AI Search Optimization - Get Visible on Gemini, ChatGPT and Co.

You’ve most likely spotted it already: when you search on Google, you get an AI suggestion by Gemini or an AI Overview. This advancement is called Google SGE, a new way of search powered by AI. This is where our future is headed. AI tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini or Microsoft Copilot are on the horizon, and the way people search and digest information has changed and will continue to change quite a bit in the near future. This means not only a shift for users but also for businesses, both globally and locally, as they must adapt their strategy to this new search evolution.

Traditional Search Is On the Verge of Dying

Traditional search as we know it centers mainly around keyword optimization, backlinks, as well as technical SEO and different on-page SEO techniques. For local SEO, these things also play an important role, alongside reviews, NAP consistency, and of course, the optimized Google Business Profile.

While traditional (local) SEO focuses on getting customers directly to your website or Google Business Profile, the AI approach called GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) focuses on content being recognized by AI systems and presenting the business in its answers.

The emergence of GEO signifies a departure from the keyword-centric strategies that have defined SEO for decades. While traditional SEO depends on users clicking through to web pages, generative search engines deliver results directly through AI, achieving what industry experts call a "zero-click" experience.

To thrive in GEO, you need to emphasize structured content rather than trying to trick the algorithm through conventional SEO techniques. GEO follows its own optimization. This is basically the same as how traditional website SEO is not the same as local SEO, GEO is its own world.

The Democratization of Search Authority

The evolution of AI platforms such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and co. offers a promising shift away from the Google monopoly that has long dictated the search landscape. While other search engines such as Bing hold a small market share, Google still maintains the number one position with roughly 90%.

Search Engine	Daily Searches (Approx.)	Market Share (Global)
Google	8.5 billion	90.14%
Baidu	6 billion	0.72%
Bing	900 million	3.42%
Yandex	200+ million	2.53%
DuckDuckGo	100 million	0.68%
Yahoo	2.75 billion (monthly)	1.33%

Now, with the emerging AI-powered systems that have entered the competition, the question arises whether or not they are actually replacing our traditional Google search pathways. While they might already be a go-to in many companies for day-to-day operations and innovations, are they actually being used by private consumers? To put it in simple terms: Would I actually search for a restaurant on ChatGPT or Gemini? Below, we can see a table of the monthly active users per platform and the approximate percentage of user queries by category.

Tool	Total Users	Work Focus (%)	Health (%)	Leisure (%)
ChatGPT	400M weekly	62% *1, 2	18% *3, 4	20% *5
Microsoft Copilot	63M (May 2025)	89% *6, 7	6% *8	5% *9
Google Gemini	400M monthly	34% *10	9% *11, 12	57% *11, 13

Sources: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13

Google Gemini's high percentage in leisure searches (57%) stems from its deep integration with Google Search and Maps, which process billions of local discovery queries.

While ChatGPT and Copilot require an app or an open website to ask questions, Gemini is directly integrated into the search ecosystem that most internet users are already familiar with and actively using. ChatGPT and Copilot focus mainly on text generation or research purposes, which are primarily used for work-related tasks.

To get even deeper into the matter, 76% of healthcare queries and 49% of ecommerce queries trigger AI Overviews, which seems a lot, but local searches (restaurants, travel, entertainment) see the highest engagement with these generative responses.

What can we conclude now? While ChatGPT and Copilot are generally used for work purposes and health-related queries, Gemini holds the highest percentage of leisure-focused queries due to its natural integration into regular search. So, it’s a yes and no at the same time. Users are not necessarily searching for a restaurant on ChatGPT or Gemini directly, but Google’s AI Overview (which is essentially Gemini) and the conversational search on Google Maps contribute to this, even though the user might not be aware they are interacting with Gemini. It is basically the backend brain behind Google’s entire local discovery ecosystem.

From a user journey perspective, this poses a great advantage for local SEO, as the search intent is mostly commercial, transactional, or navigational. Informational search intent, however, suffers, as users are often given the answer they are looking for directly in the AI Overview, making it less necessary to click through to a website. But let’s examine the shift in traditional and local SEO further.

The Decline of Traditional SEO

In generative search, AI tools such as ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, or Gemini do not directly send users to your website. While they do provide sources (a link to your website where they pulled the content for their answer), the user’s search intent is mostly fulfilled by the answer that the AI gives them.

How Local SEO Is Impacted by the Generative Search Evolution

Google Search

Google’s search results page is getting a serious makeover. Instead of the usual blue links and map packs, users are now greeted with AI Overviews, chat-like summaries that provide quick answers directly on the page. These overviews often list businesses, highlight reviews, and pull in photos, hours, and other details, all without requiring a click through to a website. For example, searching “best sushi near me” might now display an AI-generated list of top spots with snippets like “great outdoor seating” or “open late,” pulled from platforms such as Google Business Profile, Yelp, and even social media.

This shift means fewer people are scrolling down to the regular organic listings. In fact, top positions are seeing up to 34% fewer clicks. Local 3-packs still appear, but they don’t always align with what’s shown in the AI summary, making rankings more unpredictable. Businesses now need to optimize for inclusion within these AI-generated results, not just for traditional SEO.

That means cleaning up structured data (like hours and menus), ensuring information is consistent across platforms, and encouraging reviews that mention useful, specific features. Local SEO isn’t just about being first anymore, it’s about being understood and surfaced by AI in this new, interactive search experience. Context is now more important than ever.

Google Maps

Google Maps has evolved from a navigation-focused app to an AI-powered local discovery assistant. Thanks to generative AI and large language models (LLMs), users can now ask natural, complex questions like:

• “Dog-friendly cafes with shade in Manhattan”
• “Thrift shops open late in Brooklyn”

Instead of just showing pins or a simple list, Maps now responds with rich, tailored recommendations based on:

• Real-time business data (e.g., hours, status, photos)
• Google Business Profiles (GBPs)
• Reviews from 300+ million contributors
• Categories and vibes (e.g., “cozy brunch,” “hipster coffee shop”)

Search results within Maps now feature AI Overviews, chat-style summaries that synthesize content from various sources into scrollable, categorized packs (often 5–7 businesses). These aren’t your classic 3-pack rankings, they’re fluid, visual, and context-driven.

Users can ask follow-up questions, refine results (e.g., “open now,” “with outdoor seating”), and even switch intent mid-search, all without leaving the interface. This turns Maps into a dynamic, conversational loop, more like interacting with ChatGPT than browsing a map.

The Opportunities of Generative Search

Just because traditional SEO is declining doesn’t mean that search engine optimization is dying. It’s simply changing, and with this evolution, new opportunities are arising. The focus no longer lies solely on basic keyword research and link building, it has expanded into areas that were less important in the past. Let’s take a look at how you can leverage these new advancements to your advantage and get mentioned by AI in overviews, suggestions, and answers.

From Content to Data

In the era of generative search, structured data isn’t just helpful, it’s essential. AI engines depend on structured formats (think: databases, schemas, APIs) to identify relevant information, understand context, and ground their answers in reality. Structured data allows AI systems to:

• Process content faster
• Reduce hallucinations by grounding answers in facts
• Generate more accurate and reliable responses

Google’s Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) architecture showcases this shift. It pulls structured facts (e.g., hours, menus, pricing) before generating answers, ensuring the output is trustworthy and source-backed. Without structured data, your business may be left entirely out of AI-generated results.

Where Does AI Pull Its Information From?

Every AI system weighs different structured formats differently. Let’s look closer at our three examples!

AI Tool	Primary Data Sources	Key Local Business Optimization Factors
ChatGPT	- Public web content (Wikipedia, books, news, social media) - Pre-2021 datasets (cutoff confirmed) - RAG integration for post-2021 data (via plugins/APIs)	- Schema markup for machine readability - Long-tail FAQ pages addressing queries like "pet-friendly cafes open late" - Expert content (white papers, case studies)
Gemini	- Google Business Profiles (hours, attributes, photos) - Google Maps (real-time traffic, POI data) - Third-party platforms (Yelp, TripAdvisor, Trustpilot) - Social media (geo-tagged Instagram/TikTok posts)	- GBP completeness (100% attribute accuracy) - Multi-platform NAP consistency - Review sentiment optimization (keyword-rich feedback) - Visual content (high-res photos with alt-text)
Copilot	- Bing Search index (including Maps) - Microsoft Graph (SharePoint, Teams, OneDrive docs) - Enterprise partnerships (ERNIE Bot in China)	- Bing Places optimization (mirroring GBP strategies) - Structured data in Office docs (Word/Excel metadata) - Domain authority signals (EDU/GOV backlinks)

Factor	ChatGPT	Gemini	Copilot
Structured Data	High	Critical	Medium
Multi-Platform Presence	Medium	Critical	Low
Visual Content	Low	High	Low
Real-Time Data Accuracy	N/A	Critical	Medium

Structured Data: The New Content Currency

It’s no longer enough to have great content; you need to have consistent, accurate, structured content across all your platforms. As we’ve learned, AI tools pull from multiple sources to compile answers. The better and more complete your structured data is, the more likely you are to be featured.

Platform Data Quality Directly Affects Visibility

Visibility in AI-generated responses now depends on more than just keyword use. To be recognized by AI, your data must be:

• Complete (including rich business details and attributes)
• Consistent across platforms (Google, Yelp, Facebook, etc.)
• Credible and up to date

Businesses that neglect structured data, even if they rank well in traditional search, risk being excluded from AI responses. This shift also affects multimodal searches (text, voice, images, video, and even location data), and especially voice-based searches, where structured data plays a critical role in accurate recognition and ranking.

Tailored Data by Industry

Different industries require different types of structured data to meet user expectations and match AI’s content parsing standards. Let’s have a look at different local categories!

Restaurants & Hospitality

Key elements include menus (with dietary options), hours, pricing, and location-specific attributes like “outdoor seating” or “kid-friendly.” Structured data should also be reflected on platforms like Google Maps, Yelp, and TripAdvisor.

Beauty & Wellness

These businesses benefit from structured information on services, pricing, practitioner bios, reviews, and availability calendars, especially across social platforms and appointment tools.

Healthcare & Legal

Due to the trust and compliance required, AI systems rely on data such as licenses, degrees, specialties, and verified listings across medical/legal directories. Accuracy here directly impacts AI visibility. Remember, we talked earlier about how 76% of healthcare queries trigger the AI overview! You want to make sure that you are included!

B2B Services

Businesses in professional services need to highlight company information, services, case studies, and credentials across directories like LinkedIn and industry-specific databases.

An increasing number of AI systems also factor in credibility indicators such as awards, certifications, and third-party validation. These must be structured and visible across platforms.

Multi-Platform Optimization Is No Longer Optional

Today’s generative AI pulls from a wide range of sources, not just your website. Businesses need:

• Structured data consistency across all public listings
• Real-time updates, such as holiday hours, synced everywhere
• Presence in local directories, review platforms, and even social media

Video content also plays a growing role. Structured metadata like videoObject markup improves the chances of being featured in AI-generated video results (e.g., “What does the inside of this café look like?”).

Preparing for the Future of Search with Obenan

Generative AI is no longer just experimental, it’s being integrated into mainstream platforms like Google Search, Google Maps, Bing, as well as independent systems. ChatGPT, Copilot, and Gemini also act as standalone systems that gain more and more users daily. These systems rely heavily on structured data to deliver contextually relevant, trustworthy responses.

1. Audit and Maintain Your Structured Data

• Use schema markup (like LocalBusiness) on your website to help AI understand your business information.
• Include essential details such as name, address, phone number (NAP), hours, services, and attributes like “vegan-friendly” or “wheelchair accessible.”

How Obenan Helps: Structured data can be added not only on your website, but also on your Google Business Profile and online business directories. Think about menu items, attributes, and opening hours, these are all forms of structured data that are essential. Obenan’s AI Agents synchronize this structured data across your Google Business Profile and business directories, keeping everything accurate and consistent at all times.

2. Fully Optimize Your Google Business Profile (GBP)

• Keep your business hours, service areas, contact information, and attributes up to date, especially for holidays or unexpected closures. Add industry-specific options such as menu items or amenities.
• Add Google Posts, answer FAQs, and include real-time updates that AI tools can surface in summaries.
• Upload high-quality photos and videos that showcase your business, team, products, or space.

How Obenan Helps: Obenan’s AI Agents automatically detect incomplete or missing fields in your Google Business Profile and guide you in completing them. They also help you add high-quality, optimized images that accurately showcase your business and enhance your visibility.

3. Claim and Complete Directory Listings

• Ensure your business is listed on major and niche platforms like Yelp, Apple Maps, TripAdvisor, and relevant industry directories.
• Use the exact same name, address, and phone number on every platform to avoid data conflicts.

How Obenan Helps: Obenan’s AI Agents keep an eye out for any missing listings on both major and niche directories. When they find one, they automatically create it for you, or claim it if it already exists, so your business shows up everywhere it should.

4. Keep Business Information Consistent Across All Platforms

• Avoid small variations in your business name or contact details across sites, as this can confuse AI systems or reduce your chances of being cited.
• Sync key information, such as temporary closures or seasonal hours, across all platforms where possible.

How Obenan Helps: Obenan’s AI Agents work around the clock to keep your business information accurate and consistent. They catch even the smallest inconsistencies, often caused by user edits or automated system updates, and fix them before they cause problems. Something as simple as a change in opening hours can lead to lost trust and make it harder for search engines and AI systems to verify your business details. That’s why Obenan makes sure your information stays aligned everywhere, all the time.

5. Publish Clear, Helpful, and Trustworthy Content

• Write content that answers common customer questions in a simple, direct format, such as blog posts, FAQs, or service guides.
• Use local examples, bullet points, and clean formatting that makes your content easy for AI to understand and reference.
• Focus on becoming an authority in your niche by publishing locally relevant, topic-driven content.

How Obenan Helps: Obenan’s AI Agents create compelling, SEO-friendly content tailored to how AI systems understand and rank information. They naturally weave in long-tail and local-intent keywords into your Google Posts, business descriptions, and other key listings across the web. The result? Structured, engaging content that not only drives conversions but also helps your business get discovered by the right people at the right time.

6. Target Long-Tail and Conversational Keywords

• Use natural, specific phrases that reflect how people speak during voice searches, like: “best sushi restaurant in Manhattan New York” or “emergency dentist open late”.
• Include these phrases in your page titles, FAQs, and service descriptions.

How Obenan Helps: Obenan performs in-depth keyword research tailored to your specific location, generating a list of local and AI-friendly keywords. These are seamlessly integrated across key areas of your digital presence to boost visibility and relevance in local and generative search results.

7. Encourage and Respond to Reviews

• Ask satisfied customers to write reviews that include helpful details like “friendly staff” or “great patio seating.”
• Respond professionally to both positive and negative reviews to build trust and improve your visibility in AI summaries.

How Obenan Helps: Obenan’s AI Agents can automatically respond to incoming reviews on major platforms like Google, TripAdvisor, UberEats, and HappyCow, using your preferred tone of voice, as if you were personally behind the keyboard.

You can also launch smart review request campaigns with just a few clicks. Obenan provides a QR code you can print on receipts or signage, and a link you can include in follow-up emails. Once set up, the system continuously collects fresh reviews on autopilot. Even better: if someone leaves negative feedback, it’s redirected to a private survey instead of being posted publicly, helping you protect and improve your online reputation over time.

8. Optimize Visual Content

• Upload geo-tagged photos with descriptive filenames and alt-text to improve your visibility in Google Maps and image-based AI results.
• Share relevant video content and consider embedding it on your website for richer content signals.

How Obenan Helps: Obenan’s AI Agents recommend exactly which images you need to upload to give a complete, professional impression of your business and its services. All images are automatically optimized and ready to be published across directories that support visual content, so with just one click, your photos can appear everywhere they matter.

9. Build Local Authority Through Backlinks

• Get listed or featured on trusted local websites such as your chamber of commerce, tourism board, or reputable local blogs.
• These local links increase your business's credibility in the eyes of AI systems and improve your authority signals.

How Obenan Helps: With Omnipulse, you can discover your domain rank, an indicator of how well your website performs in local search compared to your top three competitors. What matters most isn’t how high your score is overall, but whether it’s higher than theirs. If you’re ahead by a wide margin, you’re seen as a local authority. But if you’re trailing, it’s a sign you need to start earning valuable backlinks from trusted local sources to close the gap. Obenan’s AI Agents help you get listed on relevant business directories, some of which also offer valuable backlink opportunities to boost your website’s authority and local SEO performance.

11. Optimize for Voice Search - Keep in Mind When Creating Content

• Write content that matches natural speech patterns and question formats people use with voice assistants.
• Include full-sentence, conversational questions and answers throughout your site, especially in FAQ sections.

How Obenan Helps: Obenan optimizes for long-tail keywords and natural language terms such as “restaurant near me” or “find an emergency dentist near my location”.

What We’ve Learned About the Way of Searching Today

The generative search revolution is not a phase, it’s a foundational shift in how humans seek, find, and trust information. It redefines digital visibility, decentralizes authority, and forces businesses to think far beyond keywords and rankings.

Traditional SEO still has a place, but it’s no longer the whole game. Winning in this landscape requires embracing structured data, understanding platform diversity, and anticipating user behavior across channels. In this new era of search, information isn’t just king. Structure is.

Structured data has become the backbone of modern search visibility. As AI-driven platforms reshape how users discover businesses, organizations must shift their focus from keyword games to structured, high-quality information. Those who embrace multi-platform optimization, industry-specific standards, and credible data will stand out and win in the new AI-first search landscape.

Obenan helps your business thrive in the new era of search with intelligent AI Agents that work around the clock to manage and improve your online presence, not just for traditional local SEO, but also for the fast-evolving world of generative search. These agents act on your behalf with a speed no manual process can match, continuously learning and adapting to the latest search engine advancements.

Ready to future-proof your business for AI-driven search? Get started with Omnipulse, a free local SEO audit that uncovers gaps and opportunities for your location in seconds.