Local business owners: How are you getting AI to recommend your business? Google Maps isn't enough anymore

AI local search is a different game than Google Maps. Here’s where AI actually pulls local data:

ChatGPT’s local data sources:

1. Foursquare - This is huge and overlooked. Foursquare powers 60-70% of ChatGPT’s local results, especially for smaller cities.

2. Your website - Appears in ~58% of ChatGPT citations

3. Yelp - ~33% of AI results

4. Google Business Profile - Used more by Gemini than ChatGPT

Why you’re invisible:

Likely one of these:

• Your Foursquare listing is incomplete or unclaimed
• Your website doesn’t have LocalBusiness schema
• Your NAP (name/address/phone) is inconsistent across platforms
• You don’t have enough detailed reviews on Yelp specifically

Quick diagnostic:

1. Search your business on Foursquare. Is your listing complete? Claimed?
2. Check your website for LocalBusiness schema
3. Compare your Yelp presence to competitors who ARE showing up

The competitor appearing instead likely has:

• Better Foursquare presence
• More Yelp reviews with keywords
• Better structured data

It’s not random - it’s data availability.

Fellow local business owner here. Fixed my AI visibility last year. Here’s what worked:

My situation was similar:

• Great Google reviews (4.8 stars)
• Invisible to ChatGPT
• Competitor with 4.2 stars showing up instead

What I discovered:

The competitor had:

• Wikipedia mention (they sponsored a local event covered by press)
• Better Yelp descriptions with keywords
• More detailed website with FAQs
• Foursquare listing fully completed

What I fixed:

Week 1: Platform presence

• Claimed Foursquare listing
• Updated Yelp with detailed service descriptions
• Listed on industry directories (RepairPal, etc.)

Week 2: Website updates

• Added LocalBusiness schema
• Created service area pages
• Added FAQ section with common questions

Week 3: Review strategy

• Asked customers for Yelp reviews specifically (not just Google)
• Encouraged detailed reviews mentioning services

Week 4: NAP consistency

• Audited 30+ directories for consistency
• Fixed mismatched phone numbers and addresses

Results after 6 weeks:

Started appearing in ChatGPT responses for “best auto repair in [city].” Traffic from AI referrals is now about 15% of new customers.

Reviews matter differently for AI:

Google vs AI review differences:

Google: Review quantity and stars dominate

AI: Review CONTENT matters more. AI reads the text.

Why this matters:

If your reviews say “Great food!” - not very helpful for AI.

If competitor reviews say “Amazing authentic Italian pasta, great outdoor seating, perfect for date night, reasonable prices” - AI extracts these details and uses them to recommend.

How to get better reviews for AI visibility:

1. Ask specific questions when requesting reviews:

   • “What dish did you enjoy?”
   • “What was the occasion?”
   • “Who would you recommend us to?”

2. Respond to reviews with details: Your response: “So glad you enjoyed our homemade carbonara! Next time try our fresh-made tiramisu.”

   AI reads your responses too. This adds context.

3. Encourage Yelp reviews specifically - they’re weighted heavily by AI

Review keyword strategy:

Identify what queries you want to appear for:

• “Italian restaurant romantic dinner [city]”
• “Best pasta [city]”
• “Italian restaurant outdoor seating [city]”

Encourage reviews that mention these attributes naturally.

Technical side: Schema markup is essential for local AI visibility.

LocalBusiness schema you need:

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Restaurant",
  "name": "Your Restaurant Name",
  "image": "https://yoursite.com/photo.jpg",
  "address": {
    "@type": "PostalAddress",
    "streetAddress": "123 Main St",
    "addressLocality": "Your City",
    "addressRegion": "State",
    "postalCode": "12345"
  },
  "telephone": "+1-555-555-5555",
  "servesCuisine": "Italian",
  "priceRange": "$$",
  "openingHours": "Mo-Su 11:00-22:00",
  "acceptsReservations": "True",
  "menu": "https://yoursite.com/menu"
}

Why this helps AI:

AI systems parse this structured data much more reliably than unstructured text. They know exactly:

• What you are (Restaurant)
• What cuisine (Italian)
• Your price range
• Your hours
• That you take reservations

Additional schema to add:

• FAQPage schema for common questions
• Review schema for testimonials
• Event schema for special events

Testing:

Use Google’s Rich Results Test to validate your schema is working correctly.

Content strategy for local AI visibility:

Most local businesses have thin websites. That’s the problem.

AI needs content to cite. If your website is just:

• Home page
• Menu page
• Contact page

There’s nothing for AI to extract and recommend.

Content that drives local AI recommendations:

1. Location-specific guides “The Complete Guide to Italian Dining in [Your City]” Positions you as the local authority.

2. FAQ pages “Is Your Restaurant Good for Large Groups?” “Do You Have Outdoor Seating?” “What’s Your Most Popular Dish?”

These match how people query AI.

3. Neighborhood content “Why [Your Neighborhood] is [City’s] Best Food District” Creates local relevance signals.

4. Event content “Valentine’s Day Dining at [Restaurant]” Seasonal queries are common.

The difference:

Competitor with thin website: AI has nothing to cite

You with rich content: AI has multiple touchpoints to recommend you

This is why some 4.2-star restaurants beat 4.8-star restaurants in AI - better web content.

Different AI platforms = different data sources

Platform-specific strategy:

For ChatGPT:

• Foursquare is critical
• Yelp important
• Website content matters

For Google Gemini:

• Google Business Profile is primary
• Google reviews weighted heavily
• Maps integration matters

For Perplexity:

• Website content is key
• Multiple sources cross-referenced
• Freshness matters more

For Apple/Siri:

• Apple Maps (powered by Foursquare data)
• Yelp integration
• TripAdvisor for restaurants

The lesson:

You can’t optimize for just one platform. A local business needs presence across:

• Google Business Profile
• Yelp
• Foursquare
• TripAdvisor (if applicable)
• Industry directories
• Your own website

If you’re showing up on Google Gemini but not ChatGPT, your Foursquare is probably the gap.

This thread completely changed my understanding. Local AI visibility is a totally different game than Google Maps.

My action plan:

This Week:

1. Claim and complete Foursquare listing (the missing piece!)
2. Audit NAP consistency across all platforms
3. Add LocalBusiness schema to website

Next 2 Weeks: 4. Update Yelp with detailed descriptions 5. Create FAQ page on website 6. Start asking for more detailed reviews

Month 1: 7. Add location-specific content to website 8. Submit to data aggregators 9. Build review strategy for Yelp specifically

Key insights:

• Foursquare powers ChatGPT local results (never knew this)
• Review TEXT matters more than stars for AI
• Website content creates citeable material
• NAP consistency across platforms is foundational

What I was doing wrong:

• Thinking Google Maps optimization = AI optimization
• Ignoring Foursquare completely
• Having a thin website with no AI-extractable content

Thanks everyone for the local SEO reality check!