ChatGPT and Google: how these AI search engines affect local businesses

Introduction: a change that is already happening in front of your customers

The relationship between ChatGPT and Google is redrawing the map of internet searches, and many local businesses are noticing it without knowing exactly why. A customer searches for "dentist near me" or "restaurant with daily menu in Seville" and, before seeing the usual results, finds a summary generated by artificial intelligence that directly answers their question. If your business doesn't appear there, it simply doesn't exist for that customer.

The good news is that adapting doesn't require being technical or spending hours on marketing strategies. Tools like RankCoworker are designed precisely so that any local business —a dental clinic, a pharmacy, a workshop— can publish useful content every month and gain visibility where their customers search, without technical complications.

What is really happening with AI search engines

Google has been integrating AI-generated summaries —the so-called AI Overviews— directly at the top of its results for some time now. ChatGPT, for its part, already allows searching the internet and recommends specific businesses when someone asks where to buy something or what service to hire. These two trends together are changing the way customers find a local business.

The change is significant. According to data from Ahrefs (2025), in a sample of popular searches in Latin America, AI summaries appeared in 86% of commercial or transactional searches [1]. In other words: almost every search with purchase or hiring intent already shows an AI summary before the traditional results.

This does not mean that SEO is dead. It means that the rules have changed and that businesses that continue to do things right will continue to appear —now in more places at once.

The real effect on clicks

When an AI summary appears, many users get the answer they were looking for without needing to click on any result. According to Ahrefs (2025), results in the first position recorded a CTR approximately 58% lower when an AI Overview appeared in December 2025 [2]. A concerning statistic, but one that also opens up an opportunity: if your business is the source that the summary cites, you are the one who benefits.

The SEO consultant Cyrus Shepard, founder of Zyppy, published a case study in 2026 in which he estimated a CTR close to 0.9% for impressions of Google’s AI features, and also observed that excluding a site from those features also reduced its usual organic clicks [6]. The practical conclusion: trying to escape from AI summaries may harm more than benefit.

How local businesses appear on ChatGPT and Google with AI

Here is the question that local business owners are most interested in: where do these AIs get the information to recommend one business or another? The answer has two parts: business directories and the business's own content.

The directories: your presence on the AI map

According to an analysis by BrightLocal (2025) conducted on 60,970 checks across more than 1,355 businesses in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia, Google Business Profile was the preferred source for Google’s local AI features, while Yelp appeared as a source in 80% of the local responses analyzed from ChatGPT [4]. Although the Spanish-speaking market has its own platforms, the principle is the same: AI search engines feed on what they find in verified directories.

For a local business in Spain or Latin America, this translates into concrete actions:

• Updated Google Business Profile: correct name, address, phone number, hours, and category.
• Recent and responded reviews: the online reputation of the local business weighs heavily on how the AI values its relevance.
• Presence in sector directories: depending on the type of business (dental clinic, restaurant, pharmacy), each sector has its own reference platforms.
• Consistent information across all places: if the phone number or address differs between platforms, the AI becomes suspicious and may omit you.

The business's own content: why a blog remains key

AI summaries do not invent information: they extract it from real web pages. A local business that publishes useful articles —"how long does orthodontics last", "what to do if you have a dental emergency on a Sunday", "how to choose a menu for celiacs"— is much more likely to be cited by that AI as a reliable source.

The SEO consultant Marie Haynes, in a 12-month analysis of Google Analytics 4 data on 100 websites (2026), concluded that ChatGPT generated 0.62% of the traffic produced by organic Google search in the analyzed sample, confirming that AI search still primarily functions as a complementary channel for discovery and branding. This means you should not abandon Google to chase ChatGPT: both channels feed on the same well-written and well-structured content.

A blog that attracts customers without needing to know about SEO is not a luxury; it is the foundation on which AI search engines build their responses when someone searches for what you offer.

What you should ask a visibility tool for your business

If you are evaluating how to improve the online visibility of your restaurant, clinic, or store without becoming an expert in digital marketing, there are specific questions worth asking before hiring any service.

A service like RankCoworker covers exactly these points: it publishes monthly articles tailored to your type of business and locality, with customized keywords and without you needing to know anything about SEO. It is an option designed for dentists, builders, restaurants, and any local business that wants to attract customers on Google —and now also on ChatGPT— without spending hours on technology.

Reviews, reputation, and trust: the triangle that AI values

AI search engines not only look at whether you have content; they also evaluate whether your business is trustworthy. Reviews on Google, the consistency of your information online, and the online reputation of your local business are signals that both Google and ChatGPT use to decide whom to recommend.

A business with 50 positive and recent reviews is much more likely to appear in an AI summary than one with 5 old reviews, even if both sell the same thing. Responding to reviews —even negative ones— is also a sign of activity that algorithms interpret as reliability.

For the digital marketing of dentists and clinics, for example, systematically asking for reviews after each visit can make the difference between appearing or not in the response that ChatGPT gives when someone asks "which dentist do you recommend in [city]?".

Frequently asked questions about ChatGPT, Google, and local businesses

Do I have to do something different to appear on ChatGPT and Google?

The foundation is the same: useful content, updated information in directories, and good reviews. ChatGPT feeds on real web sources, so a blog with relevant articles for your sector and locality is the best starting point. You do not need separate strategies for each platform.

Do Google’s AI summaries always harm local businesses?

Not necessarily. If your business is the source that the summary cites, you gain brand visibility even if the user does not click. According to data from Pew Research Center cited by The Daily Star (2025), users clicked on traditional results in 8% of searches with an AI summary, compared to 15% without a summary [7]. This means fewer direct clicks, but not zero clicks, and brand awareness continues to grow.

Do I need to have a blog for the AI to recommend me?

It is not mandatory, but it makes a clear difference. Businesses with their own updated content are more likely to be cited as a source in AI summaries. Additionally, that content also improves your ranking in traditional Google results, so you are working both channels at once.

Is it enough to have the Google Business profile updated?

It is the essential first step, but not the only one. Google Business Profile is crucial for local searches with AI, but combining it with your own content on your website and presence in other relevant directories multiplies your chances of appearing in recommendations from ChatGPT and other AI search engines.

Conclusion: act before your competitors do

The emergence of ChatGPT and Google with AI is not a threat for those who adapt quickly: it is a window of opportunity. Local businesses that publish useful content, keep their directories updated, and take care of their online reputation will be the ones that appear in the responses their customers receive from AI. There is no need to be technical or have a marketing team. RankCoworker helps you take that step with automatic monthly articles, tailored keywords, and clear visibility reports. Start today and let AI work for you.