AI search for local businesses · 29 September 2026

How to help AI understand your local business.

When someone asks an AI assistant for a local provider, your first task is to make accurate information about your business easy to find and understand. You cannot buy or promise a place in every answer.

1. Start with a specific buyer question

Choose one service and one location. A useful starting question is “Which providers offer boiler repairs in Bristol?” Record the exact question, the system used, the date and the location context. Keep the answer and its source links.

2. Make your service pages clear

Explain what you offer, who it is suitable for, where you operate and how someone can enquire. Use specific, accurate descriptions. Give different services enough detail for a prospective customer to understand the difference.

3. Check the same facts across your profiles

Review your business name, contact details, opening hours and service area on your website and relevant profiles. Correct outdated or conflicting information. Use genuine reviews and credentials that can be verified.

4. Separate evidence from a possible explanation

If a competitor appears and you do not, that is an observation. A stronger service page or a directory listing may be worth investigating, but the answer alone does not prove why the system selected that competitor.

5. Repeat the questions and record the limits

After agreed changes, repeat the same questions and disclose differences in the systems tested. Count mentions, linked citations and recommendations separately. Track enquiries and sales separately too: a higher mention count does not establish revenue growth.

What Google says

Google’s guidance says foundational SEO practices also apply to its AI search features. Start with helpful, reliable content and technical accessibility. Read Google’s guidance on AI features and your website.

A practical first step

The free Namora Snapshot applies a defined set of buyer questions to your business and gives you three priorities, supported by recorded observations.