Lokale ondernemers: Heeft AI-zoekopdracht invloed op je klantwerving? Wat werkt er echt?

Great timing on this question. I’ve been doing a deep dive on local AI visibility.

The short answer:

Local AI visibility is 80% traditional local SEO fundamentals done really well, plus 20% new considerations.

What AI systems pull from for local recommendations:

1. Google Business Profile - Still the most important for local
2. Review platforms - Yelp, industry-specific sites
3. Local directories - Consistent NAP data across citations
4. Your website - Schema markup, location pages

The new considerations:

• Review sentiment analysis - AI reads and understands review content, not just star ratings
• Service clarity - AI needs to know WHAT you do, not just WHO you are
• Location specificity - City and neighborhood level detail matters

Why your competitor might be winning:

Probably has more consistent data across platforms, more reviews with specific service mentions, or better service area definitions. AI systems can’t verify “best” so they rely heavily on these signals.

Restaurant owner here. I’ve been obsessing over this for months.

What I discovered:

When people ask AI “best Italian restaurant in [my city]” - the responses pull heavily from:

• Yelp reviews and descriptions
• Google reviews mentioning specific dishes
• TripAdvisor ratings
• Local food publication mentions

What moved the needle for us:

1. Encouraged specific reviews - Not just “great food” but “the carbonara was authentic and the wine list is impressive”
2. Updated all descriptions - Made sure our cuisine type and specialties were consistent everywhere
3. Got local press coverage - Featured in “best of” lists from local publications
4. Menu structured data - Added schema for menu items on our website

The result:

We went from not appearing in AI recommendations to showing up consistently for “Italian restaurant [city]” queries.

The specific review content seems to matter a lot. AI reads the actual text, not just the stars.

Retail boutique perspective. Here’s what’s weird:

For general queries like “clothing stores in [city],” AI mostly recommends national chains. Local boutiques rarely appear.

BUT for specific queries like “vintage clothing [city]” or “sustainable fashion boutique [city]” - we show up.

The lesson:

Local businesses probably can’t compete with big brands for general category queries. But we CAN win for specific, niche queries.

What I optimized for:

• Made “vintage” and “sustainable” prominent in all my profiles
• Created content around our specialization
• Got listed in niche directories (sustainable fashion, vintage, etc.)

If you’re a local business competing with chains, lean into what makes you different and make sure AI understands your niche.

HVAC company owner. Something I noticed:

AI recommendations seem to favor businesses with clear service areas defined.

I updated my Google Business Profile to list specific cities and neighborhoods I serve. Started appearing in AI responses for those specific locations.

Before, I just had my main city listed. Now I have all the suburbs and neighborhoods spelled out.

Theory: AI systems need explicit location data to confidently recommend. Vague service areas = less confident recommendations.

Auto repair shop here. Reviews have been everything for AI visibility.

We have 800+ Google reviews and respond to every single one. We also have 300+ Yelp reviews.

When I test AI queries like “mechanic for BMW in [city]” - we appear and cite our review count and rating.

The investment in reviews pays off twice now:

1. Traditional Google ranking
2. AI recommendation inclusion

If you’re not actively building reviews, you’re missing both channels.

One thing I’ve noticed: AI seems to quote specific reviews sometimes. The more detailed and positive your review content, the better you look in AI responses.

Hair salon perspective. Super competitive local market.

What differentiated us in AI results:

1. Specialty services highlighted - We do curly hair specialists. Made this prominent everywhere.
2. Stylist profiles - Individual profiles for each stylist with their specialties
3. Before/after photos - Caption them with specific service names
4. FAQ page - Common questions about our services with specific answers

When someone asks AI “curly hair specialist [city]” - we show up because we’ve made that specialty explicit everywhere.

Generic salons trying to be everything to everyone don’t appear for specific queries. Specialization wins.

General contractor. Tested something:

Asked ChatGPT and Perplexity the same question: “Who should I hire for kitchen remodel in [my city]?”

Got completely different recommendations. ChatGPT seemed to pull from different sources than Perplexity.

Implication:

You can’t just optimize for one AI platform. Need to be visible across the sources that different AI systems use.

Google presence alone isn’t enough. Houzz, HomeAdvisor, BBB, industry associations - they all matter depending on which AI someone uses.

Amazing insights from everyone. Here’s what I’m taking away:

AI local visibility is mostly traditional local SEO done really well:

• Complete, consistent data across all platforms
• Strong review profile with specific service mentions
• Clear service areas explicitly defined
• Schema markup for local business

The new twists:

• Niche specialization matters more (AI can match specific needs)
• Review content (not just ratings) gets analyzed
• Multiple platforms matter (different AIs use different sources)
• Explicit beats implicit (spell out everything)

My action plan:

1. Audit and complete all directory listings with consistent NAP
2. Update service area definitions everywhere
3. Encourage reviews mentioning specific services
4. Add LocalBusiness schema to website
5. Set up Am I Cited to track AI visibility
6. Test across different AI platforms monthly

The good news: this is all stuff we should be doing anyway. AI visibility seems to reward doing the basics exceptionally well.

One more thing to consider: AI search is still early for local.

Most local searches still happen through Google Maps and traditional search. But the trend is clear - more people are asking AI for recommendations.

My advice for local businesses:

Don’t abandon traditional local SEO for AI optimization. Do both. They’re largely the same tactics anyway.

The businesses that nail the fundamentals now will be well-positioned as AI search grows. Think of it as future-proofing your local visibility.