Did you know that a recent BrightLocal study highlighted key factors influencing how local businesses rank, and these factors are becoming even more important for getting recommended by AI?
https://www.brightlocal.com/learn/local-seo/introduction-to-local-seo/google-local-search-algorithm
Case Study 1:
Let’s see how this works in practice. For the keyword ‘best car detailers in Miami,’ a search on a platform like ChatGPT, or on Google, highlights our client, Unick Auto Detailing, due to the local SEO strategy implemented by Map Ranking. As you can see here, the Search on ChatGPT even recommends them as a top choice.
Case Study 2:
For the query ‘suggest where I can wrap my van in Canoga Park,‘ a search on a platform like ChatGPT, or on Google Gemini, highlights our client, The Wrap Shop, due to the local SEO strategy implemented by Map Ranking.
As you can see here, the Search on ChatGPT even recommends them as a top choice.
These are some of the Ranking Factors that we found at Map Ranking that make the biggest impact on AI results showing local businesses at the top:
Citations:
Next, let’s talk about citations. Citations are any online mentions of a business’s name, address, and phone number, also known as NAP. Think of them as digital fingerprints. When a business has consistent and accurate citations across various online directories—like Yelp, Yellow Pages, or local business listings—it helps AI understand that the business is real, legitimate, and established.
This consistency builds trust and significantly enhances the business’s online presence, making it more likely to be recommended.
Map Check-Ins:
Another crucial factor is map check-ins and engagement.
Platforms like Google Maps aren’t just for navigation; they’re social hubs. User interactions—things like check-ins, posting photos, leaving reviews, or asking questions—act as powerful signals to AI. They show that a business is active, popular, and a destination for people. When AI sees this high level of real-world activity, it’s more likely to recommend the business as a top choice.
Website Optimization:
Finally, a key component to getting recommended by AI is your website’s technical health. For The Wrap Shop, we went beyond just the content. We performed a full technical check-up. This included:
- Website Speed: Checking site speed to ensure customers and AI have a fast, smooth experience.
- Plugins: Keeping all plugins and themes updated for both security and optimal performance.
- Optimizing images and cleaning up code by removing unused JavaScript to make the site run more efficiently.
- Links: Looking for and fixing any broken links to ensure a flawless user journey.
- Analytics: And critically, reviewing the analytics and data to understand what’s working and what can be improved.
These technical optimizations make the website not just great for people, but also highly trustworthy and understandable for AI algorithms.
Wondering what are your current rankings?
Start by getting your free heatmap report at Map Ranking
This is a lot of work to manage on your own. If you want to make sure your citations are perfect and working for you, develop a strategy to get more check-ins, or if you need help ensuring your website is technically sound and ready to rank with AI, contact us. We can help!
