to Gemini (Google's AI), which still generates lengthy text without any clickable links. A strange paradox considering Google owns the precious data of Google Maps and Google Business Profiles!
Local SEO Optimization for AI
For a local entrepreneur, it is now necessary to think about optimizing your visibility for these new search engines. This is called GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) or AI SEO.
It is no longer just about pleasing Google's algorithm, but about structuring your data so that it is "digested" and cited by AIs. Here are a few paths:
- Reliable Information: Like Google, AIs love consistency: name, address, service area, hours, categories, services. The basics of local SEO become even more critical because AI assembles trust signals rather than just "ranking" a site.
- Create "Guide" Content that AI Loves to Present: "Listicles" and "Practical Guides". "The best X in Y", "What to do in Y", "Where to eat on a budget", "2-day Itinerary", etc. If you are in tourism, dining, wellness, or home services… publish content in these formats.
- A Filled and Active Google Business Profile: Reviews, photos, content. ChatGPT highlights businesses that are well-ranked on Google. Optimizing your profile therefore also serves a purpose for AIs.
A Simple Tool for Your Local SEO
AI changes the rules of the game every week. We are entering an era where "being well-ranked" no longer just means "being first on Google". It also means "being the source that AI chooses to cite". If you want your business to be visible there, start acting now.
It is to support these changes that I am developing a Local SEO tool, Begonia.pro. The goal is to help local entrepreneurs master their visibility on Google, and also to prepare them for this new era of AI-assisted search.
You can also hire me as a Local SEO Consultant to define a custom strategy to get cited by AIs.
