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AI Is Rewriting Local Search: How Multi-Location Brands Can Win Now
AI Is Rewriting Local Search: How Multi-Location Brands Can Win Now How visible are your brick-and-mortar locations on local SERPs? Why do some brands only dominate Maps Packs while others surface in AI Overviews? What does “winning” in local search actually mean in 2025? 👉 Get the data behind how enterprise brands are protecting visibility and driving growth in Q3. Study Results: Local Search Is Shifting Fast. Get Your Action Items. DAC's Robert Cooney, VP of Client Strategy, and Kyle Harris, Director of Local Optimization, have conducted a custom study into the evolving SERP. This session will reveal how enterprise-to-local strategies can help you maintain strong visibility across hundreds of locations. Learn how you can: -Optimize AI Overviews vs. Maps Packs: Pinpoint which queries trigger each and apply tactics to win visibility in both. -Capture Multi-Generational Customers: Align content footprints to match how each age group searches for local brands. -Prep For Agentic Search's Arrival: Anticipate what’s next and put a readiness plan in place now. AI-powered experiences and the influence of social proof are changing how consumers discover, evaluate, and choose brands. 👉 Register now for the most up-to-date insights on how to protect and grow multi-location visibility in the age of AI search. 🛑 Can’t make it live? Register anyway, and we’ll send you the full recording.
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AI Is Rewriting Local Search: How Multi-Location Brands Can Win Now
- 2. With You Today RobertCooney Kyle Harris VP, Client Strategy Director, Local Optimization
- 3. Today we’ll cover: Alternative LocalSearch Experiences Local Optimization Tactics How AI is changing the Google experience Enterprise-to- Local Strategy Preparing for Agentic Local Search
- 4. How AI is changingthe Google experience Today we’ll cover:
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- 6. • AI isreshaping the Google experience by surfacing AI Overviews at the top of search results, which generate quick, synthesized answers to complex queries. • This shifts user behavior by reducing clicks to traditional web links and keeping more engagement directly within Google’s ecosystem. AI Overviews
- 7. • Tested across4 different industry verticals • Captured over 700 real SERPs for different query intent variants • Analyzed SERP features and content We conducted a study on what triggers these SERP features
- 8. We used AI- assistedquery morphing oil change Cost of near me oil change oil change coupon oil change best oil change Boston oil change how to do
- 9. Summary of ourobservations Question words (how/what/why) most likely to trigger AIO and almost never map <1% of tested SERPs contained both map and AIO “how to” searches tended to cite step-wise content “near me” searches triggered a Maps pack 100% of the time Plurals slightly more likely to trigger AIO to express a category summary
- 10. • AI Modein Google introduces a conversational search experience, allowing users to ask follow-up questions and refine results in a more interactive, chat-like flow. • This makes Google feel less like a static search engine and more like an ongoing assistant guiding discovery. But what about AI Mode?
- 11. Let’s take a lookat AI Mode for a local search:
- 12. That’s better! Note: The context ofthe initial search is preserved, but I can chat with it to refine
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- 15. ChatGPT enriches themap with context from other sources
- 16. Perplexity has adedicated Places view for local searches
- 17. …and the OpenTableintegration allows booking in the same environment
- 18. Generational shift showsusers embracing rich media content on social platforms Baby Boomer Generation Gen X & Millennial Gen Z 46% 18% - 35% 7% Source(s): Statista Social Platform - First Search …and growing
- 19. Social proof isovertaking brand hype in influencing consumer decisions
- 20. Make no mistake: TikTok isa local search engine
- 21. TikTok’s evolving local discovery capabilities Businessand Location tags on posts support discoverability in search and in Nearby feed Local targeting for paid search ads Testing in-comment local business reviews
- 22. Reddit is enormously influentialin how brands are discovered and talked about increase in top 3 SERP positions held by Reddit over the last 3 years of the internet’s purchase-related conversations happen on Reddit Sources: DAC SERP analytics, Brandwatch, Profound • Reddit is the most cited source across AI-powered search experiences • Partnerships with OpenAI and Google make Reddit’s full text available for model training >400% >50%
- 23. Reddit threads often rank prominentlyin Google SERPs – especially when user is looking for options
- 24. Reddit localizes mainly through contentand subreddit structures
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- 26. A brand’s digital ecosystemis interconnected Discovery requires not just evolution, but also integration. Curated Results Distributed Content Footprint Drives Users Informs Training & In-Platform Personalization
- 27. SERP features provide important cluesto content needs • Prioritize content types needed to gain rank for your business’s target themes • Are these SERPs heavier on video formats, AI overviews, maps, or social placements?
- 28. • Start withpersonas • See what platforms index highly for audiences • Map the journey …but ideally your strategy will be guided by audience insights
- 29. Local creators canhelp create the needed content footprint – authentically
- 30. Enterprise-to-Local Strategies to Win InThe Landscape • Monitor the platforms that matter • Understand the sources of training data and key content formats • Plan + execute for audience needs – across the journey • Leverage key local creators to help build your footprint authentically • Don’t sleep on local search fundamentals
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- 32. • The lastleg of the journey is potentially the most important to get right • Local Optimization in the enterprise- to-local context means tailoring national brand strategies to the unique needs of each location, ensuring accurate data, relevant content, and strong local engagement to maximize visibility and customer connection at the community level. Local Optimization
- 33. What’s Changing vs. Stayingthe Same What’s Changing? • Search Behavior • Query Handling • Optimization Target • Authority & Popularity Signals • Results Presentation
- 34. • Short keywordbased vs. Long conversational based Search Behavior
- 35. • Single querymatch vs. Query fan-out Query Handling
- 36. • Page levelrelevance vs. Chunk level relevance Optimization Target
- 37. Links vs. Entitybased authority at passage & concept level Authority & Popularity Signals • Backlinks • Content quality • User engagement (clicks) • Brand reputation.
- 38. • Ranked listsvs. Single synthesized answer Results Presentation
- 39. • Pretty mucheverything else What’s Staying The Same?
- 40. What should yoube doing to capitalize on this?
- 41. • Foundational DataAccuracy • Rich, Structured Content • Reviews & Reputation Management • Visual & Multimedia Optimization • Local Listings & Ecosystem Coverage • Content & Conversational Optimization • Technical & Performance Signals • Monitoring & Continuous Optimization AI-Driven Local Search Discovery Checklist
- 42. • Centralized, flexible databaseto manage location data • Flexible API’s to sync this data with important partners & tech platforms Foundational Data Accuracy
- 43. • Create detailed,location specific landing pages • Use structured data (schema) as much as possible • Include unique content by location • Highlight differentiators Rich, Structured Content
- 44. • Have away to monitor reviews both 1st party and 3rd on major tech platforms • Have a process to ask for reviews (email, text, QR codes) • Respond to reviews • Have a process to inject learnings from reviews back into the business Reviews & Reputation Management
- 45. • Ensure NAPdata is properly managed on important directory sites • Aim for 100% profile completeness on all managed sites • Design a process to monitor for competitor updates • Publish fresh content (Google Posts) Local Listings & Ecosystem Coverage
- 46. • Optimize forFAQ & natural language queries • Incorporate long-tail, question- based keywords • Format content to be conversational Content & Conversational Optimization
- 47. • Prioritize sitespeed • Implement strong internal linking • Ensure crawlability & indexing Technical & Performance Signals
- 48. • Design aplan to source local photography to be used in all marketing efforts • Ensure metadata accuracy • Refresh visuals frequently Visual & Multimedia Optimization
- 49. • Take whatyou’ve built and continue to refine it • Ensure flexibility with KPI’s as the environment is constantly changing Monitoring & Continuous Optimization
- 50. Preparing for Agentic Local Search Todaywe’ll cover:
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- 54. • How muchwill call volumes increase? • Are we prepared to answer these calls? • Are we structured to handle this? • How are we measuring response speed and quality today? Operational Implications
- 55. Does proximity matterless if the price is good? Bigger picture questions on Agentic Local Search Does price transparency create a race-to-bottom? Do brands lose power if smaller players have the best solutions?
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